Using Navigate

Above is a screenshot of the Navigate tool. The menu on the left is used to search for objects. This can be done by inputting coordinates in the RA and Dec boxes or by searching specific names in the Name box.

The menu on the right shows information about the selected object such as its coordinates, the type of object and its magnitudes in different bands. Magnitudes indicate the brightness of a star. Higher magnitudes represent fainter objects.

Also on the right you can click on Explore to see more information about the selected object such as an image or its spectrum. To learn more about spectrums visit our Spectroscopy page(link).

To move manually through the universe use your mouse to drag or zoom in to an area.

Classifying Objects

There are 33 objects to find and 3 of each category below. They have to decide which class the object fits into. Press on each object category below to learn more about how to identify them.

Spiral Galaxy – Edge on

Spiral galaxies have clear structure such as spiral arms, bulges and bars. When a Spiral is edge on its arms are not visible, they can be recognised by their bright central bulges.

Spiral Galaxy – Face on

When the arms of the Spiral are clearly seen the galaxy is called face-on. they have winding arms and a bright bulge in the middle.

Spiral Galaxy – Barred

Another feature of spirals are bars. In some galaxies this feature is very prominent, with bars that extend from the central bulge.

Elliptical Galaxy

These galaxies don’t have very defining features like spirals. They are named after their shape, but can range from circular to cigar-like. They also come in a range of sizes. The easiest way to recognise them is by elimination, as they do not look like spirals and have no structure.

Interacting Galaxies

If two or more galaxies are close together they can interact gravitationally. By passing by each other or even colliding galaxies can destroy one another. These can be identified by the distorted look of the galaxies as they tear each other.

Star Cluster

Stars are found in clusters where hundreds of them are densely packed and gravitationally bound.

Galaxy Cluster

Like stars, galaxies are also found in clusters. If a cluster is very far away the galaxies can look like stars, so to identify this object click on one of the objects in the cluster to verify their type.

Scavenger Hunt

In this activity students use the Navigate tool to find examples of the objects on the worksheet. They need to identify certain objects and classify them correctly by writing their coordinates under the right category.

The student worksheet and ready-to-go slides can be accessed below.

Below you can find a .pptx version of the slides:

Teacher’s Pack

Here you can find essential resources for teachers when doing this activity. Below is an example of a completed worksheet with the coordinates of the example objects. The students will not necessarily find the same coordinates as these are only examples for each category. Also linked below is a teacher sheet with learning intentions, list of materials needed, links to curriculum and common mistakes. Be sure to also refer to the annotations on the slides above for some additional information.

Reversed Scavenger Hunt

This activity provides students with coordinates to mystery objects which they must then investigate and categorise using their knowledge of astronomical objects and navigate. There are 33 coordinates (RA and Dec) which should be entered in the appropriate boxes on the left menu of the Navigate tool. Students must write their chosen class for each object and a reason why they have chosen this class.

The student worksheet and ready-to-go slides can be accessed below.

Below you can find a .pptx version of the slides:

Teacher’s Pack

Here you can find essential resources for teachers when doing this activity. Below is an example of a completed worksheet with the correct categories for each coordinate and pictures of the objects. Also linked below is a teacher sheet with learning intentions, list of materials needed, links to curriculum and common mistakes. Be sure to also refer to the annotations on the slides above for some additional information.