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Public Universe

University teaching and independent study

Astronomy for higher education

Work with real catalogue data, question its limits and make a scientific argument someone else can check. These free undergraduate activities suit tutorials, practical classes and independent study.

Choose an activity

Undergraduate · Year 1 60–90 minutes

Kepler’s law: fit, residuals and uncertainty

Use the eight planets to test a power law, then distinguish a close numerical fit from an independent experimental test.

Before you start: Logarithms, straight-line fitting and a spreadsheet or Python notebook.

  • Fit and interpret a power law using dimensionless ratios.
  • Diagnose residuals and shared assumptions in derived data.
  • State what uncertainty information is missing before drawing a conclusion.
Open printable handout : Kepler’s law: fit, residuals and uncertainty Open the planet catalogue
Assignment and assessment

Submit the source table, one labelled log plot, a residual plot, and a 200-word interpretation separating model assumptions, numerical agreement and measurement uncertainty.

  • Correct units, transformations and labelled plots.
  • A reproducible source table and stated fitting convention.
  • An explanation of correlated or derived quantities and why residuals alone do not establish significance.
Undergraduate · Years 1–2 90–120 minutes

Which planets do our surveys find?

Compare transit and radial-velocity discoveries while keeping selection effects, missing values and mass conventions visible.

Before you start: Summary statistics, logarithmic axes and a spreadsheet or Python notebook.

  • Define a repeatable selection before looking at outcomes.
  • Report missingness and limits separately from measured values.
  • Distinguish a discovery sample from an occurrence-rate estimate.
Open printable handout : Which planets do our surveys find? Explore the exoplanet catalogue
Assignment and assessment

Submit a frozen selection table, a missingness/limit count table, one labelled comparison plot and a 250-word argument stating what the sample can and cannot establish.

  • A selection another student can reproduce, with counts before and after exclusions.
  • Correct units, treatment of limits and readable plots.
  • A clear distinction between catalogue demographics and occurrence rates.
Undergraduate · Years 2–3 60–90 minutes

From catalogue value to reproducible claim

Follow one exoplanet measurement to its reference and build a small evidence package that a partner can independently audit.

Before you start: Reading a scientific paper and basic uncertainty notation. Coding is optional.

  • Trace a measurement through its catalogue and literature reference.
  • Distinguish retrieval time, publication date and observation epoch.
  • Preserve enough evidence to reproduce a narrowly stated scientific claim.
Open printable handout : From catalogue value to reproducible claim Choose an exoplanet
Assignment and assessment

Submit the claim, a two-measurement provenance table, the small evidence package and a short peer audit identifying at least one limitation or unresolved assumption.

  • Traceable references for each quantity, including units and uncertainty conventions.
  • A preserved input and documented procedure that a partner can follow.
  • An honest distinction between reproducibility, source agreement and validity.

Teaching with the data

Each handout includes a student worksheet, teaching notes, assessment criteria and primary-source references. Open it and use your browser’s Print command to print or Save as PDF. The print layout supports A4; teaching notes begin on a separate page.

Students do not need an account or a telescope. A browser and a spreadsheet are enough to begin; the API offers a route into Python or other research tools. The activities are suggested teaching materials, not an accredited course.

Catalogue values and coverage change. Preserve the selected rows, date, filters and source references for each class. Missing values are not zero, limits are not exact measurements, and a discovery catalogue is not a complete census.

Use the original studies for scientific claims and check each source’s reuse terms. You can adapt these activity instructions under the site repository’s MIT licence; source data and third-party material retain their own terms.

Further resources