Laurie A. Lewis
SLM-521 Green Group 2
Dropin #5
For Science Classes
Grs. 8-12
The distances between the objects in the Universe are so great
that it is difficult to get a feel for how large these distances are. Today we are going to look at how the
distances between celestial bodies are measured. In order to do so, we are first going to visit a page of NASA’s StarChild
web site that explains the various units of measure scientists use to describe
these distances.
Please click on the picture
to begin your visit.
During
your visit, please read the text, define the following terms, and answer the
questions on the paper provided:
Please
define:
1. light-year
2. parsec
3. astronomical unit
Questions:
1. Why do astronomers
use the light-year as a unit of measure?
2. Why do you think
astronomers use the parsec as a unit of measure?
3. Why do you think
astronomers use the astronomical unit as a unit of measure?
Now we
are going to look at the distances between the planets in our own Solar System
and the Sun using the BBC’s Science & Nature site online. Click on each planet’s name to visit the
page devoted to that planet. Once
you reach the web page for each planet, please navigate to the section entitled
Facts and Figures that is located to the left, below the picture of each
planet, in order to find the information you seek. Read all the information, and then record the planet’s distance
from the Sun. Once you have written
down these distances in kilometers, please convert the distances into
astronomical units using the definition that you recorded earlier. You may use the graphing calculators
provided. Then, please make a bar
graph showing the distance of each planet from the Sun in astronomical units
(AU’s). Please use increments of 1 AU
for your Y-axis, and estimate the height of the bars for those planets having
values of less than 1 AU.
