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Helpful Info for SJS Students

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How-To Videos

Title File Type Category Description
Aligning Images in Afterglow Unspecified How-to Videos
Comparing Brightness in Afterglow Unspecified How-to Videos
How Telescopes Focus Light PDF Hands-on Activities This hands-on activity allows you to experience how mirrors are used to focus light in a telescope.
Making a Color Image Unspecified How-to Videos
Opening Images in Afterglow Unspecified How-to Videos
Your First Skynet Image Request Unspecified How-to Videos

AAS Meeting Posters

Title File Type Category Description
AAS Poster: Bringing Astronomy to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth Unspecified Hands-on Activities Authors describe lessons learned as they use SJS to bring observational astronomy to the DHH audience in accessible way for the first time!
AAS Poster: Implementation in 4-H Settings Unspecified Hands-on Activities 4-H leaders describe the ways Skynet Junior Scholars has been used with youth in various 4-H programs in WV and WI!
AAS Poster: Implementation with Blind and Low Vision Youth Unspecified Hands-on Activities Educators and students from the Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired share how they have engaged in SJS activities!
AAS Poster: Implementing SJS in Out-of School Time Settings Unspecified Hands-on Activities Educators share their tips and tricks for conducting SJS in after school programs, at parks, and during in-school free time. Lots of images from the s

ASL Videos

Title File Type Category Description
ASL Vocab Intro Video How-to Videos
Make Your First Image Request Video How-to Videos American Sign Language video to assist ASL users in learning how to use Skynet to make an image request
Skynet Robotic Telescope Network Video How-to Videos ASL description of Skynet Robotic Telescope Network
The Yerkes 24-Inch Telescope Video How-to Videos
Welcome ASL Scholars Video How-to Videos An American Sign Language Video welcoming all ASL users to the Skynet Junior Scholars program

Advice from the experts

Title File Type Category Description
Cheat Sheet for the Markdown Tools Unspecified How-to Videos Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers. This webpage shows you how to use the Markdown syntax.
Find an Asteroid to Observe (docx) Document Hands-on Activities Advice from Viv on how to create a cool iist of asteroids and comets to observe. In word format.
Find an Asteroid to Observe (pdf) PDF Hands-on Activities Advice from Viv on how to create a cool iist of asteroids and comets to observe.
How to image the Moon Unspecified Explore More Collaboration, search Moon, find good and poor examples. Use lothru filters, like U, B, u, h-alpha, exposure time 0.03, 0.04, 0.05s.
Meet the Astronomers Unspecified Explore More
SB What's Observable? Unspecified Explore More This tool provides a list of asteroids and/or comets which are optically observable from the specified location on a specified date.
Visibility Graph Advice (docx) Video Explore More This document describes how to use the Visibility Graph in Skynet to determine if an object is observable from a telescope. Word format.
Visibility Graph Advice (pdf) Video Hands-on Activities This document describes how to use the Visibility Graph in Skynet to determine if an object is observable from a telescope. Word format.

Misc Resources

Title File Type Category Description
Find a local astronomy club Unspecified Explore More
Globe At Night: January-February 2017 Guide PDF Hands-on Activities Participate in the Globe at Night campaign for January and February of 2017. This guide and globeatnight.org website explains the project!
Images from Hubble Space Telescope Unspecified Explore More
NASA Night Sky Network club locations Unspecified Explore More
POST-SJS Research Survey for Students Unspecified Explore More When your SJS leader says you are ready, take this survey at the end of your SJS club meetings.
PRE-SJS Research Survey for Students Unspecified Explore More Take this survey when you log in to SJS for the first time -- before you have done any activities.
Playdoh Electronics Activity Unspecified Hands-on Activities Skynet Telescopes use circuits to open and close telescope domes, slew telescopes and take data. Build your own simple circuits with playdoh!

What How Why

Title File Type Category Description
Darks, Bias and Flats, Oh My! Unspecified Explore More What are those Darks, Bias, and Flats files at the bottom of my images in Skynet? Find out here!
How a CCD camera works (flash animation) Unspecified How-to Videos See how a CCD camera works on a telescope.
Light path through a telescope animation (flash) Unspecified Hands-on Activities See how telescopes focus light! This animation was created for another robotic telescope called the Faulkes telescope
Make Your Own Celestial Sphere to understand Coordinates ZIP Hands-on Activities Print template on cardstock (90% or two/page). Construct a celestial sphere to investigate RA and Dec grid. Need scissors, glue, opt. puncher, brads.
Skynet Telescopes Field of View Unspecified Hands-on Activities How much Sky can Skynet Telescopes see?
Skynet junior Scholars Glossary Unspecified Explore More The glossary contains definitions for words found in the activities. Let us know if you find a word that needs to be added to the glossary.
Skynet telescopes Unspecified Explore More Learn how the Skynet Telescope Network got started!
Tour of the Electromagnetic Spectrum Unspecified Explore More

Radio Astronomy

Title File Type Category Description
Electromagnetic War Unspecified Hands-on Activities Play the old card game "War" with cards depicting different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum!
Green Bank 20-meter Data Log Unspecified Explore More All 20-meter data is stored here in chronological order, with the most recent observation at the bottom of the page.
Green Bank 20-meter Observing Advice Unspecified Explore More Provides mapping and daisy advice for submitting radio image observations. Also provides high resolution neutral hydrogen spectral observation advice.
How to access radio data from Skynet Unspecified Explore More Word Document describing how to access radio data from Skynet.
Making Radio Observations Pt. 1 Unspecified How-to Videos
Making Radio Observations Pt. 2 Unspecified How-to Videos
Using the 20 Meter Video Explore More Radio Astronomy and how to use the 20 Meter Telescope.

