A satellite is anything that orbits around another object. Moons are natural satellites that orbit around planets, whereas artificial satellites are objects that people have made and launched ...
In November 2014, the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta Mission landed a space probe called Philae onto the surface of Comet 67P, while Rosetta continued to orbit the comet. The touchdown was ...
See some key dates relating to early discoveries about natural and artificial satellites in this timeline. 6th century BCE – Ancient Greek geocentric model Ancient Greek astronomers believe the ...
In this activity, students use a scale model of the Earth and identify altitudes of various satellites. They then use a smaller object on a string to model gravity and satellite motion. By the ...
In this activity, students use a simple true or false interactive tool to categorise facts. This activity could be used as a formative activity to gather students prior knowledge and ...
In this activity, students observe how the Moon appears to move across the sky each hour, as well as over several days. They discuss how both the rotation of the Earth as well as the satellite ...
Search data from NASA’s Kepler spacecraft for the dips in star light intensity caused by exoplanets – planets that orbit stars other than the Sun. As these exoplanets pass between the star and ...
Globe at Night is an international citizen science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen scientists to measure and submit their night sky ...
Loss of the Night is an international citizen science project aiming to quantify the illumination of the night sky caused by artificial light. By monitoring how bright the night sky is over time ...
Are you looking for ways to teach forces? If you’re new to the Science Learning Hub, you may want to start with our introductory video on teaching physics. Alternatively, use the links below to ...
In this online PD session recorded on 13 August 2015, secondary school teacher Steve Chrystall describes how he uses the Science Learning Hub’s satellites and rocket resources to teach space and ...
Children’s involvement in science is increased when they have an opportunity to make decisions about science-based issues that have consequences for their lives. It’s bringing science into the ...
Dr Allan McInnes and Dr Adrian McDonald, from the University of Canterbury, explain how gravity and projectile motion keep natural and artificial satellites in an orbital path.
The Rosetta Mission has been a long and complex mission to land a probe on a comet. What exactly is a comet and why land a probe on one? Avionics engineer Warwick Holmes explains how comets may ...
Using party ice, water and charcoal, Rosetta Mission engineer Warwick Holmes and University of Waikato’s John Little create a model of a comet in front of a live audience.
The size, orbit and design of a satellite depend on its purpose. In this interactive, scientists discuss the functions of various satellites and orbits. Accompanying fact files provide ...
Use this interactive graphic organiser to highlight common alternative conceptions about gravity and satellites. Students can place the labels where they think they belong. This activity can be ...
This slideshow introduces a selection of rockets, their purposes and distances travelled in space.
