This Web site, created to complement the Hall of Meteorites, looks at these fallen rocks and what they tell scientists about the formation of stars and planets.
When we look at the night sky, we see stars and the nearby planets of our own solar system. Many of those stars are actually distant galaxies and glowing clouds of dust and gases called nebulae. The universe is an immense space with distances measured in light years. The more we learn about the universe beyond our solar system, the more we realize we do not know. Students are introduced to the basic known facts about the universe, and how engineers help us explore the many mysteries of space.
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.
This fun Web article is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they explore the "mind-boggling mysteries" of our solar system. The article opens with a quick review of what we know about our solar system and how we've gathered that information. Students then "explore the mystery" of each planet within our solar system, which is presented though fun facts, evidence, theories, and NASA missions. The article ends with a nine-question quiz that gives students a fun way to test what they've learned.
