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The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science will support Rubin Observatory in its operations phase to carry out the Legacy Survey of Space and Time. They will also provide support for scientific research with the data. During operations, NSF funding is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF, and DOE funding is managed by SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), under contract by DOE. Rubin Observatory is operated by NSF NOIRLab and SLAC.

NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science. NSF supports basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.

The DOE Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

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  1. Education
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  3. Investigations
  4. Exploding Stars
  5. Teacher Guide - Exploding Stars
  6. Next Generation Science Standards

Exploding Stars

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Investigation total duration
2 hours

Teacher Guide - Exploding Stars

  1. Introduction
  2. Where This Fits in Your Teaching
  3. Next Generation Science Standards
  4. Background and Notes
  5. Student Ideas and Questions

Next Generation Science Standards

Science literacy and critical thinking skills

  • Analyzing and interpreting data
  • Using mathematical and computational thinking

Three dimensional lesson summary:

Students identify the types of stars that exploded by their light curves, then fit models to the light curves of some supernovae and measure their peak magnitudes in order to calculate the distances to their host galaxies.


Building towards:

HS-ESS1-1 Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the sun and the role of nuclear fusion in the sun’s core to release energy that eventually reaches Earth in the form of radiation.

HS-ESS1-2 Construct an explanation of the Big Bang theory based on astronomical evidence of light spectra, motion of distant galaxies, and composition of matter in the universe.

HS-ESS1-3 Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars, over their life cycle, produce elements.

Science and Engineering Practices

Developing and Using Models

  • Evaluate merits and limitations of two different models of the same proposed tool, process, mechanism or system in order to select or revise a model that best fits the evidence or design criteria.
  • Use a model (including mathematical and computational) to generate data to solve problems.

  • Students determine the type of supernova by identifying the pattern of its light curve data.
  • Students fit light curve models to data to determine the peak apparent magnitude of a supernova.

Using Mathematical and Computational Thinking

  • Use mathematical, computational, and/or algorithmic representations of phenomena to describe and/or support claims and/or explanations.
  • Apply techniques of algebra and functions to represent and solve scientific problems.

Students use a mathematical representation and an algebraic function to calculate distances to supernovae.

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

  • Analyze data using tools, technologies, and/or models (e.g.,computational, mathematical) in order to make valid and reliable scientific claims.
  • Compare and contrast various types of data sets (e.g., self-generated, archival) to examine consistency of measurements and observations.


  • Students iterate the fitting of model light curves to determine the peak intrinsic brightness of several supernovae.
  • Students compare and contrast their self-generated set of supernovae data with a larger set of known supernovae.

Disciplinary Core Idea

HS-ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars

  • The study of stars’ light spectra and brightness is used to identify compositional elements of stars, their movements, and their distances from Earth.
  • Nuclear fusion within stars releases electromagnetic energy. Heavier elements are produced when certain massive stars achieve a supernova stage and explode.


  • Students analyze the pattern of changes in a supernova’s brightness to determine the type of supernova and its progenitor star.
  • Students use the peak of emitted light (electromagnetic energy) from a supernova explosion to calculate the distance from Earth to the supernova.

Crosscutting Concept

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

The significance of a phenomenon is dependent on the scale, proportion, and quantity at which it occurs.

  • Students learn that stars of different masses achieve different intrinsic peak luminosities when they become a supernova.
  • Students discover that the rate of decline of a Type Ia supernova’s brightness is related to its intrinsic peak luminosity.

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems

  • Science assumes that objects and events in natural systems occur in consistent patterns that are understandable through measurement and observation.
  • Scientific knowledge is based on the assumption that natural laws operate today as they did in the past and they will continue to do so in the future.
  • Science assumes the universe is a vast single system in which basic laws are consistent.

  • Students use the pattern of changes in a supernova’s brightness to determine the type of supernova and its progenitor star.
  • Students make the assumption that regardless of distance from Earth (equivalent to the time of a supernova’s light travel) the pattern of brightness changes in various types of supernova remains constant.
  • Students learn that the pattern of brightness changes and the peak luminosity is dependent on the mass of the progenitor star.

Physics - Earth-Space Science Correlation Table

Are you working on integrating Earth-Space Science standards into your Physics class? Click on the link below and make of a copy of this Google Sheet to search by Performance Expectation (PE), Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI), or Rubin Observatory investigation.

Physics - Earth-Space Science Correlation Table
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