Table of Contents

Dr. Seahorse Sees Spots

Dr. Seahorse Sees Spots

Brief Description

Today Dr. Seahorse examines the freckles of the sun. Freckles? Yes, take a look!

Materials

A pair of binoculars (on a tripod, if you have it)

A sheet of white paper

A sunny day

An adult

Learning Objectives

Learn about the existence of sunspots.

Background Information

The dark spots that you see are called ‘sunspots’. They are created by the magnetic fields of the sun and are much larger than you might think. They are often bigger than the Earth! They look dark because they are a bit cooler than the rest of the Sun: they are only 3,500°C. That is really hot, but it’s cool compared to the rest of the Sun, which is almost 6,000°C!

We are going to use the binoculars in an unusual way. We will not look through them ourselves, but use them as a projector. BEWARE: NEVER look directly at the sun! Not with the naked eye and certainly not through the binoculars! Do this experiment with the help of an adult.

Now let’s get to work!

Step 1

Look at the binoculars. Do you see they have two sides? The narrow side is used to look through and is called the ‘eyepiece’. The wider side is called the ‘objective’. The ring on the eyepiece can be turned to focus the binoculars.  

Step 2

Aim the binoculars with the thick side pointed towards the sun. (Use your instinct, DO NOT look through the binoculars!)

Step 3

Ask an adult to hold the sheet of white paper approximately one metre behind the narrow side of the binoculars.   

Step 4

Aim the binoculars so that the sunlight falls through them onto the paper. You have now made a picture of the sun - a so-called ‘projection’! If the picture is not sharp enough, use the focus-ring on the eyepiece to adjust the focus or ask the adult to hold the paper a little bit farther or closer. Do you see anything special in the projection?

Keywords

Sun Spot Celsius degrees

Source

NRC Handelsblad (5 May 2012)

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