Analyzes a project-based space science curriculum designed to support elementary school students in understanding complex, inter-related astronomy concepts. Uses pre- and post-interviews, examines student work, and has students complete a pre- and post-astronomy conceptual survey to assess conceptual change. Points out that instruction should…

Discusses planetary motion and universal gravitation using a graphing calculator. Includes program and data. (MKR)

Both the "quiet" sun and the "active" sun are described. The quiet sun includes the solar phenomena that occur everyday and the active sun includes solar phenomena that appear nonuniformly on the sun and vary over time. A general description of the sun, sunspots, flares, plages, filaments, prominences, solar-terrestrial…

Provides an insight into the strengths and weaknesses of television as a means of informing the public. The scientist who worked on the television series called "The Astronomers" relates what is was like to be the cowriter and science editor of the project. (KR)

Describes how the Hubble Space Telescope works and how scientists repaired the spherical aberration that caused a reduction in image quality. (ZWH)

Finds that 75 students entering an introduction to astronomy course at university held a series of misconceptions about several central topics in basic astronomy. (Author/CCM)

Presents information on the planet Mercury and points out how little is known about this planet which is much closer than Pluto. Features a list of visible planets and moon phases. (YDS)

Discusses archaeoastronomy, a young science that has become a bridge between the humanities and the physical sciences. Includes a diagram of the multicultural nature of ancient astronomy. (MKR)

Describes the constellations that can be seen during the month of October. Presents a story about the moon phases that comes from the Australian Aborigines. (JRH)

Presents information on the Latin School of Chicago astronomy club and their activities. Explains the effects of light pollution. (YDS)

Benjamin Banneker, a self-taught mathematician, surveyor and astronomer published annual almanacs containing his astronomical observations and predictions. Banneker who also used logarithms to apply the Law of Sines believed that the method used to solve a mathematical problem depends on the tools available.

For pupils of both sexes and all ages from about six upwards, the subject of Astronomy holds many fascinations--the rapid changes in knowledge, the large resource of available IT packages and above all the beautiful pictures from Hubble and the large Earth-based telescopes. This article, however, stresses the excitement and importance of naked-eye…

Learning cycle investigations allow science students to model the activities of real scientists. An important step in modeling is data collection, which can present a problem in an astronomy course. The celestial body being studied often is unobservable for various reasons. (Contains 3 figures.)

Gail Gibbons is an author/illustrator of children's informational texts. This article provides in-depth information about one particular science trade book, how it was created, and how it works, so teachers can share these ideas with their own students and so they can make use of this knowledge in their own teaching with informational texts. The…

This article describes a case study of a faculty member who wanted to change his introductory astronomy course for non-science majors to include more learner-centered pedagogy. To help him achieve this goal, he was assisted by an instructional specialist and the author. The professor approached the overhaul of instructional style as a scientific…