Download Mission Possible: Voyage to the Stars

Kristina Atia
El Camino College
November 2005
This module was developed as part of the Science FEST Project
National Science Foundation #02-01981
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Topic of Module
Goal of Module
Targeted Grade Level
Objectives
Time Needed
Mission Star Births – Days One
Mission Star Births – Day Two
Mission Stellar Real Estate - Day One
Mission Stellar Real Estate – Day Two
California Science Content Standards
National Science Education Standards
Pre-Requisite Skills and Knowledge
Glossary
Science Content
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
4
6
Mission Star Births – Day One
Objectives
Materials
Activity #1 – Fact or Fiction
Demonstration #1 – Being Hot But Not On Fire
Demonstration #2 – Why We Can’t See Stars in the Daytime
22
22
22
23
24
27
Mission Star Births – Day Two
Objectives
Demonstration #3 – What Is Gravity?
Activity #2 – How Stars Are Formed - Using Hand Gestures
Activity #3 – How Stars Are Formed – A Play-Doh Activity
30
30
31
34
37
Mission Stellar Real Estate – Day One
Objectives
Activity #1 – Properties of the Stars – A Clapping Activity
Activity #2 – Determining the Connection Between Color, Energy,
Temperature, and Life Span of Stars
49
49
50
55
Mission Stellar Real Estate: Properties of the Stars – Day Two
Objectives
Activity #3 – How Stars Die
61
61
62
APPENDIX A – Star Astronaut Log Book – Student Edition
69
APPENDIX B – Star Astronaut Log Book – Teacher Edition
81
APPENDIX C – Fact or Fiction Cards
95
APPENDIX D – Instruction Sheets for Properties of Stars Activity
101
APPENDIX E – Resources: Books and Websites
106
APPENDIX F – Star Images
110
APPENDIX G – Mission Script
123
TOPIC OF MODULE
Mission Possible: Voyage to the Stars is a module which transforms students into
Star Astronauts who become the chief investigators of space missions where
they will collect information about the stars. The Star Astronauts learn the
gases that make up the sun and how stars are formed. The Star Astronauts
learn the properties of stars, including their size, color, and the amount of
energy that each type of star has. All of the information the Star Astronauts
learn during their missions will be recorded in their Star Astronaut Log Book.
GOAL OF MODULE
The goal of this module is for students to become more knowledgeable about
the properties of stars. As Star Astronauts of several missions, students will
play an integral part in the investigations of stars.
TARGETED GRADE LEVEL
This module is designed for third grade students. This module can also be
adapted to the fourth or fifth grade levels.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the module, all Star Astronauts will successfully attain the
following objectives.
Students will be able to:
1) Explain why stars cannot be seen during the day.
2) Describe how a star is formed.
3) Explain why stars are different sizes.
4) Explain why stars are different colors.
5) Classify the colors of stars by temperature.
6) Explain the relationship between the color, temperature, and amount
of energy of a star.
7) Describe how a star dies.
TIME NEEDED
The expected timeline for this module is 4 days for one hour per day is
presented below.
1
MISSION STAR BIRTHS
Day
Questions To Be Addressed
1
Why can’t we see stars in the day?
Why is the sun the only star we can see in the day?
Are stars on fire?
What are stars made of?
2
What shape is a star?
How is a star formed?
Why are there different sizes of stars?
What are the biggest and smallest stars?
MISSION STELLAR REAL ESTATE: PROPERTIES OF THE
STARS
Day
Questions To Be Addressed
1
Why are there different colored stars?
What does the color of the star tell us about the star?
Which stars are the hottest and the coolest?
What color star has the least amount of energy?
What color star has the greatest amount of energy?
What color star has the greatest life span?
What color of star has the smallest life span?
2
What is the relationship between the color, energy, and size
of a star?
How do stars die?
2
STANDARDS
California Science Content Standards for Grade Three:
Physical Sciences
e) Students know matter has three forms: solid, liquid, and gas.
g) Students know that when two or more substances are combined, a new
substance may be formed with properties that are different from those of
the original materials.
Investigation and Experimentation
c) Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and
measurements.
California Science Content Standards for Grade Four:
Investigation and Experimentation
c) Formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships.
California Science Content Standards for Grade Five:
Physical Sciences
b) Students know all matter is made of atoms, which may combine to form
molecules.
c) Students know that each element is made of one kind of atom and that the
elements are organized in the periodic table by their chemical properties.
Earth Sciences
5a) Students know the Sun, an average star, is the central and largest body
in the solar system and is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.
National Science Education Standards K-4:
Content Standard D: As a result of their activities in grades K-4, all students
should develop an understanding of objects in the sky.
3
PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
There are no pre-requisite skills or knowledge needed to successfully complete
this module.
GLOSSARY
The following words and their definitions should be addressed before
completion of the module.
Black Dwarf- The endpoint of the evolution of an isolated, low mass star.
After the white dwarf stage, the star cools to the point where it is a dark
“clinker” in interstellar space.
Galaxy- Gravitationally bound collection of a large number of stars.
Gravity- The attractive effect that any massive object has on all other massive
objects. The greater the mass of the object, the stronger its gravitational pull.
Helium- A colorless, odorless inert gaseous element.
Hydrogen- A colorless, highly flammable gaseous element, which is the
lightest of all gases.
Nebula- A giant cloud of hydrogen gas and interstellar dust.
Protostar- A stage in star formation when the interior of a collapsing fragment
of gas is sufficiently hot and dense that it becomes opaque to its own radiation.
The protostar is the dense region at the center of the fragment.
Red Giant- A giant star whose surface temperature is relatively low so that it
glows red.
Star– A massive, glowing ball of hot gases, held together by its own gravity,
made up mostly of hydrogen and helium.
4
Supernova- The explosive death of a star, caused by the sudden onset of
nuclear burning, or an enormously energetic shock wave. One of the most
energetic events of the universe, a supernova may temporarily outshine the
rest of the galaxy in which it resides.
White Dwarf- A dwarf star with sufficiently high surface temperature that it
glows white.
Universe- The totality of all space, time, matter, and energy.
5
SCIENCE CONTENT
WHAT IS A STAR?
A star is a massive, hot, glowing ball of gas.
WHAT IS A STAR MADE OF?
A star is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium gas.
THE SUN – EARTH’S STAR
The Sun is commonly referred to as Earth’s star. The Sun is a medium size star
that is composed of 70% hydrogen and 28% helium and 2% of heavier
elements. The total power output of the Sun, called its luminosity, is 3.8 x 1026
watts which is emitted every second. At the Sun’s core the temperature is
approximately 15 million Kelvin, while the temperature at the Sun’s surface is
approximately 5,780 Kelvin. The Sun is so big that over a million Earth’s can
fit inside the Sun! At only 93 million miles away, the sun is the closest star to
the Earth. The next closest star is Alpha Centauri at 4.3 light years away from
Earth. The Sun is believed to be 4.6 billion years old. If the distance between
the Earth and the Sun is the size of your thumbnail, then the distance to Alpha
Centauri would be two miles away. Most of the bright stars that you see at
night are dozens or hundreds of times farther away than Alpha Centauri.
6
FORMATION OF A STAR
All stars start out the same way no matter what type of star they become.
NEBULA: All stars are formed from a nebula. A nebula is a giant cloud of
dust and hydrogen gas in space. This dusty, interstellar cloud is also referred
to as a globule. A piece of molecular cloud starts to collapse and gravitational
contraction increases the cloud’s thermal energy. The ongoing collapse
increases the cloud’s density making it increasingly difficult for radiation to
escape. Because thermal energy can no longer escape easily, the cloud’s
internal temperature and pressure rise dramatically.
Orion nebula
PROTOSTAR: The rising pressure begins to fight back against the crush of
gravity, and the dense cloud fragment becomes a protostar. The clumps that
form from the nebula, or globule, are called protostars. A protostar looks like
a star, but its core is not yet hot enough for nuclear fusion. As a protostar
evolves, it shrinks, its density grows, and its temperature rises. A full-fledged
star is born when the core temperature of the protostar exceeds 10 million
Kelvin, which is hot enough for hydrogen fusion to operate efficiently. The
bigger the protostar the bigger and hotter the star will become.
7
STAR: Each protostar contracts and heats up inside its core until it reaches a
temperature of 10 million Kelvin or higher. Once the protostar reaches this
temperature it officially becomes a star. The extreme temperatures on the
surface of the star cause the newly formed star to shine. The process of a
protostar becoming a star takes approximately 10 million years. The star then
stabilizes and enters the main sequence phase where it will continue to shine
for millions to trillions of years.
Not all stars are the same. There are many different types of stars that vary in
size, color, temperature, and life span.
TYPES OF STARS
All stars are created from a nebula but where they go after that depends on
their mass. All aspects of a star including size, temperature, life history, and
luminosity are determined by the original mass of the star. The HertzsprungRussell diagram is a diagram that is used by astronomers to classify stars by
properties such as luminosity, spectral type, color, temperature, and
evolutionary stage. One does not have to be an astronomer though, to
understand this diagram. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram shows the
evolutionary patterns of stars and one can see the different branches that a star
may travel through during its lifetime. The vertical axis on the graph
represents the star’s luminosity and the horizontal axis represents the surface
temperature of the star.
All stars go through a main sequence stage. The main sequence is the welldefined band stretching diagonally from the top left (high temperature, high
luminosity) to the bottom right (low temperature, low luminosity) of the
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. The main sequence stage is where stars spend
most of their lives. Once the star becomes unstable and begins to change it
starts to move away from the main sequence. When the star begins to move
away from the main sequence it is the beginning of the end. The post-mainsequence stages of stellar evolution – the end of a star’s life - depend
significantly on the star’s original mass.
