Blazing Gas
Figure 1. Solar flares erupt from the surface of the sun.Copyright The Sun by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun#/media/File:The_Sun_by_the_Atmospheric_Imaging_Assembly_of_NASA's_Solar_Dynamics_Observatory_-_20100819.jpg
Accessed August 10, 2020
Students are introduced to our Sun as they explore its composition, what is happening inside it and its relationship to our planet (our energy source). Then students use the associated activities to relate engineering concepts and investigate solutions to harvesting the Sun's energy.
Most of what we know about the Sun has come from telescopes and satellites that were designed by engineers. Aerospace engineers design, create, install and test systems for space-bound equipment and ships such as special telescopes that can look directly at the Sun. Aerospace engineers are not the only engineers who work in the space field; many other types of engineers also design and create spacecraft components, electronics, computer programs, life support systems as well as amazing telescopes.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Make the connection between the energy we use on Earth and energy from the Sun.
- List at least three different layers of the Sun.
- Describe how engineers help us learn about the Sun.