Weird and wonderful galaxies

Suitable for Year Levels 9 and 10

The Zooniverse website is the world’s largest platform for people-powered research. Anyone can volunteer and contribute to research that can lead to new discoveries and useful datasets that can be used by the community and contribute to many publications. You don’t need any specialised background or training. By answering simple questions, you can help contribute to our understanding of our world, our history, our Universe, and more.

1. Complete the tutorial before you begin to classify galaxies. This will only take you a few minutes.
2. Contribute to the research by providing information about at least 8 galaxies.

Watch the following two videos that show how space is expanding between galaxies

1. Research the difference between the discoveries made by Edwin Hubble (with Milton Humans’ and Henrietta Leavitt’s assistance), Vesto Slipher and Brian Schmidt and his team and explain how these discoveries enhanced our understanding of the expanding universe.
2. Explain the Big Bang theory and find out what evidence exists to support it.
3. Using an elastic ribbon or exercise band (approximately 2m long), a stapler, a tape measure and stickers or markers (representing galaxies), design a demonstration that models the expansion of space in one dimension. The demonstration should show how galaxies moving further away from us appear to be moving faster than those closer to us. Demonstrate that this happens no matter which galaxy you measure from. (Hint: Choose a galaxy to measure from and hold it down while two other people pull on each end of the elastic.)