Measuring Universal Expansion
Students will construct and interpret their own Hubble Diagram by collecting data from Type Ia supernovae and galaxy redshifts. From this they will determine that the universe is expanding.
Teacher Guide
Watch Intro
Extensions
The Large Scale Structure of the Universe
Students will use a mapper tool to explore the number density of galaxies in different parts of the universe. They will discover that no matter which direction we look in the universe, the distribution of galaxies in space is relatively uniform. They will also learn that, over time, the distribution of galaxies has become more “clumpy” because of gravity.
Teacher GuideStudying Dark Matter through a Gravitational Lens
If aligned to our line of sight, the gravity of a foreground galaxy cluster acts as a lens that alters the path of light from a background galaxy. Students will measure the mass of the foreground cluster and the radius of the lens to verify the presence and amount of dark matter in the cluster.
Teacher Guide