DARK SKIES RANGERS WORKSHOP ON AUGUST 6, 2011 AT THE NATIONAL OPTICAL ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY What is “Dark Skies Rangers”? Dark Skies Rangers is an environmental/astronomy-based program that includes student participation in a highly successful international, citizen-science campaign monitoring night sky brightness called GLOBE at Night. Students will learn the importance of dark skies and immerse themselves in activities that illustrate proper lighting technology, what light pollution’s effects are on wildlifePhoto byand Wally how Pacholka everyone can measure the darkness of their skies. The Dark Skies Rangers program has been developed for grades 3 through 12 with numerous references and ideas on how a teacher can “go deeper” if desired. Dark Skies Education kits will be available to educators who train and participate in the program.
What Standards are Addressed? The program’s focus is centered on inquiry activities and incorporate skills and concepts, which include strains 1, 2 and 3 of the Arizona Science standards. Content concepts on the nature of light and energy conservation are also included. The program lessons are interdisciplinary and integrate reading, writing, math, social studies (e.g., geography and economics) and health standards.
What are the Activities and Projects? Light Shielding – An interactive demonstration on what light pollution is, how it affects the visibility of stars, its interdisciplinary importance and relevance to your life Spectra of Lights – An interactive demonstration on how the energy efficiency of a specific type of lamp is related to the lamp’s spectrum and physical properties. Diffraction gratings are used.
School Outdoor Lighting Audit – How energy conserving is the outdoor lighting at your school? Determine the good & bad in outdoor lighting and how much energy and cost is lost to poor lighting. Constellation at Your Fingertips; How Light Pollution Affects the Stars – Activities to introduce concepts & skills: picture the constellation by tracing it with glow-in-the-dark paints; find what a stellar magnitude is by making a magnitude reader. How do they help measure night sky brightness? Turtle Hatching– Students role-play turtles hatching on a beach at night to experience the affect too much lighting has on their survival. Do They See the Light? Students can experiment to assess how light affects insects and then design their own experiment to see how light affects other animals. Student Symposium – Students research & role-play opposing stances on important dark skies issues such as the impact of light pollution on wildlife (e.g. Developers vs. Neighborhood Assoc.) GLOBE at Night – Students join people all around the globe in collecting data on the night sky conditions in their community and contributing them to a worldwide database on light pollution.
What Does the Dark Skies Rangers Program Expect from You? Educators attend the Dark Skies workshop. Students do at least four dark skies activities. Students participate in the GLOBE at Night campaign.
What Can You Expect from the Dark Skies Rangers Program? Free Dark Skies Education kit with materials and guide to carry out the activities and projects (e.g., demonstration to introduce light pollution; CDs and DVDs with videos, presentations, activities, etc; in addition, a digital meter to measure night sky brightness may be included)
Free in-class staff support on activities from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory For more information and questions on the activities and projects, contact Connie Walker [email protected]. Please use “Dark Skies Rangers Workshop” for the subject header. GALILEOSCOPES WORKSHOP ON AUGUST 6, 2011 AT THE NATIONAL OPTICAL ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY What is the Galileoscope? The Galileoscope was developed for the International Year of Astronomy to commemorate 400 years since Galileo’s historic observations which revolutionized our understanding of the universe.
The Galileoscope is a low cost, high optical quality telescope kit. Students will explore various topics in optics as they build their own telescope. The telescope can be used to recreate Galileos’s famous observations including seeing the phases of Venus, observing craters on the Moon, tracking the moons of Jupiter and seeing the rings of Saturn.
What is the Education Program? There are two components to the Galileoscope education program: The Galileoscope Optics Guide and the Galileoscope Observing Guide.
The Galileoscope Optics Guide leads students through a series of hands-on activities illustrating how a telescope collects and focuses light. Students learn about how light bends when it passes from air to glass, how lenses bend and focus light, how to form images with lenses and measure the focal length of lenses, and how to combine lenses to make a telescope. The culminating activity is building a Galileoscope.
The Galileoscope Observing Guide helps students get started with astronomical observing. The guide contains information on mounting the Galileoscope, how to achieve good focus, how to point the Galileoscope, information on observing aids and star charts, and a list of suitable targets for the Galileoscope. A template is provided for students to record their observations and make sketches just like Galileo did 400 years ago.
The assembled Galileoscope
What Do I Get For Participating in the Galileoscopes Workshop? Standards based, hands-on activities involving optics, light and astronomy. Free teachers guide, observing guide and CD with astronomy programs Kit of materials to use in your classroom Your own Galileoscope Free in-class staff support from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory For more information and questions on the Galileoscope, contact Rob Sparks at [email protected]. Please use “Galileoscope Workshop” for the subject header. DARK SKIES RANGERS and GALILEOSCOPES Registration WORKSHOP ON AUGUST 6, 2011 AT THE NATIONAL Form for the Dark Skies OPTICAL ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY and Galileoscopes Workshops
9am – 5pm on August 6, 2011 at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719 (on the Campus of the University of Arizona)
Teachers Name Phone Number
Email Address Alternate Email Address
School Name School District
School Street Address School City/State/Zip
Grade and/or Subject Taught
Attending Galileoscope Workshop (9am – Noon) yes no
Attending Dark Skies Workshop (1pm – 5pm) yes no
There is a $10 registration fee for either the Galileoscope or Dark Skies Rangers Workshop or $15 for both the Galileoscopes and Dark Skies Rangers Workshops.
The registration form and fee must be received by August 1st. Only 25 applications will be accepted. Mail the form and fee to Connie Walker at NOAO, 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks and/or lunch will be provided.