- 1Space Environment and Radio Engineering (SERENE) research group, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom of Great Britain – England, Scotland, Wales (a.wood.1@bham.ac.uk)
- 2Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK
The Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) is one of the most advanced radio telescopes in the world. When radio waves from a distant astronomical source pass through the Earth’s upper atmosphere, plasma structures act as lenses. The refraction of these radio waves, and their subsequent interference, significantly affects the received signal. Activities have been developed for secondary school students aged between 16-18 based on these observations.
Students are given research data from LOFAR and work in groups to interpret these observations, drawing on material from both geometric optics and astronomy. They are also introduced to key research skills, such as how to create a numerical definition of a phenomena which is clear, rigorous and well-documented. These activities were developed with reference to the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Exam Board A-level Physics Specification in the UK. They have been trialed and refined in a secondary school, are now made available to the wider community.
How to cite: Wood, A., Dorrian, G., Boyde, B., and Fallows, R.: Radio Astronomy, the Earth’s Atmosphere and Geometric Optics: A Hands-On Activity for Secondary School Students, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-8917, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-8917, 2025.
