University of Colorado
Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?
There are more than 600,000 asteroids in our solar system. Pupils analyze images of two asteroids in order to determine if they are the same age. They count craters for each asteroid and compare numbers.
Curated OER
Hubble Spies Colliding Asteroids!
In this colliding asteroids worksheet, students are given the equation to determine the collision time for asteroids. Students use this equation to solve 4 problems including finding the area of a cross-section through the body of an...
University of Colorado
Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?
Did you know scientists can tell the age of an asteroid by looking closely at its craters? This final lesson of a six-part series focuses on two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, in order to demonstrate the concept of dating asteroids. Scholars...
Teach Engineering
Incoming Asteroid! What's the Problem?
Oh, no! An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth!. Class members must rise to the challenge of designing a shelter that will protect people from the impact and permit them to live in this shelter for one year. In this first lesson...
Curated OER
From Asteroids to Planets
In this asteroids and planets worksheet, students read about the formation of planets from asteroids. Students solve 6 mathematical problems including finding the rate of growth of a planet, determining the mass of a planet at a given...
Curated OER
Dinosaurs, Comets, Asteroids
In this dinosaurs instructional activity, learners answer multiple choice questions about dinosaurs, comets, and asteroids. Students complete 3 questions.
It's About Time
Impact Events and the Earth System
What would happen to Earth if an asteroid struck it? Assist young scientists as they explore the mechanics of an impact event and effects caused by it; calculate the energy released once an asteroid strikes Earth's surface; and compare...
Curated OER
Big Extinction
Students discuss evidence of a pre-dinosaur era meteoric collision, and its impact on living creatures. They build buckyball molecule models out of marshmallows, toothpicks, and soccer balls.
Glynn County School System
Solar System Formation and Extra-Solar Planets
Has the solar system always been like it is today? A lesson presentation begins with a discussion of the formation of our solar system. It continues with a compare and contrast of the inner and outer planets.
Glynn County School System
The Outer Planets
Are outer planets just like inner planets? Nope! The outer planets are much more spread apart than the inner planets. An informative PowerPoint presentation shows why this is true as well as facts about the individual planets in the...
Curated OER
Creating Craters
Students explore parts of an impact crater and compare and contrast craters found in Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Crater formation is modelled and the relationship of mass, velocity, and size of the projectile to the crater formation is...
Curated OER
LINEAR Comet
In this comets worksheet, students answer multiple choice questions about the death of the comet LINEAR. Students answer 3 questions.
Society for Science and the Public
Science News for Students: Asteroid Impacts May Have Sparked Life
Article reports on a new study that claims that the energy released from asteroid collisions may have sparked life on Earth. Includes a list of key vocabulary.
NBC
Timetable Set for Dealing With Asteroid Threat
NASA has made predictions that by 2036 a quarter-mile-wide asteroid named Apophis could possibly collide with Earth. This site outlines what preventative measures scientists are taking to avoid this impact.
NASA
Nasa: Hubble Observations Shed Light on Jupiter Impact
Scientists continue to learn from their observations long after the largest collision in history was recorded. Was Comet SL-9 actually an asteroid? What were the dark impact clouds made of? What were the effects on Jupiter's magnetic field?
Other
Pibs: How Dangerous Are Earth Crossing Objects?
This resource page discusses how close Earth is to a collision with other objects. This page gives helpful information about comets and asteroids as well links to other resources on the topic.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Science in Paradise: Big Dish
Investigate the science of radio astronomy, and create a model of a curved reflecting dish that will work like the Arecibo detector to detect electromagnetic waves. Explore risk using a risk space grid.
NASA
Nasa Space Science Data Archive: Photo Gallery: Galileo
A well-indexed collection of NASA images taken by the Galileo spacecraft. Images include the spacecraft itself prior to launch and all of the solar system objects this incredible mission has visited.
NASA
Nasa: The Galileo Mission
This site from NASA has information on the Galileo space mission, which launched in October 1989. In spite of technical problems, Galileo transmitted enormous amounts of new data, especially about Jupiter and its satellites and rings,...