Teachers, invite an SDO Ambassador to come visit your classroom! Visits will include an introduction to the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the science behind it, Q&A session about NASA and its current projects, and a hands-on activity aligned with national science standards.

Teachers can choose from the following topics:

The Science of SDO:

Students will learn about the basics of the Solar Dynamic Observatory and how its instrument, HMI, will study the interior of the sun using the Doppler shift. After the briefing students will conduct a lab to calculate the Doppler effect in a moving buzzer ball. (Grades 8-12)

SDO and the Spectrum:

Students will learn about how SDO will study the sun by constructing their own cereal box spectrometer and then analyzing the spectrum of several gaseous elements. (Grades 7-10)

Thinking Like a Scientist:

Students will learn about SDO and the importance of studying space weather. After the briefing students will learn the difference between Observation and Inference then participate in an activity that challenges them to think like a scientist. (Grades 1-8)

Solar Clocks:

Students will learn about SDO and the importance of studying space weather. After the briefing students will construct their own sundials and learn about the motion of the earth over the course of one day. (Grades 1-7)

Visits will be subject to the availability of a speaker and their ability to travel to your school. Currently only teachers in Washington DC, Montgomery County and Baltimore City are eligible. Apply today!