Stars of different masses can travel through very different evolutionary stages
after their main sequence stage. Very massive stars tend to stay towards the
top of the diagram as they move through the supergiant branch. These stars
tend to end their lives in a big way and more quickly than medium mass stars
and therefore do not travel to the lower far right of the diagram. Medium
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mass stars tend to start in the center of the main-sequence branch (the
yellowish-white area) and branch off into the giant branch of the diagram,
ending up in the white dwarf region. As the star begins to die it has less
luminosity and the surface temperature decreases, which means that the star is
now traveling to the lower right corner of the diagram.
From the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram one can see relationships using the
data from the diagram. For example, there is a relationship between the
temperature of a star and the luminosity of a star. There is also a relationship
between the mass of a star and the luminosity of a star. The HertzsprungRussell diagram is a very valuable tool when learning about the lives of stars.
Shown below is a wonderful color diagram of the Hertzsprung-Russell
diagram. One can see the different branches labeled and notice the length of
the main sequence. One can also distinguish the different temperatures of the
stars by looking at the colors that are represented on the diagram.
Hertzsprung- Russell Diagram
9
Red Dwarf- Globules that capture the least amount of matter in the protostar
stage become stars called red dwarfs. They shine with a reddish dull light
because their outer gas layers reach only a few thousand degrees. Since their
hydrogen core burns slowly, their fuel last longer, and they live to be very old
– perhaps a trillion years or more. They live such long lives that none of them
has yet to perish from “natural” causes!
MEDIUM MASS STARS
Medium mass stars, like our Sun, have more hydrogen than red dwarfs.
Unlike red dwarfs though, medium mass stars burn hotter and as a result use
more of their fuel faster. These stars shine with a yellowish light and live
about ten billion years or more before they begin to die.
Main Sequence Star- As a star contracts and becomes stable it will remain in
the main sequence stage, shinning for millions or billions of years.
Red Giant- As the main sequence star glows, hydrogen in the core is converted
into helium by nuclear fusion, which is counteracted by the force of gravity.
This fusion provides energy to the star to help it keep the star cooler while the
force of gravity is working to make the star hotter. When the hydrogen supply
in the core begins to run out, fusion is no longer taking place and the core
becomes unstable as the force of gravity takes over and contracts the core
greatly increasing the temperature of the star. The outer shell of the star,
which is still mostly hydrogen, starts to expand. As it expands, it cools and
glows red. It is red because it is cooler than it was in the main sequence star
stage and it is a giant because the outer shell has expanded outward creating
the appearance of a larger star. Now the star has made its way to the giant
branch of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
Red giant star, Mira, within the constellation Cetus
10
Planetary Nebula- Throughout the red giant phase, the hydrogen gas in the
outer shell continues to expand and cool and the temperature in the core
continues to increase due to the force of gravity. The outer layers of the red
giant become unstable and pulsate violently as the envelope repeatedly heats,
expands, cools, and then contracts. The core of the star is now extremely
dense. A cubic centimeter of core matter would weigh 1000kg on Earth – a ton
of matter compressed into a volume about the size of a grape! The planetary
nebula consists of two distinctive parts. At the center is the very dense and
luminous core. Beyond the core lies an expanding cloud of dust and cool gas –
the ejected envelope of the red giant, which spreads over a volume roughly
the size of our solar system.
Planetary nebula
White Dwarf- When the outer shells of the red giant are ejected the medium
mass star begins to die. Gravity causes the last of the star’s matter to collapse
inward and compact. At this stage, the star’s matter is extremely dense. This
packing action heats up the tiny star so much that it shines as a bright white
light. Then the star finally shrinks down to approximately the size of Earth.
White dwarfs shine as a white, hot light. The Sun-like star has now traveled
throughout almost the entire Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and is now in the
white dwarf region of the diagram.
White dwarf star
11
Black Dwarf- Once the white dwarf has reached the point of maximum density
where it can no longer be compressed, the contraction of the core ceases and
the core’s temperature stops rising. The star cools and dims until it becomes a
cold, dark object called a black dwarf. A star will then remain in the black
dwarf phase in which it will forever remain.
A medium-mass star’s passage from the main sequence branch (stage 7)
to the white dwarf branch (stage 13)
MASSIVE STARS (more massive than the Sun)
Main Sequence Star- As a star contracts and becomes stable it will remain in
the main sequence stage, shinning for millions or billions of years.
Once a massive star leaves the main sequence phase it follows a different path
than that of the medium mass stars.
12
Blue Giants and Blue Supergiants- The cores of the most massive stars, the
blue giants and blue supergiants, are raging infernos. Because they are so hot
they burn with a bluish white light and burn up their huge stores of hydrogen
the fastest of all. This massive star is now in the upper left corner of the
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram in the supergiant branch. The life span of a blue
giant may be only tens of millions of years. Comparing the life spans of these
stars with the life spans of medium mass stars is like comparing a month to a
century!
Blue giant stars within the constellation Orion
Supernova- A blue supergiant star ends its life in a very sudden and dramatic
way. When its fuel is used up, gravity contracts the core and the core becomes
more and more dense causing the core to become more and more unstable.
The outer gases are pulled rapidly down into the core. In less than one-tenth
of a second the core explodes, causing the star to blow itself to bits. Once
massive stars reach the red giant phase the core temperature increases as
fusion slows down and gravity continues to pull carbon atoms together as the
temperature increases forming oxygen, nitrogen, and eventually iron. At this
point, fusion stops and the iron atoms start to absorb energy as gravity
compresses the core. This energy is eventually released in a powerful
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explosion called a supernova. A supernova can light up the sky for weeks.
The temperature of a supernova can reach 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) degrees
Celsius.
Red supergiant star, Betelgeuse
Supernova Remnant
Neutron Star- The core of a massive star that is 1.5 to 4 times as massive as our
Sun ends up as a neutron star after the supernova. Neutron stars spin rapidly
giving off radio waves. All that is left of the supernova is the exposed inner
core, called a neutron star. This ball of extremely hot matter is only about 12
miles wide. Over billions of years the core will cool and dim until its light dies
for good.
Neutron star
14
Black Hole- The core of a massive star that has 8 or more times the mass of our
Sun ends up as a black hole after the supernova occurs. The remnant of the
supernova is a highly compressed and extremely massive core. As the stellar
core shrinks, the gravitational pull in its vicinity eventually becomes so great
that even light cannot escape. The core collapses in on itself and vanishes
forever.
A diagram of the different paths a high-mass star
may travel on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
15
Stellar Evolution of a large and small mass star
COLOR, SIZE, TEMPERATURE, ENERGY, AND COMPOSTION OF A
STAR
The properties of a star (i.e. color, size, temperature, energy) are
interdependent of one another and are very crucial in determining what type
of star it is.
Color
The color of the star depends on the temperature of the star. The gases at the
surface of a hot star are very hot, so collisions tend to be more violent and the
star will radiate higher energy photons. High-energy photons have shorter
wavelengths, so the star emits more blue light than any other color. In the gas
at the surface of a cool star, the collisions are less violent, so the photons have
lower energies and longer wavelengths and emit a red color. The colors of the
coolest star to the hottest star are as follows: red, orange, yellow, yellow-white,
white, blue, and blue-violet, with blue-violet being the hottest star. The table
below gives the color of the star and the approximate temperature (measured
in Kelvin, which is equivalent to Celsius temperatures +273 degrees) for each
color star.
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Approximate Surface
Temperature (K)
30,000
20,000
10,000
7,000
6,000
4,000
3,000
Color
blue-violet
blue
white
yellow-white
yellow
orange
red
Temperature- Color relationship table
Size, temperature, lifetime, and luminosity of a main sequence star are all
determined by its mass. The type of giant it becomes and the way it dies are
also determined by the star’s original mass.
Size
The mass of a protostar is the main factor in determining the initial size of the
star that will be formed. Star sizes vary greatly. If the mass of the protostar is
very large then it will form a very large star. If the mass of the protostar is
small, then it will form a smaller star such as the Sun.
Temperature
The initial temperature of a star depends on the mass of a star. The
temperature of a star that is 10 to 20 times as massive as the Sun would have a
temperature of 20,000 to 30,000 Kelvin. A star less massive, such as the Sun,
would have a temperature of approximately 6,000 Kelvin.
Luminosity
Luminosity, as defined in this context, is how much energy a star gives off in a
given time. The luminosity of a star depends on how massive a star is.
Massive stars burn their fuel rapidly, creating a lot of luminosity. Because
massive stars burn their fuel so rapidly they have much shorter lifetimes. Low
mass stars consume their fuel slowly, creating a small amount of luminosity
that lasts for a long period of time. Because low mass stars consume their fuel
slowly they have a much longer lifetime, which can last for trillions of years.
17
STARS ARE SPHERICAL
Stars are spherical in nature. Contrary to what some people think, stars are
not five-pointed figures. The force of gravity is squeezing all sides of which in
turn creates the spherical shape of a star.
THE CONFUSION ABOUT FUSION
The most prominent delusion about stars it that stars are powered by fusion.
Fusion or nuclear fusion is defined as a mechanism of energy generation in the
core of the Sun, in which light nuclei (such as hydrogen) are combined, or
fused, into heavier ones (such as helium), releasing energy in the process. This
definition leads one to believe that the nuclear fusion, which takes place in the
core or nucleus of a star, is what causes a star to be extremely hot and shine
very brightly. In reality, it is gravity, which causes a star to become extremely
hot and shine very brightly. Fusion works to keep a star cooler. Fusion adds
energy to the core to try to prevent further contraction and further heating by
gravity while gravity is constantly squeezing a star in all directions, causing a
star to become very hot and bright. In the diagram of the Sun-like star below,
one can see the forces acting within a star. The force of fusion (the red arrow)
is trying to counteract the force of gravity (the blue arrow), which is trying to
contract the star. This star is in equilibrium, because the forces of fusion and
gravity are equal to one another creating a stable star, which would belong on
the main sequence stage of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
Force of fusion
directed outward
Force of gravity
directed inward
Illustration of the forces of fusion and gravity acting within a star.
