Teaching Tools
I develop interactive simulations to help students visualize complex astronomical concepts. These tools are designed for use in high school and college astronomy courses and public outreach.
Interactive HR Diagram
This PhET-style simulation is built with SceneryStack and allows students to explore Hertzspring-Russell (HR) diagram. The HR diagram is one of the most fundamental tools in stellar astronomy. The simulation allows students to sample different points on the HR diagram by changing both luminosity and temperature and observing what kind of star that would produce, what its radius would be, and where it would be located on the diagram. The accompanying worksheet guides students through an inquiry based exploration of the HR diagram, and the underlying relationship between luminosity, temperature, and radius of stars.
Future Tools
- Interactive HR Diagram and the Main Sequence Turnoff (In Development)
- Interactive HR Diagram and Stellar Evolution (In Development)
- Interactive Orbital Elements (In Development)