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The Planets Terra Firma

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the theories of the creation of the universe and examine the properties of celestial bodies. They analyze the relationship between the sun, Earth and the other planets.
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The Discovery of the Solar System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars explain the observed motion of the planets. The inner ones move back-and-forth across the position of the Sun, while the outer ones usually advance in one direction, but with occasional temporary reversals known as...
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Magic Wand

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students observe how an image falling on a CCD array is divided into individual pieces, by the property of persistance of vision.
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Getting to Work and Making Money

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain how geography and climate play a role in the professions that are unique to their city. They explain how geography and climate influence the forms of transportation in their city.
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An Interview with Mr. Sol

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students explore the sun, the galaxy, and planets. As an introduction to a class discussion of the sun, students perform a skit. They discuss the elements that make up the sun, stars and planets.
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The Vocabulary of Space

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students build their knowledge and understanding of vocabulary related to space.  In this space lesson, students discuss four categories of words and phrases related to space. 
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Puzzling Planets

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Students list the order of the planets, describe the general characteristics of each planet and explain why we could not live on other planets without special equipment.
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Planetary Research (Grades 9-12)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are introduced to planetary research and familiarize them with the planets and their features. They see that each planet has unique features. Planets have some common features and that images can be used to study the planets and...
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Seeing The Sun In A New Light

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the observation of "coronal holes," by x-rays, also about related fast streams and moderate magnetic storms that recur at 27 day intervals. They study NASA'S great observatories.
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(S-4) The Magnetic Sun

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore magnetism and magnetic phenomena on the Sun.
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(S-1) Sunlight and the Earth

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars discuss the solar heating of the Earth and atmosphere, its heat loss proceses, and the way these relate to weather and climate.
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#24 Rotating Frames of Reference in Space and on Earth

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore rotating frames of reference, focusing on the weightless environment in space and the Coriolis force.
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#22c Airplane flight #22d Airplane flight--How High? How Fast?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars discuss the application of frames of reference to an airplane flying with a constant velocity v through the air.
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Motion in a Circle

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers study about deriving centripetal acceleration for motion at constant speed around a circle.
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Ellipses And Kepler's First Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain that planets actually orbit the center of gravity of the solar system, and that distant planets may be detected by motions of their central star around the centers of gravity of their planetary systems.
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May The Earth Be Revolving Around The Sun?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students trace the beginning of the heliocentric theory of the solar system--the idea that the solar system revolves around the Sun--to an observation by the Greek astronomer Aristarchus, which convinced him that the Sun was much bigger...
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How Distant is the Moon?--2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine total eclipses of the Sun and their limited regions of totality. They explain that this limited view occurs because the Moon is close enough to us for different points on Earth to view it differently.
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How Distant Is The Moon?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover how Aristarchus, a Greek astronomer around 230 BC, used a simple observation of the eclipse of the Moon, plus clever reasoning, to deduce the distance of the Moon. They practice the same calculation technique.
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Parallax

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers discover how astronomers used the diameter of the Earth's orbit around the Sun as a baseline for estimating the distance of some stars, and the meaning of "Parsec" and "light year."
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Precession

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain how Hipparchus, around 130 BC, used a shift in the predicted location of a lunar eclipse to detect a slight shift in the path of the Sun around the sky. They examine the elliptical orbit in which the Earth travels around...
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Coordinates

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use cartesian coordinates (x,y,z) in 3-dimensional space. [Optional: appreciate there exist two ways of defining the z axis, and which of them is used.] They become familiar with the tools and terms used by surveyors.
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Navigation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the basic methods for finding one's position on Earth. Latitude can be deduced from the height above the horizon of the pole star or of the noontime Sun, while longitude requires an accurate clock giving universal time.
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The Sundial

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explain the design, principle and orientation of a sundial, the type with a gnomon pointing towards the pole of the heavens. They construct a model sundial from paper.
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Stargazers And Skywatchers

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students recognize the daily motion of the Sun across the sky, defining the main directions of east, west, south and north. They see how the first calendars were based on changes in the Sun's noontime elevation, and on locations of...

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