Hub for K-12 STEM Online Resources / CLASS CODE: acmluyv National Solar Observatory’s “Astronomy STEM” classroom! This class is a resource for Teachers, Parents, and K-12 students. Here, you’ll find engaging activities where students learn about careers in astronomy, STEM science principles, and stories of astronomers making new discoveries! NSO Youth Classroom / CLASS CODE: 7iz25jn Geared specifically for […]
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WASP-76b is a strange world. Located 634 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation of Pisces, the Jupiter-like exoplanet orbits its host star at an exceptionally close distance — approximately 12 times closer than Mercury is to the Sun — which heats its atmosphere to a searing 2000°C. Such extreme temperatures have “puffed up” the planet, increasing its volume to nearly six times that of Jupiter.
A paper published today in the Nature journal reports that NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has flown close enough to the Sun to detect fine structure of the solar wind to be able to suggest the regions of their origin. These winds carry charged particles to Earth that create beautiful auroras and disruptive solar storms that impact our satellites and electrical grids.
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have come up with what they say is some of their best evidence yet for the presence of a rare class of “intermediate-sized” black hole that may be lurking in the heart of the closest globular star cluster to Earth, located 6,000 light-years away.
The clashing of energy and matter can lead to fantastical sites on Earth, such as glowing auroras and powerful lightning displays. The same can be said about space, where energy from bright young stars and protostars floods their surroundings, illuminating vast interstellar clouds of dust and gas to create spectacular objects known as reflection nebulae.
Astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to image the warm dust around a nearby young star, Fomalhaut, in order to study the first asteroid belt ever seen outside of our solar system in infrared light. But to their surprise, the dusty structures are much more complex than the asteroid and Kuiper dust belts of our solar system.
By studying countless stars at various stages of their evolution, astronomers have been able to piece together an understanding of the life cycle of stars and how they interact with their surrounding planetary systems as they age. This research confirms that when a Sun-like star nears the end of its life, it expands anywhere from 100 to 1000 times its original size, eventually engulfing the system’s inner planets. Such events are estimated to occur only a few times each year across the entire Milky Way.
The explosion of a star is a dramatic event, but the remains the star leaves behind can be even more dramatic. A new mid-infrared image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope provides one stunning example. It shows the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), created by a stellar explosion 340 years ago from Earth’s perspective.
There’s an invisible monster on the loose, barreling through intergalactic space so fast that if it were in our solar system, it could travel from Earth to the Moon in 14 minutes. This supermassive black hole, weighing as much as 20 million Suns, has left behind a never-before-seen 200,000-light-year-long “contrail” of newborn stars, twice the diameter of our Milky Way galaxy. It’s likely the result of a rare, bizarre game of galactic billiards among three massive black holes.
NASA’s team has released distinctive and inspiring informal learning activities appropriate for diverse audiences. Examples include taking and developing telescope images, watching 3D visualizations or videos about astronomical topics, exploring a range of photos from space- and ground-based telescopes, and in-person and online events and activities you can adapt to your space and audience needs.
Viaje al Universo is an annual week-long program for schools, families and the public in the NOIRLab host communities of La Serena/Coquimbo and engages staff in local classrooms and public events.
We’re aware that many people are eager to come visit Kitt Peak by car, bicycles or even on foot. The public Arizona State Route 386 up to Kitt Peak National Observatory is still closed by ADOT
While the road to Kitt Peak is still closed, we are gradually reopening the exclusive Overnight Telescope Observing Program starting Saturday, 15 April 2023.This custom program gives you the full observatory experience and makes up to 4 guests visiting astronomers at Kitt Peak. Book your tickets on Eventbrite
AstroDay is one of NOIRLab’s longest-running educational programs. AstroDay Chile aligns with the National Day of Astronomy in Chile.
Several of our educational activities across all locations in Arizona, Chile and Hawai‘i focus on observations of the night sky and its phenomena, such as constellations, lunar phases or the planets.
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