Greg Schwanbeck
@gregschwanbeck.bsky.social
I teach Educational Theory & Practice at MIT and #Physics, #Astronomy, & #EdTech at Westwood High School. Fulbright TGC '17, HGSE '07, dad of 2, lover of puns. http://www.schwanbeck.org #iteachphysics #EDUsky Views my own.
This "Seasons" simulator from EarthSpaceLab.com is a great tool for students to learn about equinoxes/seasons/etc. in an interactive way.
www.earthspacelab.com/app/seasons/ #astronomy #iteachscience #scienceed
www.earthspacelab.com/app/seasons/ #astronomy #iteachscience #scienceed
September 15, 2025 at 2:19 PM
This "Seasons" simulator from EarthSpaceLab.com is a great tool for students to learn about equinoxes/seasons/etc. in an interactive way.
www.earthspacelab.com/app/seasons/ #astronomy #iteachscience #scienceed
www.earthspacelab.com/app/seasons/ #astronomy #iteachscience #scienceed
At the rate #AI is advancing, you can never be too careful. That's why I made these printable CAPTCHAs for folks to pass before our meeting starts.
September 9, 2025 at 3:06 PM
At the rate #AI is advancing, you can never be too careful. That's why I made these printable CAPTCHAs for folks to pass before our meeting starts.
First day of #Astronomy class! The tagline for my course is "By better understanding our #universe we can better understand our place within it... and ourselves."
(We'll revisit this slide throughout the course, revealing later on that the period after "ourselves" is the Earth)
#space #palebluedot
(We'll revisit this slide throughout the course, revealing later on that the period after "ourselves" is the Earth)
#space #palebluedot
August 27, 2025 at 12:55 PM
First day of #Astronomy class! The tagline for my course is "By better understanding our #universe we can better understand our place within it... and ourselves."
(We'll revisit this slide throughout the course, revealing later on that the period after "ourselves" is the Earth)
#space #palebluedot
(We'll revisit this slide throughout the course, revealing later on that the period after "ourselves" is the Earth)
#space #palebluedot
New graph puts death risk from asteroid impact in context with other dangerous events.
I’ve long taught my #astronomy students their odds of #death by #asteroid are surprisingly high—rare event, but huge toll. Now I can include quantitative info!
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
#science #space
I’ve long taught my #astronomy students their odds of #death by #asteroid are surprisingly high—rare event, but huge toll. Now I can include quantitative info!
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
#science #space
August 14, 2025 at 11:53 AM
New graph puts death risk from asteroid impact in context with other dangerous events.
I’ve long taught my #astronomy students their odds of #death by #asteroid are surprisingly high—rare event, but huge toll. Now I can include quantitative info!
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
#science #space
I’ve long taught my #astronomy students their odds of #death by #asteroid are surprisingly high—rare event, but huge toll. Now I can include quantitative info!
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
#science #space
"What would happen if you ate a small black hole, like, with an even horizon the size of an M&M?"
A creative question from an #Astronomy student in class today.
We talked about why this wouldn't be possible, but then discussed hypothetically:
A creative question from an #Astronomy student in class today.
We talked about why this wouldn't be possible, but then discussed hypothetically:
May 14, 2025 at 4:06 PM
"What would happen if you ate a small black hole, like, with an even horizon the size of an M&M?"
A creative question from an #Astronomy student in class today.
We talked about why this wouldn't be possible, but then discussed hypothetically:
A creative question from an #Astronomy student in class today.
We talked about why this wouldn't be possible, but then discussed hypothetically:
I'm teaching Law of Reflection in Conceptual #Physics & realized I don't have a good understanding of *why* light follows the law. That is, I can explain why θi=θr for a basketball bounce pass w/ Newtonian mech, but I don't have an equivalent explanation for light. Anyone have a good one to share?
April 17, 2025 at 12:51 PM
I'm teaching Law of Reflection in Conceptual #Physics & realized I don't have a good understanding of *why* light follows the law. That is, I can explain why θi=θr for a basketball bounce pass w/ Newtonian mech, but I don't have an equivalent explanation for light. Anyone have a good one to share?
