In this Science Case, students will classify galaxies based on their appearance using images from ground-based telescopes and space missions. By the end of the activity, they will have learned about the structure of galaxies and how to extract information from the inspection and comparison of astronomical images.
Students make use of the ESASky tool to inspect the shape of galaxies and classify them according to the Hubble Tuning Fork, a classification scheme used by astronomers. The different populations of stars within the galaxies are also investigated. Then, the door is open for students to continue exploring on their own.
ESASky is a science-driven discovery portal providing access to the full sky as observed by space astronomy missions from ESA and other agencies, very visual and easy to use, and that requires no previous knowledge of the mission or data.
This interactive science case could be complemented with the following activities in El Planetario:
