5th-Grade Students Research Nebulae with ATEO-1

Insight Observatory had the pleasure of providing its remote telescope services once again this school year with Ms. Christine DeSantis' 5th-grade students at Plymouth South Elementary School, Plymouth, MA. The students specifically accessed the 16" f/3.75 Dream Aerospace Systems astrograph reflector (ATEO-1) remotely from their classroom using the Educational Image Request (EIR) from their Chromebooks.

A 5th-grade student in Ms. DeSantis' class at Plymouth South Elementary School studies her image taken with ATEO-1 of the NGC 2073, The Iris Nebula on her classroom-assigned Chromebook.

Here is what Ms. DeSantis said regarding her class utilizing ATEO-1 for their classroom project...

"Learning about deep space objects and how they are photographed was an exciting and motivating experience for my fifth graders! This project related well to two science units: matter and energy and the solar system. Students were able to extend their knowledge of the elements and discovered why dust and gasses are able to glow when energized by a nearby energy source and how this results in spectacular nebulae. Before the image requests were put in, the students researched three types of nebulae.

As they proceeded to put in the requests they discovered that certain nebulae may or may not be visible at various times of the year. They reviewed phases of the moon and became aware that deep space photography works best during the new moon and also learned why the location of the telescope is important.

After their images were processed, the students compared the images from Insight Observatory to Hubble photographs. Next, they created a slideshow to demonstrate comprehension of all the concepts including adding details about their chosen image: the type of nebula, its age, distance from Earth, and distance across (size). This is a wonderfully thought-provoking and exciting way to learn about some complicated and abstract concepts. We are so grateful to have been able to participate in this project!"

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NGC 2244 - The Rosette Nebula (left), NGC 7293 - The Helix Nebula (upper right), and M42 - The Orion Nebula (bottom right) all imaged by 5th-grade students in Ms. Desantis' class using remote telescope ATEO-1.

Insight Observatory would like to thank Ms. DeSantis for once again collaborating with us. If you are an educator and interested in participating in a classroom project utilizing Insight Observatory's remote telescope services via our online Educational Image Request (EIR), please contact us.

We would also like to thank all of Insight Observatory's loyal remote imagers and Patreon patrons for their ongoing support that allows Insight Observatory to provide remote telescope services for educational purposes.

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5th-Grade Students Image and Study Nebulae

Insight Observatory had the pleasure, for the third straight school year, of collaborating with Ms. Christine DeSantis' 5th-grade class at Plymouth South Elementary School located in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Ms. DeSantis' students were given the assignment of imaging and studying the different types of nebulae that exist in our universe. Here is her summary of the assignment for her students...

A 5th-grade student in Ms. DeSantis's class reviews Insight Observatory's Educational Image Request (EIR) online application before submitting an image request for his nebulae research assignment.

"We are very excited to have been able to benefit from Insight Observatory’s educational outreach program, especially during this challenging process of hybrid learning! As an at-home assignment, students first visited Insight Observatory's website to learn more about the remote telescope and its location. They discussed why New Mexico was an ideal location for deep space photography and learned about other Insight Observatory remote telescope locations around the world. After this research, students choose a nebula to have photographed.

Insight Observatory's 16" f/3.7 Dream Aerospace Systems astrograph reflector (ATEO-1) remote telescope that was used by Ms. DeSantis' 5th-grade students to image supernova remnant known as M1, the Crab Nebula, IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula, and IC 1805, the Heart Nebula.

They then did a research project on their assigned nebula that included information about the three main types of nebulae, how nebulae are formed and how far away and large the nebula they chose was. This project was completed from home and then presented in class using Google Slides. The students were thrilled when their images arrived as they already knew so much about their subject.

5th-grade student researching her nebula image assignment virtually from home along with images of Westerhout 5, an emission nebula, and NGC 7635, the Bubble Nebula in Cassiopeia.

After seeing their images, students discussed the immensity of distances in space and reviewed the variety and beauty of these deep-space objects. Students said that the things that they loved most about this project were the discovery of how different their own nebula could appear depending on the telescope used and the time of year it was photographed. They also were impressed that energy, gas, and dust could create such astounding beauty.

5th-grade students selected a nebula to image on ATEO-1 with NGC 7662, a planetary nebula located in the constellation Andromeda, and NGC 7023, the Iris Nebula, a bright reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus.

Many thanks to Michael Petrasko and Insight Observatory for providing us with the astrophotography and information for this motivating and inspiring project!"

If you are an educator and would like to participate in a classroom and/or virtual project similar to this one utilizing Insight Observatory's Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO) remote telescope network, please contact us.

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What's In The Sky - November 2020

Clear November night skies offer incredible celestial sights recommended by Orion Telescopes and Binoculars for stargazers to be thankful for, so bundle up and get outside for stargazing fun!

Double Cluster in Perseus
Use a pair of big binoculars or a shorter focal length telescope with a wide-field eyepiece in November to seek out the sparkling Double Cluster in Perseus - two side-by-side open star clusters NGC 884 and NGC 869. 

NGC 884 and NGC 869 - The Double Cluster in Perseus imaged by Claudio Tenreiro on Insight Observatory's 16" f/3.7 astrograph reflector (ATEO-1).

Mars & The Moon

On November 25th, the Moon passes close by Mars, making them a great observing target! The pair will be separated by approximately 5.5 degrees, which is unfortunately too far apart to be viewed simultaneously at high magnification, but both could be observed together with wide-angle astronomy binoculars.

New Moon
November 14th will be the best time of the month to observe the fainter deep-sky objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

Leonids Meteor Shower
Bundle up and get outside after midnight on November 17th to see the peak of the Leonids meteor shower as "shooting stars" appear to radiate outwards from the constellation Leo. Meteor showers are usually best viewed without optical equipment, but for a closer look try out some Ultra Wide Angle Binoculars. The shower peak is very close to the New Moon, which should present little light pollution. The estimated peak rate is approximately 14 meteors per hour.

 

M45 - The Pleiades located in the constellation Taurus imaged by Plymouth South Middle School students Taylor A. and Kyleigh O. using ATEO-1 via Insight Observatory's online Educational Image Request (EIR) application.

The Pleiades
November is sometimes called "the month of the Pleiades," since the star cluster is visible all night long for observers in the Northern hemisphere. From a dark sky site, M45 is easy to see with the unaided eye and resembles a small "teaspoon" pattern in the sky. Use astronomy binoculars for immersive views of this open star cluster, or use a telescope with a lower-power eyepiece for a closer look at the Seven Sisters.

All objects described above can easily be seen with the suggested equipment from a dark sky site, a viewing location some distance away from city lights where light pollution and when bright moonlight does not overpower the stars.

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