Faulkes Telescope project tour

Although the Faulkes Telescope Project is an observatory, like the other observatories represented here with separate virtual tours, the Covid-19 pandemic prohobited us from going to the Faulkes telescopes to film. These fasicilites are remote and are located in other countries than where it’s staff is. We therefore present these two videos instead. They will give you a nice idea what the Faulkes Telescope Project is all about.

Enjoy!

Planetary motions

In this activity, we will demonstrate and model the solar system motions with our selves as objects. In this activity, we will try to find what is the directions of motion and rotation of the the moon and inner planets. How can we “shift” our perspective of the solar system between a stationary observer and an observer standing on a rotating Earth?

Using Stellarium

Stellarium is a tool where you can study the skies just like the astronomers. You can repeat the observations of Jupiters moons done by Galileo Galilei four hundred years ago, or you find stunning real-life pictures of your favourite deep sky object.

We have collected some simple instructions to get you started with Stellarium. Download these files, and start learning and having fun!

Instructions

Micrometeorites on your rooftop

Every day, several tons of cosmic dust falls down onto our planet, and roof tops have proven to be the ideal place to look for micrometeorites, even in busy city environments. You can join the hunt, and if you’re lucky you might find your own micrometeorite on the roof of your school or a local warehouse. 

Instructions

Download these files for instructions on how to start searching for micrometeorites on your roof top.

3D model of Orion

In this activity we are going to calculate the distances between the stars in the Orion constellation. We use simple mathematics to convert real distances between the stars in space to 3-dimensional positions in a model built on a table in your classroom. Through this excercise we will experience how astronomers find distances using parallax and how much a constellation will change if we change our perspective. 

Age range: 12 – 16 years
Prep. time: 30 minutes
Lesson time: 90 minutes
Cost per activity:  low budget

Student guide

Download these instructions with your students/pupils.

Jupiters moons and orbit resonance

The orbits of the planets and moons affect each other all the time, through minor gravity pulls whenever the objects are at their closest through their orbits. When these tiny pulls happen often and on a regular basis, we get something called orbit resonance. That creates simple harmonics, or ratios, where you can model the motions of e.g. Jupiters inner moons with ratios like 1:2:4.

Instructions