Class began today with a talk about rays, the distance they travel, the temperature they are, and the color that they give off. The class went on to talk about what the human senses can pick up of the rays. Later the class discussed the frequency of the rays. Dave explained to the class that all of these things make up starlight. Using the HR Diagram Dave showed everyone where most of the stars fall in relation to the sun and planets. Then the class began to model stars on the computer. Dave challenged the students to figure out how the mass of a star effects the lifetime of that star. The students also were asked to use Excel to graph a star's mass compared to its lifetime.
After the break Bob2 went into class and spoke with the students about what he does at Shodor and how they can help him. Afterwards Dave took the class back over from Bob2 and began to speak on the topic of the appearance of stars and the galaxy from distances, in certain lights, and during specific times of the year. The students then went to a website that Dave recommended and were able to look at different pictures of the galaxy in different colors of light. Later the students worked in groups to find other pictures on the internet. Different groups had different pictures and they were supposed to look at the difference between gamma ray and visible pictures.
After lunch Dave began class by talking about equations and constants in terms of life. Dave explained that nearby stars change position slightly over the course of a year, and that we can use that to learn how far away the stars are. Then, as a class, the students looked at a website that allowed them to graph and find out what different constellations look like if they are viewed from other stars.
Following afternoon break Dave showed the class pictures of the galaxy. These pictures were taken by great astronomers and Dave used them to show what many of the astronomers look for in the galaxy.