PublicUniverse Planetarium

Light Theory: from Ancient to Modern Times

2011-09-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Light is, and always has been fundamental to life. Although ancient civilizations knew little about how light actually works, they still recognized its importance to life. In fact, "light" - specifically, the conflict between light and darkness, or good and evil - was arguably the basis for all ancient religions and even those still practiced today. One of the first scientific breakthroughs in our understanding of light can be traced back to the Egypt about one millennia ago. A scientist by the name of Alhazen transformed the concept of light prevalent at the time: he discovered that light rays come to the eye from (the sun), and not vice versa. He came to this conclusion in pursuing a fascination with rays of sunlight in prison. After being freed, he published his theories and shared this discovery with the world. It was not, however, until European crusaders took this knowledge back to Europe that the West became familiarized Alhazen's knowledge. Although the dark ages retarded scientific learning substantially, a European monk by the name of Bacon was able to study Alhazen's work thoroughly. We accredit Bacon with advancing our understanding of the curvature of light. Intrigued by his observation that objects a far distance away appeared seemingly identical in size to his own finger (in the proper perspective, of course). He proceeded to realize that curved glass can, likewise, make distant objects appear near. By making of sense light and nature without the Bible, however - particularly in studying rainbows - Bacon was deemed a heretic by the Church. Bacon's insistance that everything observable happens according to natural law was too much for the Church to accept, and as a result, he was imprisoned in Paris. Two of light's next most important scientists were Isaac Newton and Descartes, two prominent thinkers of the Protestant and Catholic Churches, respectively. Descartes proposed that God was like a divine clock maker and that the universe operated according to a series of natural laws over which God is divinely sovereign. He championed the eye as an ultimate optical instrument, and in finding that it operated in accordance with his mechanical view of the universe, he came to some profoundly incorrect conclusions. In Descartes' mechanical universe, light was considered pure - like God. Colors were considered distortions of pure, white light that became visible when prisms allegedly slowed light down from its purest form. Newton, however, realized how fundamentally flawed this theory was. He endeavored to prove that prisms analyzed light and undermine Descartes' findings. Much of his efforts were motivated by the tension between Catholics and Protestants: Newton, a devout member of the Anglican Church, believed he could better the standing of the Protestants and thus considered his work divinely encouraged. Newton's conclusion that prisms analyze light and separate it into its real base colors - red, blue, and yellow - conclusively refuted Descartes. Although Newton incorrectly believed there to be seven colors separated by prisms (there are only six), his findings have been fundamental to all modern understandings of light. By Jack Millard.

Alert Me Release

2011-09-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

Planning a release of an Android app that I use to send a canned message to students. I will modify it to fit a business need. Look for it soon. Could save you tons of money.

2011-09-11T16:19:00.001-07:00

Do it Yourself Astronomy Camera

2011-09-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

There are several sites that discuss the use of webcams for astro photography purposes. I had an old Logitech 4000 laying around, and bought 2 more on ebay for $16. I am looking at the different mounting options. On one cam, I installed an aluminum adapter- $19. The other got a plastic one- $22. And the third will get a black 35mm film canister-Free Both of the adapter went on the same after separating the halves, and unscrewing the lens.

So far I have only played around with the camera. I am using the free program called Registax6 to improve the quality of the captures. The logitech software for the 4000 camera worked, but I had to install the 64 bit Vista version. There were limitations however to the adjustments in contrast, brightness, and gain, all of which are critical to getting the best images. I have had success with free software that will control the camera like wxAstro Capture and another which name just escaped me. I'll get back to you.

TPSVote Update

2011-09-08T04:56:00.000-07:00

I guess the word is getting around. I have seen a huge upswing in the amount of downloads, and use of the app. It's nice that there are several instructors that are embracing the use of phone technology, though there is always a risk of student abuse. TPS voting, as introduced to me by Ed Prather has been incredibly effective in my classes. It requires that everyone participates, while eliminating the fear of embarrassment that some students have of giving a wrong answer publicly, since only I know their answer. Other great benefits are the non-verbal cues you can give a struggling student when they get the correct answer. A quick thumbs-up, or a nod can go a long way without giving away the answer to other students.

