Grade Nine Program

The grade nine program is offered during the day or the evening. We explore the space exploration through the lens of a working observatory. Students have the opportunity to learn about curriculum topics but also the research conducted at the observatory.  The program includes a triangulation exercise which covers spatial, numeric and logic skills. A presentation brings the activity together with stellar parallax and how to make distance measurements in space. We also cover an introduction to spectroscopy and how it informs astronomers on the composition and nature of objects in space. If the sky is clear, we can observe the sun in day and the night sky in the evening. We tour the observatory and discuss our research as it fits with the grade nine curriculum along with current research initiatives. Students are encouraged to share their big astrophysics questions and learn how astronomers here in Calgary are adding to our understanding of space.

Please see booking information for details on programs including cost, class size and how to visit the observatory.

Contact us if you wish to book a program or have any questions

Curriculum Connections – Grade Nine

Investigate and describe ways that human understanding of Earth and space has depended on technological development

• Telescope design and research outcomes at the RAO
• Spectroscopy and its application in astrophysics

Investigate and illustrate the contributions of technological advances—including optical telescopes, spectral analysis and space travel—to a scientific understanding of space

• Describe and apply techniques for determining the position and motion of objects in space,
• Scale Diagrams linked to grade nine mathematics, shape and space
• Angles linked to grade six mathematics, shape and space

We would also be happy to cover a specific curriculum topic upon request.