The
Solar System 
The
Solar System
How old would you be on another planet? -As you may have guessed, the length of a day & length of a year on other planets are very different. In this activity, see how many years old you would be if you had been born on another planet.
How much do I weigh on Mars? - Go to the weighing station to find out! As you learned in third grade, gravity is the force that pulls things towards the center of the Earth. When we weigh something, we are actually measuring this force! Your bodyweight will be different, depending on what planet you're standing on!
Planet
Size Comparison -You might be wondering why Pluto
is no longer considered a planet in our solar system. Several of the
reasons as to why it lost its planetary status all have to do with the fact that
it is not very large. In fact, Pluto is even smaller than our Moon!
This activity does a great job doing side-by-side comparisons of our planets.
Just make two selections and then click on the "compare" button.
Solar System Jigsaw Puzzle -In the first level of this game, see if you can put all of our planets in their correct place. The second level tests your ability to place all of the moons found in our solar system in the correct place. Don't forget to play the third level of this game called the "Hardware Level." This level tests your ability to correctly place all of the probes & telescopes found in our solar system.
Name the Planets -Do you know your solar system? Warm up with this activity! Click and drag the correct name over the correct picture.
How Much Light Pollution is in Our Sky? -This site will give you a great idea as to how much light pollution there is in our area. It will also give you a little bit different perspective of the night sky depending upon what latitude you place yourself in the world. If you move the other slider closer towards the street light, you will see how much more of the night sky that you are missing out on!
Solar & Lunar Eclipse Animations -This animation does an excellent job of demonstrating the various kinds of lunar and solar eclipses that are possible. Be sure to click on the "tell me more" button to see other related animations as well!
Cyberspace Fun Room -This page has lots of links to great games about space. My favorites include "Design a Planet" and "Astronaut Dress-up."
Solar Eclipse Animations -Did you know that there are actually three types of solar eclipses? Click here to see animations of all three types of solar eclipses.
How long is a minute? -We know that an earth year is 365 and one quarter days long. That sure feels like a long time.......... How long does one minute feel like?
The Moon Illusion -Why does the moon look so huge when it first rises? Click here to find out. This site lets you actually move the moon over the horizon!
Moon Phases Gizmo -The Moon phases gizmo actually lets you set how fast the phases of the Moon and the rotation of the Earth take place.
What did the moon look like on the day you were born? -Just enter in whatever time and date that you wish, and you can see what the moon looked like on that particular day. Pretty cool...eh?
How old would you be on another planet? -As you may have guessed, the length of a day & length of a year on other planets are very different. In this activity, see how many years old you would be if you had been born on another planet.
How much do I weigh on the Moon? -Go to the weighing station to find out! As you learned in class, gravity is the force that pulls things towards the center of the Earth. When we weigh something, we are actually measuring this force! Your bodyweight will be different, depending on what planet you're standing on!
What will I Find in the Sky Tonight? -This is a great website that helps you quickly find out what you may find in our sky on a clear night. What I like about this site, is that it provides specific information about each day of the month. Believe me, this website has helped me more than once!
The
Sky at a Glance -This is another great site that
gives you fascinating information about what you may find in the sky on a clear
night. This site usually has a good diagram or two of the evening sky
which you might find to be very useful.
How Much Light Pollution is in Our Sky? -This site will give you a great idea as to how much light pollution there is in our area. It will also give you a little bit different perspective of the night sky depending upon what latitude you place yourself in the world. If you move the other slider closer towards the street light, you will see how much more of the night sky that you are missing out on!
Moon Phases Calendar -This lunar calendar comes from the Old Farmer's Almanac website. It shows you what phase the moon is currently in and what the moon should lo
What
Causes a Solar Eclipse? -In class we discovered
what causes a solar eclipse. Not only does this site do an EXCELLENT job
of demonstrating what causes a solar eclipse, it also does a great job of
showing you what different parts of the Earth will see during a solar eclipse as
well.
Solar & Lunar Eclipse Animations -This animation does an excellent job of demonstrating the various kinds of lunar and solar eclipses that are possible. Be sure to click on the "tell me more" button to see other related animations as well!
Solar Eclipse Animations -Did you know that there are actually three types of solar eclipses? Click here to see animations of all three types of solar eclipses.
What Causes Tides? -The gravitational pull of both the Sun and the Moon have a tremendous effect on the oceans of our planet. This animation does a great job of showing just how the Sun and the Moon have different effects on the oceans at different times during the Moon's revolution around the Earth.
Why is there 2 Bulges? -Some of you were asking in class why there are 2 bulges of the ocean- one on the side closest to the Moon and one on the opposite side of the Earth. This site does a great job explaining why this phenomenon occurs.
Why Does the Size of the Sun Appear to Change? -This investigation allows you to figure out just how far the Earth is from the Sun at different times of the year. Once you calculate the Earth's distances for each month, you get to see what the Earth's actual orbit looks like!
What
is the Reason for the Seasons? -Did you ever
wonder why we have winter and summer when we do? Did you realize that half of
the world is experiencing summer, while we're experiencing winter? This site
helps reinforce some of the ideas that we will explore in class.
Season Animation -Here's another really good animation that helps explain why we have seasonal differences when you don't live near the equator. Use the stop/pause/play buttons to operate this animation.
Interactive
Season Animation -This animation allows you to
view the Earth as seen from the Sun. Also, be sure to move the slider from
"side view" to "top view" to get a different perspective as
to why we have seasons.
Name the Planets -Do you know your solar system? Warm up with this activity! Click and drag the correct name over the correct picture.
Solar System Jigsaw Puzzle -In the first level of this game, see if you can put all of our planets in their correct place. The second level tests your ability to place all of the moons found in our solar system in the correct place. Don't forget to play the third level of this game called the "Hardware Level." This level tests your ability to correctly place all of the probes & telescopes found in our solar system.
Design
a Planet -This activity lets you design your very
own planet. You get to choose what kind of star it orbits around, whether
or not it has volcanoes, whether or not it has water, and so much more!