The Magazine for the Teachers of Astronomy


    
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Read by astronomy educators in the United States and 15 other countries.  Join our Universe!

The Classroom Astronomer is a quarterly PDF and printed publication designed as a practitioner journal for classroom teachers of astronomy. While centered at the high school level, it also provides tips, techniques and informative how-to articles for teachers of grades K-8 and undergraduate college "Astro 101" courses. Our mission is to increase the amount of astronomy in the school systems and improve the skills of teachers.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

What Can You Teach With A Ring of Fire? - For most people, the total eclipse is The Event, but is there something you can do when the Moon is too small to cover the Sun?  Yes, says Kristine Larsen, who brings a dozen different activities you can do and measure.

After the Transit-of-Venus Party is Over - What can you do when the event of a lifetime has come and gone?  Plenty!  You can teach history, science skills and other things using historical transits, extend the transit to exoplanetary discoveries, and prepare for the more challenging but commoner, next Transit of...Mercury in 2016!

From Generation to Generation, Measuring Double Stars - An observing activity that has no known answer and for which students can get a publication out of it.  See how to easily measure binary stars and contribute to the future.

Oh, Nooo!  What's That Thing In The Box?  Overcoming Telephobia, a 10 Step Intervention - Ten things you can do to overcome the fear of using a telescope in your classroom instructions.  Sorry, no excuses accepted, we have all the remedies.  

Outdoor Model Solar Systems, More Than Just A Walk In The Park - Explore the vastness of the solar system with these big scale models, but you can do more than just do scaling exercises.  Here's some ideas you can use for quantitative and qualitative exercises for almost any age.

Regular columns:

Astronomical Teach-niques  Two articles in one....a follow-up to Issue 10's Toy Planetarium article, here's some ideas on how to make a homemade dome;  want to know what your students' interests are?  Have them select photos from Astronomy Picture of the Day, here's what you might learn, and use to design your course.


and

Teachers' Spring Planning Sky Calendar {click here! }


NEXT ISSUE!
Radio Astronomy on the Cheap for The Classroom

Solar Observing

Predicting Aurorae with a homemade magnetometer

Teaching Astronomy with Double Stars

and more!

Plus our regular columns:

The Summer Sky Planning Calendar
for including sky events in your lesson plans.

The RAP Sheet of Astronomy-- more research you can use.

Astronomical Teachniques - how to bring the universe to the classroom.

Photons Focused on:  A Photo Story

The RAP Sheet -  Research News You Can Teach With.



Why Subscribe?

"...(TCA) is notable for its infectious enthusiasm.  Give this unpretentious journal a chance." -  Magazines for Libraries

Your magazine will be a good resource both for me, and for the B. Ed. students who are taking the elementary science course...Well-done! - Terry Bridger, Queen’s University, Canada

This is truly awesome and so needed. - Donna Young, Chandra X-Ray Obs. workshop director

I just spent my lunch hour reading through it, and it's a lot of fun with some good classroom ideas ready to go. - Colin Jagoe, Kawartha Pine Ridge, District School Board, Canada

I have just subscribed to your magazine and have read the fall issue. What a great concept! What a fantastic resource! Thank you for taking your love of the skies and turning it into something that will help us teachers create a future generation of knowledgable sky observers! - Deborah J. Snow, Perrysburg Jr. High, OH

An impressive mass of interesting material! - Guy Ottewell, Author Astronomical Calendar

To Teach The Stars' Unique Sundial T-shirt!

sundial t shirt

CURRENT MOON

POPULAR ARTICLES
Finding spectra of gas tubes, street lights that cause light pollution, and the Sun with Vernier's SpectroVis

The End of the World!  What? Again? All about the 2012 Nonsense and Educational Activities to Show Why


Two Week Calendar for Planning Sky Lessons

Changing the Scenery

Venus isn't far from its maximum distance from the Sun, nor its maximum brilliance or size, but it's just now on the top peak of its huge swan dive towards the Western horizon.  At the end of this fortnight it sets just after twilight ends.  Two weeks later you'll only find it on the face of the Sun!
Meanwhile, the evening belongs to Mars and Saturn, in the South near Regulus (Mars) and Southeast near Spica (Saturn).  The rings of Saturn are widening, so enjoy the view!  Can you see Titan, its largest moon, nearby in small telescopes?


(Sorry!  Things got a little out of whack after our trip to Mexico! Next update ~My 17)

Date Event Moon Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn
May 6
Su
Largest Full Moon of the Year.  Take a photo and compare it to a Full Moon six months from now to see size difference

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8
1963 Telstar 2 transmits first transatlantic live color television for about 20 minutes.

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11
1911 It's all relative, Einstein "says" for the first time (presenting his theory of relativity, that is).
.

12
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Date Event Moon Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn
May 13
Su
Sun leaves Aries for Taurus



14
1973 Skylab, US' first space station, launched.



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18
TCA office closed as we fly to Nevada for the annular eclipse!




19
TCA's Valley of Fire tour workshop day; one day until the Annular Eclipse, in Western US!




Icon Meaning Icon Meaning Icon Meaning
Moon visible for early evening studies Full Moon Night Moon visible during school hours for study in class
Visible in evening twilight setting at least 45 minutes after sunset Becomes visible, as it gets dark, sets later in the evening Visible  during the evening hours, sets before dawn
Rises or is already up during the evening, visible the rest of the night Visible in pre-dawn skies until sunrise. Visible only in dawn, rising at least 45 minutes before sunrise