The Celestial Sphere

Demonstrate the path of the sun across the sky at different times of the year with an engaging science lesson.  Learners use a series of questions and diagrams to examine the movement of the sun and appearance of the sky around their...

Historians have proven that as early as 1497 skilled navigators were using a kamal to sail across oceans. Scholars learn about navigation tools and astronomy before building their own kamals. They then learn how to use it to determine...

Ancient texts, like Homer's Odyssey, mentions navigating ships by observing constellations. Pupils learn about the link between history and astronomy as they relate to navigation in the Bronze Age. Scholars complete two hands-on...

Basically, this is an interactive exploration of educational astronomy software and an app. Young astronomers discover how the apparent motion of the sky relates to Earth's movements and the position of the observer. It is out of this...

Carbon is the most common element on earth, so the innovative discovery of a new type of carbon molecule won the 1996 Nobel Prize. In the ready-to-go lesson, scholars learn about C60 and how it has opened up the entire area of...

In this azimuth and altitude worksheet, students answer questions about celestial bodies and how they are measured. They label drawings of clinometers, celestial spheres, and a compass.

Students are introduced to the celestial sphere, describing its apparent rotation and the special role of the pole star.

Students investigate the celestial sphere and circumpolar motion. In this science lesson plan, students view an applet, The Celestial Sphere and Circumpolar Motion. Students discuss the Earth's rotation and stellar movement.

Finally, an astronomy lesson for the high schooler! Explorers are able to read star maps for finding objects in the night sky by determining celestial coordinates. In particular, they locate the Pleiades and read about a Navajo legend...

Earth's motions, the moon's orbit, and the celestial sphere are thoroughly explained in this 52-slide PowerPoint. There are a couple of slides specific to the author's class, but you can easily edit or remove them. This fabulous...