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published by
the American Association for the Advancement of Science
This item is a standards-based lesson plan for grades 6-8 on the nature of light. It provides a detailed blueprint for reproducing the historical experiment in which William Herschel "accidentally" discovered infrared radiation in 1800. Students build their own observational device out of a cardboard box and a prism, then use thermometers to measure temperatures at various locations along the spectrum they observe.
The lesson promotes early understanding that there is radiation other than visible light being emitted from the sun, and also gives them authentic experience in the scientific process. The resource includes warm-up questions, a reproducible student lab guide, assessments with answer keys, and plentiful teaching tips. This item is part of a larger collection of lessons, all of which are aligned with specific AAAS Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy.
NSES Content Standards
Con.A: Science as Inquiry
ComPADRE is beta testing Citation Styles!
![]() <a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=9107">American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, January 31, 2009.</a>
![]() (American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC, 2004), WWW Document, (http://web.archive.org/web/20200214155740/http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/).
![]() Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment (American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC, 2004), <http://web.archive.org/web/20200214155740/http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/>.
![]() Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment. (2009, January 31). Retrieved May 1, 2025, from American Association for the Advancement of Science: http://web.archive.org/web/20200214155740/http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/
![]() American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, January 31, 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20200214155740/http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/ (accessed 1 May 2025).
![]() Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2004. 31 Jan. 2009. 1 May 2025 <http://web.archive.org/web/20200214155740/http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/>.
![]() @misc{
Title = {Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment},
Publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
Volume = {2025},
Number = {1 May 2025},
Month = {January 31, 2009},
Year = {2004}
}
![]() %T Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment %D January 31, 2009 %I American Association for the Advancement of Science %C Washington, DC %U http://web.archive.org/web/20200214155740/http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/ %O text/html ![]() %0 Electronic Source %D January 31, 2009 %T Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment %I American Association for the Advancement of Science %V 2025 %N 1 May 2025 %8 January 31, 2009 %9 text/html %U http://web.archive.org/web/20200214155740/http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/ Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
Citation Source Information
The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. This resource is stored in 5 shared folders. You must login to access shared folders. Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment:
Covers the Same Topic As
PBS Learning Media: Infrared Gallery
A high-quality set of interactive Flash images produced with infrared photography. The photographic technique allows users to "see" the heat radiated by each object. relation by Caroline Hall
Is Supplemented By
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/timeline/people/herschel.html
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