A second on-line activity allowed schools to collect and report temperature, one of the factors which drives cloud systems. Weather is created when heat from the sun or the deep interior of a planet wells up through the planet's atmosphere. A few of the Activities in the Teacher's Guide give your students the opportunity to compare satellite images of the weather on Earth with spacecraft images of the weather on other worlds. In this on-line Activity, students were called upon to observe the Earth's weather from the surface of our planet every day for a week. In making these observations, we recommend the following procedures and advice.
Wind speed is measured with an instrument called an anemometer.
One PTK teacher recommends checking books to be found in school or local libraries to see how a simple anemometer can be made from ping-pong balls. You or your colleagues may already have similar ingenious ideas. If winds are gusty, an average of several readings taken over the course of a few minutes should be made. Wind direction is measured with a wind vane. If one is not available atop your school, or a local church or city building, determine the wind direction by tying a lightweight streamer to the end of a long pole.