The H-R diagram is a scatter graph of stars, a plot of stellar absolute magnitude or luminosity versus temperature or stellar classification. It is an important astronomical tool for understanding how stars evolve over time. Stellar evolution cannot... (View More) be studied by observing individual stars as most changes occur over millions and billions of years. Astrophysicists observe numerous stars at various stages in their evolutionary history to determine their changing properties and probable evolutionary tracks across the H-R diagram. In this activity, students plot both maxima and minima with corresponding stellar classifications for several variables, and then identify the type of variability: Cepheid, RR Lyrae, Mira or Semiregular. This activity includes background information, a teacher guide, a student activity, and accompanying worksheets. The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) and The Chandra X-Ray mission have collaborated to develop this activity. (View Less)

This guide provides instructions on how to make color pictures using images downloaded from the WISE archive. An overview of what digital images and FITS files are is followed by a discussion on the basic process of how gray scale images are... (View More) adjusted, assigned color, and added together to create a color picture. Five different image processing programs are provided to the users, along with the pros and cons of each program, and links for installing and using each one. There is also a review of the various image artifacts that may be found in WISE images. (View Less)

This website provides instructions on how to find and download images directly from the WISE archive. With a computer and Internet connection, users can access high-resolution, infrared images from the WISE mission. Instructions are provided to... (View More) explain how to get access the images from the archive. (View Less)

This website presents basic information and concepts about Cosmology and our current best understanding of the Universe. Cosmology is the scientific study of the large scale properties of the Universe as a whole. It endeavors to use the scientific... (View More) method to understand the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the entire Universe. Like any field of science, cosmology involves the formation of theories or hypotheses about the universe which make specific predictions for phenomena that can be tested with observations. Depending on the outcome of the observations, the theories will need to be abandoned, revised or extended to accommodate the data. Includes sections on: Big Bang Theory, Big Bang Tests, Beyond the Big Bang, and Our Universe. (View Less)