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Project Summary
| Difficulty | 5 |
| Time required | Short (several days) |
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| * Note: This is an abbreviated project idea, without notes to start your background research or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated project ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a project idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk. |
Abstract
You can measure the diameter of the Sun (and Moon) with a pinhole and a ruler! All you need to know is some simple geometry and the average distance between the Earth and Sun (or Moon). An easy way to make a pinhole is to cut a square hole (2–3 cm across) in the center of a piece of cardboard. Carefully tape a piece of aluminum foil flat over the hole. Use a sharp pin or needle to poke a tiny hole in the center of the foil. Use the pinhole to project an image of the Sun onto a wall or piece of paper. Use a ruler to measure the diameter of the projected image. Use your knowledge of geometry to prove that you can calculate the diameter of the Sun using the following proportionality:
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Bibliography
UC Regents, 2001. "Finding the Size of the Sun and Moon," The Center for Science Education @ Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley [accessed July 31, 2006] http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/activity_03.html.Variations
- For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Astronomy Project Ideas.
Last edit date: 2006-12-14 13:47:22
Career Focus
If you like this project, you might want to think about career opportunities in
Astronomy.
Astronomers think big! They want to understand the entire universe—the nature of the Sun, Moon, planets, stars, galaxies, and everything in between. An astronomer's work can be pure science—gathering and analyzing data from instruments and creating theories about the nature of cosmic objects—or the work can be applied to practical problems in space flight and navigation, or satellite communications. Learn more about this career: Astronomer.
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