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Listed under:  Science  >  Earth and space  >  Universe  >  Planetary systems  >  Solar System
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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 ...

Interactive

Solar System Quiz

This is a non-threatening ten question multiple choice quiz that gives students feedback on their understanding of our solar system that continues to reveal amazing facts and inspire some out-of-this-world fantasy. Excellent explanations given in the feedback. A useful resource to stimulate discussion or establish student ...

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Solar wind gives asteroids a tanning

This brief ABC News in Science article from 2009 explains that asteroids become redder the longer they stay out in the sun because of the solar wind. Scientists are using this to try to find our more about our planetary origins.

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Sites2See: Astronomy for primary

A small galaxy of sites and resources, from Galileo making discoveries that changed our view of the universe, to new images and understandings from Hubble, on a page tailored for Primary students.

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Catalyst: Scaling down our solar system

Can you imagine how huge the Sun is, or how far away planets such as Saturn are? Watch this clip to discover how 'mind-bending-ly big' the solar system is. Presenter, Bernie Hobbs, scales down the the solar system to fit into a football field to demonstrate the relative sizes and distances of the Sun and planets. Find out ...

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A long history of the Moon

The Moon is a familiar object in the night sky and impacts life on Earth as it orbits our planet. Watch this animation showing how the moon has changed since its formation 4.5 billion years ago. See how the Moon's surface altered over time as volcanoes and asteroids created the basins and craters present on the Moon today.

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A long history of planet Mars

Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, is a cold, dry, desert-like place with a thin atmosphere and no signs of existing water or life. However, evidence suggests that its surface might once have looked very different, and that it possibly contained bodies of water. Watch this animation showing what Mars may have looked ...

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And now for the Sun's weather

The Sun is the primary source of energy on Earth and plays a major role in the weather we experience, but how does it affect weather in space? Watch this animation showing what happens when there is solar wind, solar flare and even a solar storm. Find out about their impacts on our planet and on us.

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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 ...

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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 ...

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ABC News Dr Karl discusses the Earths heat video

Discover the activities deep within the Earth that could seriously impact life on Earth far into the future. Watch this video to find out about the sources of the Earth's own heat. Dr Karl explains clearly just what is below the Earth's surface and what is happening there. As well, he talks about changes in the Sun and ...

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For the Juniors: Effects of dry weather

What do you feel like when the weather is hot and dry? Discover what happens to the land during dry weather. Look at how the landscape changes at different times of the year.

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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 ...

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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.

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BTN: The Moon landing

Some say landing on the moon is as one of humanity's greatest achievements. Learn about the history of the moon landing and some of the challenges faced by scientists. See actual footage of the astronauts on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.

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For the Juniors: How do you know when rain is coming?

How can you tell when rain is on the way? Some animals seem to know when wet weather is coming. This clip explains some different ways that people can tell it's going to rain.

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Triple J: Why is Pluto not a planet?

Watch this clip and learn why Pluto was taken off the official list of planets. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki explains the three criteria that must be met before planets can be called planets. What are they?

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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, ...

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Carbon is child's play

Carbon is all around us and makes up every living thing. This unit investigates the basic science of carbon in living things and build awareness of the science of the carbon cycle and its importance to our daily lives and the planet. The unit includes PDF resources and video quiz challenges for teachers and student and ...