This is one of the most rewarding and educational aspects of this type of lesson. Students will learn the basic operations of a sophisticated scientific instrument.
This experience is foreign to students that are used to getting science data from a textbook.
This skill is valuable beyond the boundaries of astronomy, given the widespread use of processed images in newspapers and magazines.
Students will undertake this activity as part of a team. They should discuss how they will go about their tasks, and keep accurate record of what they do in their team log book. The log book should contain dates of observations, telescope settings, information on images produced and any notes that the team thinks will help them to complet the projects.
As student collect lunar images they will have to learn their phase names. Productive issues arise as they try to get lunar images. Students will ask questions such as: Is the Moon up during the day; why is the Moon this shape; where in the sky will it be tonight; and what causes the phases of the Moon?
Students' misconceptions about the Moon and its phases will arise, giving teachers the opportunity to address them. As students begin to collect images it is important that they perform some Moon phase lab activities in the classroom. An excellent activity, Modeling the Phases of the Moon, can be found in the high school astronomy textbook Project Starr: The Universe in Your Hands, Kendall/Hunt Publishing. This is a great hands-on activity that helps students develop an understanding of lunar phases.
NIH Image is a sophisticated image processing program that requires practice before students will be able to master it. Students should have some experience with NIH before undertaking this project. If they have not, teachers should become familiar with the program and demonstrate some of uses in class before assigning the activity.
When students first save their MicroObservatory images as GIFS they will have to convert them to a format such as PICT or TIFF, before they can be opened in NIH.
Students should be encouraged to use a variety of resources, including the Internet, to research the geology of the Moon. NASA has a weath of lunar information available at many of its web sites.
Use presentation software, such as PowerPoint, if it is available. The collaboration involved in putting together a multimedia presentation makes an excellent learning environment for students of any age or ability. Depending upon the students' background and experience, this presentation could take up to a week of class time to produce.
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