Computer Science – Learning
Scientific paper
Aug 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006iauss...2e..52g&link_type=abstract
Innovation in Teaching/Learning Astronomy Methods, 26th meeting of the IAU, Special Session 2, 17-18 August, 2006 in Prague, Cze
Computer Science
Learning
Scientific paper
Teaching and learning of astronomy meets many contradictions: the information should be true, the presentation should be at a professional level yet easy for the teacher, the topic should be related to the everyday life of the students, and have a cultural/historical background; also, it should be understandable for a wide range of ages. We try to meet all these principles making and using a DVD-video "The FairyTale of the Milky Way" which has been presented for several months in the Planetarium of SaintPetersburg, Russia. We present some parts of the tale on screen with comments on the realization of the principles. Astronomy has many places and moments where and when an astronomical idea and discovery shines perfectly for teaching. We selected Prague, the house of Kepler, Christmas evening of the year 1610, the Keplers last Christmas in Prague. He really may have celebrated Christmas with his family just before the smallpox epidemic, which will take the lives of three of them the next year. The Keplers' friend Rudolf II was still the Emperor (for his last year). Kepler really may have shown his children the pages of the just-published Bayer's Atlas of the Constellations. He must have been excited by the discoveries on the southern sky as well as the recent telescopic discoveries by Galileo. He really may have looked at the satellites of Jupiter, the phases of Venus (that was the right month!), the stars and nebula of the Milky Way, the sunspots and lunar craters through one of the telescopes widely distributed in 1610. He wrote 2 books: one about stars (the famous planetary laws!), the other about snowflakes. That was the key moment of his life. Many details making the atmosphere of the moment are in our tale. The real pictures of the epoch are used. In the fairytale, the beautiful telescopic nebula on modern photos appear real: "Helix," "Crab," "Ant," "Cat's Eye," "Butterfly," "Witch," and so on. A simple technique and software to make it is presented. The Kepler laws of planetary motion are presented to be understandable for children. A set of software for overall compilation is also discussed. The next fairytale will be about Edmond Halley, Isaac Newton and his niece Kitty "on the shore of the ocean of Truth."
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