A teacher guide of classroom activities for grades 4-8 focused on ancient solar astronomical observation and calendaring by early cultures, particularly in the American Southwest. Activities range from individual or small group projects to whole-class exercises. The activities are designed to have students engage in real scientific data-taking and analysis while at the same time getting a sense of how non-technological cultures observed and tracked the cycles of nature, particularly the Sun, long ago.

Another view of the flare over AR9906 on April 21, 2002. This version represents the full resolution of the TRACE data. This visualization represents eight hours of observing time.

In this video segment adapted from KUAC, find out why the horizon in Alaska is sometimes shrouded in pollution and what it means for climate change in the Arctic.

Fly-in of TRACE full sun image to the flare location. Fade to a model of the field lines with a magnetogram of the solar surface. Pull back out to display a movie of flare images. This version uses lens flares to illustrate matter motion along the field lines.

Fly-in of TRACE full sun image to the flare location. Fade to a model of the field lines with a magnetogram of the solar surface. Pull back out to display a movie of flare images. This version does not show the matter motion along the field lines.

When we look at the night sky, we see stars and the nearby planets of our own solar system. Many of those stars are actually distant galaxies and glowing clouds of dust and gases called nebulae. The universe is an immense space with distances measured in light years. The more we learn about the universe beyond our solar system, the more we realize we do not know. Students are introduced to the basic known facts about the universe, and how engineers help us explore the many mysteries of space.

How does the blackbody spectrum of the sun compare to visible light? Learn about the blackbody spectrum of the sun, a light bulb, an oven, and the earth. Adjust the temperature to see the wavelength and intensity of the spectrum change. View the color of the peak of the spectral curve.

Students are introduced to our Sun as they explore its composition, what is happening inside it, its relationship to our planet (our energy source), and the ways engineers help us learn about it.

Using differences in polarization of light directly from the Sun vs. scattered from the CME electrons, it is possible to derive a distance of matter along the line-of-sight. This version is an enhanced version of animation ID 2950 (http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov-vis-a000000-a002900-a002950-) with a color table enhanced to show fainter regions of the CME.

This video segment adapted from NASA describes the basic characteristics of our star, the Sun.

Here is a close-up view of dark tentacles or tadpoles moving towards the solar surface in this solar flare of April 21, 2002 seen by TRACE. One theory proposed in this press release is that they are due to voids created by magnetic reconnection in the flare. This version of the visualization does not display the instrument clock time tags.

Here is a close-up view of dark tentacles or tadpoles moving towards the solar surface in this solar flare of April 21, 2002 seen by TRACE. One theory proposed in this press release is that they are due to voids created by magnetic reconnection in the flare. This version of the visualization displays the instrument clock time tags.

Students learn about using renewable energy from the Sun for heating and cooking as they build and compare the performance of four solar cooker designs. They explore the concepts of insulation, reflection, absorption, conduction and convection.

Students explore the many different ways that engineers provide natural lighting to interior spaces. They analyze various methods of daylighting by constructing model houses from foam core board and simulating the sun with a desk lamp. Teams design a daylighting system for their model houses based on their observations and calculations of the optimal use of available sunlight to their structure.

Students test whether the color of a material affects how much heat it absorbs. Students will place an ice cube in a box made of colored paper (one box per color; white, yellow, red and black), which they will place in the sun. The students will make prediction as to which color will melt the ice cube first. They will record the order and time required for the ice cubes to melt.

This interactive activity from the Adler Planetarium explains the reasons for the seasons. Featured is a game in which Earth must be properly placed in its orbit in order to send Max, the host, to different parts of the world during particular seasons.

Several power points, quiz, study guide, and worksheets about the Earth, Moon, Sun relationships. I developed these for 6th grade science class as support for other materials. Items are great for visual learners and include concepts of scale, seasons / earth tilt, and path of the sun.

Students explore how eclipses happen and why Einstein needed a total eclipse to image stars near the Sun. For middle school.

Through an inquiry activity, students develop an understanding of the dynamic and variable nature of the Sun by comparing and contrasting images. Students work in small groups to explore images that vary with respect to time, scale, or technology. Students identify the similarities and differences between images and share their findings with peers. The class discusses the implications of the Sun as a variable force of nature and brainstorms a list of questions that have been raised by the comparison of images. During the following class period, the instructor facilitates a PowerPoint presentation to further student under­standing of the dynamic processes of our Sun and offer explanations to student questions.