Last night I modified it to send an sms code to Polleverywhere, and this allows you to collect data for future use. Polleverywhere is a paid service, but it does offer free use, and has educator perks that are worth looking into. I am looking into a free service called V5V5, but I have had 0 success with it so far. I'll keep you posted

Basic Particles

2011-08-08T13:33:00.001-07:00

Cosmic Rain

2011-08-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Khanacademy

2011-08-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

There are all kinds of resources for teachers, students or those interested in increasing their knowledge base, but this one combines all three. For the casual learner there are a few thousand short, interesting, and educational video clips from which to learn. For teachers and students, they can log in, connect with one another and track progress. The instructor can develop a playlist, and monitor student progress, use it for remediation, or enrichment. Awards are given to motivate, and they are astronomy related! Whether you're a student, teacher, or someone wanting to learn new things, try this out for yourself. If your child is struggling, set up a coaching relationship and watch their progress, because their success is also your responsibility. It's free, easy to use, and contains a wealth of great information.
Khan academy

Particle Astrophysics Week 2011

2011-08-01T05:29:00.000-07:00

This past week was spent studying particles at Penn State University. This amazing opportunity was provided by the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium. 14 participants from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Texas were teamed up with leading theoretical and experimental experts in the field. During the week, we were also introduced to several new detectors for studying those enigmatic ultrahigh energy cosmic particles. Here is a bit of info about the team

Stephane Coutu
is involved with the Pierre Auger Observatory Project,the Cosmic Rays Energetics And Mass (CREAM) project, the Cosmic Ray Electron Synchrotron Telescope (CREST) experiment, and was involved with the NASA-supported High-Energy Antimatter Telescope (HEAT) program, and the Monopole, Astrophysics, and Cosmic Ray Observatory (MACRO) project

Irina Mocioiu
presented all of the fun facts about particles in a way that makes them easy to understand. Here is her list of great links that can be used at a variety of levels. I highly recommend the Particle Adventure and the Fireworks of Particles

Tyce DeYoung (Left)
is currently involved with the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole, and the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) TeV gamma ray observatory at Volcán Sierra Negra, México

Douglas Cowen (Right) is also involved with IceCube

Paul Sommers is involved with, and is one of the Founding Fathers of the Pierre Auger Project located in Argentina.

I will be posting more information about some of the great particle physics you can do in the classroom, but for now, familiarize yourself with the current ongoing projects:
HAWC
Pierre Auger Observatory
IceCube
CREAM
CREST

Vyew online classroom

2011-05-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

Vyew Video

Vyew is a teachers tool to teach students. This tool is good if the teacher or student is away from school and needs to teach. The teacher gives permission to the students and the students can write, draw and collaborate on an online board.

http://publicuniverse.ning.com/profiles/blogs/how-was-vyew-online-classroom?xg_source=activity

Here is what the students say about the application.

Almost $11,000 spent for 6 sets of Clickers

2011-04-12T05:25:00.000-07:00

Local school just picked up 6 MimioVote systems valued just under $11K. I don't have a problem with clickers, but now we have several different types, running different software. I am not sure how many of you out there are teachers, but we spend way to much time learning software, and creating content for technologies that become obsolete in a few years. It is a vicious cycle, that takes time away from teaching, and creates clickerbots that interact with the remote, and a whiteboard. I need to see, I mean know right away, that each of my students has the correct answer so I can jump in and do my job. I don't like having to wait until Sunday after lunch to look through data sheets, then try to fix problems on Monday. It's too late by then. Focus on using the resources they have, and will always have with them, their phones, google apps etc. I consult with many companies, and I have yet to see a clicker on a desk, or in the board room. Phones are everywhere, and will continue to be there in all all aspects of our society. Use them. Low tech and effective, is always better than high tech, expensive, time consuming, limited life......

Our Voting App!

