Your students can now determine the luminosity of the sun using a 200-watt light bulb. They can explore the relationship between the apparent brightness of a luminous object and the distance to the object. Using a null photometer constructed from paraffin and aluminum foil, a student can compare two light sources to determine the luminosity of — or the distance to — one of the sources. The photometer is then used to compare a 200-watt light bulb with the sun to estimate the sun’s luminosity. The kit also contains a 1-foot length of .01-inch optical fiber that, when taped to a flashlight, becomes an "artificial star." With an output of one-millionth of a watt, this small source of light is compared to a star in the sky and the distance to the star can be estimated. The kit contains: 10 paraffin blocks
• 10 foot-long pieces of optical fiber
• 1 200-watt lamp
• 1 lampholder
• 20 rubber bands
• 1 flashlight with batteries
• 1 25’ roll of aluminium foil
• 1 set of instructions & activities.