Explores possibility of extra-terrestrial life, reviewing current hypotheses regarding where in space life would most likely occur. Discusses astrometry and spectroscopy as methods for determining stellar motions. Describes United States and Soviet projects for receiving stellar communications. Relates origin of life on earth to observed high…

Presents a science activity designed to introduce students to the geocentric and heliocentric models of the universe. Helps students discover why phase changes on Venus knocked Earth out of the center of the universe. (DKM)

Presents an activity that uses a story attributed to two different tribes from eastern Canada to discuss the rotation of the earth on its axis and its revolution around the sun. (JRH)

Describes observations of tethered satellites or subsatellites. Presents tracking tips to help students observe a new satellite, the Tether Physics and Survivability experiment. (JRH)

Presents a science activity using cubes for constructing the "Olympus Mons" model, the largest known volcano in the solar system. Uses the Catalina Mountains as a real-life comparison and builds a scale-proportionate model. (YDS)

To understand and revive the ancient Hawaiian culture, the crew of a traditional Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe sails among the Pacific Islands without charts or instruments. Trained by Western science, elders, and experience, the navigator guides the craft by the stars and dead reckoning. Each voyage is linked to Hawaiian classroom…

Presents a novel approach to teaching astronomy and planetary sciences centered on visual images and simulations of planetary objects. Focuses on the study of the moon and the planet Mars by means of observations, interpretation, and comparison to planet Earth. (Contains 22 references.) (Author/YDS)

Surveyed Greek elementary teachers' attitudes toward astrology, investigating whether they could distinguish between astronomy as the science and astrology as the pseudoscience. Teacher surveys indicated that 60 percent of respondents subscribed more or less to the astrological principles, and 59 percent viewed both astronomy and astrology as…

Discusses the link between astronomical information and the ice ages. Explains the use of isotope measurement data from the sea-floor sediments, glacial ice, and water. (YP)

Tells the story of a Hawaiian man who learned to navigate without instruments like the ancient Polynesian wayfinders, explaining how he acquired navigational skills from mentors and books, discussing his views on education, and describing a trip he took in a double-hulled canoe designed according to ancient Polynesian petroglyphs. (SM)

Discusses a study of the effects of music listening upon student achievement. Reports that seventh grade students listened to music while independently studying the earth-sun relationship. Concludes that there were no significant achievement differences among students who learned while listening to rock, classical, easy listening, or no music. (SG)

The importance of investigating the sun's interior is discussed. One method for probing the interiors of some pulsating stars is described. The relationship between the sun's solar oscillation frequencies and the sun's solar cycles is discussed. A project to place six instruments around the world to observe the sun's oscillations (GONG) is…

Describes a classroom use of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to infer not only the properties of a star but also the star's probable stage in evolution, life span, and age of the cluster in which it is located. (ZWH)

Discussed is the question of whether "heavy" neutrinos really do exist based on the evidence supplied by four research groups. The implications of its existence on the disciplines of particle physics, astrophsyics, and cosmology are discussed. Background information on the different types of neutrinos is provided. (KR)

Describes procedures for designing your own huge scale model of the solar system. (ZWH)