I created this free game for my #astronomy students to get a sense of relative sizes of solar system objects.
Adjust moon/planet/comet/etc. sizes, lock in guess, & score accuracy points!
Made entirely with #AI
Would love your feedback
gregschwanbeck.github.io/scale-game/
#AIEDU #EduSKY #edchat
Adjust moon/planet/comet/etc. sizes, lock in guess, & score accuracy points!
Made entirely with #AI
Would love your feedback
gregschwanbeck.github.io/scale-game/
#AIEDU #EduSKY #edchat
April 11, 2025 at 4:10 PM
I created this free game for my #astronomy students to get a sense of relative sizes of solar system objects.
Adjust moon/planet/comet/etc. sizes, lock in guess, & score accuracy points!
Made entirely with #AI
Would love your feedback
gregschwanbeck.github.io/scale-game/
#AIEDU #EduSKY #edchat
Adjust moon/planet/comet/etc. sizes, lock in guess, & score accuracy points!
Made entirely with #AI
Would love your feedback
gregschwanbeck.github.io/scale-game/
#AIEDU #EduSKY #edchat
This spinning wine glass would make a pretty cool rotational motion demo for #physics classes.
#iteachphysics
#iteachphysics
March 5, 2025 at 3:07 PM
This spinning wine glass would make a pretty cool rotational motion demo for #physics classes.
#iteachphysics
#iteachphysics
Beautiful quote from #Astronaut William Anders about the famous "Earthrise" photograph that he took during #Apollo 8.
#Earth #Space #Astronomy #NASA
#Earth #Space #Astronomy #NASA
February 14, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Beautiful quote from #Astronaut William Anders about the famous "Earthrise" photograph that he took during #Apollo 8.
#Earth #Space #Astronomy #NASA
#Earth #Space #Astronomy #NASA
Cool animation shows the relative rotation speeds/periods/directions of our 8 planets.
#space #astronomy #nasa #iteachastro #geology
#space #astronomy #nasa #iteachastro #geology
February 13, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Cool animation shows the relative rotation speeds/periods/directions of our 8 planets.
#space #astronomy #nasa #iteachastro #geology
#space #astronomy #nasa #iteachastro #geology
View of our #ocean planet in the "rear view mirror" of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spacecraft.
Blue Ghost Mission 1 ( #BGM1 ) is part of #NASA 's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. It'll land on the #Moon on 3/2.
More info here: fireflyspace.com/news/blue-gh...
#space #astronomy #earth
Blue Ghost Mission 1 ( #BGM1 ) is part of #NASA 's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. It'll land on the #Moon on 3/2.
More info here: fireflyspace.com/news/blue-gh...
#space #astronomy #earth
February 12, 2025 at 12:21 PM
View of our #ocean planet in the "rear view mirror" of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spacecraft.
Blue Ghost Mission 1 ( #BGM1 ) is part of #NASA 's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. It'll land on the #Moon on 3/2.
More info here: fireflyspace.com/news/blue-gh...
#space #astronomy #earth
Blue Ghost Mission 1 ( #BGM1 ) is part of #NASA 's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. It'll land on the #Moon on 3/2.
More info here: fireflyspace.com/news/blue-gh...
#space #astronomy #earth
Cool visualizer by @ssaltman.bsky.social maps habitable-zone #exoplanets within the sphere of humanity's radio signal influence.
Includes an "earliest reply date" in case anyone on #exoplanet is listening...
booksandstuff.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/index3.html
#astronomy #space #nasa #iteachastro
Includes an "earliest reply date" in case anyone on #exoplanet is listening...
booksandstuff.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/index3.html
#astronomy #space #nasa #iteachastro
February 11, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Cool visualizer by @ssaltman.bsky.social maps habitable-zone #exoplanets within the sphere of humanity's radio signal influence.
Includes an "earliest reply date" in case anyone on #exoplanet is listening...
booksandstuff.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/index3.html
#astronomy #space #nasa #iteachastro
Includes an "earliest reply date" in case anyone on #exoplanet is listening...
booksandstuff.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/index3.html
#astronomy #space #nasa #iteachastro
I think it might have to do w/ the weight of the water causing the card to "sag," reducing the pressure inside the mug. That is to ask, is it *just* the airtight seal on the rim of the cup? Or is the flexibility of the card also a factor? Would a rigid card stick better/worse/same as a flexible one?
