Teaching Themes
Solar System: Everything You Need
Lesson plans, interactive activities, and other resources to help students learn about and explore our solar system
|
Articles The PlanetsGrades: 6–8, 9–12 The nine planets of the solar system may be divided into two groups: the inner, or terrestrial, planets, and the outer, or Jovian, planets. This... |
Articles Interplanetary ProbesGrades: 6–8, 9–12 The exploration of other bodies in the solar system began within a few years of the first satellites. Both U.S. and Soviet space engineers set... |
|
Lesson Plans, Writing Activities The Earth: An Interdisciplinary UnitGrades: 6–8 This interdisciplinary curricular unit focuses on the geology of the Earth. It contains background information, a detailed glossary, fun earth... |
Articles MarsGrades: 1–2, 3–5 What is the atmosphere like on Mars? Could a human breathe there? Astronomer Cathy Imhoff answers students'questions about Mars. |
|
Articles MercuryGrades: 1–2, 3–5 Why does Mercury have such extreme temperature differences and Earth does not? Astronomer Cathy Imhoff answers students'questions about the planet... |
Articles NeptuneGrades: 1–2, 3–5 Learn about Neptune, the gas giant planet that is the eighth planet in our solar system. |
|
Articles SaturnGrades: 1–2, 3–5 How did Saturn get its rings? Astronomer Cathy Imhoff answers students'questions about planet Saturn. |
|
|
Articles Chemical CompositionGrades: 6–8, 9–12 Direct information on the chemical composition of the Moon became available in 1969 with the return of the first Apollo mission. Although the data... |
Articles Asteroids and MeteoroidsGrades: 6–8, 9–12 The major planets in the solar system are greatly outnumbered by the swarms of smaller bodies called minor planets, or asteroids, and by the even... |
|
Articles CometsGrades: 6–8, 9–12 Comets are sometimes spectacular objects from the outer regions of the solar system, as far away as a substantial fraction of the distance to the... |
Articles Dust RingsGrades: 6–8, 9–12 The sun is also encircled by rings, or disks, of interplanetary dust. One such ring, lying in the zone between the orbital paths of Jupiter and... |
|
Articles Solar ApexGrades: 6–8, 9–12 Finally, the movement of the solar system as a whole through space is defined in terms of the celestial sphere, the imaginary sphere of the... |
|
|
Articles Surface FeaturesGrades: 6–8, 9–12 Naked-eye as well as more detailed telescopic and satellite observations disclose that the lunar surface consists mainly of two different types of... |
Articles TemperatureGrades: 6–8, 9–12 Because the sole source of the Moon's heat is derived from its illumination by the Sun, its mean temperature would be about that of the Earth... |
|
Articles The EarthGrades: 1–2, 3–5 How fast is the earth spinning and why can't we feel it spin? Astronomer Cathy Imhoff answers students'questions about the earth. |
Articles The SunGrades: 6–8, 9–12 How much does the sun weigh? How do you measure how hot the sun is if you can't get that close to measure? An astronomer answers students'... |
|
Articles Transient Lunar PhenomenaGrades: 6–8, 9–12 Temporary changes in the appearance of lunar features are known as temporary lunar phenomena, or TLP. Such occasional changes have been noted... |
Articles UranusGrades: 6–8, 9–12 Why is Uranus so cold and why is it blue? An astronomer answers students'questions about the seventh planet from the sun. |
