In this article, The Why Files examines our star, the Sun, and its features. It discusses how the Sun creates energy through fusion and the solar maximum that occurs every 11 years. Solar wind, solar prominences, solar flares, and sunspots are all described and explained. There are sections on sunquakes, which explains how we use vibration data to tell us about the Sun, on the Sun's magnetic field, ... Full description.

This website is part of NOVA Online, which is produced for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) by the Science Unit at WGBH in Boston. This site accompanies the television program of the same name, and ponders the question: What is the fate of our Universe? It provides information on the history and size of the universe, supernova explosions, and the local universe around the Milky Way. There is also ... Full description.

In this undergraduate meteorology course, students learn about the Bergeron process of precipitation formation, precipitation types, predicting lake effect precipitation, and estimating the liquid equivalent of snowfall. They may respond to questions as they work through the lessons. A review question is available from the tutorials page. Full description.

This lesson plan demonstrates how a steeper arrival direction of sunlight causes greater heating of the ground. The objectives are for the student to realize that the greatest elevation of the Sun above the horizon is at noon and at that time, in the middle, northern latitudes (e.g. in the continental US or Europe) the Sun is exactly south of the observer. The student should also learn that the closer ... Full description.

This resource explains how to calculate the velocity boost needed to inject a Mars spaceship into the transfer orbit, and the arrival velocity at the orbit of Mars. One will be able to tell if the spaceship will be overtaking the planet or be overtaken by it and what the velocity mismatch between ship and planet will be. Full description.

This site describes the planetary swing-by or slingshot effect of boosting the energy of a space vehicle using a close encounter with a planet or other body. The author uses an analogy of a ping-pong ball and paddle to simplify the math involved and goes on to cite several examples of the planetary swing-by, including the Voyager and Pioneer missions. He then explains how these gravity assist maneuvers ... Full description.

This activity has students use simple sine waves to explore constructive and destructive interference in seismic waves. After plotting the summative points of two sine waves, students connect the points to create the resulting complex wave. Once they have successfully drawn their complex wave, they will answer the questions listed on the student handout. Provided are: a list of materials, procedure, ... Full description.

This lesson develops the idea that carbon dating is based on gathering evidence in the present and extrapolating it to the past. Students will use a simple graph to extrapolate data to its starting point. This lesson is the third in a three-part series about the nucleus, isotopes, and radioactive decay. Students will be asked to consider the case of when Frosty the Snowman met his demise (began to ... Full description.

This demonstration is intended to help students better understand the electromagnetic spectrum. At the end of this activity students will be able to explain that energy travels from the sun to the earth by means of electromagnetic waves, and that the shorter the wavelength, the higher the energy per photon. They will understand why shorter wavelengths of electromagnetic energy carry more energy than ... Full description.

This activity demonstrates the presence of ultraviolet (UV) waves. Because the energy from the sun includes not only visible light but also wavelengths longer (infrared) and shorter (ultraviolet) than visible light, it is not always easy to study. Ultra means beyond, so ultraviolet means beyond (actually, shorter than) violet and this demonstration offers a means by which they can be detected. The ... Full description.