1. 1& 2 March 2007 Wan Ng School of Educational Studies La Trobe University La Trobe University Bundoora, Victoria Bundoora, Victoriaw.ng@latrobe.edu.au

2. School of Educational Studies Courtesy of SOHO/[instrument] consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NAS

3. Learning Science in Context Concept Map

5. Biological Science Learning Outcome 6.1 Explain how ecosystems are maintained in terms of energy and matter 6.3 Describe regulation and coordination in plants and animals 6.4 Explain cellular processes, including photosynthesis and respiration Content related to Sun & Science Energy cycle in nature, food chains, food webs, carbon- oxygen cycle, nitrogen cycle, cells and organelles Investigate different factors affecting growth of plants including the effect of sunlight and hormonal influence. Processes of photosynthesis and respiration, including creating concept maps using Inspiration software. Chemical Science Learning Outcome 6.1 Relate the properties of fundamental groupings of substances to the nature of their constituent particles Content related to Sun & Science Nuclear reactions in the sun provide the source of heat and light energy. Science Learning Outcomes (CSF)

6. Earth & Space Science Learning Outcome 6.2 Describe the extraction, processing and use of geological resources and associated environmental and social issues 6.3 Compare theories about the origin and evolution of the universe 6.4 extension. Analyse aspects of space technologies Content related to Sun & Science Formation of natural resources such as crude oil and coal. Describe the extraction, processing and use of coal in producing electricity. Discuss environmental and social issues related to burning of coal and why the use of solar energy is important Life cycle of a star. Investigate the use of solar cells in space technologies Physical Science Learning Outcome 6.1 Relate the behaviours of light, such as reflection, refraction, absorption and polarisation, to uses in technology 6.3 Explain how different forces act together to affect the motion of objects 6.2 Explain the effect of electronic and electrical components in the operation of electronic and electromagnetic devices Content related to Sun & Science Concepts of light and heat applied to construction of a variety of solar powered devices e.g solar cooker, solar hat, solar mini-cars and boats, solar torch, solar powered flashing board, solar powered table mini-fan Build an electronic device such as a flashing unit which is powered by solar charged batteries.

7. Investigating effectiveness of sunblockers using UV sensitive nail polish and beads Build and test a solar cooker Investigating biodiesel Build and test a food drier Ethanol run bus Build and test a solar tower Build a solar powered battery charger Build a solar powered welcome sign with flashing lights Build a flashing unit Investigating how big the sun is Hands-On Activities Investigating photovoltaic modules

8. electrolyser solar panel H 2 and O 2 storage tanks fuel cell fan Hydrogen Fuel Cell

9. Some information about the Sun La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education/

10. The sun is a mass of incandescent gas A gigantic nuclear furnace Where Hydrogen is built into Helium At a temperature of millions of degrees The sun is hot, the sun is not A place where we could live But here on Earth there'd be no life Without the light it gives We need its light, we need its heat The sun light that we seek The sun light comes from our own sun's Atomic energy The sun is a mass of incandescent gas A gigantic nuclear furnace Where Hydrogen is built into Helium At a temperature of millions of degrees The sun is hot... The sun is so hot that everything on it is a gas Aluminum, Copper, Iron, and many others The sun is large... If the sun were hollow, a million Earth's would fit inside And yet, it is only a middle size star The sun is far away... About 93,000,000 miles away And that's why it looks so small But even when it's out of sight The sun shines night and day We need its heat, we need its light The sun light that we seek The sun light comes from our own sun's Atomic energy Scientists have found that the sun is a huge atom smashing machine The heat and light of the sun are caused by nuclear reactions between Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon, and Helium The sun is a mass of incandescent gas A gigantic nuclear furnace Where Hydrogen is built into Helium At a temperature of millions of degrees Why Does the Sun Shine? They Might Be Giants

11. Men are weak now, and yet they transform the Earth's surface. In millions of years their might will increase to the extent that they will change the surface of the Earth, its oceans, the atmosphere, and themselves. They will control the climate and the Solar System just as they control the Earth. They will travel beyond the limits of our planetary system; they will reach other Suns, and use their fresh energy instead of the energy of their dying luminary."-Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935) Mankind will not remain on Earth forever, but in its quest for light and space will at first timidly penetrate beyond the confines of the atmosphere, and later will conquer for itself all the space near the Sun. Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935)