Investigate Filters

Title File Type Category Description
AstroImageProcessor.jar Older Version4_3 Video Explore More External program used to combine images into a color image. You need to have the latest version of Java enabled: https://www.java.com/en/download
Color the Universe - Image Making Tutorial by Travis Rector Document Explore More Image-making tutorial reflects the latest version of Photoshop. Example of M16 with only narrowband filters. Fits Liberator also required.
DS9 Unspecified Explore More Here is an alternative to Astro Image Processor for working with image data -- including making a color image.
Fun With Filters Presentation Unspecified Hands-on Activities Interactive powerpoint to use with the red, green and blue filters in your kit. pdf version
Fun with Filters Leader Guide Unspecified Hands-on Activities All of the filter activities in one guide. Includes notes for the powerpoint presentation.
Fun with Filters PDF for use by youth working on their own. PDF Hands-on Activities This version will work like a slide show without needing powerpoint. Spoiler Alert! It has answers embedded in the activity.
Fun with Filters Powerpoint Presentation Unspecified Hands-on Activities Interactive powerpoint to use with the red, green and blue filters in your kit.
Hubble: Behind the Pictures – Making Meaning of Color Unspecified Explore More Website that illustrates how astronomers use color to highlight interesting features of the celestial object(s) in an image.
Light Sensing Sound Generation Kit-- will convert light into sound Unspecified Hands-on Activities Now you can LISTEN to learn that filters block some wavelengths of light and let others through. Cute kit requires soldering.
Multi-Sensory Astro-Research Poster that includes how to Make a Color Image with DS9 Unspecified Explore More Education Poster NITARP features best practices to include Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Blind and Low Vision Youth in Astronomy Research Projects
New Version of Astro Image Processor ZIP Explore More small "bug" fixes and an "RGB Plot Wizard", which automates the steps to build a color image. See: https://discourse.skynetjuniorscholars.org/t/update
Skynet Telescope Filters PDF Explore More A brief description of each filter used on the Skynet optical telescopes
Using Astronomical Filters on Skynet Telescopes PDF Explore More Learn how and why astronomers design and use filters.

Files for Tactile Images

Title File Type Category Description
Amazing Space Tactile Astronomy Unspecified Hands-on Activities Many images of celestial objects taken with Hubble Space Telescope, with files prepared for creating tactile images, and big print explanations.
Braille Translator from Math is Fun Unspecified Explore More You can use this translation tool to print out the Braille for signs, notes, and so on.
Braille_Filters_M27 Unspecified Hands-on Activities File for creating a tactile image of M27, the Dumbbell Nebula
Braille_Filters_M27_gfilter Unspecified Hands-on Activities File for creating a tactile print of M27, the Dumbbell Nebula taken with an g filter(SDSS
Braille_Filters_M27_ifilter Unspecified Hands-on Activities File for creating a tactile print of M27, the Dumbbell Nebula taken with an i filter(SDSS).
Braille_Filters_M27_rfilter Unspecified Hands-on Activities File for creating a tactile print of M27, the Dumbbell Nebula taken with an r filter(SDSS).
SOFIA Tactile Images: Circumnuclear Ring Unspecified Hands-on Activities Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) imaged the center of the Milky way to reveal in far infrared the dusty Circumnuclear Ring,
Touch the Universe with Skynet Images Unspecified Hands-on Activities Tactile Astronomy - SJS images prepared to be copied on swellform paper and processed through a Thermoform Graphics Machine.

Size and Scale Activities

Title File Type Category Description
Pocket Solar System Unspecified Hands-on Activities This quick model of the solar system is created by folding a piece of register tape. The relative distances between the planets are illustrated.
Sizing up the Moon Video Hands-on Activities Using play-doh, predict a model of the Earth and Moon to show the relative sizes and distances, then construct an accurate model and compare.
The Cosmos in Perspective Unspecified Hands-on Activities With this activity you will be exploring a scale model to illustrate the large scale structure of the Universe.

Miscellaneous

Title File Type Category Description
SJS Workshop commitment form PDF For Leaders This form must be completed and signed by a youth leader and their supervisor before participating in an SJS workshop.
i-CAN Constellation Cameras Video Explore More Point a video camera sensitive to the stars at constellations in a variety of locations around the globe!

Skynet Community Meeting Presentations

Title File Type Category Description

Image Sets

Title File Type Category Description
FITS images of Venus showing phases and changing angular size! Document Hands-on Activities Venus images taken by Yerkes-24" 2001-2004. Compare the angular sizes of Venus and correlate with its' phases. Think, Research, Explain!