18
WHY DO STARS DIE?
Eventually, a star’s fuel will begin to run out. Once a star has used up all of its
fuel, nuclear fusion is no longer taking place within the core to counteract the
force gravity. Consequently, gravity contracts and causes a star to become
very hot and very bright. This is the beginning of the end of a star’s life
because the star is longer stable. The force of gravity is very great and
condenses the core of the star so the core is now tremendously hot, while the
surface of the star is considerably cooler.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT STARS
Stars are five-pointed figures. Stars are shaped like spheres. Gravity is acting on
every inch of the star’s surface, essentially squeezing the star, causing the
shape of the star to become a sphere. Stars are often thought of to be fivepointed figures because when seen in the night sky one can distinguish what
look like points. Those points seen on the stars are actually the light emitted
from the stars traveling through the Earth’s atmosphere. In effect, when one
looks up at the sky one is actually seeing the distortion of the stars light which
causes the star to look like a five-pointed figure. If you are still not a believer,
take a look at our Sun. The Sun is a star and we can clearly see that the shape
of the Sun is in fact a sphere.
œ
Stars are not five-pointed figures
Our Sun, a star, which is clearly spherical
19
Stars are on fire. Stars are not on fire! Stars are however extremely hot bodies
of gas. The gravity acting on the stars causes extreme amounts of pressure on
the star causing it to heat up to immensely hot temperatures. We can look to
the Sun as an example of this. The Sun may look like it is on fire but it is the
gravity which is putting pressure on the Sun that causes it to heat up to such
high temperatures.
It is not a flame from the Sun, but an eruption of gases, called a solar flare
All stars are the same size. All stars are not the same size. When you look up at
the night sky all of the stars look identical to each other. In actuality the stars
in the sky are many different sizes, but because they are so far away they all
look the same.
There are many different sizes of stars
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Shooting stars are falling stars. Shooting stars are not falling stars. In fact,
shooting stars are not even stars! A shooting star is a meteoroid fragment of
an asteroid or comet, made up of iron, silicates, or a mixture of both. When an
asteroid or comet is shattered by an explosion in space, meteoroids are
propelled through the earth’s atmosphere, creating friction, which heats up the
“shooting star” and gives the glow we see.
A shooting “star”
21
MISSION STAR BIRTHS
DAY ONE
Objectives for Mission Star Births: Day One
Star Astronauts will be able to:
1) Determine why we can’t see stars in the day.
2) Explain why the sun is the only star we can see in the day.
3) Determine if stars are on fire.
4) Explain what stars are made of.
Materials Needed To Be Prepared By The Teacher
Prior To Teaching
Introduction
Teacher will introduce the students’ role in this module. Students will
become Star Astronauts who will be sent on missions to gather data about
stars. They will record all of their discoveries in their Star Astronaut Log
Books. Teacher will pass out Star Astronaut name tags for each child.
Read NASA letter
1) Manila envelope
2) Mission Script letter for Mission Star Births (found in Appendix G)
Materials For The Star Astronauts
1) Star Astronaut Log Books
2) A pencil
3) Crayons
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ACTIVITY #1 – Fact or Fiction
The intent of the first activity is for the Star Astronauts to start thinking about
stars and for the teacher to determine how much the Star Astronauts already
know about stars.
Content Preparation Needed by the Teacher Before
Teaching the Lesson
None
Materials Needed
1) Manila envelope containing the Fact or Fiction cards (See Appendix C)
2) Two boxes; one labeled “FACT” and one labeled “FICTION”
Directions for the Teacher
1) Give each Star Astronaut a “Fact or Fiction” card.
2) Give the Star Astronauts about four minutes to decide amongst
themselves whether the statement on their card is fact or fiction. Students
can work in pairs to discuss the fact or fiction cards, if desired.
3) The teacher will begin with the red cards.
4) Ask each Star Astronaut with a red card to read his/her card and ask
the student to state whether it is fact or fiction.
5) On Worksheet #1- Fact or Fiction, pages one and two have the Star
Astronauts record their predictions about each statement.
23
DEMONSTRATION #1 – Being Hot But Not On
Fire
The intent of the first demonstration is for the Star Astronauts to observe the
filaments of the heater and note the change in color, as the heater gets hotter.
The demonstration shows that items can be extremely hot without being on
fire. The Star Astronauts will discover that the Sun and stars are extremely hot
but not on fire.
Content Preparation by the Teacher Before Teaching
the Lesson
Teachers should be able to fully answer each of the following questions.
Teachers can find the answers to these questions in the Science Content section
of this module.
1) Why is the sun so hot?
2) How hot is the sun?
3) What is the sun made of?
4) Why isn’t the sun on fire?
5) Why are stars so hot?
6) Are stars on fire?
7) What are stars made of?
Directions for the Teacher
1) Turn the heater on, and ask the Star Astronauts to
notice the change in color of the filaments.
2) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) What did I do to the heater to make it change colors?
[Expected Response: You plugged it in or you turned
it on.]
b) When I plug in the heater, what happens?
[Expected Response: When you plugged in the heater it
gets hot.]
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3) Select a few Star Astronauts to place their hand near the heater to
verify that the heater is hot.
4) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) Is the heater hot?
[Expected Response: Yes, the heater is hot.]
b) Do we see flame coming from the heater?
[Expected Response: No, we don’t see a flame coming
from the heater.]
c) What must you have in order for the heater to get hot?
[Expected Response: We need fuel or energy or power
for the heater to get hot.]
d) Is the heater on fire?
[Expected Response: No, the heater is not on fire.]
e) Can something be really hot but not on fire?
[Expected Response: Yes, something can be hot but not
on fire.]
f) What can we say about the heater?
[Expected Response: We can say that the heater is hot
but not on fire.]
5) Tell the Star Astronauts that they have just seen that a heater
is extremely hot but not on fire (there are no flames). The stars
are also very hot but not on fire.
6) Ask the Star Astronauts to summarize this information in their Star
Astronaut Log Books.
“The stars are very hot but not on fire.”
25
Star Astronaut demonstrating that the heater is hot but not on fire
26
DEMONSTRATION #2 – Why We Can’t See
Stars In The Daytime
The intent of the demonstration is to show Star Astronauts why we cannot see
stars in the daytime even though the stars are still present in the sky.
Content Preparation By The Teacher Before Teaching
The Lesson
Teachers should be able to fully answer each of the following questions.
Teachers can find the answers to these questions in the Science Content section
of the module.
1) Is the sun a star?
2) Why can’t we see stars in the daytime?
Directions For The Teacher
1) Pull out the black poster board revealing the yellow stars glued on it
along with the sheet of plastic around the board.
2) Ask the Star Astronauts if any of them know what the plastic is
supposed to be or supposed to represent.
3) Explain that the plastic represents our atmosphere.
4) Ask the Star Astronauts whether or not they can see the stars through
the plastic.
[Expected Response: Yes, we can see the stars through the
plastic.]
5) Turn on the floodlight (or flashlight) and explain that the light
represents the sun. Show and explain to the Star Astronauts that the
sun is very, very bright.
6) Place the light between the plastic and the poster board.
27
7) Ask the Star Astronauts if they can still see the stars.
[Expected Response: No, we can’t see the stars.]
(Some Star Astronauts may still be able to see some stars, but the light
should be bright enough to overpower the stars.)
8) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) Could we see the stars when I didn’t turn on the light?
[Expected Response: Yes, we could see the stars when
the light was not on.]
b) Could you still see the stars when I turned on the light?
[Expected Response: No, we couldn’t see the stars when
you turned on the light.]
c) What happened when I turned on the light and put it between the
plastic and the board?
[Expected Response: When you turned on the light we
couldn’t see the stars anymore.]
d) Why can’t we see the stars when I turn the light on?
[Expected Response: We can’t see the stars because the
light is really bright.]
9) Explain that we cannot see stars in the daytime because the sun (our
light) is too bright and it overpowers the light from the other stars.
Make sure to reiterate that the stars do not go away it the daytime but
are still in the sky and we can’t see them.
Questions Posed By Star Astronauts
1) Why is the sky blue?
2) How big is the sun?
3) How hot is the sun?
28
Review for Day One
At the end of Day One pose these questions to Star Astronauts:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Are stars on fire?
What makes stars so hot?
Can we see stars in the daytime? Why or why not?
Do the stars disappear during the day?
What is the shape of a star and why?
29
MISSION STAR BIRTHS
DAY TWO
Objectives for Mission Star Births: Day Two
Star Astronauts will be able to:
1) Describe the shape of a star.
2) Explain why the shape of a star is a sphere.
3) Explain how gravity impacts the formation of a star.
4) List the steps that take place when a star is formed.
5) Describe the colors, size, and amount of energy in each type of star.
6) Explain how the color, size, and amount of energy in the types of
stars are related.
Materials Needed
1) Star Astronaut Log Books
30
DEMONSTRATION #3 - What is Gravity?
A teacher can use a question and answer format to introduce the concept of
gravity. A list of questions and Star Astronaut responses are listed below.
Directions For The Teacher
1) Ask two or three Star Astronauts to draw the shape of a star on
board or overhead. You can mention to the Star Astronauts to
think about the shape of the Sun which they know is a star. If Star
Astronauts do not draw a circle (or sphere), draw a circle (or
sphere) on the board or overhead.
3) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions to lead them into a
discussion of what gravity is and what it has to do with the stars.
a) What is the shape of a star?
[Expected Response: The shape of a star is a star
shape.]
b) Why is a star a sphere like shape instead of a star shape?
[Expected Response: A star is a sphere like shape
instead of a star shape because of gravity.]
c) Does anyone know what gravity is?
