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Space Science Teaching Resources

Browse printable space science worksheets, digital activities and a whole lot more to open the galaxy up for your elementary and middle school students.

This collection of NGSS scurriculum-aligned teaching resources has been created by our expert teacher team to save your valuable lesson planning time with differentiated and editable science printables and Google Slides.

Take off for the Milky Way with a look at the sun and moon and the eight planets of our solar system, introduce your students to astronomy and the history of space exploration and more with classroom-ready resources that have been carefully curated by our expert teacher team!

Looking to learn more about the space science curriculum, or just need some fresh ideas to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!

What Is Space Science? A Kid-Friendly Definition

Space science is the study of the entire universe beyond Earth's atmosphere! It includes studying stars, the moon, the planets, galaxies, constellations and other phenomena that occur outside our planet.

This field of science covers a broad range of topics such as astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, astrobiology and more.

How Do You Teach Space in Elementary School?

It's a complicated question, we realise, and every teacher will have their own answer based on both personal teaching philosophy and the state standards their students need to meet.

But space has fascinated kids (and grown-ups) for centuries, at least as far back as the days of Galileo inventing the telescope in the 1600s. And while more and more kids want to grow up to be a social media influencer, there are still plenty of students who are listing "astronaut" as a future career aspiration — a fact that we can't help but attribute at least in part to teachers and their inspiring lessons on space!

So how do you write your space lesson plans? It might help to start with the themes and topics that kids typically learn throughout primary school, no matter where you teach:

• The Solar System —  Your students will get to know the eight planets of our solar system and the names of each, plus their order from the sun and their characteristics.
• The Sun —  Students should be learning that the sun is a star as well as learning how it creates light and heat and how it affects the Earth.
• The Moon —  Kids will learn about the moon's phases plus its role in the ocean's tides and its relationship to the Earth.
• Stars and Galaxies —  The classification of stars and the constellations they form are on tap at this level. Kids may also learn about galaxies and the universe.
• Space Exploration —  Taking off with the astronauts, primary learners should be exposed to lessons about the history of space exploration, the first moon landing and the various space missions.
• Space Travel —  Related to the concept of exploration, this is a good time to talk about the challenges of space travel, such as zero gravity, and the importance of spacesuits and other equipment.
• Space Technology —  What's going on in that wide space outside of the Earth's atmosphere? It's time to teach about space technology, including satellites, telescopes and the International Space Station.
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If I Could Create My Own Planet Craft Template

Explore planets and let your students get creative by developing their own planet.

Free Planet Coloring Pages

Use these black and white planet templates as coloring pages for your students.

Phases of the Moon – Comprehension Worksheet

Analyze different moon phases and how their visual appearances change over time with this reading comprehension worksheet.

Space - Word Wall Vocabulary

Use these space vocabulary words and space terms to unlock the solar system for your elementary students as they learn about space, the solar system, and the world far beyond your school.

The Solar System – Cut and Paste Activity

Use this cut-and-paste activity to make a mini solar system book.

The Seasons Around the World Posters and Worksheet

A diagram showing the Earth's rotation around the sun and the corresponding seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Planets Escape Room Activity

Navigate facts about different planets with this fun and engaging escape room style activity with your students.

Phases of the Moon – Worksheet

Label the phases of the moon as they appear in the northern hemisphere with this printable science worksheet.

The Solar System - Planets in Order

Show the planets in order with this beautifully designed printable science poster.

Space Word Search

Review science vocabulary terms with an engaging space word search.

Moon Phases – Cut and Paste Activity

Create a diagram showing the different moon phases and their names with this cut-and-paste activity sheet.

Formation of Earth – Reading Comprehension Worksheet

Use this reading comprehension activity that helps develop literacy skills and outlines the events and processes that led to the formation of our home planet.

Mars vs. Earth - Differentiated Paired Passage Worksheets

Learn about the planets with differentiated compare and contrast passages, activities, and writing opportunities.

Design a Planet Project

Explore the different planets during this design your own planet project for kids.

Planet Facts Fan Booklet

Practice knowledge of the planets by creating this fun fan-style activity booklet.

Objects in the Sky – Mini Workbook

Observe, describe, and illustrate different objects in the sky with this printable mini-workbook.

Objects in the Sky – Google Slides Interactive Activity

Demonstrate an understanding of the sun, moon, stars, and clouds with this interactive activity.

Objects in the Sky – Writing Prompts

Describe objects in the sky such as the clouds, moon, and sun with this set of 8 writing prompts.

