Infinity Express Planetarium Show – Teacher’s Guide

Description: Infinity Express is an immersive experience narrated by Lawrence Fishburne that fully utilizes the unique environment of a full-dome theatre. High-resolution images from some of the world’s best space visualization agencies pull audiences into the awesome quest to understand our cosmos. Activities: Studying the geologic features on Mars, understanding what happens when two galaxies collide, studying the diversity of galaxy shapes and sizes.

Understand the unique circumstance of our planet Earth, born around an

ordinary star located in the outskirts of an average spiral galaxy, yet home to the only known intelligence in the cosmos.

Comprehend the long history of astronomy, from the time when Earth was thought to be the center of the Universe, to the scientists of the Renaissance who paved the way for our modern understanding of the Universe.

Discover the techniques that astronomers are expanding the bounds of our known universe with new observations and discoveries.

See through the eyes of the Mars Global Surveyor and discover tantalizing new views of Mars.

Process Skills Focus: Inquiry, observation and communication. Topics: Stars, galaxies, supernova explosions, geologic features on Mars.

PROGRAM OUTLINE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

OREGON STANDARDS

Kendall Planetarium

Scientific Inquiry Standards:

K.3S.1 Explore questions about living and non-living things and events in the natural world.

K.3S.2 Make observations about the natural world. 1.3S.2 Record observations with pictures, numbers, or written

statements. 1.3S.3 Describe why recording accurate observations is important

in science. 2.3S.2 Make predictions about living and non-living things and

events in the environment based on observed patterns. Engineering Design Standards:

1.4D.3 Show how tools are used to complete tasks every day. 2.4D.3 Describe an engineering design that is used to solve a

problem or address a need. Earth and Space Science Content Standards:

K.2E.1 Identify changes in things seen in the sky. H.2E.3 Describe how the universe, galaxies, stars, and planets

evolve over time. Physical Science Content Standards:

K.2P.1 Examine the different ways things move. Practices 2. Developing and using models 3. Planning and carrying out investigations 4. Analyzing and interpreting data 7. Engaging in argument from evidence

Crosscutting Concepts 1. Patterns 2. Cause and effect 4. Systems and system models

DCIs

Disciplinary Core Idea K 1 2 3 4 5 MS HS

Physical Science PS1 Matter and Its Interaction n/a n/a n/a n/a

PS2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

n/a n/a n/a

NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS

PS3 Energy n/a n/a n/a

PS4 Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

n/a n/a n/a n/a

Life Science LS1 From molecules to organisms:

Structures and processes n/a

LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

n/a n/a n/a

LS3 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

n/a n/a n/a n/a

LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity n/a n/a n/a n/a

Earth & Space Science ESS1 Earth's Place in the Universe n/a n/a

ESS2 Earth's Systems n/a

ESS3 Earth and Human Activity n/a n/a

Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science ETS1 Engineering Design

DCI Grade Band Endpoints ESS1.A Patterns of the motion of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky can be observed,

described, and predicted. (By end of grade 2). The sun is a star that appears larger and brighter than other stars because it is closer. Stars range greatly in their distance from Earth. (By end of grade 5). Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, predicted, and explained with models. (By end of grade 8). Earth and its solar system are part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the universe. (By end of grade 8).

ESS1.B The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its gravitational pull on them. (By end of grade 8). This model of the solar system can explain eclipses of the sun and the moon. Earth’s spin axis is fixed in direction over the short-term but tilted relative to its orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of that tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year. (By end of grade 8).

Performance Expectations 1-ESS1-1. Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be

predicted.

5-ESS1-1. Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due to their relative distances from the Earth.

MS-ESS1-1.

Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.

MS-ESS1-3.

Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

The information and activities presented in the Infinity Express Teacher’s Guide have been adapted for use and distribution by OMSI from the following: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Andromeda galaxy: A galaxy that is approaching the Milky Way and will

eventually merge with our galaxy in approximately five billion years.

Black hole: The end-state of a high-mass star; an extremely massive concentration of matter so dense that not even light can escape its gravitational field.

Galaxy: A structured grouping of billions of stars, gas, and dust,

bound together by their collective gravity. Gravity: The attractive force between any two bodies that is the result

of their having mass. Light year: The distance that light travels in one year, approximately

5.88 trillion miles. Nebula: A cloud of gas and dust – the birthplace of stars. Olympus Mons: A large volcano on Mars that measures 14 miles high. Sedimentary rock: A type of rock formed from material deposited by water. Speed of light: The speed at which light travels: 300,000 kilometers per

second (186,000 miles per second).

GLOSSARY

SOURCES

Supernova: An explosion caused by the collapse of the core of a massive star.

Valles Marineris: A system of massive canyons on Mars.

Check your comprehension of the planetarium show!

1) Where is the Sun located in the Milky Way galaxy?

2) During the Renaissance period, scientists figured out that the Earth revolved around the ___________.

3) Are galaxies distributed evenly in space or do they appear in

clusters?

4) The Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy will eventually _____________ with each other in approximately five billion years.

