With this resource, users can control the ground-based MicroObservatory telescopes from their computer and download their images themselves, with no human intervention in the loop. Users can access the Observing With NASA "Control Telescope" web... (View More) interface at anytime. The telescopes are weatherproof and do not require a dome for protection, and the "Control Telescope" software automatically lets users know which targets are up that night. Even first-time observers can control the instrument without dependence on a telescope operator or other outside experts. (View Less)

This one-page lithograph describes the science of NASA's Fermi mission and the mission objectives. The lithograph includes a student activity to demonstrate how a pulsar generates the pulses of light that we see. There is a link to the Sonoma... (View More) website that provides additional information and formal education activities. Note: In 2008, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) was renamed Fermi, for the physicist Enrico Fermi. (View Less)

This exhibit uses text and images to portray humanity's views of the universe and how they have evolved over time. It includes six two-sided panels that feature key astronomical discoveries from the past 400 years. The exhibit also highlights the... (View More) technological advancements that made these discoveries possible. Exhibit topics range from celestial objects within our own "cosmic backyard" to those beyond the realm of our solar system. Featured objects include the sun, the moon, Saturn, Mars, comets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies. Images are accompanied by captions that highlight relevant, historical discoveries. Each exhibit panel is supported by supplemental resource materials available online in a downloadable, PDF format. Resource materials include science background information in the form of Q&As, related science misconceptions, a glossary, and links to additional resources on NASA's Amazing Space website. In addition, each exhibit panel is available as a downloadable, poster-size file. (View Less)

This four-page color brochure describes the science of NASA's GLAST mission, as well as providing tables that summarize the instrumental parameters and the mission participants. Note: In 2008, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) was... (View More) renamed Fermi, for the physicist Enrico Fermi. (View Less)

This activity includes twelve monthly star charts to identify the stars that are visible in the night sky and that are known to have planets around them. The star maps can be used to find constellations and identify stars with extrasolar planets.... (View More) (Northern Hemisphere only, naked eye) (View Less)

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field lithograph shows the deepest visible light observation of the early universe. In vibrant contrast to the image's rich harvest of classic spiral and elliptical galaxies, there is a zoo of oddball galaxies littering the... (View More) field. Some look like toothpicks; others like links on a bracelet. A few appear to be interacting. In the accompanying educational activity, In Search of...Galaxy Evolution, students investigate galaxies from different eras to determine how they have evolved and changed over time through a level 1 inquiry activity using the images and text from the lithograph and other resources. A level 1 inquiry activity can help prepare students to become independent thinkers. (View Less)

This website provides basic information about x-rays and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

This website is a collection of questions relevant to the science and mission of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, submitted by students and the general public, with answers posted by experts in the field. Questions are organized in categories such as... (View More) cosmology, black holes, normal stars, dark matter. The website urges users to browse the Q&A section and search the website before submitting a question. (View Less)

In this activity, learners explore the size and scale of the universe by shrinking cosmic scale in 4 steps, zooming out from the realm of the Earth and Moon to the realm of the galaxies. This informational brochure was designed as a follow-up... (View More) take-home activity for teen and adult audiences. It can follow informal education activities where participants have experienced related space science programming. This activity allows participants to explore ideas of size and scale in the universe at their own pace. (View Less)

This toolkit includes PowerPoints and scripts, videos and accompanying activities and handouts about supernovae. Following are specific items in the kit: Supernova in the Lives of Stars PowerPoint and Script; Let's Make a Supernova (participants... (View More) imagine themselves inside a large star at the end of its life, just as it is about to go supernova); Nuclear Fusion (a simple and engaging activity explains nuclear fusion and how radiation is generated by stars, using marshmallows as a model); Supernova Star Maps (allow visitors to experience finding stars in the night sky that will eventually go supernova); A Universe Without Supernovae (an active game to illustrate the value of supernovae in the universe); and Lives of Stars (an activity and handout about the lifecycle of stars and when supernovae happen.) (View Less)