Materials

Students will understand how data from radio telescopes are used to create images of celestial objects. They will further explore ways to enhance visual representations of the data by including sound using Afterglow Access sonification software tool.

During this lesson, students will learn about the wave and particle nature of electromagnetic waves. Students will also learn about the diffraction of light and conduct an experiment to determine the thickness of a piece of hair. Students will also observe the diffraction pattern of burning gas when viewed with a diffraction grating, thus understanding how astrophysicists know the compositions of stars. Students will also learn about how diffraction of electromagnetic waves affects telescope resolution and what can be done to mitigate the effects as well as learn about how radio signals diffract when hitting the edge of an obstacle, dispersing the signal and causing weakened signals.

During this lesson, students will be introduced to Radio astronomy and the telescopes which are used in the discipline. They will then be challenged to design a dish for a brand-new telescope.

During this lesson, students will discover what 5G phone coverage is and develop an understanding of why some areas have it while others do not. They will take one of three positions on the topic of 5G and debate the most appropriate use of certain frequencies. Finally, students will learn about the economic side of 5G as the class discusses spectrum auctions.

Students will learn how satellites are used to predict weather. Then the class will use images from the satellites to predict thunderstorms.

Students and adults alike listen to the radio with little thought as to what the FM and AM band numbers actually mean. This introductory activity will offer students some local context to radio frequency and extend their thinking to where those signals come from and how else they are used. Students will have a chance to tune a radio receiver and explore radio waves.

Students will learn about the importance of radio astronomy to the study of space. After reviewing radio waves students will participate in a hands-on activity that models how radio telescopes work. Once they understand how the data is collected students will investigate one of the telescopes and learn about the important work done at that location.

Students will learn about satellites as they participate in a research project. The research will be presented in poster form which will be shared with peers through a gallery walk.

Students will learn about the history of radio spectrum communication technology. They will investigate and experience Morse Code, explore radio history with a digital scavenger hunt, and investigate materials that can block radio waves.