Looking to improve astronomy in the classroom, the Lego Ninjas submitted their prototype for a dual-head teaching telescope to the FLL Global Innovation competition. According to these students, the challenge teachers face with traditional telescopes is that the world doesn’t stop moving.
If the teacher looks through the telescope, centers an object, then backs away and gives time for other students to view, the Earth’s rotation causes the object to drift out of view. So, how do we improve this? The Lego Ninjas proudly presented the competition with their idea for a Dual-head Teaching Telescope.
The Dual-head Teaching Telescope uses a beam splitter to break the light within the telescope into two pieces, allowing simultaneous viewing from different lenses. This allows the teacher and student to see the same object at the same time and discuss them while they’re viewing. The team worked on its invention and created four prototypes, one of which included the use of a TravelScope 70 donated by Celestron. Through trial and error, the team proved that the idea was indeed viable for classroom use.
The Lego Ninjas are currently awaiting the results of the FLL Global Innovations competition. So far, they’ve won the Project Innovative Solution Award at the LEGO League (FLL) Championship Tournament and also at the central event in Illinois. We’re excited to track the progress of these bright students and look forward to the final results of the competition coming soon!
