This activity is a reinforcement activity where students will make a flipbook of the lunar phases.

This set of activities is designed to help students develop an understanding of scale/distance and ordering the planets from the sun, understanding Earth's position in the solar system, and developing new ways of determining "order."

This is a classroom activity in which students will observe, question, and investigate the relationship between the sun and the earth and how that relationship causes day and night.

Play a question and answer card game on the solar system and learn about the properties of the Sun and its planets.

This collection includes resources for teaching college-level introductory astronomy courses. The resources include interactive lecture slides, class activities, and projects. Topics include solar system astronomy, stellar astronomy, and galaxies and cosmology. Sample schedules are included for a sequence of three 10-week courses.This collection was created by Andrea Goering (goeringa@lanecc.edu) and Richard Wagner (wagnerr@lanecc.edu), instructors of physics and astronomy at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Development of these resources was funded through LCC's OER Initiative (https://inside.lanecc.edu/oer).

A dynamically simplified solar system is constructed from online data to explore the real solar system on many different scales.

The realistically scaled solar system is surprising because nothing is visible due to the presence of many different scales. That is why it is usually rescaled in animations or illustrations. This is nice but gives us a wrong sense of distances and sizes. This Demonstration is intended to show the solar system's different scales in their full glory.

Since it is hardly possible to see anything when the real scales are used, controls have been added to modify the sizes of the celestial bodies.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"A team of researchers from the US and the UK has launched a mathematical assault on our planet. Using energy calculations, they’ve tasked themselves with determining the ability for life as we know it to make it through a catastrophe of cosmic proportions. It’s the end of the world as we know it. And the verdict is that life will be fine. Just what kind of calamity would it take to wipe out all life? The simplest answer is that, since life as we know it depends on water, the entire ocean would have to boil. Earth’s toughest creature, the tardigrade, can withstand temperatures well above boiling. But it can do so for only a few minutes. So the question now becomes, what cosmic events are cataclysmic enough to vaporize our oceans? Mathematically, it’s an energy problem—to which there are three possible answers. The first is an asteroid impact. Many space objects have struck Earth throughout history. And many still might..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Students are introduced to the International Space Station (ISS) with information about its structure, operation and key experiments. The ISS itself is an experiment in international cooperation to explore the potential for humans to live in space. The space station features state-of-the-art science and engineering laboratories to conduct research in medicine, materials and fundamental science to benefit people on Earth as well as people who will live in space in the future.

This diverse collection of lunar maps was automatically generated from USGS Map-a-Planet data together with IAU lunar feature data. Giant zoomable maps of Earth's Moon are featured.

You can make your own solar system on this website! To create your solar system, you need to add planets, asteroids, and comets. Have fun!

Make your own planet on this website! You can change the color of your planet and add land, water, trees, and weather. You can then name your planet and write a short story about it. For even more fun, compare the planets in our solar system with your planet!

In this activity, learners use food to make simulated regolith (a fine dust that covers the moon) and observe its properties. This activity can be enhanced by sharing the "Health Hazards of Lunar Dust" Podcast with learners (see related resource link). This resource includes background information, instructions, resources and handouts for learners.

Students explore Mars and Jupiter, the fourth and fifth planets from the Sun. They learn some of the unique characteristics of these planets. They also learn how engineers help us learn about these planets with the design and development of telescopes, deep space antennas, spacecraft and planetary rovers.

Students explore Mercury and Venus, the first and second planets nearest the Sun. They learn about the planets' characteristics, including their differences from Earth. Students also learn how engineers are involved in the study of planets by designing equipment and spacecraft to go where it is too dangerous for humans.

Rating: Example of High Quality NGSS Design if Improved

Science Discipline: Earth & Space Sciences, Physical Sciences

Length: Unit

In Investigating Life on the Third Rock, middle school students work to generate and explore the overarching question of “How does the solar system and its objects affect life on Earth?” Students use modeling and argumentation to explore the lesson-level questions: “What properties of the solar system and its objects help explain why Earth can sustain life?” “Does the Moon affect life on Earth?” and “Why do the solar system and its objects move like they do?”

The Mission to Mars curricular unit introduces students to Mars the Red Planet. Students discover why scientists are so interested in studying this mysterious planet. Many interesting facts about Mars are revealed, and the history of Martian exploration is reviewed. Students will learn about the development of robotics and how robots are beneficial to science, society and the exploration of space. Details on engineers' involvement in space exploration are presented. Furthermore, students will learn how orbits allow astronauts to move from planet to planet and what type of equipment is used by scientists and engineers to safely explore space. Lastly, the specific details on and human risks for a possible future manned mission to Mars (and back to Earth again!) are discussed.

The students will discuss, define, and demonstrate the Earth's rotation and revolution around the sun, which models the seasons.

Students learn about the Earth's only natural satellite, the Moon. They discuss the Moon's surface features and human exploration. They also learn about how engineers develop technologies to study and explore the Moon, which also helps us learn more about the Earth.

This video introduces users to Google Earth's exploration of the moon. There are instructions for how to use it and what you can find in it.

The activity is an observational lesson in the phases of the moon with an attached calendar and video links.