[Expected Response: Gravity is the thing that keeps us
from floating. It keeps us on the ground.]
d) What happens when I drop a pencil on the floor? (perform this
demonstration)
[Expected Response: When you drop a pencil on the
floor it falls to the ground.]
e) What is gravity doing to the pencil?
[Expected Response: Gravity is pushing the pencil to the
ground.]
4) Make the distinction that gravity is pulling the pencil to the ground, not
pushing the pencil to the ground.
31
5) Sit down in a chair in the front of the class so all of the Star Astronauts
can see you.
6) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) Is this an example of gravity?
[Expected Response: Yes, sitting down in a chair is an
example of gravity.]
b) What is gravity doing to me?
[Expected Response: Gravity is pulling you to the chair.]
7) Stand up in front of the class so all of the Star Astronauts can see
you.
8) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) Is this an example of gravity?
[Expected Response: Yes, standing up is an example of
gravity.]
b) What is gravity doing to me?
[Expected Response: Gravity is pulling you to the
ground.]
c) So why is a star a sphere?
[Expected Response: A star is a sphere because of
gravity.]
9) Take out a mini volleyball to show Star Astronauts. Explain to the
Star Astronauts that gravity is squeezing all sides of the star and
when all the sides of the volleyball are squeezed you get a sphere.
10) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) When I squeeze all sides of this volleyball what shape do I
get?
[Expected Response: When you squeeze all sides of the
volleyball is turns into a ball or a sphere.]
b) What shape is a star?
[Expected Response: A star is a sphere.]
32
c) Why is a star a sphere?
[Expected Response: A star is a sphere because of
gravity.]
33
ACTIVITY #2- How Stars Are Formed – Using
Hand Gestures
The intent of the activity is for Star Astronauts to acquire the knowledge about
the steps taken to form a star using different hand gestures for each step.
Content Preparation Needed By The Teacher Before
Teaching the Lesson
None
Directions For The Teacher
1) Have the Star Astronauts turn to page three in their Star Astronaut Log
Book, Worksheet #2 – How Stars Die.
2) Ask a Star Astronaut to read Step 1.
A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and hydrogen gas in space. It will make dozens and
even thousands of stars.
3) Ask the Star Astronauts to repeat the word “nebula”
4) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is a nebula made of?
[Expected Response: A nebula is made of dust and
hydrogen gas.]
5) Demonstrate the hand gesture for the nebula. Hands should be about
15 inches apart and should represent a cloud of dust and hydrogen gas.
34
Star Astronaut demonstrating Step 1, the nebula.
6) Ask a Star Astronaut to read Step 2.
Inside the nebula, the force of gravity causes lots and lots of clumps to form. Those
clumps are called protostars. Each protostar will eventually turn into a new star. The
bigger the protostar is, the bigger and hotter the star will become.
7) Ask the Star Astronauts to repeat the word “protostar”.
8) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What helps to form a protostar?
[Expected Response: Gravity helps to form a protostar.]
9) Demonstrate the hand gesture for the protostar. Hands should be
moving closer together and start to represent the shape of a sphere.
Star Astronaut demonstrating
the beginning of Step 2, which
is demonstrating the force of
gravity.
Star Astronaut demonstrating
the remainder of Step 2, in
which the protstar is formed.
10) Repeat the nebula hand gesture and protostar hand gesture with
the entire class.
35
11) Ask a Star Astronaut to read Step 3.
Each protostar contracts and heats up inside its core until it gets so hot that hydrogen
is fused into helium, causing it to shine, and a star is born. The star finally stabilizes
and enters the main sequence phase where it will continue to shine for millions to
trillions of years.
12) Ask the Star Astronauts to repeat the word “star”.
13) Demonstrate the hand gesture for the star. Hands should be
touching fingertip to fingertip and should represent the shape of a
sphere.
Star Astronaut is demonstrating Step 3, the star.
14) Repeat the hand gestures for all three steps with the Star
Astronauts while saying each step as they go along.
Review
1) As a review ask several Star Astronauts to demonstrate all three
steps of how a star is formed as they describe the steps.
36
ACTIVITY #3 - How Stars Are Formed - A PlayDoh Activity
The intent of this activity is to assist Star Astronauts connect the knowledge
that they have acquired about the formation of stars using the hand
movements to the activity focusing on star formation using Play - Doh. Star
Astronauts should be able to describe each step of how a star is formed and
demonstrate each step using the Play-Doh given to them.
Content Preparation To Be Prepared By The Teacher
Teachers should be able to fully answer each of the following questions.
Teachers can find the answers to these questions in the Science Content section
of the module.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
How is a star formed?
What is a nebula made of?
What is a protostar?
What is the composition of a star?
How does gravity impact the formation of stars?
How are the color, size, and energy level of the types of stars related?
Directions For The Teacher
1) Place Star Astronauts in groups of two, before distributing the materials
to the Star Astronauts.
2) Each pair of students will receive a quart size Ziploc bag, which contains
four snack size bags of red, yellow, white, and blue Play-Doh.
3) Review the hand gestures and the steps indicating how stars are
formed. [Note: For hand gestures of forming a star refer to Activity #2 –
How Stars Are Formed – Using Hand Gestures, steps 5-13.]
37
Formation of a Red Star
4) Instruct the Star Astronauts to take out the red bag of Play-Doh.
5) Have the Star Astronauts pour out the contents of the bag onto the
middle of their desks.
6) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the first step in forming a star?
[Expected Response: The first step in forming a star is a
nebula.]
7) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts the way to arrange the PlayDoh for the nebula stage.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh will be scattered covering a large area of
the desk].
8) Tell Star Astronauts to spread out the Play-Doh so none of the balls are
touching and there is no discernible shape formed by he Play-Doh balls.
9) Then have the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
nebula stage for the red star.
Nebula stage for the red star
10) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the second step in forming a star?
[Expected Response: The second step in forming a star
is a protostar.]
38
11) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts the way to arrange their
Play-Doh for the protostar stage.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh should now be touching but not
smashed together].
12) Tell the Star Astronauts that they are now acting as gravity.
Have the Star Astronauts move all the balls of the Play-Doh
close together so all the balls of the Pay-Doh are touching but
are not smashed together.
13) Then have all the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
protostar stage of the red star.
Protostar stage of the red star
14) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the next step after a protostar?
[Expected Response: The next step after a protstar is a
star.]
15) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts how to make their star.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh should be smashed together to form a
sphere].
16) Tell the Star Astronauts that they will be acting like gravity by
smashing all sides of the protostar until it becomes a sphere. Have
the Star Astronauts smash all of the Play-Doh into one big ball of
Play-Doh and roll it into a round sphere.
17) Then have all the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
39
star stage of the red star.
Star stage of the red star
Formation of a Yellow Star
18) Instruct the Star Astronauts to take out the yellow bag of PlayDoh.
19) Have the Star Astronauts pour out the contents of the bag onto the
middle of their desks.
20) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the first step in forming a star?
[Expected Response: The first step in forming a star is a
nebula.]
21) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts the way to arrange the PlayDoh for the nebula stage.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh will be scattered covering a large area of
the desk].
22) Tell Star Astronauts to spread out the Play-Doh so none of the balls
are touching and there is no discernible shape formed by the PlayDoh balls.
23) Then have the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
nebula stage for the yellow star.
40
Nebula stage for the yellow star
24) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the second step in forming a star?
[Expected Response: The second step in forming a star
is a protostar.]
25) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts the way to arrange their
Play-Doh for the protostar stage.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh should now be touching but not
smashed together].
26) Tell the Star Astronauts that they are now acting as gravity.
Have the Star Astronauts move all the balls of the Play-Doh
close together so all the balls of the Pay-Doh are touching but
are not smashed together.
27) Then have all the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
protostar stage of the yellow star.
Protostar stage for the yellow star
28) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the next step after a protostar?
[Expected Response: The next step after a protstar is a
star.]
29) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts how to make their star.
41
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh should be smashed together to form a
sphere].
30) Tell the Star Astronauts that they will be acting like gravity by
smashing all sides of the star until it becomes a sphere. Have the
Star Astronauts smash all of the Play-Doh into one big ball of
Play-Doh and roll it into a round sphere.
31) Then have all the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
star stage of the yellow star.
Star stage for the yellow star
Formation of a White Star
32) Instruct the Star Astronauts to take out the white bag of PlayDoh.
33) Have the Star Astronauts pour out the contents of the bag onto
the middle of their desks.
34) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the first step in forming a star?
[Expected Response: The first step in forming a star is a
nebula.]
35) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts the way to arrange the PlayDoh for the nebula stage.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh will be scattered covering a large area
42
of the desk].
36) Tell Star Astronauts to spread out the Play-Doh so none of the
balls are touching and there is no discernible shape formed by
the Play-Doh balls.
37) Then have the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
nebula stage for the white star.
Nebula stage for the white star
38) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the second step in forming a star?
[Expected Response: The second step in forming a star
is a protostar.]
39) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts the way to arrange their
Play-Doh for the protostar stage.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh should now be touching but not
smashed together].
40) Tell the Star Astronauts that they are now acting as gravity.
Have the Star Astronauts move all the balls of the Play-Doh
close together so all the balls of the Pay-Doh are touching but
are not smashed together.
41) Then have all the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
protostar stage of the white star.
43
Protostar stage for the white star
42) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the next step after a protostar?
[Expected Response: The next step after a protostar is
a star.]
43) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts how to make their star.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh should be smashed together to form a
sphere].
44) Tell the Star Astronauts that they will be acting like gravity by
smashing all sides of the star until it becomes a sphere. Have the
Star Astronauts smash all of the Play-Doh into one big ball of
Play-Doh and roll it into a round sphere.
45) Then have all the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
star stage of the white star.
Star stage for the white star
Formation of a Blue Star
46) Instruct the Star Astronauts to take out the blue bag of PlayDoh.
