Astronomers study space objects (ex: planets, stars) and phenomena of the universe (ex: black holes).
Astronomer
Astronomer
VIRTUAL JOB SHADOW
Welcome to your first day on the job! Watch this video to see what a day in the life of an astronomer is like.
STEP 1: Below is a list of space objects in order of size:
- Earth
- Sun
- Solar System
- Solar Neighborhood
- Galaxy
- Local Group (of galaxies)
- Local Supercluster
- Universe
STEP 2: Use online resources and this simulation (scroll out to see different size and scale objects) to understand the size of these eight objects compared with each other.
STEP 3: Around your house or classroom, get eight different objects to represent the size of these eight things. (Hint: Earth would be very small, like a grain of salt! Go from there 🙂
STEP 4: Take a video of you explaining which 8 objects you chose to represent the 8 items from the list above! Share it in the Student Showcase to build your resume as an astronomer.
BONUS ACTIVITY:
While professional astronomers use lots of sophisticated equipment to observe the night sky, the good news is that no fancy equipment is needed to be a beginner astronomer. In today’s activity, you will be an astronomer with nothing more than your phone!
STEP 1: Download the SkyView Lite app (free for Android or Apple)
STEP 2: When it gets dark, go outside.
STEP 3: Using the SkyView app, explore the night sky!