These guides showcase education and public outreach resources from across more than 20 NASA astrophysics missions and programs. The twelve guides - one for each month - contain a science topic, an interpretive story, a sky object to view with... (View More) finding charts, hands-on activities, and connections to NASA science. The guides are modular, so that educators can use the portions that are the most useful for their audiences/events. Following is the theme for each month: January - Betelgeuse, February - Orion Nebula, March - Pleiades, April - Pollux; May - Hubble Deep Field, June - Hercules Cluster, July - Ring Nebula & Veil Nebula, August - The Search for Habitable Worlds, September - Milky Way Galaxy, October - Upsilon Andromedae, November - Andromeda Galaxy, and December - Crab Nebula. (View Less)

In this hands-on activity, students learn about the different realms of the Universe and explore their sizes and relative scales. They will be guided through a process that uncovers the immense sizes of the Sun, Solar System, Solar Neighborhood,... (View More) Milky Way, Local Group, Supercluster, and the observable Universe. The full version of this activity involves students doing simple math computations, however it can also be done without the math. There are some inexpensive materials involved, as well as a powerpoint presentation. It is intended for grades 8-12, but can be adapted down for lower grade levels. (View Less)

In this activity, students are introduced to light and colored gels (filters). Students make and test predictions about light and color using gels; learn about the importance of gels (filters) to astronomers; then analyze images taken with regular... (View More) and infrared cameras to see that objects opaque to light at one wavelength, may be transparent to light of a different wavelength. Section 1 of the activity guide includes teacher notes, information on materials and preparation, student misconceptions, and a student pre-test. Each activity section also includes teacher notes, student activity sheets, and answer keys. This activity is the first of four activities in Active Astronomy, which are designed to complement instruction on the electromagnetic spectrum, focusing on infrared light. (View Less)

In this activity, students build a photocell detector, and use it to detect different colors of light in a spectrum. Then they place the detector just outside the red region of the visible light spectrum and see that the detector detects the... (View More) presence of light there, even though there is no color visible. Students learn that invisible light exists and that we can detect this light with instruments other than our eyes. In a final part of the activity, students investigate the infrared signals emitted by TV and VCR remote controls. The activities build upon each other and are best taught in order. Section 1 of the activity guide includes teacher notes, information on materials and preparation, student misconceptions and a student pre-test. Each activity section also includes teacher notes, student activity sheets, and answer keys. This activity requires some special materials (e.g. a small solar cell, alligator clip leads, plus common classroom materials (e.g., overhead or slide projector). This activity is the second of four activities in Active Astronomy, which are designed to complement instruction on the electromagnetic spectrum, focusing on infrared light. (View Less)