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Recommended Grade level: 9-12 *Activities are also adaptable for Astro 101
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Estimated Time: one or two 50 minute sessions
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Objective: In this activity, Students will explore data from real galaxies to assemble evidence for the expansion of the Universe. In an online interactive environment, students will collect evidence by using actual spectral data to calculate the recession velocities of the galaxies and using a “standard ruler” approach to estimate distances to the galaxies.
After they have collected the data, students will plot the galaxy velocities and distances to determine what type of model Universe (static, random, or expanding) is supported by their data.
- Link to interactive: projects.wwtambassadors.org/galaxy-history-universe
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Lesson plan and activity sheets:
- PBS Learning Media Link: bit.ly/pbslm-wwt-galaxy-history-universe
- Also posted below. For editable versions, please contact Pat Udomprasert: pudomprasert [at] cfa.harvard.edu)
- This interactive is powered by the open-source WWT web-engine. Source code can be accessed at: github.com/wwt-ambassadors/galaxy-history-universe
| This lesson activity was created in collaboration with WGBH and NASA's Universe of Learning. The material contained in this product is based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award No. NNX16AD71A. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. |
 | big_bang_evidence_instructor_guide.pdf | 163 KB |
| ghu_worksheet_20201029.pdf | 301 KB |
| ghu_worksheet_20201029_answer_key.pdf | 325 KB |