Neptune
After the discovery of Uranus in 1781, astronomers had a difficult time accurately describing the planet's orbit. Uranus seemed to […]
Saturn
Like its larger sibling, Jupiter, Saturn is a ball of hydrogen and helium gas wrapped around a heavy core. Instead
Uranus
The poles of most planets aim away from the plane of the solar system; like Earth's poles, they point roughly
Jupiter
As the Great Red Spot demonstrates, Jupiter is a world of superlatives. It is the largest planet in the solar
Mars
Scientists, too, have speculated about the possibility of life on Mars. During the 1800s, some leading astronomers thought that an
Earth
But it was only in the sixteenth century, around the time of Copernicus, that people began to see Earth as
Venus
The Venusian clouds kept astronomers from seeing the planet's surface. Without visible landmarks, they could not measure how fast Venus
Properties of Dust
Students carry out a scientific investigation of dust in their classroom, then extend their experience to properties of dust in space.
Super Gelatin
Students measure the angles of refraction of laser light traveling through gelatin, then plot their data to calculate the gelatin’s
Telescope Allocation Committee
This activity acquaints the students with the telescopes and instruments available at an astronomical observatory: McDonald Observatory.Astronomers apply for observing