12. You need about 109 Earths to span the width of the Sun It takes about one million Earths to fill up the whole Sun! La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

13. Some facts La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education Mass of Sun is 330, 000 times that of Earth

14. The distance is about 150 000 000 km If you were travelling in a car at an average speed of 100 km per hour, how many years will it take for you to get to the sun? Answer La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

15. To measure really long distances, the unit ‘light years’ is used. Light travels at the speed of 300 000 km per second. A light year is the distance that light takes to travel in a year. Calculate the distance of a light year. Answer La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

16. How long will it take for the light from the Sun to reach the Earth? Distance of Sun from Earth is 150 000 000 km Light travels 300 000km in 1 second Time to travel 150 000 000 km is 150 000 000 = 50 s = 8 mins 20 s 300 000 La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

17. Is the Sun a ball of Solid, Liquid or Gas? La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

18.  The Sun is neither a solid nor a gas but in a state called plasma. This plasma is thin and gaseous near the surface, but gets denser down towards the Sun's fusion core.  Plasma is not a gas, liquid, or solid - it is the fourth state of matter.  Plasma often behaves like a gas, except that it conducts electricity and is affected by magnetic fields. On an astronomical scale, plasma is common. "99.9 percent of the Universe is made up of plasma," says Dr. Dennis Gallagher, a plasma physicist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "Very little material in space is made of rock like the Earth." La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

19. http://www.amastro.org/at/su/sust.html Interior SurfaceSurface layers Special Features

20. About 4.5 billion years old (4500000000) La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

21. Complete the following by calculating the distance travelled by light in 1 year: light travels 300 000km in 1 second it travels 300 000 x 60 s = 18 000 000 km in 1 min Calculate the distance of one light year. it travels 18 000 000 x 60 min = 1 080 000 000km in 1 hour it travels 1 080 000 000 x 24 hrs = 25 920 000 000 km in a day it travels 25 920 000 000 x 365 days = 9 460 800 000 000 km in a year One light year is 9 460 800 000 000 km ! La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

22. 150 000 000 km/ 100km per h = 1 500 000 hours 1 500 000/24 hours in a day = 62500 days 62500/365 days in a year= 171.2 years Ans: ~171 years La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

23. Sun’s Interior Core Radiative zone Convective zone Hot and Dense 15 000 000 o C Gravitational pull Nuclear fusion 25% of Sun’s radius Heat travelling through the air Electromagnetic energy 55% of Sun’s radius Rising of warm air and sinking of cool air Reaches surface of Sun La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

24. Surface Layers Photo- sphere Chromo- sphere Corona 500 km ‘thin’ Heat and light we see and feel 6000 o C 2000 km in thickness Hotter than Photosphere 100 000 o C Several million km from Photosphere 1-2 million degree Solar wind is hot gas from Corona La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

25. Solar Cooker La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education/ Masking tape to stop reflectors from flapping in the wind Reflector Polystyrene box: internally lined with black paper Reflector Glass (or glad wrap) cover

26. Solar Eclipse La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education

27. Constructing Solar Food Drier

28. La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education/ Alex Leach with solar powered battery charger and flashing unit. Solar powered battery charger Flashing unit

29. Kevin Morgan and students from Echuca High School with solar cooker Another model

30. Solar Tower La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education/ Kew High School students testing their solar tower Solar tower model as constructed by engineering students.

31. Ethanolpowered bus (Ventura Bus) and Solar Pond (RMIT) La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education/

32. Flashing lights on Welcome sign powered by car battery which is charged by solar panel La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education/ Flashing lights embedded in the words. Car battery 12 volts 12V solar pane l

33. Concentrating Mirrors La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education/ Hot Spot on screen Array of small mirrors

34. 2002 Sun & Scienc Camp Group La Trobe Univeristy/Institute for Education/ Participating schools CD-ROM