44
47) Have the Star Astronauts pour out the contents of the bag onto
the middle of their desks.
48) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the first step in forming a star?
[Expected Response: The first step in forming a star is a
nebula.]
49) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts the way to arrange the PlayDoh for the nebula stage.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh will be scattered covering a large area
of the desk].
50) Tell Star Astronauts to spread out the Play-Doh so none of the
balls are touching and there is no discernible shape formed by
the Play-Doh balls.
51) Then have the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
nebula stage for the blue star.
Nebula stage for the blue star
52) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the second step in forming a star?
[Expected Response: The second step in forming a star
is a protostar.]
53) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts the way to arrange their
Play-Doh for the protostar stage.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh should now be touching but not
smashed together].
45
54) Tell the Star Astronauts that they are now acting as gravity.
Have the Star Astronauts move all the balls of the Play-Doh
close together so all the balls of the Pay-Doh are touching but
are not smashed together.
55) Then have all the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
protostar stage of the blue star.
Protostar stage for the blue star
56) Ask the Star Astronauts the following question:
a) What is the next step after a protostar?
[Expected Response: The next step after a protostar is
a star.]
57) Demonstrate for the Star Astronauts how to make their star.
[Note: The balls of Play-Doh should be smashed together to form a
sphere].
58) Tell the Star Astronauts that they will be acting like gravity by
smashing all sides of the star until it becomes a sphere. Have the
Star Astronauts smash all of the Play-Doh into one big ball of
Play-Doh and roll it into a round sphere.
59) Then have all the Star Astronauts arrange their Play-Doh for the
star stage of the blue star.
46
Star stage for the blue star
60) After Star Astronauts have finished forming all of their stars ask
them to put the stars in order from smallest to biggest.
61) Pose the following questions to the Star Astronauts:
a) What color star is the biggest?
[Expected Response: The blue star is the biggest star.]
b) What color star is the smallest?
[Expected Response: The red star is the smallest star.]
c) What color stars are bigger than the red star?
[Expected Response: The yellow, white and blue
stars are bigger than the red star.]
d) What color stars are smaller than the white star?
[Expected Response: The yellow and red stars are
smaller than the white star.]
e) Which star had the biggest protostar?
[Expected Response: The blue star had the biggest
protostar.]
f) Which star had the smallest protostar?
[Expected Response: The red star had the smallest
protostar.]
g) Which star has a bigger protostar, a red star or a yellow
star?
[Expected Response: A yellow star has a bigger
protostar.]
h) Which star has a smaller protostar, a white star or a
yellow star?
47
[Expected Response: A yellow star has a smaller
protostar.]
62) Have Star Astronauts turn to last page in their Star Astronauts
Log Books and complete the activity.
48
MISSION STELLAR REAL ESTATE:
PROPERTIES OF THE STARS
DAY ONE
Objectives for Mission Stellar Real Estate Properties of
the Stars: Day One
Students will be able to:
1) Determine what color star has the least amount of energy.
2) Determine what color star has the greatest amount of energy.
3) Determine what color star is the hottest.
4) Determine what color star is the coolest.
5) Determine what color star has the greatest life span.
6) Determine what color star has the smallest life span.
7) Explain why stars do not all live for the same amount of time.
8) Explain why there are different colored stars.
Materials Needed To Be Prepared By The Teacher
Prior To Teaching
Read NASA letter
1) Manila envelope
2) Mission Script letter for Mission Stellar Real Estate
(found in Appendix G)
Materials For The Star Astronauts
1) Star Astronaut Log Books
2) A pencil
3) Crayons
49
ACTIVITY #1 - Properties of the Star – A
Clapping Activity
The intent of this activity is for Star Astronauts to demonstrate the amount of
energy of a red, yellow, white, and blue star in order to discover the different
properties (color, size, temperature, life span) for each star.
Content Preparation By The Teacher Before Teaching
The Lesson
Teachers should be able to fully answer each of the following questions.
Teachers can find the answers to these questions in the Science Content section
of the module.
1) Why are there different colored stars?
2) What are the properties of each star? (color, size, temperature, life span)
Materials Needed For Activity
1) Four 8 ½ x 11 inches manila envelopes with color-coded dots (red,
yellow, white, and blue).
2) Instruction sheet for each color star (located in Appendix C)
3) Overhead transparency of star facts (located in Appendix B)
Directions For The Teacher
Demonstrating the Energy of Stars
1) Divide Star Astronauts into four groups – the red, yellow, white, and
blue group.
2) Send each group to a different corner of the classroom.
50
3) Tell all of the Star Astronauts that when they receive their “Top Secret”
envelope they are not to open it until directions are given.
4) Tell Star Astronauts once they receive their envelopes that everyone in
the group must be able to see and hear the information that is on their
sheet of paper.
5) Ask each group to open their envelopes. Allow the Star Astronauts two
or three minutes to read over instructions.
6) Once the Star Astronauts have read their papers review the information
in front of the entire class.
7) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) Will the red star group tell me the temperature of a red star?
[Expected Response: The temperature of a red star is
8,000 to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit.]
b) Will someone from the white group tell me the temperature of the
red star?
[Expected Response: The temperature of a red star is 8,000 to
9,000 degrees Fahrenheit.]
c) Will the red star group tell me the lifespan of a red star?
[Expected Response: The lifespan of a red star is a
trillion years or more.]
d) Will someone from the yellow group tell me the lifespan of the
red star?
[Expected Response: The lifespan of a red star is a
trillion years or more.]
e) Will the yellow star group tell me the temperature of a yellow
star?
[Expected Response: The temperature of a yellow star is
10,000 to 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit.]
51
f) Will someone from the blue group tell me the temperature of
the yellow star?
[Expected Response: The temperature of a yellow star is
10,000 to 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit.]
g) Will the yellow star group tell me the lifespan of a yellow star?
[Expected Response: The lifespan of a yellow star is ten
billion years or more.]
h) Will someone from the red group tell me the lifespan of the
yellow star?
[Expected Response: The lifespan of a yellow star is ten
billion years or more.]
i) Will the white star group tell me the temperature of a white star?
[Expected Response: The temperature of a white star is
13,000 to 16,000 degrees Fahrenheit.]
j) Will someone from the yellow group tell me the temperature of
the white star?
[Expected Response: The temperature of a white star is
13,000 to 16,000 degrees Fahrenheit.]
k) Will the white star group tell me the lifespan of a white star?
[Expected Response: The lifespan of a white star is two
billion years or more.]
l) Will someone from the blue group tell me the lifespan of the
white star?
[Expected Response: The lifespan of a white star is two
billion years or more.]
m) Will the blue star group tell me the temperature of a blue
star?
[Expected Response: The temperature of a blue star is
30,000 to 72,000 degrees Fahrenheit.]
52
n) Will someone from the red group tell me the temperature of
blue star?
[Expected Response: The temperature of a blue star is
30,000 to 72,000 degrees Fahrenheit.]
o) Will the blue group tell me the lifespan of a blue star?
[Expected Response: The lifespan of a blue star is ten
million years or more.]
p) Will someone from the white group tell me the lifespan of the
blue star?
[Expected Response: The lifespan of a blue star is ten
million years or more.]
8) Since each color star has a different amount of energy, a clapping
demonstration will be used to show the different energy amounts.
The speed for clapping to represent the red star is 10 claps per 15
seconds. [Note: To demonstrate the pace of clapping, clap for at least 30
seconds.]
9) Ask the Star Astronauts who are representing red stars to clap at
their pace.
10) Demonstrate the speed at which the yellow group will clap their
hands. The speed for clapping to represent the yellow star is 20 claps
per 15 seconds. [Note: To demonstrate the pace of clapping, clap for at
least 30 seconds.]
11) Ask the Star Astronauts who are representing yellow stars to clap
at their pace.
12) Demonstrate the speed at which the white group will clap their
hands. The speed for clapping to represent the white star is 40
claps per 15 seconds. [Note: To demonstrate the pace of clapping, clap
for at least 30 seconds.]
13) Ask the Star Astronauts who are representing white stars to clap
at their pace.
53
14) Demonstrate the speed at which the blue group will clap their
hands. The speed for clapping to represent the blue star is 70
claps per 15 seconds. [Note: To demonstrate the pace of clapping,
clap for at least 30 seconds.]
Reviewing the Energy of Stars
1) After all groups have clapped the energy of their color star, do a rapid
fire review with the Star Astronauts. Very quickly, point to each group
and have the clap the energy level of their star. Make sure Star
Astronauts understand the color star that is the slowest and the color
star that is the fastest. Make sure that the Star Astronauts know the
color of the star that produces the most energy (i.e. has the fastest clap).
At the end of the review, Star Astronauts should know which star has
the most amount of energy (the fastest clapping) and which star has the
least amount of energy (the slowest clapping) and which stars have
more energy than others.
2) Ask the Star Astronauts to go to the first page of their Star Astronaut log
book for Mission Stellar Real Estate: Properties of the Stars. There is a table
with all the information for the four different colors of stars. Make sure
the Star Astronauts see the correlation and make the connection
between the size, color, temperature, and energy of each star.
54
ACTIVITY #2 - Determining the Connection
Between the Color, Energy, Temperature, and
Life Span of Stars
The intent of this activity is bring together the ideas discovered in activity one
and come to a conclusion about the relationship between the color, energy,
and temperature of a star.
Content Preparation Needed By The Teacher Before
Teaching The Lesson
None
Materials Needed For Activity
1) Dry erase markers to write on the board
Directions For The Teacher
Review the energies of each color star by asking the Star Astronauts to clap
their energy for their color star.
[Note: The speed for clapping to represent the red star is 10 claps
per 15 seconds. The speed for clapping to represent the yellow star
is 20 claps per 15 seconds. The speed for clapping to represent the
white star is 40 claps per 15 seconds. The speed for clapping to
represent the blue star is 70 claps per 15 seconds.] Continue the review of
clapping for the amount of the time needed.
