Solar System Scope is an amazing interactive 3D Model of our Solar System. You can zoom in and move the planets around the Sun to see how they move in relation to each other.
You can switch between an heliocentric view, geocentric view or a panoramic view of the Solar System. Earth centred view is great if you then use the play controls to move the time forwards as you can see the how day/night changes across the surface. Heliocentric view is good for showing how we get seasons as well as demonstrating the movement of the Moon around the Earth in the course of a month. The scales of the planets in relation to each other is not accurate – nor is the distance apart, but they’re necessary changes to make the whole thing fit on a screen and be useable!
Click on any planet to “visit” that planet and explore its surface – or get more information about it.
It’s a truly fabulous application -and every Science teacher should add it to their bookmarks for their next Space lesson alongside Google Moon, Mars and Sky. All of which are fantastic on an Interactive Whiteboard.
In an excellent demo at TED U, AnnMarie Thomas shows how two different flavors of homemade play dough can be used to demonstrate electrical properties — by lighting up LEDs, spinning motors, and turning little kids into circuit designers.
Here are some examples of space shuttle/rocket launches to use as scene setters for a lesson on Space.
This is a rather amazing HD video of the Shuttle Atlantis being launched, which is just beautiful:
I also found a few videos that include the countdown, including this one of Atlantis:
And also this one that puts you in the cockpit with the astronauts before and during launch:
I also found this video montage of high resolution photographs of Apollo 11 on the moon:
All of these videos could really help to put a space lesson in context – or be the spark for some creative writing based on what they have seen. What must it be like to be in that Shuttle as it takes off? How would it feel? Where could they go once they launched? etc
If the Earth were the size of a basketball and the moon a tennis ball, how far apart would they be? Diagrams that are not to scale make us think that they’re closer than they really are.
This is the core of Comet Tempel 1 as Seen by NASA’s Stardust Probe yesterday.
NASA’s Stardust-NExT mission took this image of comet Tempel 1 at 8:39 p.m. PST
(11:39 p.m. EST) on Feb 14, 2011.
Stardust-NExT is a low-cost mission that will expand the investigation of comet Tempel 1 initiated by NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft. On 14th Feb 2011 it flew right past the comet and took some fantastic images of the nucleus of the coment.
Thr0ugh the course of today it gradually beamed those images back to earth.
This is real space science, happening right now. If you are teaching a Space topic right now, it would be great to be able to work the Stardust probe into the lesson.
The Institute of Physics’ ‘Ever Wondered Why? Roadshow’ is a touring physics-based show that brings the wonders of Science to secondary school pupils up and down the country. Through a series of experiments and spectacular demonstrations, it shows how so many truly mind-boggling natural phenomena are based on physics – like why the sky’s blue, the Sun’s hot or the stars twinkle.
A series of videos covering the roadshow experiments is now live on their YouTube channel, demonstrating a number of different topics that would prove useful to any Physics teacher.
This workshop is part of the Stimulating Physics Network, you can find out more information here: www.stimulatingphysics.org
Red Nose Day is coming! This activity focuses on red – why do things look red? Why are red noses shiny? More than half of Red Nose Day funds end up in Africa, so this activity also highlights some of the science happening across the continent – from armyworm killers to metals for mobiles; from satellites to methane-rich lakes. Students can plan (and give!) an assembly based on the Science Behind the Nose, or use the information and explanations to prepare a TV programme.
Students will reinforce their understanding of why things appear coloured and why things look shiny or dull. They will also remind themselves what happens when solids dissolve in water. Students will know about some of the science happening in Africa.
This is a free resource from the ASE via their UPD8 website – you can download these and other resources for free. You need to register, but it is free to do so.