February 7, 2025 at 2:58 PM
I think it might have to do w/ the weight of the water causing the card to "sag," reducing the pressure inside the mug. That is to ask, is it *just* the airtight seal on the rim of the cup? Or is the flexibility of the card also a factor? Would a rigid card stick better/worse/same as a flexible one?
Soda cans are 94% #soda and 6% can.
The #SpaceShuttle external fuel tank was 96% propellant & 4% "can."
Amazing that something so large could have such an efficient weight-to-capacity ratio... while also holding cryogenic fuels at 20 K & 60 psi, experiencing 3gs!
#science #astronomy #space #NASA
The #SpaceShuttle external fuel tank was 96% propellant & 4% "can."
Amazing that something so large could have such an efficient weight-to-capacity ratio... while also holding cryogenic fuels at 20 K & 60 psi, experiencing 3gs!
#science #astronomy #space #NASA
February 4, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Soda cans are 94% #soda and 6% can.
The #SpaceShuttle external fuel tank was 96% propellant & 4% "can."
Amazing that something so large could have such an efficient weight-to-capacity ratio... while also holding cryogenic fuels at 20 K & 60 psi, experiencing 3gs!
#science #astronomy #space #NASA
The #SpaceShuttle external fuel tank was 96% propellant & 4% "can."
Amazing that something so large could have such an efficient weight-to-capacity ratio... while also holding cryogenic fuels at 20 K & 60 psi, experiencing 3gs!
#science #astronomy #space #NASA
February 3, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Made this for my #Astronomy class to convey size of the Green Bank Observatory, the world's largest fully-steerable radio #telescope.
Used to use a pic w/ Statue of Liberty, but who has a sense of its size? My #Boston area students all have size sense of #Bruins #Celtics home though #space #science
Used to use a pic w/ Statue of Liberty, but who has a sense of its size? My #Boston area students all have size sense of #Bruins #Celtics home though #space #science
February 2, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Made this for my #Astronomy class to convey size of the Green Bank Observatory, the world's largest fully-steerable radio #telescope.
Used to use a pic w/ Statue of Liberty, but who has a sense of its size? My #Boston area students all have size sense of #Bruins #Celtics home though #space #science
Used to use a pic w/ Statue of Liberty, but who has a sense of its size? My #Boston area students all have size sense of #Bruins #Celtics home though #space #science
Here it is as a video with sound if you want more Rick Astronomley in your life.
January 31, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Here it is as a video with sound if you want more Rick Astronomley in your life.
I made this graphic to help my #astronomy students visualize roughly how fast the New Horizons #spacecraft was traveling for most of its journey to #Pluto.
It's currently 61 AU away from Earth (17 light-hours), deep in the Kuiper Belt.
Inspired by @xkcd.com!
#nasa #space #iteachastro #physics
It's currently 61 AU away from Earth (17 light-hours), deep in the Kuiper Belt.
Inspired by @xkcd.com!
#nasa #space #iteachastro #physics
January 31, 2025 at 1:46 PM
I made this graphic to help my #astronomy students visualize roughly how fast the New Horizons #spacecraft was traveling for most of its journey to #Pluto.
It's currently 61 AU away from Earth (17 light-hours), deep in the Kuiper Belt.
Inspired by @xkcd.com!
#nasa #space #iteachastro #physics
It's currently 61 AU away from Earth (17 light-hours), deep in the Kuiper Belt.
Inspired by @xkcd.com!
#nasa #space #iteachastro #physics
A scale-of-our-universe fact to consider during breakfast this morning:
If the #galaxy were the size of a frozen waffle, the #Earth would be roughly the size of a proton within it.
#astronomy #space #science
If the #galaxy were the size of a frozen waffle, the #Earth would be roughly the size of a proton within it.
#astronomy #space #science
January 30, 2025 at 12:33 PM
A scale-of-our-universe fact to consider during breakfast this morning:
If the #galaxy were the size of a frozen waffle, the #Earth would be roughly the size of a proton within it.
