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Deep Impact-Comet Flyby
In this comet and angles worksheet, students read about the Deep Impact spacecraft that flew by the comet Tempel-1. They use a given formula to find the angular diameter of the comet and solve 4 problems using the equation.
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Aurora Borealis
In this Aurora Borealis learning exercise, students read about how early scientists used triangulation to measure the height of the Aurora Borealis. Students solve 3 problems using triangulation.
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Optimization
In this optimization of satellites worksheet, students read about the Octagonal IMAGE satellite and solve 4 problems related to the size and shape of the satellite and the solar cells used to power the satellite. Students find the mass...
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Coronal Mass Ejection
In this coronal mass ejection worksheet, students read about the coronal mass ejections detected by the IMAGE satellite and the Hubble Space Telescope resulting in auroras. Students solve 6 problems and determine the speed of the coronal...
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Book Excerpt from "The 23rd Cycle"
In this solar storms instructional activity, students read an excerpt from the book "The 23rd Cycle: Learning to Live with a Stormy Star". Students answer 7 questions about the effects of solar storms on radiation exposure, health risk...
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IBEX Creates an Unusual Image of the Sky!
In this IBEX satellite worksheet, students read about the Energetic Neutral Atoms that are detected by the IBEX satellite. Students use a given hypothetical data string to determine the number of particles detected and create an 'image'...
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Ice or Water?
In this ice and water activity, learners read about the energy needed to transform ice to liquid water. Students solve 3 problems where they calculate the energy needed to melt ice given different scenarios in space.
NASA
A Glimpse of the Most Distant Galaxy
For this most distant galaxy instructional activity, learners use a Deep Field image taken by the FORS camera at the ESA-VLT observatory to answer 4 questions about the redshifts identified in the field. They use an on line redshift...
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Star Cluster Math
In this star cluster math activity, students use four different patterns to solve five problems about the fraction of stars classified by their temperature.
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Scientists Track the Rising Tide
In this tracking the rising tide instructional activity, students use the data in a graph showing the seal level change versus time from 1900 to 2000 to answer 3 questions about the rising tides. Students determine the slope of a line...
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The Internal Density and Mass of the Sun
In this sun worksheet, students read about calculating the internal density and mass of the sun. Students use a given formula for the internal density of the sun's gases which students use to solve four mathematical problems.
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Counting Craters on the Hubble Space Telescope!
In this Hubble Space Telescope worksheet, students are given a photograph of the radiator recovered after being in space on the Hubble Space Telescope since 1993. Students solve 6 problems about the impacts that left craters on the...
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Black Holes...Hot Stuff!...VIII
In this black holes learning exercise, students solve three problems about black holes using given equations for determining the temperature of the gases in a black hole and the visible light from the black hole at given temperatures.
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Collapsing Gas Clouds-Stability
In this collapsing gas clouds worksheet, students read about the Bok Globules seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. They use a given equation indicating the pressure of a gas sphere and determine at what minimum radius the cloud would...
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The Ant and The Turntable-Frames of Reference
In this frames of reference worksheet, students solve 5 problems given the details of a journey an ant takes from the center of a CD ROM to its edge. Students draw a scaled sketch of the turntable showing the motion of the ant from...
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Mass Spectrometer
In this mass spectrometer worksheet, high schoolers read about how a mass spectrometer determines the elements in gases around Earth. Students answer 3 questions and identify the elements in a graph found by a mass spectrometer.
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Hinode Sees Mysterious Solar Micro-Flares
In this solar micro-flares worksheet, students read about the X-ray bright spots that the Hinode satellite's X-ray Telescope detected on the sun's surface. Students determine the scale of the image, the dimensions of the smallest bright...
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Astronomy as a Career
In this astronomy as a career instructional activity, students use 2 graphs to answer 4 questions about the number of PhDs awarded, the number of PhD's awarded compared to Bachelor's degrees in astronomy and factors that might be...
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Exploring Dwarf Planet Eris
For this planet Eris worksheet, students read about the discovery of this dwarf planet and its characteristics. Students answer 3 questions about the planets, the classification of planets and the definition of planets. Students define 7...
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Spitzer Explores a Dusty Young Star
In this stars worksheet, students read about the Spitzer space telescope and they solve 5 problems about the mass, size, and power of dust grains and interstellar mediums detected by the telescope.
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The Deadly Van Allen Belts?
In this Van Allen Belts instructional activity, learners read about the deadly affects of the high energy particle clouds located around the Earth. Students answer 4 questions about the dosages of radiation astronauts receive in the...
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The Dawn Mission: Ion Rockets and Spiral Orbits
In this ion rocket and orbits worksheet, students read about the spiral orbit the Dawn spacecraft took due to its ion rocket motor. Students solve 3 problems including finding the path taken by the spacecraft, determining the total path...
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A Galaxy Up Close
In this Sombrero Galaxy worksheet, students observe infrared images taken by the Spitzer Infrared Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. They answer 9 questions about the details of the images such as the radius of the stellar...
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Chandra Explores Angular Size
In this angular size worksheet, learners read about how astronomers determine the size of objects in the sky by using their angular size. Students are given equations that allow scientists to convert the angular size into kilometers....