Students plot and analyze NASA data to determine the period of an invisible planet orbiting a wobbling star.
By completing this activity, the learner will:
- explore the motion of a two-body system around a center of mass to better understand how extra-solar planets are discovered.
- answer reflective questions designed to illustrate that the Sun is not a stationary object.
- answer questions about the magnitude and direction of the velocity of both the Sun and Jupiter.
- plot and analyze NASA data to determine the period of an invisible planet orbiting a wobbling star.
National Science Education Standards
National Mathematics Education Standards
Activity 1: Analyze and answer questions about four drawings that show the positions of the Sun and Jupiter at four different times during a single orbit.
Activity 2: View movies of athletes competing in a Hammer Throw and discover facts about the center of mass.
Activity 3: Analyze actual scientific data from recent discoveries of extra-solar planets and make plots of the central star's velocity toward or away from an observer versus time in order to determine the period of an invisible planet's orbit.
Activity 1: Exploration-The Motion of the Sun
Activity Page One allows students to explore the motion of a two-body system around a center of mass to better understand how extra-solar planets are discovered. Students are shown a drawing depicting the orbital motion of the Sun and Jupiter and answer reflective questions designed to illustrate that the Sun is not a stationary object, but that all stars move or wobble when orbited by a large planet. Students then tackle questions about the magnitude and direction of the velocity of both the Sun and Jupiter.
Activity 2:Concept Introduction-The Hammer Throw
Activity Page Two allows students to view movies of athletes competing in the Hammer Throw. Students discover that the hammer and thrower both move about a common center of mass. They find that the center of mass is determined by considering the positions and masses of the two bodies.
Activity 3: Concept Application: Discovering New Planets
Activity Page Three allows students to use actual scientific data from recent discoveries of extra-solar planets. By plotting the central star's velocity toward or away from an observer versus time, students determine the period of an invisible planet's orbit.
