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The Shadow Knows I
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In this activity, learners will measure the length of their shadow from the Sun and compare it three to four months later.

Exploring Earth: Temperature Mapping
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This activity models the way Landsat satellites use a thermal infrared sensor to measure land surface temperatures.

Try Your Hand at Nano
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This lesson focuses on two simple activities that younger learners can do to gain an appreciation of nanotechnology. First, learners measure their hands in nanometers.
Light on Other Planets
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In this math-based activity, learners model the intensity of light at various distances from a light source, and understand how astronomers measure the amount of sunlight that hits our planet and othe

Equatorial Sundial
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In this activity, learners make an equatorial sundial, which is simple to construct and teaches fundamental astronomical concepts. Learners use the provided template and a straw to build the sundial.

Detect Solar Storms
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In this activity, learners build their own magnetometer using an empty soda bottle, magnets, laser pointer, and household objects.
What Causes Rainbows?
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In this activity, learners explore how and why rainbows form by creating rainbows in a variety of ways using simple materials. Learners create rainbows indoors and outdoors.

CD Spectrometer
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In this activity, learners use a compact disc to make a spectrometer, an instrument used to measure properties of light.

Radar Mapping: What's in the Box?
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In this activity, learners mimic remote sensing. Learners use a stick to measure the distance to a "planet surface" they cannot see, and create their own map of the landscape.

Finding the Size of the Sun and Moon
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In this activity, learners build a simple pinhole viewer. They use this apparatus to project images from a variety of light sources, including a candle, the Sun, and the Moon.

Seasons and Shadows: Investigate How Shadows Shift Throughout the Year
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In this activity you'll see how the sun's tilt on its axis changes the length of shadows. For example, why is your shadow longer in winter than in summer?

Make a Prism
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In this activity, learners will make their own prism and use a glass of water to separate sunlight into different colors.

Can You "See" Thermal Radiation?
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Use this hands-on activity to demonstrate infrared and thermal radiation.

What Causes Wind?
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In this sunny day experiment, learners measure and compare how quickly light and dark colored materials absorb heat.

What does Color have to do with Cooling?
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In this demonstration/experiment, learners discover that different colors and materials (metals, fabrics, paints) radiate different amounts of energy and therefore, cool at different rates.

Shadow Play
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In this three part activity, learners explore and experiment with shadows to learn about the Sun's relative motion in the sky.

Canned Heat
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In this activity, learners explore how light and dark colored objects absorb the Sun's radiations at different rates.

How Thick is Your Hair?
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In this activity on page 13 of the PDF, learners use a laser pointer (with known wavelength of light) to measure the thickness of a human hair.

The Shadow Knows II
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In this activity, learners will measure the length of a shadow and use the distance from the equator to calculate the circumference of the earth.

Ancient Sun Observations
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In this activity, learners make their own Sun tracker to explore how ancient civilizations around the world studied the Sun.