2011-04-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Software Update

2011-04-06T04:25:00.001-07:00

I have to say that I am pretty excited to see that people have actually downloaded my simple app. Google market gives developers some great stats. I hope it's found to be useful to the downloaders. It is a bit heavy on memory for its size around 1mb, but when compared to the average phone capacity, it's not bad at all. I think I'll make a video demonstrating how we use it here and maybe it will catch on. I actually came across a similar program just today, it's called Color Clicker. It looks to have more bells and whistles, is a smaller app size, and has animation. It is priced at $.99. which seems very reasonable. The color cards are the same, though it doesn't appear to have option E , so it can be used in the same classroom as mine without confusing the instructor. It looks to be restricted to Android 2.2. And seems to have a connection to Syracuse University.

United States
France
Taiwan
Oman
Israel
Morocco

Thanks for downloading!

Mac or PC?

2011-04-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

This year I was given the option to take a Mac, or get nothing. I took the Mac, installed Windows 7 and put a NASA sticker over the logo.

I like the hardware..a lot, but the OS is like riding a bike with training wheels. It was okay when I was young, but now it just keeps me from doing some really fun stuff. Top 10 other reasons

Interactive White Boards, IWB

2011-04-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

Another expensive educational technology is the Interactive White Board, AKA Polyvision Board, Promethean Board, and Smart Board. These are really popular technologies. I don't have one in my classroom, but I have access should I ever need one, but I honestly fail to see much of a ROI. Interactive, maybe, but primarily between the teacher and the interactive white board. The interactivity level of a classroom is controlled entirely by the teacher. It exists even in the absence of an IWB. Interactivity is not a major concern in 99% of the classrooms. An IWB also does little in promoting a student centered environment, and requires more of the little time teachers have available. I personally believe we should focus more on increasing collaboration, and an IWB does little to address that deficiency. But that's a different story for another post.
One thing I do have, as well as most of my students (meaning they can and will re-create this at home)is a Wii and a fun internet freebie software app. It's called a Wii-mote board.

I made this video several years ago using a Wii-mote and a Bluetooth adapter. Most laptops already have Bluetooth, so it's not an added expense. I take it with me when I speak to the Scouts, and the Young Marines. Students are amazed with the simplicity, and like to talk about it. Many duplicate it, and will even develop a lesson using it. That saves me time, and it becomes a collaborative project. I can project on any wall, in multiple sizes, using up to 4 Infrared pens (make your own or buy them on ebay) I can even control the stars on my dome by seemingly waving my hands in the air. That's really cool.

TPS Response App

2011-03-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

I recently attended a NASA/JPL teaching workshop. It was designed to give Astro grad, post doc, and Ph.Ds a few tips and tools for use in the classroom. On of the great tools was a 4 color sheet of paper.
Students fold the sheet so that only one color/letter shows. The instructor will present a question, without reading it, ask the students to prepare their votes. They all vote silently, and simultaneously. The instructor then gets immediate feedback, and decides what to do next.
This has a unique advantage over clickers. The results are immediate, the individuals, patterns and problems are quickly identifiable, and remediation can take place, or the lesson can continue. The students are interacting, engaged,accountable, and cannot ride the clicker wave,since voting is simultaneous.
A cellphone is something that everyone has, and smartphones are becoming more popular. There are apps for phones, like Responseware that act a lot like clickers. It is a free app, but you have to subscribe to their site to record results.
So I decided to make a cellphone app, that utilizes the advantages of voter cards, (though I realize the pros/cons of cons in the classroom)and works on phones that are increasing in popularity. I can see a tremendous use a darkened lecture hall where its use would be dramatically obvious. But its uses are varied, as it will work well as a light source etc. I made it simple to use, free to download, and I can customize it with your name if you like. Here are some shots from the App

It is made for the Android, though I am working on a iPhone version. Apple isn't as developer friendly, or inexpensive, so a release date is unknown. There is a free flashlight app that would work okay though.

