How Far...How Powerful

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Author:

Kara Granger, Laura Whitlock, Padi Boyd

Subject:

Science and Technology

Institution Name:

Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA

Collection:

NASA

Grade Level:

Secondary

Abstract:

Gamma ray bursts are fast, intense bursts of gamma rays, the most energetic events in the universe. They travel clear across the universe from distant galaxies to our detectors in low Earth orbit. But how do we know how far away these objects are? By what methods do we measure how powerful they are? This collection of activities will allow you to journey with your students to these distant explosions, by following exactly the same procedures used by today's astronomers. Your students will review some basic physics concepts about light, learn about redshifted spectra and Hubble's Law, and use them to find out how far away, and how powerful, gamma ray bursts truly are. Your students will "be the astronomer!"

Course Type:

Learning Module

Languages:

English

Material Type:

Curriculum Standards, Lesson Plans

Media Format:

Graphics/Photos, Text/HTML

Conditions of Use:

Public Domain
NASA still images; audio files; video; and computer files used in the rendition of 3-dimensional models, such as texture maps and polygon data in any format, generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, video, audio, and data files used for the rendition of 3-dimensional models for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits, computer graphical simulations, and Internet Web pages. This general permission extends to personal Web pages.