Useful+Websites

=media type="custom" key="10688824" align="left"= National Geographic - Solar System 101 video [] This video provides an astronauts view. From the beginning of the universe to how it exists today, you’ll journey from the sun to the farthest parts of the galaxy where you’ll find the dwarf planet Pluto. Amazing images help you understand the interesting facts. It is American so you may need to find a tool to convert Fahrenheit into degrees Celsius so you get more idea about how hot and cold the planets really get. So great you’ll probably watch it again.

Solar System Exploration - Home Page @http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/index.cfm This site provides easy tabs on the left help you find information about planets and missions. The multimedia tab provides audio and the interactive “Eyes on the Solar System” – a virtual tour of space. Compare this to the National Geographic video. The Kids tab leads you to basic facts and you could take the cosmic quiz to test you knowledge before you research and again after to see how much you really learnt.

The Space Place - NASA @http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/ This site has great images and really interesting information. You can listen to some of the answers from Dr Marc by clicking on the speaker icon. Under the category tabs you will find the option to “see all” or use icons to select “explore”, “do” or “play”. Move the mouse over the options in each category and a speech bubble appears giving you more information about each item. You’ll find more information than just basic facts here.

StarChild - NASA [] StarChild provides a easy to understand information about the solar system and its features. There are 2 reading levels to choose from. If you find the information too easy or too hard select the other level. In level 1 you can have the information read to you by clicking the play button under the speaker icon. This site provides more than just facts. It is interactive with quizzes, movies and images to help you understand all about our solar system.

Kids Astronomy [|http://kidsastronomy.com] Ever wondered where the names of planets came from? You can find out here! There is information about planets, asteroids, comets, the sun and moons. It’s really easy to understand set out as questions with the answer underneath each one. Basic facts are easy to find. Distances are shown in both kilometre and miles – we use kilometres. Temperatures are shown in both Celsius and Fahrenheit – we use degrees Celsius

Aboriginal Astronomy - Questacon [] Learn how the Aboriginal people understood the solar system and used the constellations and shadows to understand the seasons and when certain food would be found. An example is the Emu in the Sky. You could compare information in this site with information in the site below and what you already know about Aboriginal culture. Think about how we know the seasons are changing now and when we plant and find food.

Aboriginal Astronomy - CSIRO [] More challenging than the site above but still packed with information to discover about Aboriginal culture and how they understood and used their knowledge about the solar system. Read the overview first before moving onto the Hardcore Stuff! Compare the information with the site above. You’ll also find award winning photos including the Emu in the Sky.

National Geographic [] Another more challenging site with some great features. Choose a planet and get some general information. “Planet Stats” then gives you the basic facts and you can see how much you’d weigh on each planet. You can then compare planets. Great for gathering information for a Venn diagram. It even provides an image of the 2 planets being compared so you get a better idea of the different sizes. Satellites and space junk also feature here.

Amazing Space [] This site has a “Homework Help” section where you’ll find the glossary mentioned on the Keywords page of this wiki. Capture the Cosmos and Online exploration provide a mix of information and activities. Have the astronomer’s experience by doing the challenges including identifying galaxies and stars. Based on the Hubble Space Telescope discoveries this site has great images and interesting news.

KidsClick [] A search engine for kids! Try all the different ways to search. Keyword search by typing keywords into the search box. Use the advanced search to choose a reading level that suits you. “Facts and Reference” links to encyclopaedias and dictionaries or under “Science and Math” you’ll find the category “Space” with links to sites. Alphabetical search lists keywords in alphabetical order. Select one to go to related links. The Dewey Decimal Search has information grouped in categories just like our non-fiction books in the library. Check out the 500s for space and the solar system.