Galileo Teacher Class

A year-long once-a-month free college-level astronomy class for teachers taught by JAC's Inge Heyer in Hilo and Kona will involve hands-on activities for the class room. The publisher of the text book (W.H. Freeman) is providing the books free of charge. We will also have free access to the online edition. Free facilities for the class are provided by the HWL DOE (Hilo) and WHEA (Kona). Please email Inge if you are interested.

Requirements: You have to be a teacher in a public, private or charter school. If you are uncertain of your status, please email me. You should commit to attending at least 8 of the 11 classes during 2009 in order to receive the free text book. But you may attend either the Hilo or Kona class during any given month.

Instructor:
Inge Heyer
Public Information Officer
Joint Astronomy Centre
660 N. A`ohoku Place
Hilo, HI 96720 USA
Tel: 808-969-6524
Email: outreach@jach.hawaii.edu

There will be a number of guest instructors for various special topics.

Schedule

Classes are scheduled on the weekend of the third Saturday of each month. During this weekend, the Kona class at WHEA will be on Saturday from 12:30pm until 4:30pm. The Hilo class will be that Sunday at the Hilo DOE Conference Room #2 from 10am until 2pm. There will be no class in April, as I will be away almost the entire month.

Date

Location

Chapters/Topics

Jan 17

Nelha (Kona)

Introduction: A Walk through the Field of Astronomy
NOTE: This class only starts at 1:30pm, due to Nelha business!

Jan 18

Hilo DOE

Introduction: A Walk through the Field of Astronomy

January Class Notes:

Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at Nelha in Kona (17 January 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 4.1 MB)

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at DOE in Hilo (18 January 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 5.3 MB)

Feb 21

WHEA (Kona)

Constellations, the History of Astronomy II
Note: This class has been moved from Nelha to WHEA (West Hawaii Explorations Academy)!

Feb 22

`Imiloa, Hilo DOE

Constellations
Note: The first hour of this class will be held at the `Imiloa Planetarium from 10-11am!

February Class Notes:

Guest Speaker: Koa Omphroy "Hawaiian Scientists: Kalakaua and the Venus Transit"
Details on Venus Transits (Wikipedia)
Guest Speaker: Shawn Laatsch (at `Imiloa, Hilo class only) "Our Place in the Cosmos: Celestial Coordinates"
The Orion Constellation Construction:

Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: Re-enacting a Venus transit (21 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 6.6 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: Calculating star distances (21 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 6.8 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: Building the Orion Constellation (21 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 6.7 MB)
IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: Building the Orion Constellation (21 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 7.0 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: Building the Orion Constellation (21 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 6.3 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at DOE in Hilo: Building the Orion Constellation (22 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.4 MB)
IYA Galileo Teacher Class at DOE in Hilo: Building the Orion Constellation (22 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 7.5 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at DOE in Hilo: Building the Orion Constellation (22 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 6.9 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at DOE in Hilo: Building the Orion Constellation (22 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 7.1 MB)
IYA Galileo Teacher Class: The Orion constellation model as seen from Earth (21/22 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.4 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class: The Orion constellation model as seen from the side (90 degrees clockwise) (21/22 February 2009). (Full size JPG image, 4.9 MB)

Mar 21

WHEA (Kona)

Kepler, Newton, Earth-Moon Calculations, The Nature of Light, Cereal Box Spectroscope

Mar 22

Hilo DOE

Kepler, Newton, Earth-Moon Calculations, The Nature of Light, Cereal Box Spectroscope

March Class Notes:

The Cereal Box Spectroscope Construction:
- Cereal Box Spectroscope Instructions (.pdf)
- The colored light bulbs, sockets and switches were obtained from Home Depot Hilo.
Zodiac Constellation Circle Exercise:
- Constellation Labels (.doc)
Tim Slater's Exercises:
- The Book: Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy (2nd edition), by Edward E. Prather, Timothy F. Slater, Jeffrey P. Adams, Gina Brissenden; ISBN 0-13-239226-7. The entire book is posted below courtesy of Tim Slater.
Tides:
- Tides Movie (.mov, QuickTime)

Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: Doing astronomy exercises (21 March 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 6.0 MB)

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Building a cereal box spectroscope (21 March 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 5.0 MB)

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Observing light with the cereal box spectroscope (21 March 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 6.6 MB)

May 16

WHEA (Kona)

The Nature of Light II, The Milky Way

May 17

Hilo DOE

The Nature of Light II, The Milky Way

May Class Notes:

Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: Building a cereal box spectroscope and examining sunlight (16 May 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 5.0 MB)

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Taking a break before venturing out into the Milky Way (17 May 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 5.3 MB)

Jun 21

Hilo DOE

Guest Speaker: Kumiko Usuda from Subaru
NOTE: There will be no Kona class this month due to too many absences.
Please all come to the Hilo class this month.

