A Review of High School Level Astronomy Student Research Projects over the last two decades

Since the early 1990s with the arrival of a variety of new technologies, the capacity for authentic astronomical research at the high school level has skyrocketed. This potential, however, has not realized the bright-eyed hopes and dreams of the early pioneers who expected to revolutionise science education through the use of telescopes and other astronomical instrumentation in the classroom. In this paper, a general history and analysis of these attempts is presented. We define what we classify as an Astronomy Research in the Classroom (ARiC) project and note the major dimensions on which these projects differ before describing the 22 major student research projects active since the early 1990s. This is followed by a discussion of the major issues identified that affected the success of these projects and provide suggestions for similar attempts in the future.Comment: Accepted for Publication in PASA. 26 page

Robotic telescopes in education

The power of robotic telescopes to transform science education has been voiced by multiple sources, since the 1980s. Since then, much technical progress has been made in robotic telescope provision to end users via a variety of different approaches. The educational transformation hoped for by the provision of this technology has, so far, yet to be achieved on a scale matching the technical advancements. In this paper, the history, definition, role and rationale of optical robotic telescopes with a focus on their use in education is provided. The current telescope access providers and educational projects and their broad uses in traditional schooling, undergraduate and outreach are then outlined. From this background, the current challenges to the field, which are numerous, are then presented. This review is concluded with a series of recommendations for current and future projects that are apparent and have emerged from the literature

Heber Doust Curtis And The Island Universe Theory

The beginning of the twentieth century was a time a great change and development within American astronomy. The period is rife with astronomers, both men and women, who advanced the discipline. However, few historians have looked at the lives of these astronomers. When an astronomer is chosen for closer study, they tend to be one who contributed to the astronomical discipline with a significant discovery. Unfortunately, those astronomers whose careers did not climax with discovery have a tendency to be forgotten by historians, even though their lives and research have affected our modern understanding. This thesis looks at one such astronomer named Heber Doust Curtis. Curtis did not make a grand discovery in the cosmos, but he combined his research with the research and observations of other astronomers to fundamentally change our understanding of the scale of the universe. To understand Curtis’ significance, the author looked at his published scientific papers and the papers of other astronomers from the era. This was done to see how Curtis’ research fit into other research being done at the beginning of the twentieth century. Also important in this study was the writing of contemporary authors who looked back on this period as a time of discovery, especially in shaping our understanding of the shape and extent of the cosmos. These elements combined show a rounded perspective of Curtis, during an epoch of great and significant astronomical discovery. These sources show Curtis’ importance as one of the main driving forces behind a modern return to the Island Universe theory, the belief that the Milky Way was not the only galaxy but one of many within the universe. Curtis’ tenacious support of this idea would fundamentally change our understanding of the shape and scale of the universe. For this reason, he is one of the most important American astronomers of the early twentieth century

Working Papers: Astronomy and Astrophysics Panel Reports

The papers of the panels appointed by the Astronomy and Astrophysics survey Committee are compiled. These papers were advisory to the survey committee and represent the opinions of the members of each panel in the context of their individual charges. The following subject areas are covered: radio astronomy, infrared astronomy, optical/IR from ground, UV-optical from space, interferometry, high energy from space, particle astrophysics, theory and laboratory astrophysics, solar astronomy, planetary astronomy, computing and data processing, policy opportunities, benefits to the nation from astronomy and astrophysics, status of the profession, and science opportunities

Public skies: telescopes and the popularization of astronomy in the twentieth century

Sputnik and the `Space Age\u27 have been cited as major factors in the growth of amateur astronomy in the 20th century. Although the growth of popular astronomy magazines, public planetaria, and the popularity of science fiction contributed to the popularization of astronomy, I contend that the greatest growth in amateur astronomy coincides more with the availability of inexpensive telescopes. Circa 1900, the average purchaser of an amateur-grade astronomical telescope was a wealthy doctor, lawyer, or the like. Hand-crafted refracting telescopes were the ideal, but even relatively small instruments of 3-inch aperture cost the equivalent of $3,000 in today\u27s terms. A series of articles appeared in Scientific American in 1926 providing detailed instructions on making Newtonian reflecting telescopes. The articles, the work of two `technological cheerleaders\u27, Russell Porter and Albert Ingalls, proved popular. The resulting home-made telescopes were effective instruments, but cost a fraction the price of a commercial telescope of similar size. By 1940 there were at least 30,000 active amateur astronomers and `ATMs\u27 (amateur telescope makers), of diverse social classes, in America. The Second World War created an opportunity for ATMs. Modern war requires all kinds of optical instruments, and the government was eager to find skilled workers to produce them. World War II became an `advanced school\u27 of telescope making where ATMs learned mass-production methods. ATMs founded a host of new telescope making companies in the 1950s using mass-production techniques to produce modestly-priced astronomical telescopes: Newtonian telescopes in the 3 to 4-inch range sold for as little as$25 ($150 today). These telescopes were marketed in the same way as automobiles, TVs, and other consumer products. Countries outside the United States never experienced the `ATM movement\u27 in any major way, nor shared American production techniques. Only Japan adopted the same methods as American commercial telescope manufacturers, huge numbers of small, mass-produced telescopes were being exported from Japan by the late 1950s, and hundreds of thousands of average Americans were involved in amateur astronomy by 1960

