![]() ![]() Tell students that they can gather data from their sunspot viewer activity to calculate, or figure out, the diameter of the sun. Keep positioning the projector until you have the image of the sun on your screen. Aim the pinhole side of the projector at the sun.Tape a piece of white paper to the inside of the box.Make sure that the window is no wider than the side of the box. The window should be no larger than 10 centimeters x 3 centimeters. At the opposite side of the box, cut a small window about 1 centimeter from the end.Carefully use the pushpin or sewing needle to poke a hole into the foil.Tape a piece of aluminum foil over the hole, making sure it is taut.Take the cardboard box and cut a 2 centimeter x 2 centimeter hole at one end.Before students begin, project the step-by-step illustration for them to refer to as they build their viewers. Have students build a pinhole viewer to view sunspots.ĭivide students into small groups of 3 or 4. In this activity, students will build a pinhole viewer that will allow them to observe the sun indirectly and safely.ģ. Instead, scientists use methods that allow them to observe the sun indirectly. Make sure that students understand that no one-not even scientists-ever look directly at the sun. Introduce the activity and safety concerns.Įxplain to students that looking directly at the sun is very dangerous and can cause permanent damage to human eyes. Ask students to restate the comparison of sunspots to light bulbs in their own words.Ģ. Show students the NASA video “What are sunspots?” Provide support for vocabulary terms sunspots, magnetic field, photosphere, convection, and atmosphere, as needed. Watch the NASA video “What are sunspots?” The balance of the instrument extends 2,227 feet below the surface in an 18-foot diameter vertical shaft.1. “A white, octagonal, conical tower, topped with a semi-globular turret, rises 138 feet above the ground to form one-third of the total length of the telescope. Dunn, one of the astronomers at Sac Peak Observatory, designed the unique telescope and is project supervisor. The observatory is under the direction of Dr. “A goal of the research being conducted at Sacramento Peak is the prediction of the onset of such disruptive solar events. When this energy reaches earth, it modified the terrestrial environment, and this affects electronic systems used in surveillance, communications and navigation. “The sun undergoes a continuous daily pattern of change, with the most violent of solar events being the giant eruptions of energy. “Purpose of the new telescope is to obtain a better understanding of the sun, the variations in its energy output, and the effects of these variations on Air Force operations. But the new $3.3 million telescope, with another $1 million in instrumentation, is unexcelled for observation and analysis of solar phenomena. “The Sac Peak installation is one of America’s two leading solar observatories, the other being the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Officially put into service in mid-October, the telescope is part of the complex of the Sacramento Peak Observatory at Sunspot, N.M., and is operated by the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories, headquartered at L.G. “A short distance from El Paso, less than a three-hour drive, stands the world’s largest Solar Vacuum Tower Telescope. 9, 1969, El Paso Times reporter Bruce Bissonette wrote about a new telescope and the mission of the observatory:
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