Feb 5, 2026 | Big Ideia 4, Big Ideia 6, Black Hole, FHOU, Resource, Star
Students analyze time-series images of stars orbiting the Galactic center to reconstruct their trajectories and identify orbital shapes. They extract quantitative data (positions, distances, periods) and model the orbit of a reference star as an ellipse. Using these...
Feb 5, 2026 | Big Ideia 1, Big Ideia 3, Big Ideia 4, Big Ideia 7, Comet, CY, Resource, Solar System
Students are guided to move around the Orrery, first along Earth’s orbit, then along the orbits of the other planets, and to identify their own birthdays (one birthday = one year older = one more complete revolution). After moving for the same amount of time along...
Feb 5, 2026 | Big Ideia 10, Big Ideia 4, Big Ideia 6, Exoplanet, FHOU, Resource, Star
Students analyze spectral data of a star over time and measure the shift of absorption lines to determine its radial velocity. They model the periodic variation of this velocity as the effect of an orbiting companion using a sinusoidal function. From this model, they...
Feb 5, 2026 | Big Ideia 3, Big Ideia 4, Big Ideia 7, Big Ideia 8, FHOU, Resource
Students compare astronomical images taken at different dates to identify a moving object among fixed stars. They analyze brightness and positional changes, testing hypotheses about visibility and motion, including retrograde effects. Through this investigation, they...
Feb 5, 2026 | Big Ideia 3, Big Ideia 4, Big Ideia 5, Big Ideia 6, Big Ideia 9, Galaxy, IAC, Resource
When we look up at the night sky with our eyes, almost all of the bright spots we see twinkling are stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. If the night is dark, we can also see faint spots of light. These are the galaxies closest to our own, the Andromeda Galaxy and the...
Feb 5, 2026 | Big Ideia 1, Big Ideia 3, Big Ideia 4, Big Ideia 5, Big Ideia 7, Earth, IAC, Resource, Solar System
The Solar System contains the Sun, (at least) eight planets and their moons, and many smaller objects such as dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets. Inner and Outer Planets The Solar System containsthe Sun, (at least) eight planets and their moons, and many smaller...