55
THE HIGH ENERGY STAR (THE BLUE STAR)
1) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) What can we say about the amount of energy of a blue star?
[Expected response: The blue star has a lot of energy.]
b) Is a blue star big or small?
[Expected response: A blue star is big.]
c) Is a blue star the hottest or the coolest star?
[Expected response: A blue star is the hottest star.]
d) Does a blue star live for a long period of time or a short
period of time?
[Expected response: A blue star lives for a short period
of time.]
2) Discovery #1: “The more energy a star has the hotter it will be and the
shorter its life.”
3) Ask Star Astronauts to write this sentence down on page 5 of their Star
Astronaut Log Book, titled Our Discoveries.
4) Demonstrate Discovery #1. For the first part of the sentence, “The more
energy a star has…” ask Star Astronauts to clap the energy of the blue
star because it is the star with the greatest amount of energy. [Note: The
speed for clapping to represent the energy of a blue star is 70 claps per
15 seconds.]
5) For the next part of the sentence “…the hotter it will be…” ask Star
Astronauts to mimic the motion of fanning one selves with ones hands,
as if one was very hot.
56
Star Astronaut demonstrating the hand motion for the temperature of the high-energy star;
The part of the sentence which states “…the hotter it will be…”.
6) For the last part of the sentence “…and the shorter its life will be.”
ask Star Astronauts to place their hands very close together with their
palms facing each other to demonstrate a short amount of time.
Star Astronaut demonstrating the hand motion for the life span of the high-energy star; The
part of the sentence which states “…and the shorter its life will be.”
7) Now that the Star Astronauts have demonstrated all of the parts of the
sentence, Star Astronauts can put all of the hands signals together.
8) First demonstrate how the hand signals will go with the sentence by
saying each part of the sentence while demonstrating the correct hand
signals for each part of the sentence.
9) Once the Star Astronauts have seen you demonstrate the sentence
57
have all the Star Astronauts say the sentence using their hand
signals.
10) Ask a couple different Star Astronauts to stand up and say the
sentence while using their hand signals.
THE LOW ENERGY STAR (THE RED STAR)
13) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) What color star has the least amount of energy?
[Expected Response: A red star has the least amount
of energy.]
b) And is a red star the biggest star or the smallest star?
[Expected Response: A red star is the smallest star.]
c) Is a red star the coolest or the hottest star?
[Expected Response: A red star is the coolest star.]
d) Does a red star live for a long period of time or a short
period of time?
[Expected Response: A red star lives for a long period
of time.]
14) Discovery #2: “The less energy a star has the cooler it will be
and the longer its life will be.”
15) Ask Star Astronauts to write this sentence down on page 5 of their Star
Astronaut Log Book, titled Our Discoveries.
16) Demonstrate Discovery #2. For the first part of the sentence,
“The less energy a star has…” ask Star Astronauts to clap the
energy of a red star because it is the star with the least amount of
energy. [Note: The speed for clapping to represent the red star is
10 claps per 15 seconds.]
18) For the next part of the sentence “…the cooler it will be…” ask Star
Astronauts to pretend that they are very cold and wrap their arms
around themselves like they are trying to keep warm.
58
Star Astronaut is demonstrating the hand motion for the temperature of the low energy star;
The part of the sentence which states “…the cooler it will be…”
19) For the last part of the sentence “…and the longer its life will be.”
Ask Star Astronauts to spread their hands very far apart with
their palms facing each other to demonstrate a long amount of time.
Star Astronaut demonstrating the hand motion for the life span of the low-energy star. The
part of the sentence which states “…and the longer its life will be.”
20) Now that the Star Astronauts have demonstrated all of the parts
of the sentence Star Astronauts can put all of the hands signals
together.
21) First demonstrate how the hand signals will go with the sentence
by saying each part of the sentence while doing the correct hand
signals for each part of the sentence.
22) Once the Star Astronauts have seen you demonstrate the
sentence ask the Star Astronauts to say the sentence using their
hand signals.
23) Ask a couple different Star Astronauts to stand up and say the
59
while using their hand signals.
Review
1) To review this activity divide the Star Astronauts into two groups, one
for the blue star and one for the red star.
2) Have each group use the appropriate hand signals and sentence to
describe the properties of their star.
3) Once both groups have a chance to say their sentence, switch the teams
and have the Star Astronauts say the sentences again.
60
DAY TWO
Objectives for Mission Stellar Real Estate Properties of
the Stars: Day Two
Students will be able to:
1) Explain the relationship between the color, energy, and size
of a star.
2) Explain the steps leading up to the death of a star.
3) Determine if stars die.
61
ACTIVITY #3 - How Stars Die
The intent of this activity is for the Star Astronauts to discover how stars die
and the reasons why stars die. They will demonstrate to this process by using
the clapping activity from Activity#2 – Determining the Connection Between
the Color, Energy, Temperature, and Size of Stars.
Content Preparation By The Teacher Before Teaching
The Lesson
Teachers should be able to fully answer each of the following questions.
Teachers can find the answers to these questions in the Science Content section
of the module.
1) How do stars die?
2) What is the sequence of stages that each type of star goes through
when it dies?
3) What is a black hole?
4) What is a supernova?
Materials Needed For Activity
1) Mission Stellar Real Estate: Properties of the Stars workbook pages 2-4
(located in Appendix A)
2) Red and black dry erase markers to draw on the board.
Directions For The Teacher
1) Review the energy of each color star by having each color star group
clap their energy to remind everyone of each star’s energy. [Note: The
Star Astronauts can do this while sitting in their seats. The Star
Astronauts do not have to be in groups for this quick review.]
2) Ask the Star Astronauts to open to Worksheet #2 – How Stars Die, on
page 2, of their Star Astronaut Log Book.
62
3) Choose a Star Astronaut to read the paragraph on page 2.
How do stars die? We can compare the death of a star to a car that runs out of
fuel. When a car is low on fuel a warning sign lights up and tells you that you are
almost out of fuel. The warning sign that tells a star that it is running out of fuel is
when it turns into a red giant.
4) Repeat the last line of the paragraph to the Star Astronauts,
emphasizing the words “red giant”.
5) Ask all of the Star Astronauts to repeat the words “red giant”.
6) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) If a star is starting to run out of energy is it going to get
bigger or smaller?
[Expected Response: A star is going to get smaller.]
b) When I draw the red giant what size am I going to draw it?
[Expected Response: You are going to draw it smaller
than a star that we start with.]
7) Draw the red giant in a red marker on the board and label it “red giant”.
[Note: The circle representing a red giant should be approximately 8 to 9
inches in diameter.]
Red giant stage
8) Have the Star Astronauts draw the red giant on page 2 of Worksheet # 2
- How Stars Die.
63
9) Have the Star Astronauts clap the energy of the blue star.
[Note: The speed at which the blue star is clapped is 70 claps per 15
seconds.]
10) Have the Star Astronauts continue to clap the energy of the blue
star but have them slow down their clapping just a little bit. Explain
that this is the energy of the red giant. Be sure to make a point
that the red giant has less energy than the blue star because the
blue star is starting to lose its energy.
[Note: The speed at which the blue star is clapped is 70 claps per 15
seconds. Have the Star Astronauts slow down to 50 claps per 15
seconds for the red giant.]
11) Ask the Star Astronauts to clap the energy of the blue star, then
ask them to clap the energy of the red giant so they understand the
difference between the two energy levels.
12) Choose a Star Astronaut to read the second paragraph on page 3
of Worksheet # 2 - How Stars Die.
You can drive a little farther in the car before all the fuel is gone – and that is
what the star is doing. It keeps on shining just a little bit longer. But now there is
hardly any fuel left and the star turns into a white dwarf and the car is sputtering on
the road and not going very fast.
13) Repeat the last line of the paragraph to the Star Astronauts
emphasizing the words “white dwarf”.
14) Ask the Star Astronauts to repeat the words “white dwarf”.
15) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) If a star is still running out of energy is it going to get
bigger or smaller?
[Expected Response: A star will get smaller.]
b) When I draw a white dwarf what size am I going to draw it?
[Expected Response: You are going to draw it smaller
than the red giant.]
16) Draw the white dwarf on the board, drawing it smaller than the
64
red giant and label it “white dwarf”. [Note: The circle representing
a white dwarf should be approximately 5 to 6inches in diameter.]
White dwarf stage
17) Have the Star Astronauts draw the white dwarf on page 3 of
Worksheet # 2 - How Stars Die.
18) Have the Star Astronauts clap the energy of the blue star.
[Note: The speed at which the blue star is clapped is 70 claps per 15
seconds.]
19) Then have the Star Astronauts slow down their clapping to
demonstrate the energy of the red giant. [Note: The speed at which the
red giant is clapped is 50 claps per 15 seconds.]
20) Then have the Star Astronauts slow down their clapping even more.
Explain that this is the energy of the white dwarf. Be sure to point out
that the energy of the white dwarf is less than the energy of the red
giant.
[Note: The speed at which the blue star is clapped is 70 claps per
15 seconds. The speed at which the red giant is clapped is 50 claps
per 15 seconds. Have the Star Astronauts slow down to 35 claps
per 15 seconds for the white dwarf.]
21) Choose a Star Astronaut to read the third paragraph on page 4
of Worksheet # 2 - How Stars Die.
After the last of the fuel is used the star and the car die. The star becomes a
black dwarf and can no longer do anything just like the car cannot move anymore
because all of the fuel has been used up.
65
22) Repeat the last line of the paragraph to the Star Astronauts
emphasizing the words “black dwarf”.
23) Ask the Star Astronauts to repeat the words “black dwarf”.
24) Ask the Star Astronauts the following questions:
a) If a star is still running out of energy is it going to get
bigger or smaller?