Captured by curiosity : the historical development of astronomy in South Africa, from the pre-colonial past to c.1970

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The historical development of astronomy in South Africa did not occur along linear lines, nor was it sustained by only one group of people or one intellectual tradition. This thesis offers a fresh history of the development of astronomy by synthesising the contribution of various individuals, groups and institutions that contributed to its development from what may be defined as the pre-colonial period up until 1970, when it was first introduced as a subject to study at South African tertiary institutions. It argues that the development of astronomy in South Africa over time, as an intellectual and cultural body of knowledge as well as a scientific and professional discipline, was derived from diverse sources. In doing so, this thesis traces the trajectory of the development of astronomical inquiry by investigating the astronomical practices and cosmological beliefs of various indigenous groups of southern Africa, as well as the individuals, organisations, and institutions of European colonialists from the mid-seventeenth century. This thesis contributes to the existing body of literature by discussing both the precolonial and colonial histories, while also addressing how the role of indigenous peoples and their astronomical activities is often excluded from the broader narrative and that it belongs in our broader understanding of the history of astronomical thinking.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die historiese ontwikkeling van sterrekunde in Suid-Afrika het nie op ‘n lineêre wyse plaasgevind nie, en dit is ook nie deur slegs een groep mense of een intellektuele tradisie onderhou nie. Hierdie tesis bied ‘n nuwe geskiedenis aan wat van die ontwikkeling van sterrekunde deur die bydrae van verskillende individue, groepe en instellings wat bygedra het tot die ontwikkeling daarvan, te sintetiseer vanaf die voorkoloniale tydperk tot 1970, wanneer dit eers as ‘n onderwerp bekendgestel in Suid-Afrikaanse tersiêre instellings te studeer. Hierdie tesis voer aan dat die ontwikkeling van sterrekunde in Suid-Afrika oor tyd, as ‘n intellektuele en kulturele kennis, sowel as ‘n wetenskaplike en professionele dissipline, uit verskillende bronne verkry is. Hierdie tesis volg die trajek van die ontwikkeling van astronomiese ondersoek deur die astronomiese praktyke en kosmologiese oortuigings van verskillende inheemse groepe in Suider-Afrika, sowel as die individue, organisasies en instellings van Europese kolonialiste uit die middel van die sewentiende eeu te ondersoek. Hierdie tesis bydra tot die bestaande literatuur deur beide die voorkoloniale en koloniale geskiedenis te bespreek, en bespreek ook hoe die rol van inheemse mense en hul astronomiese aktiwiteite dikwels uitgesluit word van die breër verhaal en dat dit hoort in ons breër begrip van die geskiedenis van astronomiese denke.Master

Golden Years of Australian Radio Astronomy

The evolution of Australian radio astronomy from 1945 to 1960 has been studied in detail by numerous historians of science in recent years. This Open Access book is the first to present an overview of this remarkable chapter in Australian science. The book begins in the post-war period, as the Radiophysics Laboratory in Sydney switched from secret wartime research on radar to peacetime applications of this new technology. Next follows the detection of radio waves from space and the ensuing transformation of this fledgling science into the dominant research program at the Radiophysics Lab. Drawing from this history, the book shows how by 1960 the Radiophysics Lab had become the largest and most successful radio astronomy group in the world. The final chapter presents an overview of Australian radio astronomy from 1960 to the present day, as Australia prepares to co-host the multi-national, multi-billion-dollar Square Kilometre Array. Nearly 300 high-quality images complement the text, drawn from a wide range of sources including the extensive collection held by the CSIRO Radio Astronomy Image Archive. The book will be an essential reference for readers interested in the scientific and cultural development of radio astronomy. This book is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 license

Dark and Quiet Skies II Working Group Reports:

This Report presents the main results of the Conference “Dark and Quiet Skies for Science and Society II” which took place on-line on 3–7 October 2021. This conference was the logical follow-up of the first one, organized as an on-line workshop with the same title on 5–9 October 2020. Both conferences were co-organized by UNOOSA, IAU and the Government of Spain and were well attended. The focus of the second conference was about the feasibility of implementing the recommendations presented by the first one in its extensive report. The main qualifying difference between the first and the second conferences was a more explicit involvement of the industrial stakeholders and of space policy experts, whose contributions were instrumental in presenting a credible review of the proposed mitigating measures as well as of possible regulatory guidelines

IAU Dark and Quiet Skies, UNOOSA, NoirLabs, SATCON2, International Law Working Group Report

International Law Working Group of the IAU's Dark and Quiet Skies Conference; objective to advise the UN Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Spac