Concept Application (Day 4)

Satellites send images from space to Earth by radio waves using a series of ones and zeros. In this activity students will decode an actual image from the Yohkoh satellite. The process of sending data from a telescope to the Internet is called TELEMETRY.
   

 
Divide students into four or eight NASA imaging teams. Each team needs one of four attached data sheets, a sheet of graph paper, a black marker, and a pencil. IMPORTANT: Students should read across rows, one row at a time. Encourage students to figure out ways to make the process go faster, but keep in mind it is very important to be as accurate as possible.
 

Overlay the teams' images as at right with no gaps in the data. These four quadrants should combine to create an actual image of our Sun taken by the X-Ray telescope on board the NASA and Japanese Yohkoh satellite. The black spots show the most active regions of our Sun that generate X-Rays. These energetic regions are places where sunspots can often be observed. Additionally, these areas are high energy regions that release particles that can be observed on Earth as the Northern Lights.

Back to the Concept Introduction or On to the Extensions and Debriefing

Lesson designed by the YPOP Team

For questions about this lesson, please contact Tim Slater