http://amyboehman.blogspot.com

If you read this blog at all, you know my fascination with astronomy websites. I love space. I wanted to be an astronaut until the Challenger disaster in 1985. Now I use the web to get my fix on astronomy. Here are some more good ones:

Human Space Flight by NASA

Human Space Flight is a website where you can enter your city to see which space objects will fly by your night sky for you to see.  It gives you the time of the object and how long it will take to pass over your location.  Look up satellites or space shuttles!

Astronomy Picture of the Day

I did not post an example picture of Astronomy Picture of the Day because the NASA photographer does not give rights to copy his pictures without written permission, but these photographs are amazing and would lend themselves to good teaching points in the classroom.

The Exploratorium’s Observatory

The Observatory has great resources for Venus, Saturn, Mars, Mercury, sunspots and auroras.  The interactive format allows you to click on different parts of the image to see more information.  In addition, there are many more interactive sections of the site such as: Your Weight on Other Worlds and Your Age on Other Worlds.

The Solar System Visualizer

At first the Solar System Visualizer looks to be a very primitive site.  There is an image of our solar system with the planets orbiting the sun.  Okay… now what?  The magic comes in by clicking on one of the planets – try Saturn or Uranus for example.  You will see the planet in the middle of the screen with its moons orbiting in animation.  BUT then you need to ZOOM OUT.  Did you know there were so many bodies orbiting our planets?  It was amazing.  Check it out. 

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Visit Mars with Google Mars

Visit Planet Science!

Earth Guide

Welcome Google Sky!

While Google Mars is not as exciting as Google Earth, it is still worth a visit.  You can tour the planet by elevation, infrared, or visible surface.  Zoom in or out of the planet and search by plains, ridges, craters, mountains, canyons, dunes, spacecraft landings, etc.  Once you search for a specific place, often Google Mars will link to an article that you can read for more information.

On the “About Google Mars” page, Google provides this introduction, “This map of Mars, published by Percival Lowell in 1895, was the result of many years spent carefully studying the Red Planet through his telescope. Now you can do the same through your web browser. In collaboration with NASA researchers at Arizona State University, we’ve created some of the most detailed scientific maps of Mars ever made.”

I enjoyed it!  Imagine being able to explore Mars from the comfort of your classroom.  Take a virtual field trip today!

http://amyboehman.blogspot.com

Okay, Okay, I know I have a lot of blogs about science and astronomy.  I think it’s because science lends itself so well to be illustrated with technology.  The Japan Science and Technology Agency has a website called “Earth Guide” that has detailed, interactive pictures that cover such topics as, “Where is the earth located in the Milky Way Galaxy?”, “How different is the earth from the other planets?”, and “How big are the earth’s oceans?”  Even though the site has advanced vocabulary, teachers can still make use of this site for the pictures alone.  Once the picture is projected, the teacher can explain in easier language to communicate the objective.  Visual connections are very powerful when teaching about space, when everything is on a such a large scale that most students may not be able to comprehend.  Older students will most likely be able to use this site for an independent assignment, and younger kids will benefit from the visual appeal. 

Thumbs up for the website!

 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMhGpzyFdhE]

The makers of Google Earth have unleashed their latest creation: Google Sky, which is available within the newest version of Google Earth. Basically, it is just like Google Earth, but the camera is pointed to the sky.   Head over to their website to see the latest features.  Google Sky allows you to see planets, starts, the moon, constellations, galaxies, and the atmosphere.  Using this program with an interactive whiteboard will allow students to interact with the program for a hands-on activity.  Google Earth continues to add features that make it a powerful teaching tool to help students visualize the enormous size of our planet and space.  Check it out!