Day and Night Cycle – Poster

Display information about Earth’s day and night cycle with this colorful science poster.

What Causes the Seasons? Informative Text Writing Task

Use this scaffolded writing task to have students write about how seasons change.

The Solar System in Our Space – Mathematics Investigation

A mathematics investigation about number and the scale of the solar system, embedded in a real-world context.

Planet Research Templates

Explore the planets with these printable planet research templates to use with your students.

Planets Fact Sheets and Comprehension Worksheets

Learn the facts of each of the planets in our solar system with these fact files and matching comprehension worksheets.

Order of the Planets Display Banner

Display this banner visually showing the order of the planets for students when they learning about the solar system.

Order the Planets Worksheet

Help students remember the order of the planets with this cut-and-paste style worksheet.

Planets Collaborative Coloring Display

Combine coloring with awareness of the planets and the solar system with this collaborative coloring sheet.

Mindfulness Planet Coloring Pages

Get mindful with this set of planet-themed mindful coloring sheets.

Planets Flipbook

Discover each of the planets of the solar system with this engaging flip book template.

Which Planet Am I? Interactive Activity

Explore the planets of the solar system with this fun and engaging interactive activity.

Planet Bookmark

Help students remember the order of the planets with these personalized planet bookmarks.

Orbital Period of Planets Poster and Worksheet

Learn about the time it takes each planet to orbit the sun with this poster and cut-and-paste worksheet for your students.

Earth's Rotation – Flipbook

Model and explain how Earth’s rotation causes the sun to move across the sky with this interactive flipbook.

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Space: Practical Resources

These resources all include practical activities with a space theme.  They range from KS2 up to KS4 and cover many of the concepts with the curriculum, as well as being useful for STEM clubs or extra-curricular activities.

Is There Anyone Out There?

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: ESERO-UK

This is a brilliant resource for Primary, with fun experiements that are easy (and cheap!) to do.  It was produced with help from scientists working on Mars projects at Imperial College and written by experienced primary teachers.

The activities use scientific enquiry to explore three themes: life, landing and the landscape on Mars.

STFC Lunar Rocks and Meteorites Loan Scheme: Secondary Resources

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Science and Technology Facilities Council - UKRI

Developed by ESERO-UK and the Association for Science Education, this resource contains practical activities using the Moon and meteorites as a context to engage students in scientific enquiry.  They were developed to be used with the STFC Lunar Rocks and Meteorites Loan Scheme but can also be used independently.

We Are Aliens!

Quality Assured Collection Category: Careers Publisher: We Are Aliens!

This collection of resources was developed by the National Space Academy and includes practical activities for biology, chemistry and physics.  Videos and worksheets are included.  Topics covered include:

• Cell biology • Food tests, including starch, sugar, protein and fat • Respiration • Enzymes & rates of reaction • Microbiology • Aseptic technique • Cell organelles

• Bonding and molecular shape • Carbon cycle • Experimental design • Reaction rates

Robert Smyth Academy

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Robert Smyth Academy

A plethora of chemistry activities KS3 to post-16, developed by teachers from one of the Leading Space Schools.  Activities cover topics such as rates of reaction, combustion and enthalpy.

International Space Station (ISS) Education Kit - Lower Secondary

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: European Space Agency (ESA)

This is a great space resource for secondary schools.

The first place to start with this resource is pages 4 and 5 of the Teacher's Guide, which gives a list of subjects and topics represented in the exercise units.  In addition to science, subjects include mathematics, social science, art, creative writing, history and geography.

The exercise units contain information and fun practical activities related to the International Space Station e.g. making balloon rockets, robotic arms, a water filtration system.

Teaching Astronomy and Space: Expand Your Horizons

Quality Assured Collection Category: Science Publisher: Institute of Physics

This is a great resource for use at secondary level.

The videos in this resource are ideal for use in class - they are in small chunks (about 5 mins) and presented by scientists at a level accessible to secondary students.

The  classroom demonstrations are short instructional videos for teachers - many of which are very simple to replicate in the classroom.

Rocket Science Activities

Quality Assured Category: Design and technology Publisher: NASA

This is the number 1 comprehensive rocket guide for teachers.  If you want to do experiments with rockets then this guide contains 16 rocket activities - spanning all age ranges.  There is also a well written history of rockets and a guide to the physics of rocketry, appropriate for secondary school students.  The rocket activities range from easy-to-make, low power rockets to more complex high powered rockets.  The IOP do a make-and-take using one of the more complex rocket designs.

