Earth Science: Geology, the Environment, and the Universe

Chapter 28: The Sun-Earth-Moon System

Problem of the Week

The Eyes Have It

The telescope is an important tool in an astronomer’s work. Its similarities to the human eye are usually apparent to students as they examine both the eye and the telescope.

Most students will answer that the refracting telescope is more similar to the human eye. Their analogies should be based on the function of each part of the telescope as shown and described in the text and for the eye as shown and described in the referenced Web sites.

Forming an analogy may be a new skill for some students. Accept any reasonable analogy. Have students explain their analogies to the class. Determine how many other students made a similar analogy for the same part of a telescope.