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From Galileo to the Great Observatories
 
Silhouette of a man gazing at the night sky with the words Galileo to the Great Observatories in the foreground

Celebrate the mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Image Credit: Kathy Cordes

 From Galileo to the Great Observatories features activities associated with historic discoveries in astronomy from the time of Galileo to NASA's past, current and future observatories with emphasis on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Featured resources
  • Classroom activities and products
  • Multimedia/Interactive Learning
  • Related Resource Sites



 

A student looks toward the sky holding a telescope on a tripod with a sky chart in the background and the words Telescopes From the Ground Up

Trace the development of telescopes and their inventors. Image Credit: NASA

 Telescopes From the Ground Up

Telescopes From the Ground Up is an online exploration that traces the 400 years of telescope development from Galileo's refractor to NASA's Great Observatories. It also highlights the technology necessary for telescope development over time. The milestones of telescope development are presented in 10 sections called "eras." Associated "telescope pages" support each era by providing details about the invention and design of key telescopes. Biography pages that offer a glimpse of the inventors and astronomers behind the telescopes are included as well.

>  View site
 

Exploring with Light and Color

Purple background with white squiggly lines and the title of the activity in white letters

Challenge students to answer two big questions about light. Image Credit: NASA

 Two lesson plans, with four activities each, challenge students to answer two big questions: "What is the relationship between light and exploration? " and "How is light used to explore the universe?" A student workbook supports the lessons in this guide.

>  View Educator Materials (pdf)
>  View Student Workbook (pdf)

 

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field Lithograph

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field Lithograph

The lithograph shows the deepest image of the universe ever taken in visible light. Image Credit:NASA

 This HST image contains as many as 10,000 galaxies of all shapes, sizes, colors and ages. The back of the lithograph features an activity in which students analyze galaxies from different eras to determine how they have evolved and changed over time.

>  View Lithograph Information

 

Hubble Space Telescope's Top Science Findings

The words "Hubble Space Telescope's Top Science Findings" and an image of Hubble against a starry background

Astronomers and astrophysicists using Hubble data have published more than 4,000 scientific papers, on topics from the solar system to the very distant universe. Image Credit:STScI

 Hubble counts among its achievements the discovery that an invisible force called "dark energy" pervades the universe; the revelation that "monster" black holes reside in the centers of many galaxies; and the discovery of the building blocks of today’s large, majestic galaxies. Read about Hubble’s top science findings and see the related pictures in this Star Witness news story.

>  Dowload PDF (1 MB)

 

Products from NASA CORE (Central Operation of Resources for Educators)

The words "CORE Resources for Your Classroom" against a colorful backdrop of an image of Earth's core

CORE is a worldwide distribution center for NASA's educational multimedia materials. Image Credit: CORE

 The following Hubble-related products may be ordered for a minimal charge from NASA CORE.

Shoot for the Stars! Bulletin Board Set — This bulletin board set will have students answering the question "Where Do Stars Come From?"

StarGaze: Hubble's View of the Universe DVD — See the beauty and majesty of the universe from the Hubble Space Telescope. View over an hour of incredible images.

Great Observatories Family Activity Kit -- Why are NASA's space observatories important? Learn more about them with this family activity kit.

Deep Space: Featuring the Hubble Space Telescope Images CD-ROM -- Use the interactive menu to view a variety of deep space objects, galaxies, star clusters and planets.

 

NASA's Digital Learning Network
Astronomy: Bringing the Past to Light
The letters DLN overlay images of an astronaut and an EVA suit

Register online to investigate telescopes with your students. Image Credit: NASA
Register online for a free interactive videoconference to investigate telescopes with your students! Explore the history of telescopes from the early Galilean refractor to the future generation of NASA's space-based telescopes, with a special focus on the Hubble Space Telescope. Students will be guided along a timeline of astronomical history to understand how improvements to the basic telescope design allowed for greater and more distant exploration opportunities. Included in this event is an investigation activity about the Hubble Space Telescope in which students will apply math concepts such as estimation and multiplication. The event concludes with an exciting look at the future of NASA's space-based telescope missions.

Register for this event at http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/content/catalog/details/?cid=630 and select the sign-in option.

> View site

 

NASA eClips™

NASA eClips™logo

The NASA eClips™: Innovative Real World Learning videos offer useful, up-to-date information for the classroom. Image Credit: NASA

 NASA eClips are videos highlighting current research and innovations along with lesson plans that can be used in the classroom.

The links below point to a page that lists several eClips. Please scroll through the list below the large video by using the scroll bar to the far right to find the titles as listed below:

Seeing Stars

Hubble Wide Field Camera 3

 

Related Resource Sites


>  Visit the Mission to Hubble Web Site
>  Return to The Hubble Space Telescope Inspires Wonder Education Resource Page



 
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