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Unusual orbits in the Andromeda galaxy
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this uses understanding of Kepler’s third law and the Doppler equation guide a lesson on plotting and interpreting a velocity vs radius graph for the Andromeda galaxy. A brief overview of the lesson is provided for the teacher as well as key questions to ask students...
Time dilation by a black hole
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet introduces time dilation and the Schwarzschild radius of a black hole. Included is an online video that discusses what is inside a black hole and how light and time behave near one. Equations for time dilation and the Schwarzschild radius are introduced and...
The probability of life in the Milky Way
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet introduces the Drake equation. The Drake equation is used to estimate the number of planets in the Milky Way that have intelligent life. Included is an online video that discusses what is required for life and where and how we might look for it. The terms of...
Star trails and sidereal day
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet introduces the sidereal day and shows how star trials can be used to calculate the length of one sidereal day. Included in the booklet are instructions on how to create a star trial photograph using a DSLR or bridge camera. Supporting documents that help the...
Searching for life on extrasolar planets
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet uses the context of life on extrasolar planets to introduce light absorption spectra. Included is an online video that discusses where we might find alien life and how we can search for it. Questions and answers are included that test a student’s...
Scales of the Universe
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet discusses the scale of the Universe. Included is an online video that puts the age and size of the Universe into context. Concepts such as dark matter and dark energy are also briefly introduced. Questions and answers are included that test a student’s...
Rosetta mission to comet 67p
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet uses the Rosetta mission to comet 67P to test understanding of the concepts of speed, distance and time. Included is an online video that introduces the Rosetta mission and possible future missions. The booklet contains questions and answers that use the...
Radioactive dating of meteorites
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet uses radioactive meteorites to test understanding of radioactive decay. Included is an online video that discusses how radioactive materials can be used to determine the age of something, and how this can be applied to calculate the age of a meteorite or the...
Measuring the Universe
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet introduces the concept of parallax and how it can be used to measure the distance to stars, using the constellation of Orion as an example. Included is an online video that demonstrates parallax in everyday contexts and in astronomy. It also discusses the...
Mass of an exoplanet from radial velocity
Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet shows how the Doppler effect and the radial velocity of an exoplanet can be used to calculate its mass. Included is an online video that demonstrates the Doppler effect using a portable speaker and discusses how it can be applied to a distant exoplanet....