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Listed under:  Science  >  Forces and energy  >  Mechanical energy  >  Motion  >  Rotational motion  >  Orbits
Video

Our world: communications in space

This is a NASA 'Our World' video clip focusing on the different ways that astronauts on the International Space Station use technology to communicate with ground staff and others on Earth. The narrators include the puppet Lily and actual astronauts on the space station. Different modes of communication include radio contact, ...

Video

Our world: what is a solar system?

This is a NASA 'Our World' video clip exploring the largest objects found in the solar system. The narrators of the clip include an enthusiastic young student, a synthesised voice and an amateur astronomer who address the issues of what exactly is a solar system and how the major celestial objects making up our solar system ...

Interactive

Seasons

Control the motion of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. Work out how the Earth’s orbit and the tilt of its axis determine seasons in the different hemispheres. Work out how the Earth’s orbit and the tilt of its axis determine day length in the different hemispheres. Examine the heating effect of the Sun. Compare seasons ...

Interactive

Earth rotation: night and day

Watch an animation of the Earth rotating in space showing day and night, the equinox where locations on Earth experience close to equal hours of daytime and night-time (12 hours) and views of the Earth from above the North and South Poles. Turn an animated model of the Earth to explore how rotation is related to night and ...

Interactive

Light and shadows

Look at how a tree makes a shadow during a sunny day. Notice that objects always casts shadows that face away from the Sun. Examine how the shape and position of a shadow is related to the time of day and position of the Sun. Explore the shadows cast by different objects such as a bike, an umbrella and a child. Position ...

Video

From Stonehenge to STEREO

Humans have been studying the sun for a long time, possibly because life on Earth is directly influenced by the sun. Why is the sun so vital to life on Earth? Think about what would happen to life on Earth if the sun didn't exist.

Interactive

Kamay – looking up

This resource explores the navigation techniques used during the journey of the Endeavour and contrasts these with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander navigational and astronomical systems that have been in place for many thousands of years. This learning sequence contains activities suitable for Year 7 - Year 10 science ...

Interactive

Pushing and pulling

Move animals from a boat to their new home in a zoo. Put them on a cart, then use monkeys to push or pull them up a hill. Use the minimum amount of force needed to move each animal. For example, use a single monkey to push a pelican or use three monkeys to pull a zebra. This learning object is a combination of three objects ...

Interactive

DIY Sun Science - iTunes app

Try some hands on investigations that relate to learning about the Sun. Follow step-by-step procedures, read through explanations to find out why things happened and also view related video clips. Free when reviewed on 12/5/2015.

Interactive

Gravity and orbits

This is an interactive teaching and learning resource that years 7 to 10 secondary students can use to simulate the orbits of the Earth, Moon and a space station while altering the physical quantities involved. Orbital pathways, velocity and force vectors can be displayed in either scale or cartoon views. The mass and velocity ...

Interactive

NASA: Eyes Eclipse 2017

This interactive 3D simulation of the total eclipse of August 21st, 2017 enables users to navigate to different locations to watch a simulation of what the eclipse would look like from that area from start to finish. The simulation is available as a web and desktop applications suitable for most devices.

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Do-it-yourself podcast

This resource for educators and students details a do-it-yourself podcast activity that gives students the opportunity to host a show featuring astronauts conducting experiments on the International Space Station, or NASA experts explaining scientific concepts. A set of NASA audio and video clips is provided, along with ...

Image

Our solar system - set of lithographs

This resource is a series of lithographs containing high-quality images and information about the planets of the solar system, moons of various planets, and asteroids, meteors and comets. Each lithograph contains a high-resolution image of the planet or planetary body, as well as several smaller images of particular features ...

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Mysteries of the solar system

This is a web resource that contains mysterious photos of various aspects of planets in our solar system and shows how further space exploration helped to explain the mysteries. Each initial image has an engaging title, explains how the image was obtained and why the image was deemed to be mysterious. The subsequent image, ...

Video

Our world: moons in our solar system

This is a NASA 'Our World' video clip focusing on the celestial objects that orbit the planets of the solar system. The narrators include an enthusiastic young student and a planetary scientist who provide intriguing information about a variety of moons. The presence of water on some moons raises the possibility that there ...

Interactive

Spacewalk game

This is an interactive resource that explores the International Space Station through a Station Spacewalk Game in which participants conduct virtual NASA repair work on the International Space Station. In the game, participants leave the airlock and complete tasks executed by astronauts to help power up the space station ...

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Space debris map

This is a reference resource for teachers that consists of a single web page providing visual and written information about the location of, and hazards associated with, space debris. This space junk includes old non-functional satellites, as well as parts of and debris from satellites, spacecraft and rockets that continue ...

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Solar system exploration

This is a comprehensive NASA website that provides extensive factual information for teachers and students about the celestial objects making up the solar system. The website provides a general introduction to the solar system and a network of links to information about each of the major components: the Sun, each of the ...

Interactive

My solar system

This is an interactive resource exploring the orbital motion of a system of planets. Using the orbital simulation, students can build their own system of planets and watch the gravitational ballet. They can set initial positions, velocities, and masses of 2, 3, or 4 bodies, and then see them orbit each other. This interactive ...

Video

ABC News: Dr Karl discusses mining asteroids

Imagine an asteroid, half the size of a football field, hurtling towards Earth at a speed of 28,000 kilometres per hour! Watch this clip to find out about Asteroid 2012 DA14 and whether it poses any threat to Earth. You will also discover why mining prospectors are keen to capture asteroids such as this one. Could the next ...