#astronomy #space #science
If the #galaxy were the size of a frozen waffle, the #Earth would be roughly the size of a proton within it.
#astronomy #space #science
Yesterday the #Commanders were warned that the #Eagles would be awarded a touchdown if they kept jumping offsides at the goal line. This is too bad; only a few more "half the distance to the goal line" penalties and we'd have gotten to see the refs break out the micrometers. #NFL #physics #math
January 27, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Yesterday the #Commanders were warned that the #Eagles would be awarded a touchdown if they kept jumping offsides at the goal line. This is too bad; only a few more "half the distance to the goal line" penalties and we'd have gotten to see the refs break out the micrometers. #NFL #physics #math
Terrific new buoyancy simulation from PhET has just been released. Tons of new features and lots of different possibilities for virtual labs with students.
phet.colorado.edu/en/simulatio...
#iTeachPhysics #EduSky #Physics #PhET
phet.colorado.edu/en/simulatio...
#iTeachPhysics #EduSky #Physics #PhET
December 16, 2024 at 1:21 PM
Terrific new buoyancy simulation from PhET has just been released. Tons of new features and lots of different possibilities for virtual labs with students.
phet.colorado.edu/en/simulatio...
#iTeachPhysics #EduSky #Physics #PhET
phet.colorado.edu/en/simulatio...
#iTeachPhysics #EduSky #Physics #PhET
Hi friends! I'm teaching a 10-hour professional development course on #GenerativeAI in #Education this January. The course description and outcomes are below...
What should I be sure to include? What should I be sure NOT to include? Would love to hear #EduSky's thoughts.
#EdChat #EdTech #AI
What should I be sure to include? What should I be sure NOT to include? Would love to hear #EduSky's thoughts.
#EdChat #EdTech #AI
December 9, 2024 at 6:13 PM
Hi friends! I'm teaching a 10-hour professional development course on #GenerativeAI in #Education this January. The course description and outcomes are below...
What should I be sure to include? What should I be sure NOT to include? Would love to hear #EduSky's thoughts.
#EdChat #EdTech #AI
What should I be sure to include? What should I be sure NOT to include? Would love to hear #EduSky's thoughts.
#EdChat #EdTech #AI
Today's Physics Problem of the Day is also an #astronomy problem of the day!
The "transit method" is one of several ways astronomers find #exoplanets. The #physics & #math involved is at a level suitable for high school.
#physicsPOTD #iteachphysics #edusky
The "transit method" is one of several ways astronomers find #exoplanets. The #physics & #math involved is at a level suitable for high school.
#physicsPOTD #iteachphysics #edusky
November 20, 2024 at 5:37 PM
Today's Physics Problem of the Day is also an #astronomy problem of the day!
The "transit method" is one of several ways astronomers find #exoplanets. The #physics & #math involved is at a level suitable for high school.
#physicsPOTD #iteachphysics #edusky
The "transit method" is one of several ways astronomers find #exoplanets. The #physics & #math involved is at a level suitable for high school.
#physicsPOTD #iteachphysics #edusky
"Bed of Nails" stunt from #Physics class today.
A pair of beds of nails makes learning about free body diagrams more fun. I lay between and a student stands on top.
Both beds have the same # of nails, but the bottom bed is more densely packed. We discuss why using FBDs.
#iteachphysics #edusky
A pair of beds of nails makes learning about free body diagrams more fun. I lay between and a student stands on top.
Both beds have the same # of nails, but the bottom bed is more densely packed. We discuss why using FBDs.
#iteachphysics #edusky
November 19, 2024 at 5:03 PM
"Bed of Nails" stunt from #Physics class today.
A pair of beds of nails makes learning about free body diagrams more fun. I lay between and a student stands on top.
Both beds have the same # of nails, but the bottom bed is more densely packed. We discuss why using FBDs.
#iteachphysics #edusky
A pair of beds of nails makes learning about free body diagrams more fun. I lay between and a student stands on top.
Both beds have the same # of nails, but the bottom bed is more densely packed. We discuss why using FBDs.
#iteachphysics #edusky