Skip to main content

Exploring the Universe: Filtered Light

In this activity, learners discover how colored filters can help reveal more about an image and we can use light and filters to learn more about an object.

DESCRIPTION

"Exploring the Universe: Filtered Light" demonstrates how scientists can use telescopes and other tools to capture and filter different energies of light to study the universe. Most objects in the universe are so distant from us that we can only study them through light. Filters allow us to block some energy levels of light and isolate others; each energy of light can offer new information about the object of study. In "Filtered Light," participants discover how colored filters can help reveal more about an image. They can also make and study colorful images of their own.

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES
  • A family looks at an image through a blue filter
  • With help of a facilitator, a learner uses a blue filter to reveal a hidden image
  • A facilitator and learner use a color filter film on an image
  • Group of learners use blue and red filters to examine photos of different nebula
  • A facilitator and learner use a color filter to take a closer look at an image
  • A family looks at an image through a blue filter
  • With help of a facilitator, a learner uses a blue filter to reveal a hidden image
  • A facilitator and learner use a color filter film on an image
  • Group of learners use blue and red filters to examine photos of different nebula
  • A facilitator and learner use a color filter to take a closer look at an image

DESCRIPTION

"Exploring the Universe: Filtered Light" demonstrates how scientists can use telescopes and other tools to capture and filter different energies of light to study the universe. Most objects in the universe are so distant from us that we can only study them through light. Filters allow us to block some energy levels of light and isolate others; each energy of light can offer new information about the object of study. In "Filtered Light," participants discover how colored filters can help reveal more about an image. They can also make and study colorful images of their own.

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES

TRAINING VIDEOS

OBJECTIVES

LEARNING GOALS

  • • Astronomers use light from distant objects to make observations about the universe.

    • Filters block certain energy levels of light while allowing others to pass through.

    • NASA scientists use telescopes and other instruments to capture and filter different energies of light.

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2018
OWNING INSTITUTION

The Science Museum of Minnesota

FUNDING

This material is based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC67A. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
View more details

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.