Calculate galactic orbits in a far-out resource. Pupils drag a point on a circle to graph the orbit of a fictional planet. Using the equation, they find points through which the orbit passes. To finish the simulation, users determine the...

Does assessing Earth Science vocabulary making your head spin? Test scholars' knowledge of revolving and rotating using an interactive tool. The movement of a new planet and its moon is in their hands, allowing them to explore...

Researchers think they have evidence of a new planet deep in our solar system that is the size of Neptune and orbits the sun far beyond Pluto. The orbit simulator shows the orbits of our well-known planets, as well as Pluto and the comet...

Kepler decided to think outside the box and discovered that planets orbit in elliptical patterns. An engaging activity demonstrates the elliptical orbit pattern in relationship to the area of a planet to explain Kepler's Second Law....

Have you ever wanted to turn off gravity? This simulation allows learners to do just that in addition to altering other variables. Scholars can move the sun, Earth, moon, and space station to see how distance affects gravitational pull....

Why does it take Pluto 90,000 days to orbit the sun, but it only takes Mercury 88 days? An interactive lesson helps pupils find a connection between the speed of orbit and distance a planet is from the sun. The simulation allows for...

Why do planets orbit the sun in ellipses when moons orbit their planet in circles? Pupils control the semi-major axis, eccentricity of the orbit, and position angle. The resulting orbital appears with the related force vectors as...

Studying what you can't see can be challenging. Discover how scientists use indirect measurements to prove the existence of planets and estimate their sizes. The introduction explains the symbiotic movement of planets and stars during an...

Fly around the Martian surface. Pupils view a presentation on the planet Mars featuring a flyover that shows different views of the surface where rovers have landed and explored on different missions. As individuals watch the images, the...

Not everything revolves around the sun! Believe it or not, there are planets, called exoplanets, that orbit stars other than our sun. Learners use an interactive online resource to research several of these planets. They learn about the...

Illuminate the information about stars. Pupils respond to 10 multiple choice questions about stars. The questions cover topics such as the size of the Milky Way Galaxy, the Sun, and the life cycle of a star. The resource works as a...

How does Mars move both eastward and westward in Earth's sky? A simple interactive describes the concept of retrograde motion using both color and graphic models. Learners understand that the speed of the orbit accounts for Mars' change...

How hard do you need to throw a ball in the air so that it never returns? Scientists call this measure the escape velocity. Classes can explore this concept through an intriguing interactive lesson. Pupils adjust velocities and observe...

Do you see what I see? Individuals view eight images from the Hubble Space Telescope and then determine exactly what is being shown in the images. The pictures range from the rings of Saturn to views of billions of galaxies that take up...

It's good thing that it isn't up to RJ to spin the earth on its axis; he can't even keep a basketball spinning! In this video animation, he and viewers learn about Earth's movements in space. One thing to consider before you use this...

Creating a solar system map is a snap thanks to a hands-on activity! Science scholars explore the solar system by building it wherever they choose during an interactive from PBS's Space series. Users pick both the location and scale for...

Create your own solar system using a simulation. Young scientists explore the components of a stable solar system through trial and error. Using the simulation, they place planets and watch as they orbit safely or cause fatal collisions.

Orbit diagrams appear to be a work of mathematical art. The simulation helps scholars build their own systems of planets, stars, moons, etc., to observe their orbits. By altering their positions, velocities, and masses, a variety of...

Common sense says that the farther a planet is from the sun, the longer the orbit. Kepler turned common sense into his third law by quantifying this relationship. Classes explore Kepler's Third Law through an interactive tutorial. They...

Why are there launch windows when traveling to outer space? Scholars explore the trajectory of traveling from one planet to another. By adjusting the departure and destination planets, as well as the launch date, they observe the ideal...

Take a field trip around Earth by way of satellite images. Learners watch a video lesson that describes different images taken from orbiting satellites. They then test their visual skills in a 14-question online quiz. 

Go study the universe. Pupils learn seven aspects about astronomy and astronomers. They begin to learn about constellations; distance and motion between objects; gravity; the electromagnetic spectrum; dark matter and energy; and teams of...

A flipped classroom lesson introduces astrophysics fanatics to Kepler's three laws of planetary motion. After reading about the laws of ellipses, equal areas, and harmonies, and also learning how Newton's gravitation concepts come into...

In this space exploration worksheet, students complete a 6 question multiple choice on-line interactive exercise about the exploration of Mars.