[Expected Response: A star will get smaller.]
b) When I draw a black dwarf what size am I going to draw it?
[Expected Response: You are going to draw it smaller
than the white dwarf.]
25) Draw the black dwarf on the board, drawing it smaller than the
white dwarf and label it “black dwarf”. [Note: The circle
representing a black dwarf should be approximately 3 to 4 inches in
diameter.]
Black dwarf stage
26) Have the Star Astronauts draw the black dwarf on page 4 of Worksheet
# 2 - How Stars Die.
27) Have the Star Astronauts clap the energy of the blue star.
[Note: The speed at which the blue star is clapped is 70 claps per 15
seconds.]
28) Then have the Star Astronauts slow down their clapping to
demonstrate the energy of the red giant. [Note: The speed at
which the red giant is clapped is 50 claps per 15 seconds.]
66
29) Then have the Star Astronauts slow down their clapping even more
to demonstrate the energy of the white dwarf. [Note: The speed
at which the white dwarf is clapped is 35 claps per 15.]
30) Then have the Star Astronauts stop clapping. Explain that this is
the energy of the black dwarf. The energy of the black dwarf is
zero. The black dwarf has no energy because it has used up all its
energy.
31) At this point all the stages of a star dying should be drawn on the
board to demonstrate the sequence of a dying star.
All three stages that a dying blue star goes through.
31) Once the Star Astronauts have drawn all of the stages of a star
dying, have the Star Astronauts clap the whole sequence from the
beginning starting with the blue star.
[Note: The speed at which the blue star is clapped is 70 claps per
15 seconds. The speed at which the red giant is clapped is 50 claps
per 15 seconds. The speed at which the white dwarf is clapped is
35 claps per 15 seconds. There is no clapping for the black dwarf,
so Star Astronauts should freeze their hands in mid-air.]
67
Review for the How Stars Die Activity
1) Review all the stages of the death of a star.
2) Ask each group of Star Astronauts to clap all the stages of how a star dies.
Or you may call Star Astronauts at random to demonstrate the cycle that the
star goes through.
68
APPENDIX A
Star Astronaut Log Book
Student Edition
69
Studying The Astronomical Research By Investigating
Rebirth of Tiny to Humungous Stars
œËœ FACT OR FICTION? œËœ
Your Prediction
Correct Answer
(circle one)
1) Fact
Fiction
__________ Stars are on fire.
2) Fact
Fiction
__________ Stars are made of solid material.
3) Fact
Fiction
__________ Stars are millions of light years away
from earth.
4) Fact
Fiction
__________ Stars are part of our universe.
5) Fact
Fiction
__________ The sun is a star.
6) Fact
Fiction
__________ The sun is the only star we can see
in the daytime.
7) Fact
Fiction
__________ Stars are made up of gases.
8) Fact
Fiction
__________ Stars are only visible at night.
9) Fact
Fiction
__________ There are always stars present in
the sky, even in the daytime.
10) Fact
Fiction
_________ All stars are the same size.
11) Fact
Fiction
_________ There are stars that are bigger than
the sun.
œËœ FACT OR FICTION? œËœ
Your Prediction
Correct Answer
(circle one)
12) Fact
Fiction
_________ There are billions and billions of
stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
13) Fact
Fiction
_________ Our sun will continue to shine for
another 5 billion years.
14) Fact
Fiction
_________ Stars are made from giant clouds
of dust and hydrogen gas.
15) Fact
Fiction
_________ Stars are massive, glowing balls
of hot gases, made up mostly of
hydrogen and helium.
16) Fact
Fiction
_________ Stars can be red, yellow, white, or
blue.
A supernova is the explosion of a
dying star.
17) Fact
Fiction
_________
18) Fact
Fiction
_________ Some stars can no longer resist
the force of gravity and as a
result, they blow up.
19) Fact
Fiction
________
A star never dies but lives on
forever in space.
œœ How Stars Are Formed œœ
STEP 1
A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and hydrogen gas in space. It will
make dozens and even thousands of stars.
STEP 2
Inside the nebula, the force of gravity causes lots and lots of clumps
to form. Those clumps are called protostars. Each protostar will
eventually turn into a new star. The bigger the protostar is, the
bigger and hotter the star will become.
STEP 3
Each protostar contracts and heats up inside its core until it gets so
hot that hydrogen is fused into helium, causing it to shine, and a star
is born. The star finally stabilizes and enters the main sequence
phase where it will continue to shine for millions to trillions of years.
Draw a picture of the sizes of the protostar clump and the
resulting star for each color star.
Red Protostars
Yellow Protostars
White Protostars
Blue Protostars
Red Star
Yellow Star
White Star
Blue Star
FOR
SALE
RED STAR FACTS
Temperature
8,000 to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Life Span
a trillion years (1,000,000,000,000) or more
YELLOW STAR FACTS
Temperature
10,000 to 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Life Span
Ten billion years (1,000,000,000) or more
WHITE STAR FACTS
Temperature
13,000 to 16,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Life Span
2 billion years (2,000,000,000) or more
BLUE STAR FACTS
Temperature
30,000 to 72,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Life Span
10 million years (10,000,000) or more
œœ How Stars Die œœ
How do stars die? We can compare the death of a star
to a car that runs out of fuel. When a car is low on fuel a
warning sign lights up and tells you that you are almost out
of fuel. The warning sign that tells a star that it is running
out of fuel is when it turns into a red giant.
You can drive a little farther in the car before all the
fuel is gone – and that is what the star is doing. It keeps on
shining just a little bit longer. But now there is hardly any
fuel left and the star turns into a white dwarf and the car is
sputtering on the road and not going very fast.
After the last of the fuel is used the star and the car
die. The star becomes a black dwarf and can no longer do
anything just like the car cannot move anymore because all
of the fuel has been used up.
OUR DISCOVERIES
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
APPENDIX B
Star Astronaut Log Book
Teacher Edition
81
Studying The Astronomical Research By Investigating
Rebirth of Tiny to Humungous Stars
œËœ FACT OR FICTION? œËœ
Your Prediction
Correct Answer
(circle one)
Fiction
Fiction
__________ Stars are on fire.
2) Fact
Fiction
Fiction
__________ Stars are made of solid material.
3) Fact
Fiction
Fiction
__________ Stars are millions of light years away
1) Fact
from earth.
4) Fact
Fiction
Fiction
__________ Stars are part of our universe.
5) Fact
Fiction
Fact
__________ The sun is a star.
Fiction
Fact
__________ The sun is the only star we can see
6) Fact
in the daytime.
7) Fact
Fiction
Fact
__________ Stars are made up of gases.
8) Fact
Fiction
Fact
__________ Stars are only visible at night.
9) Fact
Fiction
Fiction
__________ There are always stars present in
the sky, even in the daytime.
10) Fact
Fiction
Fiction
_________ All stars are the same size.
11) Fact
Fiction
Fact
_________ There are stars that are bigger than
the sun.
œËœ FACT OR FICTION? œËœ
Your Prediction
Correct Answer
(circle one)
12) Fact
Fiction
Fact
_________ There are billions and billions of
stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
13) Fact
Fiction
Fact
_________ Our sun will continue to shine for
another 5 billion years.
14) Fact
Fiction
Fact
_________ Stars are made from giant clouds
of dust and hydrogen gas.
15) Fact
Fiction
Fact
_________ Stars are massive, glowing balls
of hot gases, made up mostly of
hydrogen and helium.
16) Fact
Fiction
Fact
_________ Stars can be red, yellow, white, or
blue.
17) Fact
Fiction
Fact
_________
18) Fact
Fiction
Fact
_________ Some stars can no longer resist
A supernova is the explosion of a
dying star.
the force of gravity and as a
result, they blow up.
19) Fact
Fiction
Fiction
________
A star never dies but lives on
forever in space.
œœ How Stars Are Formed œœ
STEP 1
A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and hydrogen gas in space. It will
make dozens and even thousands of stars.
STEP 2
Inside the nebula, the force of gravity causes lots and lots of clumps
to form. Those clumps are called protostars. Each protostar will
eventually turn into a new star. The bigger the protostar is, the bigger
and hotter the star will become.
STEP 3
Each protostar contracts and heats up inside its core until it gets so
hot that hydrogen is fused into helium, causing it to shine, and a star is
born. The star finally stabilizes and enters the main sequence phase
where it will continue to shine for millions to trillions of years.
Draw a picture of the sizes of the protostar clump and the
resulting star for each color star.
Red Protostars
Yellow Protostars
White Protostars
Blue Protostars
Red Star
Yellow Star
White Star
Blue Star
FOR
SALE
RED STAR FACTS
Temperature
8,000 to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Life Span
a trillion years (1,000,000,000,000) or more
YELLOW STAR FACTS
Temperature
10,000 to 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Life Span
Ten billion years (1,000,000,000) or more
WHITE STAR FACTS
Temperature
13,000 to 16,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Life Span
2 billion years (2,000,000,000) or more
BLUE STAR FACTS
Temperature
30,000 to 72,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Life Span
10 million years (10,000,000) or more
œœ How Stars Die œœ
How do stars die? We can compare the death of a star
to a car that runs out of fuel. When a car is low on fuel a
warning sign lights up and tells you that you are almost out of
fuel. The warning sign that tells a star that it is running out
of fuel is when it turns into a red giant.
You can drive a little farther in the car before all the
fuel is gone – and that is what the star is doing. It keeps on
shining just a little bit longer. But now there is hardly any
fuel left and the star turns into a white dwarf and the car is
sputtering on the road and not going very fast.
After the last of the fuel is used the star and the car
die. The star becomes a black dwarf and can no longer do
anything just like the car cannot move anymore because all of
the fuel has been used up.
