The NASA public archives present a vast resource of authentic satellite data that research astronomers have tapped into for decades. Recently, the same data analysis tools used by professional astronomers have been adapted into a browser-based interface called JS9 for easy use by any interested student. Tutorials and classroom-ready activities…

The purpose of this study was to investigate not only the effectiveness of dynamic versus static visualizations on learning star motions but also the influence of students' spatial abilities with these two types of visualizations on their learning. We assigned 155 fifth-grade students to either a dynamic or a static condition. We used a science…

Exploring the Solar System in the elementary school curriculum has traditionally involved activities, such as building scale models, to help students visualize the vastness of space and the relative size of the planets and their orbits. Today, numerous websites provide a wealth of information about the sun and the planets, combining text, photos,…

This mixed-methods investigation compared the effectiveness of three instructional approaches in achieving desired conceptual change among early childhood preservice teachers (n = 157). Each of the three treatments employed inquiry-based instruction on moon phases using data collected from: (1) the planetarium software program, Starry Night[TM],…

In earlier columns, the celestial coordinate system of hour circles of right ascension and degrees of declination was introduced along with the use of an equatorial star chart (see SFA Star Charts in Resources). This system shows the planets' motion relative to the ecliptic, the apparent path the Sun follows during the year. An alternate system,…

Humans have long wondered about life in the universe. Are we alone? Is Earth unique? What is it that makes our planet a habitable one, and are there others like Earth? NASA's Kepler Mission seeks the answers to these questions. Kepler is a space-based, specially designed 0.95 m aperture telescope. Launching in 2009, Kepler is NASA's first mission…

Course designers adopted a language-learners approach to the online teaching of New Zealand secondary school students in the subject of astronomy. This was possible because the curriculum for astronomy that was in 2004 established as a part of New Zealand's national curriculum was specifically designed to engage underachieving students in science…

Discusses: (1) feature of videodisc technology which make it a versatile educational tool; (2) availability of videodiscs for teaching physics and astronomy; and (3) example of the ways these videodiscs can be used in instructional settings. Tables listing physics and astronomy videodiscs (title, author, source, cost, and abstract) are included.…

Discusses several ways of teaching about constellations. Includes background and historical information, suggestions on visiting a planetarium, and a bibliography for sources of constellation stories, computer courseware, and constellation slides. Suggests ways of having students produce their own constellation slides. (TW)

Discusses the use of laserdiscs and interactive video technology in an earth science classroom. Delineates the basic equipment needed for a laserdisc workstation, along with a software authoring system. Describes the development and use of a software program called Mission Earth, which contains four lessons on astronomoy. (TW)