Describes science activities which have been successful with nonscience majors. Each activity requires students to make observations, record the data gathered, interpret data, and prepare a written report. Subject areas include motion of stars, sunspots, lunar orbits, sunset points, meteor showers, and sun shadows. (JN)

Combines coordinate systems, planetary positions, use of the celestial globe, and synodic period in a graphing exercise. Information is given to duplicate an occurrence of 1940 in which five naked eye planets were simultaneously visible. (CP)

Describes an exercise for obtaining the diameter of Venus by timing its occultation by the Moon, for a liberal arts astronomy course. (SL)

Explains how hands-on science activities can be done in a class designed as a lecture setting. Uses the collapsing can activity to demonstrate the birth of a black hole. Evaluates student responses to the hands-on approach. (YDS)

Describes a stimulating interactive group project on measuring the lengths of solar days that directly supports concepts related to orbits, motion, and time in a physics or astronomy curriculum, and has the flexibility to extend from a few days to several weeks. Provides new measurement experiences for students and teachers and opportunities for…

Uses role-playing exercises as a method for teaching introductory astronomy classes to nonscience majors. (CCM)

Proposes a method to estimate the number of civilizations which may exist in the universe. Reviews attempts which have been made to contact these bodies. (CP)

Describes an inquiry-based cooperative activity designed to give students a sense of the connection between stellar spectra and temperature. (WRM)

Describes a program which can be written to represent stellar motion in the galactic plane. (CP)

Techniques have been described for using celestial spheres as data-generating devices. Descibes a variation, capitalizing on students' interest in activities related to Stonehenge. Following a movie, students determine whether or not astronomical alignments found at Stonehenge and related structures could arise by chance. Local buildings are used.…

Describes introducing archaeoastronomical concepts into science courses ranging from eighth grade to introductory college level. Archaeoastronomers attempt to reconstruct the astronomical techniques, religion, and lifestyle of ancient civilizations by connecting studies of their agriculture, folklore, architecture, and art. (PR)

Describes types of meteors and micrometeorites that enter the Earth's atmosphere. Presents an activity where students collect micrometeorites with a strip of tape in an undisturbed outdoor area. After 24 hours, they examine the tape by sandwiching it between 2 glass slides and view through a microscope at 100X. (PR)

Explains how to create a paper replica of the Bighorn Medicine Wheel, an ancient timepiece thought to have been constructed by the Lakota Indians around 1700 A.D. The Bighorn Wheel uses four key seasonal stars as well as the solstice sunrise and sunset to mark the passage of time through the summer. (WRM)

Describes a procedure that allows undergraduate students to determine the approximate age of the universe using their own data. The experiment requires a relatively small telescope with a modest spectrograph. Includes sample data and calculations. (Contains 11 references.) (Author/WRM)

Details the assembly and operation of two interactive computer-student dialogs developed for use primarily with elementary and secondary teachers. The dialogs use graphic facilities for teaching about the sky as seen from the earth and about the phases of the moon. (Author/CP)