OUR DISCOVERIES
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
APPENDIX C
Fact or Fiction Cards
Day One- Mission Star Births
Activity# 1 – Fact or Fiction
95
œ
 œ


œ 
 œ
œ
œ
œ
œ 
 œ

œ 
œ
œ



Stars are on fire.
All stars are the same size.
There are stars that are
bigger than the sun.
Stars are massive, glowing
balls of hot gases, made up
mostly of hydrogen and
helium.
Stars can be red, yellow,
white, or blue.
There are always stars
present in the sky, even in
the daytime.
A star never dies but lives
on forever in space.
Stars are made of solid
material.
Some stars can no longer
resist the force of gravity
and as a result, they blow
up.
Stars are made from giant
clouds of dust and hydrogen
gas.
The biggest star is 100
times as massive as the sun
and is 10 million times as
luminous.
Stars are millions of light
years away from earth.
Stars are only visible at
night.
Stars are part of our solar
system.
There are billions and
billions of stars in the Milky
Way galaxy.
The sun is a star.
The sun is the only star we
can see in the daytime.
Our sun will continue to
shine for another 5 billion
years.
A supernova is an explosion
of a dying star.
Stars are
made up of gases.
APPENDIX D
Instruction Sheets
Day Two- Mission Stellar Real Estate: Properties of the Stars
Activity# 3 – Properties of the Stars- A Clapping Activity
101
RED STATION
YOU MUST ALL FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS PAGE.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PROCEED WITHOUT INSTRUCTION FROM YOUR
COMMANDER.
You are a red star. The red star has a certain amount of energy that it burns. Your
mission is to figure out how much energy the red star burns and how fast that
energy burns up.
RED STAR FACTS
Temperature
8,000 to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Color
Red
Life Span
a trillion years (1,000,000,000,000) or more
Directions for Star Astronauts
1) You will pretend to be red stars.
2) When your Commander says go you will clap without stopping for one minute.
Your Commander will demonstrate the correct procedure for this part of the
mission.
YELLOW STATION
YOU MUST ALL FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS PAGE.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PROCEED WITHOUT INSTRUCTION FROM YOUR
COMMANDER.
You are a yellow star. The yellow star has a certain amount of energy that it burns.
Your mission is to figure out how much energy the yellow star burns and how fast
that energy burns up.
YELLOW STAR FACTS
Temperature
10,000 to 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Color
Yellow
Life Span
Ten billion years (1,000,000,000) or more
Directions for Star Astronauts
1) You will pretend to be yellow stars.
2) When your Commander says go you will clap without stopping for one minute.
Your Commander will demonstrate the correct procedure for this part of the
mission.
WHITE STATION
YOU MUST ALL FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS PAGE.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PROCEED WITHOUT INSTRUCTION FROM YOUR
COMMANDER.
You are a white star. The white star has a certain amount of energy that it burns.
Your mission is to figure out how much energy the white star burns and how fast
that energy burns up.
WHITE STAR FACTS
Temperature
13,000 to 16,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Color
White
Life Span
2 billion years (2,000,000,000) or more
Directions for Star Astronauts
1) You will pretend to be white stars.
2) When your Commander says go you will clap without stopping for one minute.
Your Commander will demonstrate the correct procedure for this part of the
mission.
BLUE STATION
YOU MUST ALL FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS PAGE.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PROCEED WITHOUT INSTRUCTION FROM YOUR
COMMANDER.
You are a blue star. The blue star has a certain amount of energy that it burns.
Your mission is to figure out how much energy the blue star burns and how fast
that energy burns up.
BLUE STAR FACTS
Temperature
30,000 to 72,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Color
Blue
Life Span
10 million years (10,000,000) or more
Directions for Star Astronauts
1) You will pretend to be blue stars.
2) When your Commander says go you will clap without stopping for one minute.
Your Commander will demonstrate the correct procedure for this part of the
mission.
APPENDIX E
Resources
Books and Websites
106
Resources
The following books and websites were very helpful in the development of this
module. They are also very useful resources in presenting additional material to
students. Many of the websites are interactive and offer many ideas for
additional activities to present to students.
Books
1) The Magic School Bus: Sees Stars
By: Joanna Cole
ISBN: 0-590-18732-5
This is a great book to introduce the topic of stars. It is a fun read with
interesting characters and wonderful illustrations. The Magic School Bus series
does a nice job to introduce students to science. A video series of The Magic
School Bus is also a nice way to introduce science to students.
2) The Sun
By: Seymour Simon
ISBN: 0-688-09236-5
This is a great book about the most familiar star in our solar system- the Sun.
This book has nice, large, colorful pictures that depicts the features of the Sun
and is an ideal supplement when teaching about our most familiar star.
3) Stars
By: Seymour Simon
ISBN: 0-688-09237-3
This is another great book from Seymour Simon. It introduces the basic facts
about stars and the pictures are very visual. This book includes fantastic, full page pictures that will intrigue students to explore the book and the information
presented.
107
4) Astronomy Today (Fifth Edition)
By: Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan
ISBN: 0-13-144596-0
This is a college level astronomy book that has all the information a teacher will
ever need to teach stars as well as the other astronomy topics taught in the
elementary school curriculum. This text includes overhead transparencies,
amazing pictures, and glossary.
Websites
1) http://www.nasakids.com
This is a great website for kids. It is maintained by NASA (National Aeronautics
and Space Administration) and has great graphics. The website is animated and
the interactive nature of this website is ideal for students. The site includes
different topics, such as Rockets and Airplanes, Space and Beyond, Astronauts
Living in Space, and NASA Toons (cartoons).
2) http://www.spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/
This site offers students an ideal place to learn amazing facts about space science
and about NASA scientists and engineers. This site has a great resource for
students called “Ask Dr. Marc”, a site where students can type in questions they
have about space and Dr. Marc will answer their questions.
3) http://edspace.nasa.gov/
This is the NASA’s Educator Astronaut Program Website. This site is devoted to
astronauts and offers information about the food astronauts eat, the clothes they
wear, and many other aspects of being an astronaut. The site takes a student
through a day in the life of an astronaut and has pictures of real astronauts. An
incredible site for students who are really excited about becoming an astronaut.
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4) http://www.spacekids.com/
This site is great for students in grade 4 and beyond. It has an extensive image
gallery, videos and daily articles about what is going on in space in real time.
5) http://www.kidsastronomy.com/
This very colorful and very appealing website is ideal for students. Each
subtopic (such as “deep space”) has a “Did You Know?” section. In this section
interesting facts are posted and then answered. Definitions are supplemented
with pictures, which is perfect for the visual learner. The site features an
extensive astronomy dictionary, which is a very useful resource.
6) http://www.nasa.gov
A great site for any information one needs to know about space science.
Numerous resources and links for resources are available for educators.
7) http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
This site is the archive for the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day. Each day
NASA posts a new image or photograph. These images are wonderful to look at
and are a great way to open a discussion with students about what students see
in each NASA photograph.
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APPENDIX F
Star Images
The following pictures were obtained from the “Astronomy
Picture of the Day” website and the NASA website. These
pictures can be used to supplement the presentation of this
module.
The pictures look great when printed on
photographic paper and can be made into posters for the
classroom.
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The Sun, Our Star
Eruptive prominence
A solar flare
The Orion Nebula
A pillar of the Eagle Nebula
A planetary nebula
Remnants of a supernova
Red giant, Betelgeuse
A blue giant
A shooting “star”
A white dwarf
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field- A Look at the Oldest Galaxies
Proxima Centauri: The Closest Star to the Sun
(the small red star in the center of the picture)
A small galaxy similar to the Milky Way Galaxy
A globular cluster of blue stars
Galactic Star Cluster
The Bubble Nebula
The Lifecycle of Stars
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
APPENDIX G
Mission Script
Each script contains the information that will be covered in
each mission. This appendix contains two letters from Dr. K,
one for each mission. The letter is to be delivered in a manila
envelope for one of the Star Astronauts to read to the class
before the mission begins.
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TOP SECRET
Dear Star Astronauts,
Hello! If you are reading this letter that means that you are now classified to view
TOP SECRET material. It also means that I can tell you who I am. My name is
Dr. K and I am the director of the TOP SECRET section at NASA. Your teacher
has informed me that all of you have just become our TOP SECRET group of Star
Astronauts. Is this correct? Good! As Star Astronauts you will be sent out on TOP
SECRET missions to gather very important information, which you will all record
in your Star Astronaut Log Books.
In your first mission, Mission Star Births, which is a code name for Studying
the Astronomical Research By Investigating Rebirth of Tiny to Humungous Stars,
there are 6 questions that you must investigate.
1) How are stars formed?
2) What are stars made of?
3) What shape is a star?
4) Are stars on fire?
5) Can we see stars in the daytime? Why or why not?
6) What does the size of a protostar have to do with the size of a star?
Commander do you have that envelope I gave you? Good. I need you to guide the
Star Astronauts to determine whether the information about stars is fact or fiction.
Star Astronauts I will be waiting to hear your discoveries about the stars. Be
smart, be alert, and pay attention. Good luck Star Astronauts!
Signing off,
Dr. K
TOP SECRET
Dear Star Astronauts,
Hello again! This is Dr. K. In your next mission, Mission Stellar Real Estate:
Properties of the Stars, there are 9 questions that we need you to investigate.
1) Why are there different colored stars?
2) What does the color of the star tell us about the star?
3) Are there different temperatures for different stars? Why or why not?
4) Why are the stars different sizes?
5) How do we know how old a star is?
6) What do the color, size, temperature, and age of a star have to do with each
other?
7) Do stars die?
8) How do stars die?
9) Are there stars that have already died?
We are counting on all of the Star Astronauts to find the answers to these
questions. Do a neat and thorough job when you are reporting your findings in
your Star Astronaut Log Books because the information you gather will be placed
into our computers and will be saved for all of history. Be smart, be alert and pay
attention. Good luck!
Signing off,
Dr. K