Washington, DC The Smithsonian today made available a new online interactive that allows users to explore a three-dimensional (3D) visualization of the remnants of a supernova, or exploded star.
Designed for use by both general audiences and high school science classrooms, the free materials, available at s.si.edu/supernova, include an interactive simulation, a 360° video, and a multimedia instructional package.
The project was created by the Smithsonian Center for Learning and
Digital Access in conjunction with the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard
& Smithsonian (CfA), a collaboration that includes the Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory.
To create the visualizations, the project uses data from the Chandra
X-ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope, the National Optical
Astronomy Observatory's Mayall Telescope, and the MIT/Michigan/Dartmouth
Observatory's Hiltner Telescope.
"Journey" features the data visualization work of Kimberly Arcand,
visualization and emerging technology lead for Chandra, which is
operated and controlled on behalf of NASA by the CfA.
"All of that data has to be translated and processed in a way that
humans can see, so it's really important to be able to study our
Universe using different kinds of light," said Arcand. "Each band of
light gives you different information, so it's like adding puzzle pieces
to fit into the greater whole."
"Journey through an Exploded Star" offers three ways to explore content:
-- An online interactive simulation in which users navigate the
fiery remains of a supernova and manipulate the real data to make their
own visualization of the cosmos. (Closed Captioned, works across desktop browsers, and requires no software downloads.)
-- A 360° video tour, narrated by Arcand, explains how and why
scientists study supernovas such as Cassiopeia A: to gain a
comprehensive picture of the cosmos. (Works on desktop, mobile, and Google Cardboard devices.)
-- A high school classroom multimedia instructional package begins
with the fundamentals of the electromagnetic spectrum and illustrates
the production of elements from the explosions of stars. (Aligned to Next Generation Science Standards (HS-ESS1-3 and HS-PS4).)
The director of the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital
Access, Stephanie L. Norby, said, "Projects such as this one make
science learning both exciting and relevant for students. Using media
tools, they can make a personal connection to topics that may initially
seem esoteric to discover that there are forces that connect everyone to
the stars."
The Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access makes all of this content freely available in its Smithsonian Learning Lab.
About the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access
The Smithsonian established the Smithsonian Center for Learning and
Digital Access in 1976 to serve public education by bringing Smithsonian
collections and expertise into the nation’s classrooms. For more than
40 years, it has published educational materials and provided one access
point to Smithsonian educational resources. To understand the needs of
teachers, students, and museum educators, the Center spent more than a
decade in active experimentation and research, culminating in the launch
of a new online platform—the Smithsonian Learning Lab. Since its launch
in 2016, museum and classroom educators have used the Lab's tools to
create thousands of new examples—ranging from experiments to models—for
using Smithsonian resources for learning. The Center now studies how
teachers and students use digital museum resources and broadly
disseminates this knowledge through professional development to advance
museum and digital learning.
About the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Headquartered
in Cambridge, Mass., the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard &
Smithsonian (CfA) is a collaboration between the Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA
scientists, organized into six research divisions, study the origin,
evolution and ultimate fate of the universe.
For more information, contact:
Darren Milligan
Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access
(202) 633-5291
milligand@si.edu
Tyler Jump
Public Affairs
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
+1 617-495-7462
tyler.jump@cfa.harvard.edu
