Friday 4th November 2016 As night sets in on November 14, wander outside and gawk at the sky. If the weather is clear, the moon will be at its biggest and brightest in nearly 70 years, and it won’t put on a similar display until late 2034, astronomers say. A so-called “supermoon” occurs when the moon is not only full, but is orbiting close to … Read More
See five planets aligned
Wednesday 10th February 2016 After a frustrating few weeks of constant cloud, the current clear skies provide an ideal opportunity to check out the alignment of the five visible planets in the early morning sky. Until the 20th February, all five visible planets will sit in a line from the horizon, for the first time since 2005. Dr Alan Duffy, research fellow … Read More
Easter Total Lunar Eclipse
Thursday 2nd April 2015 This weekend we will experience a total Lunar eclipse, commencing at 9pm on Saturday night. (Unfortunately the NSW coastal weather forecast isn’t great!) The Sydney Observatory site provides some useful classroom resources, including a fact sheet. Visit the Sydney Observatory site >>>
Google Science Fair – 2015
Thursday 19th February 2015 From now, through to May 18, students around the world ages 13-18 can participate in the Google Science Fair by submitting projects online across all scientific fields, from biology to computer science to anthropology and everything in between. Prizes include $100,000 in scholarships and classroom grants from Scientific American and Google, a National Geographic Expedition to the Galapagos, … Read More
Philae – Touchdown confirmed!
Thursday 13th November 2014 The Rosetta spacecraft’s lander module, Philae, has touched down on the 67P C/G comet, and is now sending photos and data back to earth via Rosetta – from 510 million Kms away! Your class can follow the latest news and photos at the Rosetta blog >>>
Our Solar System – a helical model
Friday 24th October 2014 Here is a new (and possibly more realistic) animated model of how our Solar System moves in relation to the Sun. A helical model, rather than a flat elliptical model – though this animation has caused much debate in astronomical circles. (See also: Is the Solar System really a Vortex?) Might be an interesting discussion starter for … Read More
Red Moon – Lunar eclipse tonight (Aust)
Wednesday 8th October 2014 Here is another one of those great natural science discussion-starters for students of all ages ….. A blood red moon will emblazon Australian skies on Wednesday night, during a rare total lunar eclipse. A blood moon occurs in the event of a total lunar eclipse, when the Sun, Moon and Earth form a line and the … Read More
National Science Week
Thursday 21st August 2014 Has your school been involved in 2014 Australian National Science Week activities? Shows, talks, festivals and more! There are still plenty of local and online activities in which you can participate with your class this week. (Just a pity that it clashes with Book Week!) Learn more at the National Science Week website >>>
Aphelion Day – Earth farthest from the Sun
Friday 4th July 2014 At about 3pm (GMT) on the July 4th, the Earth will reach that point in its orbit where it is farthest from the sun. Known as Aphelion, this location in Earth’s orbit puts the planet about 152 million km (94.5 million miles) from the sun. That’s about 4.9 million km (3.1 million miles) more than the Earth’s closest distance … Read More
Science is fun!
Learning about the world around us has always been fun – Col. Chris Hadfield reminded us just how much fun it can be, with his series of videos from the International Space Station (ISS). Chris posted a series of videos about day-today life on the ISS – and they make great discussion-starters for science activities for all age groups. Below is … Read More