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Welcome Emma. Poor old Pluto got demoted, at least that’s how some people feel! But it’s a great fun fact. It turns out that Pluto isn’t the largest object in the outer solar system, so far away from the Sun that the Sun would be a very bright star. You could get the children to imagine/draw how the Sun might look in the sky in going from Mercury all the way to Neptune and beyond.
Hi Ellen, welcome to the forum. The Artemis mission has sparked a renewed interest in human space flight. I remember Apollo, and that left a lasting impression. As Artemis moves into the phase of landing humans on the Moon in the next few years, it will likely have a massive influence on our kids, and it’s a real opportunity to inspire and encourage them. And as per an earlier post, perhaps one of them will become a genuine astronaut who goes to the Moon.
Hi Eimear, a great fun fact. You can ask the children why they think the stars look so different and discuss ideas around distance and size and brightness. Your day-and-night lesson offers great possibilities for hands on learning, debate and exploration.
Hi Caoimhe, welcome to the forum! When I was a kid the idea of going to space was almost impossible. It is becoming increasingly possible, especially if you have the finances. We know that kids are fascinated about going into space and we always tell them that the technology has now reached a level that anyone with minimal training can go, so they can really imagine a future where they also get a chance to see the Earth from space.
Hi Lora, that’s a really good fun fact. You could ask the class what they think would happen to the tides if the Moon disappeared. (It turns out that tides are really important for the evolution of life on our planet, and it’s an example of the importance of the Moon. It’s not just a lifeless Moon, even if life itself doesn’t exist on the Moon.)
Welcome Colin. That’s a great fun fact and a really interesting classroom activity. Some interesting comments about measuring and predicting the shape of the Moon already in the forum. It’s one of those experiments that can be done by the kids by just looking out at night and recording how what they see of the Moon changes. It can be sometimes cloudy in Ireland – understatement – but you can always discuss how cloud has helped or hindered capturing Moon phases.
Hi Ciara, welcome! Yes, that’s a great fact and hard to get one’s head around. Even though Saturn is HUGE compared to the Earth, it would still float on water due to its low density. This seems remarkable when a small pebble sinks, and it’s tiny. But it’s dense. This highlights that size and density are different and that’s why we need different ways to measure the different properties or behaviours of things.
Welcome Karen! And as Paula says, sometimes a bit of silence is a good thing! You can also discuss whether the Moon is silent and Mars is silent. The Moon has no atmosphere. Mars has a very light atmosphere. Do the children think you could communicate by sound on either or both? And if you were an alien who grew up on one of those planets, how would that affect your biology? If “voice” wasn’t possible, what do the children think would be used instead to communicate?
Welcome Olwyn, your space fact shows how we can fooled when we make an observation! And therefore the importance of trying different ways / experiments to make sure that we’re not being mislead. It’s a great example of the importance of asking the children to present their ideas if they think they have an explanation which either supports or differs from others. And to know it’s ok if one’s explanation turns out not to be as good as someone elses. We learn by trying, not only be succeeding. Even Albert Einstein made mistakes (which he later said he regretted)!
Welcome Alison. This is such a bizarre fact – but true! Diamonds are made on earth from extreme pressures, and deep in the atmosphere of Neptune the pressures are equally extreme and this allows for rain made from carbon to be squeezed into diamonds! Incredible.
Welcome Alison. This is such a bizarre fact – but true! Diamonds are made on earth from extreme pressures, and deep in the atmosphere of Neptune the pressures are equally extreme and this allows for rain made from carbon to be squeezed into diamonds! Incredible.
This is a great interactive lesson. You could also ask the class if they think this would be useful or even important in space, whether they think the space between the planets is hot or cold, and whether an astronaut far from the Sun would need more insulation. This helps them examine concepts of distance. It even opens the possibility to discuss how earth’s own insulation blanket, our atmosphere, is so important.
This is a great interactive lesson. You could also ask the class if they think this would be useful or even important in space, whether they think the space between the planets is hot or cold, and whether an astronaut far from the Sun would need more insulation. This helps them examine concepts of distance. It even opens the possibility to discuss how earth’s own insulation blanket, our atmosphere, is so important.
Hi Caroline. Welcome and thanks for that fun fact. It’s a really good example of how different cultures have looked at the skies above and connected humanity to them in different ways. The Matariki is a Maori word, while the ancient Greek word for this group of seven stars is the Pleiades. And when I was young we learned of these as the Seven Sisters because most people can see seven stars in the cluster. It’s possibly even something to ask the class to do in the winter months, to see if they can find the Matariki and see how many stars they can count.