Astronomy
Astronomy
October 20 – Astronomy Day . On Astronomy Day, thousands of people who have never looked through a telescope will have an opportunity to see first hand what has so many amateur and professional astronomers all excited. Astronomy clubs, science museums, observatories, universities, planetariums, laboratories, libraries, and nature centers host special events and activities to acquaint their population with local astronomical resources and facilities. Find out the upcoming events near you. Odyssey On-Line has lots of great astronomy features.
March 29, 2006 – Sun-Earth Day THEME: Eclipse: In a Different Light. How eclipses have inspired people to observe and understand the Sun-Earth-Moon system. Join in an extraordinary journey of exploration, discovery and understanding as they prepare for a total solar eclipse on March 29, 2006.
Astronomy Magazine Feature articles, news and kids’ section.
Earth and Moon Viewer See a map of the Earth showing the day and night regions at this moment, or view the Earth from the Sun, the Moon, the night side of the Earth, above any location on the planet specified by latitude, longitude and altitude, from a satellite in Earth orbit, or above various cities around the globe.
Earth Observing System has educational publications as well as their EOS Science Poster Series. EOS will enable an improved understanding of the Earth as an integrated system. Lithographs, fact sheets and posters.
Stargazer PBS’s weekly television series on naked eye astronomy. Each weekly episode features selected objects for viewing for the following week.
HubbleSite News Center All Hubble pictures and news, from the latest discoveries to the earliest images.
Lakota Star Knowledge introduces Hills of Home in Night Sky. Star and Black Hills maps; table of constellation names, Western star names too for using current astronomy materials.
Mars Exploration Rover Mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. Mars is 170 million kilometers (106 million miles) away from Earth today, a distance that takes nearly 10 minutes for radio signals to cross at the speed of light. Mission to Mars has images, at-home experiments for kids and lesson plans to compliment details of mission goals and payload.
Nine Planets is an overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in our solar system.
Project Gallileo – September 21, 2003, the Galileo Space Probe, which had been orbiting Jupiter for nearly eight years, plummeted fatefully into the crushing pressures and searing heat of that planet’s interior. In a mission spanning three decades, the Galileo space probe has answered many of humanity’s questions about space and presented us with the knowledge to ask many more.
Challenger Center for Space Science Education Imaginative activities to get your children excited about astronomy. Designed by the Challenger Center, they’re free to download and use for educational purposes. Build and explore a 1:10 billion scale model of our solar system, create a space exploration timeline and more. Files are in PDF format.
Watch the first Space Shuttle launch and land on the 40th anniversary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvKvbr8p0No
Star Child is a learning center for young astronomers with novice level 1 and intermediate level 2.
Astronomy Poems
My Rocket Ship
Put on your space helmet
Put on your space suit
Strap an oxygen tank to your back.
We’ll take a trip in my space ship
To the moon and back.
Five, four, three, two, one. Blast off! Zip!
Moon
Moon, so round and yellow
Looking from on high.
How I love to see you
Shining in the sky.
Solar System
Ideas and activities to learn about the Solar System
Make a Solar System Crayon Resist where you use crayon drawings of the solar system and paint with black watercolor over to reveal what you’ve drawn.
https://artsomeelementaryart.blogspot.com/2014/05/3rd-grade-solar-system-watercolor.html
Crayon Resist with Watercolor Art Lesson
Make Stars using Gold glitter and glue
https://www.pineandprospecthome.com/simple-diy-christmas-stars/
Glitter your Milky Way
https://astroedu.iau.org/en/activities/glitter-your-milky-way/
Create a booklet with a page for each planet. Include in your booklet:
Miles from Sun
Revolution
Nickname
Temperature
Moons
The Planets (plus the Dwarf Planet Pluto)
https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/index.shtml
Solar System model on a city map. Students will understand the scale of Solar System in terms of relatively well-known sizes and distances on Earth.
https://astroedu.iau.org/en/activities/solar-system-model-on-a-city-map/
Where Does the Solar System End?
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/oort-cloud/en/
Space Experiments
Experiments
Galileo was probably the first to look closely at the way objects fell down to Earth. He demonstrated, contrary to some ancient claims, that heavy and light objects fell at the same rate. Do your own experiment with gravity similar to that of Galileo’s using fishing line and lead weights.
Space Games
Space Games
The Chandra X-ray Observatory has been NASA’s flagship mission for X-ray astronomy. They have a few printable games including mazes, crosswords and a 24-page coloring and activity book with general information on X-ray astronomy, Chandra and the STS-93 mission. It also includes black holes, supernovas, galaxy clusters.
Space Music
Space Music
Have you ever wondered what the Sun would sound like if you could hear it? Hear the Sun Sing.
Space News
Headlines. View this year’s headlining science news from NASA.
Eclipse
Eclipse
What is an eclipse of the Moon? What causes eclipses and why? How often do eclipses happen and when is the next eclipse of the Moon? You’ll learn the answers to these questions and more in Lunar Eclipses for Beginners. For upcoming eclipses and planetary transits, see the Eclipse Home Page. Lunar eclipse information from Jack Horkheimer’s website (via Internet Wayback Machine) JackStargazer. You can watch a guest host Dean Regas on a short 5 minute video Jack Horkheimer Star Gazer Dec.13-19, 2010 discussing a total lunar eclipse. Do you need eye protection to see a lunar eclipse? No. Eye protection is needed for solar eclipses. What’s the Difference Between a Solar and Lunar Eclipse? Could you tell them apart? Watch this episode of Physics Girl to test your eclipse knowledge! What kind of equipment do you need to watch a solar eclipse and do you also need it for a lunar eclipse? Learn the difference and explore tips on the tools you’ll need to best experience with this video from Crash Course Astronomy. What happens when the Sun, Moon, and Earth all align? A solar eclipse! Solar eclipses are not uncommon, some towns and cities across the United States will be treated to a rare total solar eclipse. A moment of totality won’t happen again until Monday, April 8, 2024. Where and when from NASA https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/
Space Book Suggestions
Book Suggestions
Astronomy for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiment That Really Work, by Janice VanCleave. Using common down-to-earth objects, these out-of-this-world experiments will help your kids discover the scientific principles behind the sun, moon, stars, and planets. Each pretested step-by-step activity includes a list of materials, expected results, and a clear explanation. Ages 8 to 12.
Space Calendar of Events
Calendar of Events
Days of Air & Space Calendar searches by month or date.
The Solar System Ambassador Program lists an event calendar. Check for events near you! For details about a specific event, contact the Ambassador directly.
The Space Calendar covers space-related activities and anniversaries for the coming year. Included are over 1,200 links to related home pages.
Asteroids
Asteroids
Asteroids are made up of rock and iron like the four planets closest to our Sun. Juno, the third asteroid ever discovered, September 1, 1804, was first spotted by astronomers early in the 19th century. It orbits the Sun with thousands of other bits of space rock in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. One of the largest asteroids, at a size of 150 miles across, Juno essentially is a leftover building block of the solar system. Learn more about asteroids.