Another Kind of Change in the Sky (Abstract)

Volume 31 number 2 (2003)

John R. Percy

Janet AkyÅz Mattei

Abstract

(Abstract only) AAVSO-ers automatically think of variable stars when they think of change in the sky. In the school science curriculum, however, change in the sky refers to the motions of the sun, moon, and planets in the sky. Students are encouraged to observe these motions, since they are a good way of doing science. Planetary motions can be dull, however, and variable stars can be exciting, but the usual concern is that very few stars can be seen from urban locations. We have therefore developed this simple activity in which students estimate the brightness of the urban variable Betelgeuse, relative to Aldebaran and Procyon, and pool their own results with longer-term data from the AAVSO web site. They can then exercise a wide range of science and math skills, as well as investigate one of the brightest, largest, and most bizarre objects in the sky. We show how this activity, which is an extension of the AAVSO’s Hands-On Astrophysics project, meets most of the expectations of a typical school science curriculum.