Build your own system of heavenly bodies and watch the gravitational ballet. With this orbit simulator, you can set initial positions, velocities, and masses of 2, 3, or 4 bodies, and then see them orbit each other.

Build your own system of heavenly bodies and watch the gravitational ballet. With this orbit simulator, you can set initial positions, velocities, and masses of 2, 3, or 4 bodies, and then see them orbit each other.

Students learn how engineers navigate satellites in orbit around the Earth and on their way to other planets in the solar system. In accompanying activities, they explore how ground-based tracking and onboard measurements are performed. Also provided is an overview of orbits and spacecraft trajectories from Earth to other planets, and how spacecraft are tracked from the ground using the Deep Space Network (DSN). DSN measurements are the primary means for navigating unmanned vehicles in space. Onboard spacecraft instruments might include optical sensors and an inertial measurement unit (IMU).

These data sets include astronomical constants, physical and orbital data for the planets, selected moons, future total solar eclipses, and related data regarding nearby stars, chemical elements, and constellations.

In this activity/project, students are able to look through a slide show of information about the planets in our solar system (with the exception of Earth) and select a planet to "visit." Students will then write a postcard home describing the planet they were able to visit.

Walking up and down the hallways of Davey Lab at Penn State, you can find astronomers searching for and characterizing exoplanets, monitoring supernovae and other exploding stars, and measuring the details of the accelerating expansion of the Universe to determine the nature of dark energy. In Astro 801, we learn that with only the ability to measure the light from these distant, unreachable objects, we can still determine how the Solar System, stars, galaxies, and the Universe formed and evolved since the Big Bang. We are all citizens of the Universe, and in fact, you are made of starstuff. Come learn where the atoms in your body came from, and what will happen to them long after we are gone.

This resource gives information about our solar system which is made up of the sun, planets and all the amazing objects that travel around it. Information about the plant sizes, distances in the solar system and the size and shape of orbits is also explained. The universe is filled with billions of star systems. And the star system we are most familiar with is our own.

Teacher: Angie ApautyLesson Title/Topic: Planets of the UniverseGrade: 4Duration: 50 minutesLearning Objectives: At the conclusion of this activity, students will be able to identify, name, locate, and determine the order of the planets of our solar system. Number and Size of Groups: 5 groups of 3 studentsLearner Activity/Teacher Activity:Whole group discussion. The teacher will ask the students the question, "What do you remember about the planets of our solar system and can you list them all?". The teacher will allow students time to think and write down their answers on their mini white boards. Next, the teacher will use the main white board to write down all the planets the students can recall. Then the students will get into their groups and each group will work together to do research and create a presentation over the planets. The teacher will visit each group to offer any help the students may need. The students will work on their presentations on day two and on day three, each group will give their presentations to the class using the smart board.At the end of the lesson, each group will receive a card with a planet on it and tape on the back. One person from each group needs to come to the front and place their planet in the correct order in the solar system with the help of the class.  

This guide describes a novel project structure for sky observations commonly assigned in introductory level astronomy students at either the high school or undergraduate level. The project is an outside class assignment optimized for a large course that meets during the day. The goal of this activity is for students to make independent observations at a fixed time of day to develop an understanding of: (1) how annual motion of the Earth relates to observed position of the Sun as it sets towards the West; and (2) changes in the Moon phase over the lunar month and how the phase of the Moon relates to its position in the sky relative to the Sun. Students synthesize their understanding by responding to summary questions at the conclusion of the project. The questions require students to use their collection of observations to make predictions about future sunset and Moon positions and Moon phases.

A critical component of this work is an associated scoring script, available through GitHub. The algorithm uses Sun and Moon position data and Moon phase data downloaded by the user from the United States Naval Observatory to score student input and provide feedback in an efficient manner. This allows instructors to assign and grade student observations even in a large university class.

This is an introduction to the study of the solar system with emphasis on the latest spacecraft results. The subject covers basic principles rather than detailed mathematical and physical models. Topics include: an overview of the solar system, planetary orbits, rings, planetary formation, meteorites, asteroids, comets, planetary surfaces and cratering, planetary interiors, planetary atmospheres, and life in the solar system.

See a line up of moons, planets, and stars to give a visual of how Earth compares in size to other bodies in the universe.

In this activity, students investigate the effect that thrust has on rocket flight. Students will make two paper rockets that they can launch themselves by blowing through a straw. These "strawkets" will differ in diameter, such that students will understand that a rocket with a smaller exit nozzle will provide a larger thrust. Students have the opportunity to compare the distances traveled by their two strawkets after predicting where they will land. Since each student will have a slightly different rocket and launching technique, they will observe which factors contribute to a strawket's thrust and performance.

In this video from the Science and Technology Chat series, learn about astrobiology, an interdisciplinary field that uses biology, astronomy, and geology to study the origins of life on Earth and to search for possible life on other planets.

This is an activity to help students understand the abstract concept about how planets move around the sun and their relative size compared with other planets in the solar system.

Learn how light plays an important role in what you see and don't see in space.  Engage in fun activities learning about light pollution and how the Sun, Earth and Moon interact with one another.  Finally we will incorporate the other planets in our solar sytem and learn how they all move about one another in space.