Students study astronomy. In preparation for a field trip to a planetarium, students discuss the stars, planets, and light. They explore the importance of the north star and constellations. The Digitarium system is used to assist the...

Math and science come together in this cross-curricular astronomy lesson plan on planetary motion. Starting off with a hands-on activity that engages the class in exploring the geometry of circles and ellipses, this lesson...

Students study the color of stars. In this astronomy based lesson, students observe the colors in an open flame and apply the information collected about color and temperature to the visible light emitting from the photosphere of various...

Students create a research proposal and write letters to researchers to explain why their proposals were rejected.  In this astronomy activity students use the Internet to help them to write a proposal on what they observed through...

Young scholars address a major misconception in astronomy, the understanding of scale. The lesson is designed to introduce students to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination ladder, parallax.

Tenth graders identify stars based on their line spectra. In this astronomy lesson, 10th graders analyze spectrograph and determine the elements present in the star. They explain the relationship between temperature and star classes.

Students research the life cycle of a star. For this astronomy lesson, students work in groups to research on stage in stellar evolution and report back to the class their findings. They will discuss as a class the order of the stages...

To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then...

High schoolers research about the characteristics of celestial bodies using a database. In this space science lesson, students collect data such as brightness, apparent color and size by observing the night sky. They share their findings...

Young scholars explore the rotation of the Earth and observe the shapes of constellations. After discussing how the Earth moves. volunteers use a flashlight and globe to model the movement of the sun-Earth system. Using Digitalis...

Students examine how astronomical observations were used to help target sites in the Soviet Union during Cold War and why such targeting was needed. Students then make predictions and observations of same astronomical events for their...

Scientists participate in studying how new scientific advances have changed the world. They explain how astronomers have changed the way people view the universe, summarize the advances that were made in chemistry and medicine, and...

The Mars Global Surveyor spent two years creating a mineral map of the planet Mars using thermal emission spectrometry. To help young astronomers understand this remote sensing instrument, have them simulate how data is collected and...

Students, working in small groups construct scale models of the planets and solar system. They examine images of Mars and discuss what might have caused the features. They record facts about their planetary research in their journals and...

Students view a teacher demonstration of comet composition. In this comet science instructional activity, students watch as the teacher combines sand, ammonia, cola, and dry ice to simulate the composition of a comet. They answer...

Students build a scaled model of the solar system. In this space science lesson plan, students arrange them according to their distances from the sun. They analyze each planet's unique features such as density and relative gravity.

Students investigate the history of astronomy and how the study of constellations has evolved since the dawn of ancient civilization. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The teacher uses demonstrations to model how the...

Students investigate the concept of astrology and how it evolved from history. They use the Zodiac in order to find the location of constellations in the night sky. The differences between astrology and astronomy are compared and any...

Need some helpful images for your astronomy unit? Check out a slide show that hosts several pictures of planets with their names. 

Using spectroscopes, high school astronomy, physics, or chemistry learners observe emission spectra from several different sources. This stellar NASA-produced lesson plan provides terrific teacher's notes and a student handout. Make sure...

Looking for a terrific lesson on the phases of the moon that has lots of good worksheets? With two excellent websites are embedded in the plan, the activity is sure to spark some interest in your astronomy unit. Some common...

Students hear of the recent discovery of a group of planets orbiting the star Upsilon Andromedae. Each student create a page about an element of the universe,

Fifth graders participate in online astronomy activities with hundreds of fun explorations into astronomy as a classroom tool for learning how to theorize, experiment, and analyze data.

High schoolers become aware of some of the objects studied in, and concepts associated with, high-energy astronomy. They do this by participating in card games that teach and review these concepts.