The Active Galaxies pop-up book is a very large rectangular pop-up book with foldouts that was developed for use in classrooms for grades 5 and up and for special needs audiences. Active galaxies, a major scientific target for the GLAST mission, contain super-massive black holes at their cores, and sometimes emit jets of particles and light. When opened, a model of an active galaxy with jets pops up out of the center. One foldout contains explanatory information for the parts of the galaxy depicted in the central pop-up as well as a glossary, while the other contains a well-tested classroom activity: Tasty Active Galaxy. The back of the book features a cartoon story -How the Galaxy Got Its Jets.

This reference list has 11 kid-friendly books on a wide range of astronomy topics. For each title, the publisher and publication date are included along with author name.

The Colliding Galaxies Model is an implementation of Alar and Juri Toomres' 1972 super computer model showing the formation of galactic bridges and tails under the assumption that galactic cores are point masses and that one galactic core is surrounded by 2D concentric rings of orbiting stars. The model assumes is that the stars (test particles) orbiting the galactic cores are non-interacting. When the two galaxies pass one another, tidal forces deform the star distribution into classic tidal features. Our EJS model reproduces this result showing that there is a long curving tail and that only the outermost ring of stars is affected by its companion galaxy. A thin bridge is also formed and some of the stars are captured by the companion galactic core.

This OLogy activity challenges kids to match up cosmic photos with their descriptions in an interactive quiz. The activity begins by introducing kids to the Hubble Space Telescope through an astronomer at the museum who works with photos from the telescope. They are then asked to match eight telescope photos with their text descriptions. A Help screen is included with tips for completing the activity. Once kids have made their guesses, they can click a button to check their answers. They are prompted to try again if not all their answers are correct. Success is rewarded with a congratulatory message from the Hubble.

Thermal backgrounds in space. Cosmological principle and its consequences: Newtonian cosmology and types of "universes"; survey of relativistic cosmology; horizons. Overview of evolution in cosmology; radiation and element synthesis; physical models of the "early stages." Formation of large-scale structure to variability of physical laws. First and last states. Some knowledge of relativity expected. 8.962 recommended though not required. This course provides an overview of astrophysical cosmology with emphasis on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, galaxies and related phenomena at high redshift, and cosmic structure formation. Additional topics include cosmic inflation, nucleosynthesis and baryosynthesis, quasar (QSO) absorption lines, and gamma-ray bursts. Some background in general relativity is assumed.

Students explore the evidence for dark matter using the measurements made by the ROSAT X-ray satellite for a small group of galaxies. Grades 9-12.

This collection of nine cards focuses on the three types of galaxies: spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Each card displays a color image of a galaxy on one side and describes the galaxy's type, its location within a constellation, and interesting facts on the other side. The Hubble Space Telescope card includes interesting facts, as well as suggestions for using the cards.

Explore astrophysics through science visualization and animation. The Astrophysics Visualization Archive is a resource for visualizations (movies) that demonstrate astronomical or astrophysical phenomena. Choose from one of these categories: Solar System, Stars, Galaxies, and Universe.

Since 1998, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium have engaged in the three-dimensional mapping of the Universe. This cosmic cartography brings a new perspective to our place in the Universe and will redefine your sense of home. The Digital Universe Atlas is distributed to you via packages that contain our data products, like the Milky Way Atlas and the Extragalactic Atlas, and requires free software allowing you to explore the atlas by "flying" through it on your computer. The Digital Universe atlas is chock full of new data, including over 1 million galaxies, L and T dwarf stars, a 3-D Orion Nebula terrain model, Abell galaxy clusters, large-scale density contours, and plenty of additional data updates.

This educators guide provides content and classroom activities about galaxies, galaxy morphology, x-ray properties of galaxies, and evidence for dark matter in galaxies. The classroom activities have been designed to be appropriate for students with a range of abilities and learning styles. The guide may be used with The Hidden Lives of Galaxies poster.

This course includes Quantitative introduction to physics of the solar system, stars, interstellar medium, the Galaxy, and Universe, as determined from a variety of astronomical observations and models. Topics: planets, planet formation; stars, the Sun, "normal" stars, star formation; stellar evolution, supernovae, compact objects (white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes), plusars, binary X-ray sources; star clusters, globular and open clusters; interstellar medium, gas, dust, magnetic fields, cosmic rays; distance ladder; galaxies, normal and active galaxies, jets; gravitational lensing; large scaling structure; Newtonian cosmology, dynamical expansion and thermal history of the Universe; cosmic microwave background radiation; big-bang nucleosynthesis. No prior knowledge of astronomy necessary. Not usable as a restricted elective by physics majors.

This fun Web site is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they are introduced to astronomy. The site opens with an array of mind-boggling facts shared by the director of the museum's Hayden Planetarium. It includes a link to stargazing tips and resources in "Why Can't I See More Stars?"A link to "Gravity: The Universe's Main Attraction" gives students an overview of the invisible pulling power at work throughout the universe.

This fun Web site is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they learn about the Milky Way galaxy, including the following :The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, and our Sun is located in one of its spinning arms. At the speed of light, it would take you 25,000 years to reach the middle of the Milky Way. The force of gravity keeps everything in our galaxy from flying off into space. There are two other types of galaxies, elliptical and irregular.

Applications of physics (Newtonian, statistical, and quantum mechanics) to fundamental processes that occur in celestial objects. Includes main-sequence stars, collapsed stars (white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes), pulsars, supernovae, the interstellar medium, galaxies, and as time permits, active galaxies, quasars, and cosmology. Observational data discussed. No prior knowledge of astronomy is required.

This Web site, created to complement the museum's Rose Center for Earth and Space, offers a virtual visit to the museum, complete with text, photos, and video.

Students make comparisons, conduct research, organize their materials, and present a report describing how a galaxy's orientation affects its appearance.

The information and activities found in StarChild can be used to engage, excite, and educate students in your classrooms. Helps elementary school students learn about the sun and moon, planets, the asteroid belt, meteoroids and comets, astronauts and space suits, space travel and space probes, the Hubble space telescope, the Columbia accident, galaxies, the Milky Way, stars, quasars, black holes, cosmology, and dark matter.

Students study how the Doppler effect helps scientists study both tornadoes and galaxies. Grades 8-12.

This OLogy activity tests kid's knowledge about stars, planets, comets, and more with an interactive quiz. The 10-question multiple choice test covers a wide range of topics, from "How long can a comet's tail stretch?" to "If you went looking for life in outer space, which of these three planets would be a good place to start?" After making their 10 selections, kids can check their answers with a page that shows them how they did on each question and offers explanations of the right answers.