Describes a selection of audiovisual aerospace materials available from government and non-government sources. (MLH)

Discusses the problem with the career track in graduate study in astronomy. Reports that the number of postdoctoral positions has doubled in the last ten years and far exceeds the number of tenure-track openings in astronomy departments. (DDR)

Presents an activity that begins with a discussion that leads into the rationale behind the techniques used in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program. Students decode a message intended for extraterrestrials and consider a number of topics related to the possible existence of extraterrestrials. (DDR)

Describes how a middle school librarian, initially dismayed at having the major constellations of the northern hemisphere painted on the school library ceiling, gradually found the painting to be a fine resource for mythology and astronomy, and eventually discovered it to be one enormous, fantastic, writing prompt. (SR)

Presents research on different techniques to determine the level of understanding among middle school students regarding the phases of the moon. Quotes student responses to provide some insight into students' level of understanding of general knowledge about the moon, moon phases, and modeling the phases. Presents implications for teachers. (KHR)

Describes the Virtual Solar System (VSS) course which is one of the first attempts to integrate three-dimensional (3-D) computer modeling as a central component of introductory undergraduate education. Assesses changes in student understanding of astronomy concepts as a result of participating in an experimental introductory astronomy course in…

Presented are the arguments of two different points of view on the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. Evidence of extraterrestrial impact theory and massive volcanic eruption theory are discussed. (CW)

Described are the contributions of 15 women astronomers to the modern understanding of the stars. Discussed are early women pioneers, early spectrographic studies, and recent women astronomers. A list of 29 references is included. (CW)

The difference in time between the emission and reception of light is called the "lookback" time. This article explores implications of lookback time and explains some of the puzzling questions posed by the scientific observation of cosmic history. Provides several pictures and diagrams. (YP)

Discusses an astronomy simulation activity introducing the concepts of rotation, revolution, and retrograde motion. Describes the activity procedures in classrooms. (YP)

Presents activities for observing, measuring, collecting, and graphing data about times of sunrise and sunset to teach an understanding about arrival of Daylight Savings Time in April. Also discusses seasonal affective disorder (SAD). (TM)

Leeuwenhoek's demonstration proving the Earth's rotation, which leads to some significant errors in reasoning, can be reproduced from this article and used to provide an interesting discussion in undergraduate astronomy and physics courses or clubs. (LZ)

Presents an experiment to demonstrate the diurnal and seasonal motions of the sun, which can be used in different grade levels, depending on the degree of difficulty required for the analysis, as an effort to generate student interest in the scientific method. Includes an activity to teach students elementary concepts of the sun's apparent motion…

Looks at the careers of several women astronomers and how the opportunities, work, and self-images of women in astronomy have changed over the past two centuries, in conjunction with a discussion of the role of women's colleges. The women include Caroline Lucretia Herschel, Maria Mitchell, Williamina Fleming, Annie Cannon, Antonia Maury, Henrietta…

Describes activities to stimulate school astronomy programs. Topics include: counting stars; the Earth's centripetal force; defining astronomical time; three types of sundials; perceptions of star brightness; sunspots and solar radiation; stellar spectroscopy; number-crunching and the molecular structure of the atmosphere; the Earth-Moon common…