June Class Notes:

Guest Speaker: Kumiko Usuda of Subaru Telescope (3 topics, see links below)

Make Your Milky Way Model:
http://www.naoj.org/staff/kumiko/MilkyWay/milkyway.html
Find Rainbows Everywhere with Your Own Spectroscope:
http://www.naoj.org/staff/kumiko/CD/spectroscope.html
Mauna Kea Brand Astronomy Trading Cards:
http://www.naoj.org/IYA/Cards/

Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Building a model of our Milky Way Galaxy (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.2 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Finished model of our Milky Way Galaxy (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.5 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Building a 360-degree panoramic view of the Milky Way (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.1 MB)
IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Being inside the Milky Way looks like this (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.4 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Combining the model and the panoramic view (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.1 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Aligning the longitudes shows us what's where in the Milky Way (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.5 MB)
IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Model and panoramic view combination (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.5 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: These lamps look the same to our eyes (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.4 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: With our new spectrograph we can tell the difference between the lamps (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 4.9 MB)
IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: We can't see the infrared signal of a remote control... (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.4 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: ... but our digital camera can (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 4.8 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Exploring the universe and everything in it with Mauna Kea Brand Trading Cards (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.3 MB)
IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Playing with trading cards can be very educational (21 June 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.2 MB)

Jul 18

WHEA (Kona)

The Moon (Ch.10), Comparative Planetology I+II (Ch.7+8), Extrasolar Planets

Jul 19

Hilo DOE

The Moon (Ch.10), Comparative Planetology I+II (Ch.7+8), Extrasolar Planets

July Class Notes:

PowerPoint for Extrasolar Planets (PPT, 16.0 MB)
A picture of the Apollo landing sites on the Moon can be found here.
The hexagon on Saturn: During class at WHEA, one of you pointed out a truly weird feature on Saturn, a hexagon formation in the cloud layers near the northern pole. I had no idea what this is, so I asked one of my friends on the Cassini mission. Here is his answer: "Nobody has any idea what causes it. Really. Experimentalists can reproduce it (fluid in a spinning spherical containment vessel), but still don't know why a hexagon forms." See this weirdness for yourself here.
Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Heading out after exploring all kinds of planets (19 July 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 5.0 MB)

Aug 15

WHEA (Kona)

The Sun (Ch.18), Stellar Evolution I (Ch.20), Stellar Evolution II (Ch.21), Stellar Evolution III (Ch.22)

Aug 16

Hilo DOE

The Sun (Ch.18), Stellar Evolution I (Ch.20), Stellar Evolution II (Ch.21), Stellar Evolution III (Ch.22)

August Class Notes:

I mentioned a bunch of upcoming training opportunities. They are listed below under "Other Events".
We did a number of little exercises:

Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: Are they moons, or are they something more sinister? (15 August 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 5.3 MB)

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Observing Sun-like convection cells in miso soup (16 August 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 5.3 MB)

Sep 19

WHEA (Kona)

Neutron Stars (Ch.23), Black Holes (Ch.24), The Nature of Stars (Ch.19)

Sep 20

Hilo DOE

Neutron Stars (Ch.23), Black Holes (Ch.24), The Nature of Stars (Ch.19)

September Class Notes:

I mentioned a bunch of upcoming training opportunities. They are listed below under "Other Events".
We did three little exercises:

Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: Demonstrating the life cycle of stars (19 September 2009). (Full size JPG image, 3.0 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at WHEA in Kona: A supernova remnant (19 September 2009). (Full size JPG image, 5.1 MB)
IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: It's time for the blue giants to go supernova (20 September 2009). (Full size JPG image, 2.8 MB)	IYA Galileo Teacher Class at the DOE in Hilo: Figuring out the distances in the Solar System using register tape (20 September 2009). (Full size JPG image, 8.5 MB)

Oct 17

WHEA (Kona)

Galaxies (Ch.26), Building a GalileoScope

Oct 18

Hilo DOE

Galaxies (Ch.26), Building a GalileoScope

October Class Notes:

We did three little exercises:
- Binary Stars (.doc)
- Looking at Distant Objects (.doc)
- GalileoScope Instructions (PDF), GalileoScope Website
  Note: If you want to order these, they are currently $20 apiece (+shipping). As of 1 Jan. 2010 they will be $100 apiece.
Galaxy Zoo
SETI@Home

Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at DOE in Hilo: Building a GalileoScope (18 October 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 6.9 MB)

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at DOE in Hilo: Trying out a GalileoScope (18 October 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 3.6 MB)

Nov. 22

`Imiloa, Hilo DOE

Visit to `Imiloa Plantetarium: astronomy visualization, Celestia Desktop Planetarium Demo
Note: Guest speaker: Dr. Andy Adamson (JAC/UKIRT) on Celestia
Note: The first hour of this class will be held at the `Imiloa Planetarium from 10-11am! Please be early!
The second part will be in the `Imiloa class room, since I couldn't get the DOE keys on Friday because of furloughs.
There will be no Kona class this month because the Kona class voted to come to Hilo to attend
the session at `Imiloa. Please all come to the Hilo class this month.

November Class Notes:

Here is the Celestia Information:
- Celestia Home Page
- Celestia Downloads
- Celestia Motherlode
- Celestia Manual
- I will post Andy's handy cheat sheet as soon as I get it
Heavens Above Website
Inflatable Solar System
(Note: Amazon does not ship this item to Hawaii; you have to go through friends/family on the mainland.)
Photos:

IYA Galileo Teacher Class at `Imiloa in Hilo: Celestia Desktop Planetarium Demo (22 November 2009).
(Full size JPG image, 7.1 MB)

Dec 19

WHEA (Kona)

Navigation, Attendance Certificates, Cosmology (Ch.28)
Note: Guest speaker: Kalepa Baybayan on navigation (Kona class only)!

Dec 20

Hilo DOE

Attendance Certificates, Cosmology (Ch.28)

Website and Poster on Careers in Astronomy

There are many different jobs needed to run an observatory. Follow this link, and find out more about our employees, their jobs and their skills. And this link shows a poster (PDF, 11x17, 24 MB) illustrating the various jobs that are needed to run an observatory (hint: it's not just astronomers).

The Great 2012 Scare, and what you can do about it!

There's been a lot of nonsense going around about the supposed end of the Mayan Calendar in 2012 and the corresponding end of the world. This has no basis in fact, so please tell your students and their parents not to worry about this. To help you with your arguments, here is Your 2012 Defense Kit put together by Sky and Telescope Magazine and distributed by the American Astronomical Society (and hopefully many other groups).

Many more resources and information can be found on the JAC Teacher Page.

A large number of science and educational links can be found on our Links Page.

Resources

Other Events:
- 10/03: Galileo Teacher Training Workshop at NELHA in Kona (free, PDF flyer, contact Janice Harvey for details)
- 10/06: Journey/Project Astro Teacher/Astronomer Workshop at Gemini in Hilo (free, PDF flyer, contact Janice Harvey for details
- 10/24: Mauna Kea Observatories Block Party at Aohoku Place in Hilo (free, details here)
- 11/14: Mentoring Workshop at `Imiloa in Hilo (free, flyer).
Book: Universe, by Roger A. Freedman and William J. Kaufmann III, W.H. Freeman, ISBN 0-71676-995-6, provided courtesy of the publisher to all students.
Book: Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy (2nd edition), by Edward E. Prather, Timothy F. Slater, Jeffrey P. Adams, Gina Brissenden; ISBN 0-13-239226-7. The entire book is posted here courtesy of Tim Slater.
- Preface (.doc)
- Table of Contents (.doc)
- The Night Sky
- Fundamentals of Astronomy
- Nature of Light in Astronomy
- Our Solar System
- Stars, Galaxies and Beyond
Book: Stop Faking It! Light, by William C. Robertson, NSTA Press, ISBN 0-87355-215-6
Book: Stikky Night Skies, Laurence Holt Books, ISBN 1-932974-01-6 (Jan. 2003), www.stikky.com
Call from ISS: Call for Proposals (TXT)
Coloring Astro Pictures and Other Games (PDF)
Perseid Meteor Shower (Aug 11-12)
Eratosthenes Teachers Guide (PDF), courtesy of Melina Peebles
GalileoScope Instructions (PDF), GalileoScope Website
Note: If you want to order these, they are currently $20 apiece (+shipping). As of 1 Jan. 2010 they will be $100 apiece.

Resources will be added here as they become available.

If there are any resources you'd like to see here, please email us.