Space Place
"Space Place is the place for hands-on elementary-age space crafts ("Make your own jewel in the sky — a model Saturn decoration"), space activities ("Play our Intergalactic Adventures board game and be the first to explore a black hole and live to tell about it!") and space experiments ("Test a new spacecraft material.") You’ll also find a smattering of fun space facts, but not exhaustive reference material."
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Space Kids
"Landing at SpaceKids.com is like being sent to play in outer space! Filled with feature stories, questions and answers, contests and interactive games for the elementary-age crowd, Space Kids is the younger sibling of Space.com. Middle-schoolers (and older) should visit Space.com (look for the link on the left-hand menu) for in-depth space news and science. "Our primary mission is the popularization of space. Our commitment is to a greater public understanding and enthusiasm about space and space-related subjects." And I’d say they are hitting their mark."
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Space Exploration Merit Badge
"This web site provides all the information you need to complete the Boy Scout Space Exploration Merit Badge, including building and launching a model rocket. The best parts of this site are the behind-the-scenes science explanations such as Newton’s Laws and How Orbits Work. Don’t miss the Flight of the Rocket for its excellent diagram illustrating the flight path of a model rocket."
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Space Telescope Science Institute
A Surfnetkids Honorable Mention site.
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Space.com: Hubble Space Telescope
"The best Hubble clicks at Space.com are the multimedia clips, and the Hubble Health Reportwhich predicts that without repair, the Hubble has three to four years left. My favorite clips arethose titled Space TV because like television news features, they include narration. The imageanimations are spectacular to see, but without narration they are less educational."
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Space Race Exhibition
""The Space Race grew out of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the most powerful nations after World War II. For a half-century, the two superpowers competed for primacy in a global struggle pitting a democratic society against totalitarian communism." President Kennedy’s declaration in 1961 that we should land a man on the moon before the end of decade focused the space race on a clear goal: getting there before the Soviets. "For years, the Soviets officially denied being in a race to the Moon. Now there is ample evidence, including items displayed here, that they indeed competed to reach the Moon first.""
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Solar Eclipses
""The last flash of light from the surface of the Sun as it disappears from view behindthe Moon gives the appearance of a diamond ring and is called, appropriately, the diamond ring effect. As totality begins, the solar corona (extended outer atmosphere of the Sun) blazes into view. The corona is a million times fainter than the surface of the Sun; thus only when the eclipse is total can it be seen; if even a tiny fraction of the solar surface is still visible it drowns out the light of the corona." Best clicks are the solar eclipse animations that illustrate how the moon blocks the light of the sun."
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Smithsonian: Chasing Venus
"Chasing Venus tells the story of astronomers’ pursuit of this phenomenon, through rare books and articles written on the subject over the last four centuries. In 1761 and 1869, astronomers attempted to use the Venus transit to compute the Astronomical Unit, the distance from the Earth to the Sun. At that time, they narrowed it down to between 94 and 96 million miles. In addition to the fascinating history of astronomical knowledge as seen from the vantage of six Venus transits, this Smithsonian site offers nineteen Venus-related lesson plans for grades K through twelve."
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Sky and Telescope: How To
"How good an astronomer you become depends less on your instrument than on building your knowledge and skills. To get the most out of backyard stargazing, start with this collection of eight articles from Sky and Telescope magazine. Highlights include Words Ya Gotta Know (from arcsecond to zenith) and Understanding Celestial Coordinates (exactly what are declination and right ascension?) Best clicks are the two printable ten-page guides "Getting Started in Astronomy." To find a copy for your hemisphere, look for the link at the bottom of Your First Steps in Astronomy."
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Sky & Telescope: Lunar Eclipse
"Just 20 days into this millennial year, a spectacular total eclipse of the Moon will occur over the Americas and Western Europe. Weather permitting, observers will see all stages of the event unfold -- something not possible from most of these regions since 1996 or earlier. Totality will be particularly dramatic in North America, where the red Moon will burn high overhead in a dark and crisp winter sky. Sky and Telescope is soliciting input from observers on how bright the moon is during the eclipse. Learn the five-point Danjon Scale (zero is darkest and four is brightest) and submit your report via email. Experts, by the way, are predicting a very bright eclipse of three or four on the Danjon Scale."
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