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EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND EVENTS

Educational Resources and Events Catalog

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  1. Lights, Coronagraph, Action! An Exoplanet Direct Imaging Demo

    Activities
    In this demonstration, participants will learn about the direct imaging method astronomers use to find exoplanets — planets outside our solar system. Using a trifold display board and a lamp, participants...
    Split image: At left, a bright dot with a glare. At right, a hand holds a dark circle to block the star's light.

  2. Exoplanet Detectives: A Transit Method Activity

    Activities
    In this activity, participants will learn about the transit method to find exoplanets — planets outside our solar system. Using a trifold display board, a lamp, and exoplanet shadow puppets, participants...
    Large tri-fold poster says Exoplanet Detectives at the top.

  3. The Pillars of Creation and the Interplay of Stars and Dust

    Videos
    This scientific visualization explores the iconic Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula and the various ways that stars and dust are intertwined in the process of star formation. In developing the contextual...
    Mosaic of the Pillars of Creation visualization model, composed of 4 rectangular strips oriented 45 degrees clockwise from vertical. Strips alternate between Hubble and Webb views of the visualization model, with each strip labeled: “Hubble” at lower right corners of first and third strips; “Webb” at upper left corners of the second and fourth strips. Webb strips have drop shadows that make it look like they are overlaid on top of larger Hubble image. Mosaic shows 3 vertical structures (pillars) of thick smoke-like material. Pillar edges are glowing, with thin wisps of material moving away into space. In Hubble strips, pillars are dark brown and opaque, on greenish blue background. In Webb strips, pillars are bright orange to brown with a distinct area of bright red at the top of middle pillar. A red star appears at the tip of a peak in the left pillar and the background is deep blue.

  4. Pillars of Creation 3D Model

    3D Object
    The Pillars of Creation are a formation of long thin dust clouds in the Eagle Nebula. They have been showcased in exquisite images from both the Hubble and Webb space telescopes. Their nickname derives...
    Photograph of a 3D printed model of the Pillars of Creation. The model is light gray with a silk-like texture, and the background is white. The three pillars rise up from a base that has a pancake-dome shape. The base is rotated about 60 degrees clockwise from the typical left-to-right orientation: The tallest pillar is at the back left at about 11 o’clock; the shortest is in the foreground right, at about 5 o’clock. The model is lit from several different angles to highlight the details. The pillars cast faint shadows toward the lower left. The pillars are craggy and stalagmite-like. The surfaces are smooth in some places, and pitted and grooved in others. Some edges are rounded and some appear sharp and jagged. The tall pillar at the back left and the middle pillar are solid all the way to the base. The small pillar at the front right is connected to the base by a web-like lattice made out of the same material as the rest of the model.

  5. 2024 NASA's Astrophoto Challenge (Summer)

    May 20 through August 5, 2024 Challenge

    Make your own image of the Cassiopeia A (Cas A) with NASA’s Astrophoto Challenge using James Webb Space Telescope data.  Join NASA's Universe of Learning for an exciting opportunity to ...

  6. Teachable Moments: The Science of Solar Eclipses and How to Watch with NASA

    Article | Resource Guide
    Get ready for the April 2024 total solar eclipse, by learning about the science behind solar eclipses, how to watch safely, and how to engage students in NASA science. Teachable Moment: The Science of...
    Three different types of eclipses. A partial eclipse with the Moon covering the top third of the Sun. An annular eclipse with the Moon covering most of the Sun. A total eclipse with the Sun completely covered by the Moon.

  7. 2024 NASA's Astrophoto Challenge (Winter)

    December 18, 2023 through February 29, 2024 Challenge

    Make your own image of the Crab Nebula with NASA’s Astrophoto Challenge using James Webb Space Telescope data.  Join NASA's Universe of Learning for an exciting opportunity to use real ...

  8. Teachable Moments: NASA Balloon Mission Designed to See the Space Between Stars

    Article | Resource Guide
    A NASA balloon mission designed to study the interstellar medium – the space between stars – will take to the skies above Antarctica in December 2023. Read on to learn how the GUSTO mission's...
    NASA's GUSTO mission preparing its white stratospheric balloon in snow-covered Antarctica against a sky with a bright blue hue.

  9. Teachable Moments: Exploring the Mystery of Our Expanding Universe

    Article | Resource Guide
    Scientists may soon uncover new insights about some of the most mysterious phenomena in our universe with the help of the newly launched Euclid mission. Built and managed by the European Space Agency,...
    An illustration of the Euclid telescope in front of a star field. The telescope has a cylindrical body with an open top and a flat, square base as well as a flat panel along its back.

  10. Stellar Life Cycle Bookmark and Bracelet

    Activities
    This activity introduces the life cycle of stars. Participants will learn that the evolution of a star depends on its initial mass. They will create a tassel for a bookmark describing the stages of a star’s...
    A beaded bracelet, three bookmarks with beaded charms, and a phone with a beaded charm.

  11. Stellar Evolution Scavenger Hunt

    Activities
    This activity introduces participants to the stages in the life cycles of massive and low-to-intermediate-mass stars. They will learn how a star’s life cycle depends on its mass by participating...
    Red-orange arcs surround the carbon star CW Leonis. Brilliant searchlight beams from the star’s surface poke through.

  12. Stellar Evolution Flipbook Activity Guide

    Activities
    This activity introduces the life cycle of stars. Participants will learn that the evolution of a star depends on its initial mass. They will explore the different stages in the life of a star by creating...
    A printed horizontal series of white pages are clipped together at left by a black binder clip. The title on the first page, "The Life of a Sun-like Star" appears at right, with much smaller text running vertically, NASA's universe of Learning. The paper is set against a star field filled with stars and irregular layers of brown gas,

  13. Stephan's Quintet: A Multi-wavelength Exploration

    Sonification | Videos
    This visualization explores the galaxy group Stephan's Quintet by using observations in visible, infrared, and X-ray light. The sequence contrasts images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer...
    Four galaxies appear close to each other in the sky: two in the middle, one toward the top, and one to the upper left. The galaxies appear to be touching. The galaxies are large relative to the hundreds of much smaller (more distant) galaxies in the background. All four galaxies have bright white cores and have streaks of blue and red. Some of the galaxies are peppered with white dust-like specks. Each galaxy is unique in size, shape, structure, and exact coloring. Scattered across the image, in front of the galaxies, are a number of foreground stars with diffraction spikes: bright white points, each with eight bright lines radiating out from the center.

  14. 2023 NASA’s Astrophoto Challenge (Summer)

    May 15 through July 31, 2023 Challenge

    Make Your Own Image of the Phantom Galaxy M74 with NASA’s Astrophoto Challenge Using Webb data.  Join NASA's Universe of Learning for an exciting opportunity to use real astronomical data ...

  15. NASA's Space Jam

    Activities
    Use code to create a solar system that really rocks! Have a blast learning about music, astronomy, and coding all at once! In these activities, you'll program planets to make music that is out of...
    NASA's Space Jam logo shows an artist-drawn hand placed on a record decorated with binary code, stars, and abstract shapes in purple, black, and peach.