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Astronomy Instrumentation

  • E2-34: BASIC ORRERY (PLANETARIUM)

    E2-34
    Demonstrate the sun-earth-moon spatial relationship and related concepts..
    This device, known as an orrery, illustrates how the earth's rotation causes day and night, how the earth's revolution around the sun and the tilt of its axis causes the seasons, and why the moon has phases.
    E2

  • E2-42: TELESCOPE MODEL

    E2-42
    Show how a telescope can view any point in the sky using a universal mount.
    Using this type of mount, which provides two independent rotations, the laser can be adjusted to aim at any point in the lecture hall. If the laser were a telescope, it would therefore be able to look at any point in the sky using this mechanism.
    E2

  • E2-47: TWINKLING STAR

    E2-47
    Show how air currents cause the "twinkling" of a star.
    A laser beam is directed on a distant wall or screen. When the heater is positioned below the laser beam, hot air convection currents and density changes cause the beam to move continuously, or "twinkle."
    FS1, I0

    e2-47a

  • E2-48: NON-TWINKLING PLANET

    E2-48
    Illustrate why a planet does not "twinkle" like a star.
    A beam expander enlarges the laser beam to a few inches diameter on a distant wall or screen (photograph below). When a heater is placed under the beam, convection currents are readily visible in the large spot of laser light. However, because the spot is large it does not move, or "twinkle." This is contrasted with the direct light from the laser, which moves because of the convection currents from the heater. A star twinkles because it is so small, but because of the finite size of planets as viewed from the earth, planets do not twinkle.
    FS1, I0

    e2-48a

  • E2-54: REFLECTING TELESCOPE - STRING MODEL

    E2-54
    Shows how rays are focused by a standard reflecting telescope.
    Parallel rays incoming from a star at infinity (red strings) are focused by the large mirror to a focus near the aperture of the telescope. The reflected rays (white strings) are intercepted before their focus by a small mirror, and deflected upwards toward the eyepiece of the telescope. The eyepiece is positioned at its focal distance past the focal plane of the objective (mirror).

  • E2-71: MILLISECOND PULSAR

    E2-71
    To "hear" the signal from a pulsar.
    This audio tape cassette contains the signal from a pulsar converted to audio frequencies.

    Note: requires large audio cart to play in lecture halls.
    E2, FS1

  • E2-72: AUDIOTAPE 14 MIN - NRAO PULSAR

    e2-72
    To listen to a pulsar
    This audio cassette tape contains 14 minutes of pulsar signals converted to audio. Obtained through the NRAO.

    Note: requires large audio cart in lecture halls.
    E2