|
| |
OVERVIEW:
Students
will use the Highland Road Park Observatory (HRPO) telescope to explore Jupiter
and the Galilean moons.
PURPOSE:
This lesson is designed to assist students in their exploration of the solar
system. Along this journey students
will stop at Jupiter. They will
develop an information base and mental images associated with Jupiter and its
moons. Finally, this journey will
hopefully increase students’ appreciation for the need to continue space
exploration.
OBJECTIVES:
The learner will:
- Draw
Jupiter and label important features found on Jupiter using an image of
Jupiter obtained from the HPRO.
- List
all of Jupiter’s moons in the proper order.
- Identify
properties of Jupiter and the Galilean moons.
- Evaluate
a series of sketches of moons surrounding Jupiter obtained through
observations to determine the identification and position of each Galilean
moon.
- Discuss
various missions to Jupiter and/or its moons and important discoveries
obtained from these missions.
- Compare
Jupiter and Earth.
CURRICULUM STANDARDS:
ESS-M-C2, ESS-M-C8, ESS-H-D2,
ESS-H-D6, ESS-H-D7
MATERIALS:
- Telescope
and/or binoculars
- Paper
- Colored
pencils
- Internet
access
- Books
and/or literature on Jupiter and its moons. (Textbooks, magazines, library
books, etc…)
- INSTRUCTOR
NOTE: Access the first
website mentioned below. All
the information necessary, including pictures, is available on this site!
PROCEDURE
- Lesson
One: Jupiter Portfolio
- Students
are to design a portfolio on the planet Jupiter.
- Contained
within the portfolio should be;
- Basic
Properties of Jupiter;
- Orbital
semi-major axis (distance from Sun): 5.203 AU
- Orbital
Period: 11.86 Earth years
- Rotational
Period: 9.925 hours
- Mean
diameter relative to Earth: 10.97
- Mass
relative to Earth: 317.83
- Surface
gravity relative to Earth: 2.364
- Number
of Moons: 16
- Density:
1.326 g/cm
- Escape
Speed: 59.5 km/sec
- Fact
Sheet On Jupiter
- This
sheet should contain at least five major facts about Jupiter.
- Colored
picture of Jupiter depicting;
- Jupiter’s
belts and zones (stripes).
- Giant
Red Spot
- Jupiter’s
Ring
- List
of Jupiter’s moons in the order they appear when getting further away
from Jupiter.
- Galilean
Moon Cards
- Students
should design an 8x10 card on each of the four Galilean moons. (Io,
Europa, Ganymede and Callisto)
- Each
card should contain a picture of the moon.
- Five
facts about the moon.
- Orbital
period around Jupiter in Earth days (See below in lesson two for this
information).
- Relative
distance from Jupiter (students may choose the units).
- A
chart that lists properties of Jupiter listed above and the same
properties for Earth.
- A
chart that lists the major missions to Jupiter and/or its moons.
- Name
of spacecraft.
- Date
departed from Earth.
- Date
arrived at location
- Basic
summary of data gathered.
- Lesson
Two: Observing Jupiter and the Galilean Moons
- Sketching
Jupiter by observing Jupiter with the Highland Road Park Observatory
Telescope.
- Obtain
an image of Jupiter using the HRPO.
- Sketch
the pattern of belts and zones.
- Answer
the following questions on a sheet of paper to be attached to sketch.
- Which
are the most prominent belts?
- Which
zones are brightest?
- Compare
results with a good photo of Jupiter.
- Is
the Red Spot or other dark or bright spots visible on the side of
Jupiter being observed?
- Identifying
the Galilean Moons
- INSTRUCTOR
NOTE: This could be done as a class project, with different students
making sketches at different hours and/or days.
- Observe
Jupiter with binoculars or a telescope at different hours over a period
of several days.
- Draw
a sketch for each observation session, which depicts the positions of
the moons in relation to Jupiter.
- Answer
the following questions on a sheet of paper attached to sketches.
- How
many satellites (moons) are visible? (4)
- Compare
the sketches and identify the satellites on the sketches by labeling
the sketches with the names of the moons.
- How
many days does it take each satellite to complete an orbit around
Jupiter?
- INSTRUCTOR
NOTE: This can actually
be determined over about 2.5 weeks of observations. Also, students will be able to identify Galilean moons by
comparing the rates at which their positions change and the actual
distance each moon appears from Jupiter.
- Io:
1.77 days
- Europa:
3.55 days
- Ganymede:
7.16 days
- Callisto:
16.69 days
EXTENSION
- There
are several possible extension lessons that can be performed using the “Starry
Night Pro” software.
- Basic
information about any planet, moon or star can be obtained from this
software by simply pointing to the object and then clicking the right
mouse button.
- Image
capability of this software is awesome!
- Magnified
images of any object can be obtained including Jupiter and its moons.
- By
selecting the “Go There” option a view from standing on the surface
of the celestial object can be obtained. Phases of other moons and even eclipses can be
observed.
- Orbital
paths of any planet and/or moon can be displayed. The angle of view can be changed to allow close-up or far away
views.
- Finally,
the Galilean Moons could be set in motion.
- This
would allow students to see the size of the moons’ orbits as they
move.
- Using
this feature would allow students to compare the orbital rates of the
Galilean Moons and even determine the orbital period for each moon.
- Students
can measure the angular separation of each moon from Jupiter at any
specified position and/or time.
- If
observing Jupiter and the Galilean Moons is not possible with binoculars
and/or a telescope, “Starry Night Pro” can produce images
showing the positions of the four Galilean Moons in relations to Jupiter
for any specified time. In a
few minutes images for an entire week could be generated. Note these images will not be as challenging to study
as sketches produced from direct observations.
CONCLUSION
- Assessment
- Portfolio
- compiled on Jupiter and the Galilean moons from Lesson One.
- Rubric
– to be used on Lesson Two: Observing Jupiter and the Galilean Moons.
- Lab
Report – for Lesson Two: Identifying the Galilean Moons.
- Exam
– include questions below.
- Questions:
each student should successfully answer the following questions when
Galilean Expedition is completed.
- Compare
and contrast Jupiter and Earth.
- Size
- Composition
- Gravity
- Number
of Satellites (moons)
- Atmosphere
- Distance
from Sun
- Orbital
period around Sun
- Are
the Galilean Moons the closest moons to Jupiter? Why or Why not?
- Which
of Jupiter’s moons has the best chance for supporting life? Why?
- How
many times has man visited Jupiter and/or its system of moons?
- Name
and discuss the first and last mission to Jupiter.
- What
major discovers have been made about Jupiter and/or its moons in the
past 8 years?
- After
reading about the various missions to Jupiter and its moons, which
mission do you feel was most beneficial to the world? Why?
- List
the four Galilean Moons and at least two facts about each moon.
- What
order do these moons appear when moving away from the surface of
Jupiter?
- Estimate
how many orbits Io will complete before Callisto completes only one
orbit.
- Why
does Io complete many orbits in the same time Callisto takes to complete
one orbit?
- Draw
a sketch of how Jupiter and its four Galilean Moons might appear if seen
through binoculars or a telescope (low power objective). Identify each of the moons in the sketch.
- When
observing Jupiter and its moons one may sometimes see only three of the
Galilean Moons. Why?
- What
planet is the biggest in our solar system?
- The
primary two elements found on Jupiter are?
- Describe
life in the Big Red Spot.
- What
are the stripes in Jupiter’s atmosphere? What do they tell us?
- Finally,
who was the first man to document the discovery of the Galilean Moons?
When was this accomplished?
|
