Websites
Thursday's Classroom
Children ages 7–14 can learn about the sunrise at the South Pole — the first in six months! — and explore more about why we have seasons. Activities and engaging reading.
NASA Kids shares a brief explanation of the changing day length through an exploration of the seasons for children. Includes an animation of the seasons and vocabulary explanations.
Earth Moon Viewer is an interactive package that allows older children and adults to view Earth daylight/darkness from a variety of viewpoints. Visitors can manipulate location and time of viewing. The basic map can be found at this site.
PhysicalGeography.net | Fundamentals of Physical Geography
A detailed explanation of seasons for young adults and adults.
What do students really think is the reason for the seasons? Phil Plait's site reveals and dispels everyday misconceptions about seasons, phases of the Moon, and more in his "Bad Astronomy" Web site. Great resource for educators . you can find out what's probably in the minds of the children ahead of time!
Several sites from Enchanted Learning offer relevant explanations of seasons, lunar phases, solar cycles, near-Earth asteroids and more about Earth's place in space for children ages 10–15. Additional resources, games, activities, and other links also are provided.
Introduction to the Sun
The Moon
Asteroids
Introduction to the Earth
The changing faces of the Moon's surface are presented in a clear and detailed illustration for younger and older children along with the explanations for different Moon "names" and a brief narrative of Moon phases. Also offered are a blank Moon-phases diagram for labeling, a Moon coloring page and quiz, and links to several other Web sites.
StarChild, produced for NASA by the Goddard Space Flight Center, offers an educational and entertaining site that allows viewers of all ages to have fun with Moon phasing.
Windows to the Universe - The Earth's Moon
Windows to the Universe, provided by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), shares a brief explanation of Moon phases for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners enhanced by a link to special names given to particular phases, a graphic of lunar eclipses, and Galileo's drawings of the phases of our Moon.
Space.Com provides up-to-date information on our Moon and lunar events for skywatchers, including Moon phasing.
Aspire- Astrophysics Science Project - Integrating Research and Education
Children ages 12–15 can learn about lunar phases and take an interactive quiz.
The Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory presents all sorts of data on day length, equinoxes, solstices, perihelion, and aphelion, eclipses, lunar phases - past and future for any location on the globe. The site is primarily intended for young adults and adults.
Lunar Tides
Good site for scientific explanations of lunar tides and for general information related to tides. For children ages 11 and up.
All About Oceans and Seas
This site for children ages 5–9 offers a good explanation for kids on what causes tides, the sun's interaction with tides, waves, tsunami's, the water cycle, and additional web links.
This Planetary Society Website provides information for young adults and adults about Near Earth Objects. It offers news, current mission information, asteroid, meteorite and comet articles, impact information and links to related topics.
The Near Earth Objects information center is a site for older children and adults who want the latest news, events, resources and facts about NEO's.
NASA's Near Earth Objects Program tracks asteroids and comets that may come a little too close to Earth for comfort. The site includes links to missions, NEO data, FAQs, images, and related resources.
The Sun-Earth Connection shares NASA discoveries and knowledge from past and current missions and research with a focus on the active Sun and its effects on Earth. Abundant resources for educators, students, and the general public.
The Stanford Solar Center is a creative and informative site that features news articles, activities, solar folklore, posters, and other resources.
SOHO - Exploring the Sun
The SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) mission investigates the internal structure of our Sun from deep space. Dedicated to Sun-related topics, the Web site shares information pertaining to the mission and provides a multitude of other resources including Dr. SOHO and the latest hotshots of our Sun.
Windows to the Universe, a program of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, launches you into a variety of Sun topics on all levels. The site is user friendly and includes a section on Sun myths and stories from around the world.
Nordlys - Northern Lights
Many characteristics of the auroras are covered at this site for older children and adults. Included are information, mythology, frequency and location, and photos sections.
Auroras - Paintings in the Sky
Children of all ages will enjoy this northern lights Web site. The site includes activities, self-guided tours, and aurora links.
Aurora photo gallery provided by the Science at NASA website.
Aurora Season Begins article on what causes the Northern Lights. For children ages 12 and older.
NASA's astrobiology magazine includes research, imagery and numerous individual planetary topics that young adults and adults will find informative.
The Exploratorium presents ongoing research — the people, places, and ideas — about the search for life for young adults and older.
NOVA's astrobiology site for children ages 10 and up provides interactive activities, slide shows, and additional resources.
The Astrobiology Program of NASA's Ames Research Center shares current missions and research exploring our Universe for evidence of life. Good resources for young adults.
The Space Telescope Science Institute oversees the educational arm of NASA's origins research. The site includes links to missions, research findings, news, articles and activities for children, educators, and the general public.
Astrobiology.com offers links to several sites on the Web, articles, etc. for information on astrobiology.
Current research, educator and children's resources, articles, etc. are available through NASA's Astrobiology Institute.
SETI, the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence hosts news, information, and resources about the search for life in our universe.
May 27, 2009
