Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aas...209.9604p&link_type=abstract
2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical Society Meeting 209, #96.04; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, V
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Portable planetaria are a popular medium through which to teach young students astronomy. Students and teachers alike love them, and they are very useful for teaching astronomy fundamentals such as the appearance of the night sky, cultural myths, and planetary motion. However, until now no planetarium shows existed to teach concepts about the high-energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum. To remedy this, the NASA E/PO Group at Sonoma State University, sponsored by the XMM-Newton observatory mission, has created an interactive planetarium program called “The eXtreme Universe”. This program teaches basic concepts in X-ray astronomy for older elementary and middle school students an age level where the EM spectrum is a national science standard.
Many different small planetaria formats exist, but digital formats using non-proprietary hardware are becoming increasingly popular due to their ease of use and availability of laptops and digital projectors. Using the freely available (and open-source) software Stellarium as an engine, “The eXtreme Universe” displays the optical night sky as well as bright X-ray sources from the ROSAT point source catalog. The teacher can display them simultaneously, or toggle each to compare the distribution of sources. Images of the brightest and most interesting X-ray sources (such as Sirius B, the Crab Nebula, and Cas A) can also be displayed next to their optical counterparts. An accompanying Educators Guide was also written with fun and engaging activities that teach students about X-ray astronomy and how objects look and behave differently when viewed in X-rays.
This poster will outline the show (including required equipment), the Educators Guide, the history and development of the show (hurdles and opportunities), and how to obtain a copy.
Cominsky Lynn
Graves Timothy
Plait Philip
Reed Joan
Silva Sebastian
No associations
LandOfFree
The eXtreme Universe: A Portable Planetarium Program does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The eXtreme Universe: A Portable Planetarium Program, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The eXtreme Universe: A Portable Planetarium Program will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1159062