I’ve just posted a new episode of my Science Teaching Tips podcast — Which is Closest?
Which is farthest away from the earth, the stars or Pluto? The answer may be obvious to you, but a lot of people get this wrong. Here’s the task — arrange these in the order from closest to furthest from the earth: moon, sun, Pluto, stars, and clouds. Think about it first, and then listen… listen carefully! It can be easy to miss the mistakes that people make.
We went out and harassed the employees at the Exploratorium with this little survey. I was astounded by what we found. Many teachers are. Linda explains why people (even highly educated people!) answer as they do, and what this means for teaching about science.
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Many folks, when buying a telescope, ask me ‘How far can I see with this telescope?’. Its really hard to explain that its the wrong question to ask.
I don’t get it… what do you mean?
Well, Pluto is much, much closer to Earth than say, the Andromeda Galaxy, but even a small telescope can see Andromeda on a clear night. By comparison, the much closer Pluto needs at a minimum a 6 inch telescope (or more) to be viewed.
So asking ‘how far can I see” is really not the best question. Its like having a small candle ten feet from you, and then someone turns a Klieg light on from across a football field. The candle may be closer, but you aren’t going to see it as well.
Ah, I see! Thanks, Matt! It’s like, the better question would be, “how bright can I see”?
Exactly, or more useful (from a buyer’s standpoint) is ‘What can I see?’. That way I can go down a short list of things from the major planets to far-away galaxies.