Unit Plan
Harvard University

Chandra X Ray Observatory: Video Podcasts: The Incredible Two Inch Universe

For Students 9th - 10th
A set of podcasts outlining a four-step process for understanding the vastness of our universe, from the vicinity of the Earth and Moon, out into distant galaxies. Downloadable instructions and a handout are included, as well as...
Website
NASA

Nasa: Imagine the Universe: Fa Qs on Quasars

For Students 9th - 10th
A list of answers to many questions related to quasars and active galaxies.
Website
Other

An Atlas of the Universe

For Students 9th - 10th
What does the universe look like? This website offers visitors a collection of images that serve as an "atlas" of our universe. See multiple charts showing the Earth's distance from the Sun and other stars, find helpful terms in a...
Website
NASA

Nasa Star Child: The Milky Way

For Students 3rd - 8th
The information, geared mainly for younger viewers, provides simple and basic information about the Milky Way, and includes several embedded links to related information.
Website
NASA

Viewing the Violent Universe: What Are Gamma Rays?

For Students 9th - 10th
The universe produces a broad range of light, only a fraction of which is visible to our eyes. Gamma rays are nonvisible light, which also includes x-rays, ultraviolet light, infrared radiation, and radio waves.
Handout
NASA

Nasa: Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (Wmap): The Milky Way

For Students 9th - 10th
Description of the three major components of the Milky Way galaxy as well as images and resources for further reading.
Graphic
Curated OER

Astro Lab: Space, a Contemporary Vision of the Universe

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore how our contemporary understanding of the universe came to be. This overview looks at the history of three main areas of study, namely space, time, and the arrangement of matter.
Graphic
Curated OER

Astro Lab: Space, a Contemporary Vision of the Universe

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore how our contemporary understanding of the universe came to be. This overview looks at the history of three main areas of study, namely space, time, and the arrangement of matter.
Graphic
Curated OER

Astro Lab: Space, a Contemporary Vision of the Universe

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore how our contemporary understanding of the universe came to be. This overview looks at the history of three main areas of study, namely space, time, and the arrangement of matter.
Graphic
Curated OER

Astro Lab: Space, a Contemporary Vision of the Universe

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore how our contemporary understanding of the universe came to be. This overview looks at the history of three main areas of study, namely space, time, and the arrangement of matter.
Interactive
Space Telescope Science Institute

Hubble Site: Way Out!

For Students 9th - 10th
Can you help a cow plot a path out of the Milky Way? This hilarious space game is for all ages and is offered by HubbleSite. Users may pick their level of expertise and can choose from novice, pretty smart about space, or an astrobrainiac.
Article
CNN

Cnn en Espanol: Week of 11 18 13: El Hubble Capta La Mejor Foto

For Students 9th - 10th
In Spanish. Article reports on the best photo taken yet of the Antennae Galaxies, captured by the Hubble telescope.
Interactive
Other

University of Cambridge: Astro Adventure

For Students 3rd - 5th
Imagine a time when you can travel through space, planet to planet, cheaply and in comfort, when you can take a trip to the stars as your next holiday. Well, imagine no more. Learn more about the solar system as you take this trip of a...
Website
NASA

Nasa: Imagine the Universe: "Burst Behind the Sun"

For Students 9th - 10th
Site provides the article, "Burst Behind the Sun Reveals Magnetic Charm of Distant Explosion," that details on a gamma-ray burst that occurred on December 6, 2002. Provides graphics and links to learn more about gamma-ray bursts.
Interactive
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Your Age on Other Worlds

For Students 9th - 10th
Enter your birthday and find out how old you are on the other planets in the Milky Way Galaxy. Understand why our age is different on each planet.
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: What Do You Know? Astronomy

For Students 3rd - 8th
Take this ten-question self-scoring quiz to test your knowledge of astronomy facts: age of the universe, why stars and planets are spheres, where other life might exist in the outer space, the Milky Way, and more.
Website
University of Wisconsin

The Why Files: Spacy Mechanical Masterpiece

For Students 9th - 10th
An interesting article describing repairs which were completed on the Hubble telescope in 1993 and 1997. Also contains links to pictures taken by the telescope.
Website
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: Zoom Astronomy

For Students 3rd - 5th
Where is our Solar System? How far away is the sun? What makes up the sun? Find out all you want to know about our solar system. This is a comprehensive on-line site about space and astronomy. Check out all of the excitement!
Article
Society for Science and the Public

Science News for Students: Twinkle, Twinkle Oldest Stars

For Students 3rd - 8th
Astronomers have determined how super-bright galaxies can be used to detect the faint glow of "cosmic fog." Cosmic light is light that has left every star and now lingers in the universe, including light from stars that have burned out.
Unit Plan
California Institute of Technology

Cal Tech: Two Micron All Sky Survey

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the Two Micron All Sky Survey project, in which telescopes and observatories scan the sky for infrared radiation in order to learn more about the Milky Way galaxy. The infrared spectrum is described and its importance to...
Website
Other

Paper Plate Education: Serving the Universe on a Paper Plate

For Students 3rd - 8th
Excellent resource for "paper-plate" activities that help simplify various astronomy topics. Learn how to build a "Moon Finder" and "Planet Pointer," and create a paper-plate model that explains the Transit of Venus.
Article
Physics4kids

Physics 4 Kids: Where Traditional Physics Stops

For Students 9th - 10th
We're about to move into the modern age of physics. In the early 1800's, scientists began examining the basis of matter, space, and time. Sometimes it gets very confusing, but the big idea is that Newton's physics describe about 90% of...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Demonstrating the Distances of Stars

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Investigate the use of the parallax effect for determining distance in space, and explore the arrangement and relative distance of stars in the galaxy. Create a sample star field and transform it into a three-dimensional model.