These ESA/ESO documents on distance measurements in space are intended for use in mathematics and physics lessons at upper secondary level.
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has been in orbit around our Earth for over 25 years. Since then, the knowledge gained with Hubble has fundamentally changed our view of the universe. ESA and ESO have developed a collection of examples for upper secondary schools that provide an insight into the world of modern astronomy. The focus is on the topic of astronomical distance measurements.
The “ESA/ESO Astronomy Exercise Series” was developed for use in upper secondary school and shows how scientific observations and measurements can be incorporated into lessons. This series focuses on data and findings that astronomers have obtained with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope and the ESO telescope. Based on this data, the series provides application and exercise tasks that introduce students to the practical use of mathematics in astronomy.
The series contain background explanations for certain observations and tasks that the pupils have to work on. For teachers, each exercise book contains a guide with further explanations, further reading and solutions to the tasks.
These teaching materials are also presented and explained as part of further training courses at teacher training colleges in Austria. You can find a current overview of the courses here.
Fast Facts:
- Subjects: Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy
- Duration: several lessons per topic package
- Material costs: none
- Teaching form: student-teacher discussion, individual and/or partner work
Pupils learn
- Understanding methods of observational astronomy and astrophysics
- Know astronomical distance determination methods using examples
Pupils can
- Angle
- Logarithmize
- Equations
The documents (also in other languages) can also be found on the ESO website (here).
If you have any further questions or feedback on this teaching package, we look forward to hearing from you at info@esero.at