This is the interface. The instructor says "Prepare your Vote", you select your choice, and show it on 3, (or on 0, if the count is 3,2,1,vote)

To reset the screen, simply press reset. Though if you like, you can leave the screen where it is, and press the background where the letter choice would approximately be. (shown below in gray)

If you are interested in trying it out,it is now available on the Android Market for Free

Product Description Think, Pair, Share...Vote!
Many schools and universities have adopted Classroom Response Systems, also known as "clickers". An instructor will present a question, then ask the students to select the answer they believe is correct. The results are then projected on the board. The instructor then must decide whether the topic was covered effectively, or if remediation is required.
It's a modern adaptation of the time tested, and highly effective, paper response cards. Clickers have their problems though. They are expensive, and more importantly, they fail to provide immediate individual feedback to the instructor. When the instructor makes time to look at individual responses, the students have gone.
Students may also delay their vote, to see where the trend is heading and then make their choice, thus making much of the data useless. It's a cold technology
Using response cards is much better than "clickers" They all vote silently, and simultaneously. The instructor then gets immediate feedback from the whole, and the individual. The individual weaknesses, and strengths become very clear. The instructor can interact on an individual basis, and give much needed praise to those that have struggled, but now have found success. A simple smile, or "nice job" can go a long way, especially for the younger students.
The students are not only interacting, and engaged,they are accountable for their learning.
I made this app as a replacement for the paper response sheets since my students forget everything, except their phones. I also teach in a darkened area, so the lighted display is an added benefit. Please check with your prof before using, he or she may not allow phones in the classroom!

I highly recommend that all grad, post docs, PhDs and astro 101 instructors take the class. http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov/

Many of you noticed the Halo around the moon

2010-12-21T07:55:00.001-08:00

Prior to the eclipse. Thanks to Phil M, we can see it again

Some Eclipse pics from FC

2010-12-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

If you missed last nights eclipse, you dont want me to tell you how amazing it was. And if you saw it, then I am sure it changed your life. Here are some pics from FCs astronomy class. Clouds were a hindrance most of the night, and the temps were pretty low, but when it cleared up, it was glorious! I also posted a pic from one of my favorite Tweeps @flyingjenny

Upcoming Shows

2010-12-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

Due to Director position cuts, we are unable to continue the laser shows here at our planetarium. In order to cover the $500 equipment cost in addition to staffing cost this year, we would have to charge admission, and we are not set up to do so at this time. Celestia classes, Tweetups, Star Parties, International Observe the Moon Night, and Yuris Night Celebrations will continue as scheduled

J. Richard Gott Interview

2010-11-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

J. Richard Gott
This is a great interview with World Renowned Astrophysicist and Princeton Professor J Richard Gott. He has a fantastic book out called Sizing up the Universe http://sizinguptheuniverse.com/ . Its sold at around $25, but worth twice that price. The illustrations are some of the best around, and they really compliment the written content. The structure and arrangement of the book makes sense, and would, in reality, make a great textbook. By the end of the book, a reader will have a deeper understanding of the size and scale of the Universe. Readers will be left in a state of awe at the grandeur of it all, and excited by the fact that we, as a species have come so far. This is certainly an invaluable asset to any astronomy program, and makes a great gift for anyone interested in science and astronomy 5 out of 5 Stars Buy it Here
J. Richard Gott

Information on Thursdays radio show guest

2010-11-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

BlogTalkRadio Live today at 1:30 pm

2010-11-12T09:27:00.001-08:00

Velocity Factors for coax cable

2010-11-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to find these, so placed them here for future reference and for anyone else looking.
53 OHM
RG58U- .66

75 OHM
RG59U- .66

73 OHM
RG11U- .78

50 OHM
RG8/U- .78
RG8/X- .78
9913-- .89
9914-- .78

Moon Clock

2010-11-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a way to teach phases and telling time based on phases, this may help. You should be able to paste 4 of these on a sheet of card stock. If you have questions or find errors, let me know.

Legend of the Moon- The Americas

2010-11-03T18:45:00.001-07:00