5) What is a nebula?

6) Valles Marineris is a system of massive craters on the planet

____________.

7) Which moon of Jupiter is highly volcanic?

8) Choose the correct statement:

a. Layers of sedimentary rock on Mars imply the presence of iron.

b. Layers of sedimentary rock on Mars imply the presence of water.

9) Europa, a moon of ___________, is thought to have a liquid water

ocean.

10) Olympus Mons is a huge _________________ on Mars.

POST-VISIT QUIZ

Geologic Features on Mars Description: In this activity, students will understand the enormous size of geologic features on Mars.

Advance Preparation Activity Clean Up

5 minutes 15 minutes 5 minutes

Valles Marineris maps Rulers Calculators

Sciss

Print out a copy of the Valles Marineris map for each student (the map is shown below).

Hand out a Valles Marineris map to each student. Explain that the

geological feature that looks like a rip is actually the enormous Valles Marineris (“Mariner Valley”) on Mars.

The distance between California and Washington, D.C. is approximately 2,500 miles. Using this information, instruct the students to determine the

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ABOUT THE PLANETARIUM

LABS

SUGGESTED CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY

ADVANCE PREPARATION

scale of the map. Each inch on the map represents how many miles? Add this scale information to one corner of the page. For example:

1” = 760 miles

Have the students measure the size of Valles Marineris with their rules.

How large is Valles Marineris in miles? Add this information to another corner of the page.

Ascraeus Mons is the large Martian volcano that appears in the state of Oregon on the map. Have your students measure the diameter of Ascraeus Mons with their rules and find its actual size in miles.

Most volcanoes on Earth are less than three miles in diameter. How much

larger is Asraeus Mons than most volcanoes on Earth?

Merging Galaxies &

Constellations Description: Students learn what will happen when the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies merge. Students also design their own constellation to explain new stars in the night sky.

Advance Preparation Activity Clean Up

5 minutes 30 minutes 5 minutes

Constellation page for each student

Sciss

Make a copy of the constellation page for each student (document at the

end of this activity).

Discuss with the students that galaxies are composed of billions of stars,

and that our Sun is only one star in our Milky Way galaxy.

State that the Milky Way is approaching the Andromeda galaxy, another galaxy that is similar to the Milky Way in terms of mass and shape. Show the simulated images of galaxies colliding (at the end of this activity). Ask the students what they think will happen when the two galaxies collide.

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(Most students will talk about the stars of the two galaxies hitting each other).

In order to check if the stars of the Milky Way and Andromeda will actually hit each other, we’ll calculate how stars are spread out in galaxies. Have your students calculate the ratio of the distance between stars compared to the size of stars.

The distance from the Sun to the nearest star is approximately 4.2 light years, or 2.5 x 1013 miles (25,000,000,000,000 miles). Stars are approximately 800,000 miles in diameter. So, the ratio of the distance between stars compared to the size of stars is:

25,000,000,000,000 / 800,000 = 31,250,000

So, stars are more than 31 million times as far apart as they are large! A good analogy to understand this ratio is to pretend that stars are the size of oranges. If each star is the size of an orange, the orange would have to be separated by 3,000 miles!

Ask the students now if they think that stars from the Milky Way will hit stars from Andromeda. The point to emphasize is that stars are extremely far apart relative to their size, and that it’s therefore extremely unlikely that any one star will hit another star.

When the Milky Way and Andromeda collide, we’ll see new stars in our

night sky since we’ll see the stars from the Andromeda galaxy.

Have the students make up new star patterns on their constellation pages.

Simulated Images of Galaxies Colliding

Constellations

Here is the constellation of Pegasus, the winged horse.

When the Andromeda galaxy collides with the Milky Way galaxy, we’ll see new stars in our night sky. Sketch below a new constellation according to your imagination!

This constellation is called ________________________.

The Shapes of Galaxies Description: Students understand that galaxies come in many different shapes and sizes.

Advance Preparation Activity Clean Up

5 minutes 15 minutes 5 minutes

Galaxy page for each student

Sciss

Make a copy of the galaxy page for each student (document at the end of this activity).

Hand out a galaxy page to each student. Explain that galaxies in the

Universe have different shapes and sizes and that our own galaxy – the Milky Way – is quite an average galaxy!

Introduce three shapes of galaxies: o Spiral – shaped like a pinwheel o Barred Spiral – shaped like a pinwheel, but with a “bar” of stars

through the middle o Elliptical – shaped like a football or basketball

Sketch drawings of these three types of galaxies on a whiteboard. You

can refer to the images on each student’s galaxy page. Discuss that the Milky Way is likely a barred spiral galaxy (it’s hard to know for sure, since we live inside of the galaxy).

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Have the students look at the field of galaxies shown on their galaxy page. For each of the galaxies labeled with a name, have the students indicate if the galaxy is a spiral, a barred spiral, or an elliptical galaxy.

NASA Education http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/about/index.html

NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html NASA’s Imagine the Universe http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov Picture Album of Galaxies http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/galaxy/

RESOURCES