Space-based Astronomy Educator Guide

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: NASA

This guide has some good practicals and information on astronomy and has student worksheet appropriate for use in the classroom.  The notes on educational standards are for the US.

The introduction to this guide gives a brief, but fairly comprehensive, history of US spacecraft used for astronomy up to the Year 2000.

The guide contains 4 units with practicals and student worksheets:

Unit 1 looks at the atmosphere and gives five practical demonstrations to model how the atmosphere distorts em radiation.

Unit 2 looks at the em spectrum and describes how to build a simple spectroscope, redshift and blue shift using a doppler ball and wavelength and resonance praticals

Unit 3 looks at telescopes and how to build a simple refracting telescope, and a liquid crsytal sheet to demonstrate infra-red detection

Unit 4 contains four practicals which investigate images processing, using colour and coding with binary numbers

Unit 5 gives web links (some outdated at the time of this comment 2012)

There is also a glossary of terms and suggested reading

Science and Engineering on the Moon Challenge

The materials used for the engineering tasks are easy to obtain but the build will challenge your students. The first two engineering challenges can be used a primary level as well as secondary.  Ideas about motion, forces and energy are covered. Students are encouraged to design, test, evaluate and improve on their designs.

I Wouldn’t Send a Dog Out on a Night Like This!

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: University of Leicester

Putting a new twist on the old "insulating a house" activity - this resource looks at designing the best insulation for a lander on Mars. 

Planets Research and Design Your Own Planet Printable Pack

This post may contain affiliate links and ads. Read our disclosure policy here .

Getting ready to dive into a unit about space and the solar system? We have a REALLY fun printable pack that you are going to want to grab. (And it’s free!) Check out our solar system printable pack which includes a planet research page and a design-your-own-planet page!

I am so excited to add this new printable pack to our collection of free printables today! If you have been around our site for any length of time, you know that we have a serious space fan over here. Ever since we spent the day at Kennedy Space Center with the kids a few years ago, our son Landon has been absolutely space-obsessed. Our home is now filled with space themed books, LEGO sets, and yes, even an awesome telescope.

This new printable is perfect for elementary aged kiddos who are ready to put some of their solar system knowledge to work. The thing that I love the most about this pack is actually the Design Your Own Planet page. This is the perfect way for kids to express some creativity while applying what they have learned about the planets!

Planet Research Project

This printable pack includes three pages. Well, four if you count the cover. Behind the cover (which you can print but definitely don’t have to!), are 3 worksheets that kids can work on. Each page has a different activity.

The first page features a page for planet research. Whether they are assigned a planet to research or choose their own, kids can fill in lots of planet facts.

The second page is the Design Your Own Planet page. This is where kids can really let their creative juices flow! They will get to design every aspect of their planets, including the planet’s name, description, temperature and gravity level.

On the third and final page, kids will find a solar system. The planets need to be labeled and colored in. This page is a great way to review the planets!

Get the Solar System Printable Pack

You can grab this one for free below!

Get the printable:  Planets Research and Design Your Own Planet Printable Pack

You can grab our printable pack right here . Simply enter your email address in the box and opt-in to receive our free newsletter.  Check your inbox for this printable, which you will receive as a subscriber bonus. NOTE: This file is for PERSONAL USE ONLY. You may NOT sell the digital file or sell the printed work. You may NOT redistribute the digital file or printed work.

If you give this one a try, please let us know it goes! If you post a picture on social media, feel free to tag us. We love to see our printables in action! 

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Solar System Worksheets

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If you're assigning this to your students, copy the worksheet to your account and save. When creating an assignment, just select it as a template!

Engaging Solar System Worksheets for Young Minds

Explore the wonders of our solar system with captivating and educational worksheets designed to engage kids. These solar system worksheets for kids delve into all the planets, present comprehension questions, and offer science activities that open young eyes to the marvels of space. Perfect for kids in kindergarten and beyond, these resources provide an interactive way to learn key facts about our eight planets. From labeling the solar system worksheets to engaging in hands-on learning, our free solar system worksheets offer an educational journey that sparks curiosity and fosters a love for science.

Why Use Solar System Planets Worksheets in the Classroom?

Introducing solar system planets worksheets to your teaching toolkit can open young minds to the vast wonders of space. These engaging teaching resources offer a window into the captivating world of the eight planets, making learning about the solar system a truly eye-opening experience. Designed for various levels, from kindergarten to preschoolers, these activity-packed worksheets bring the magic of space right into your classroom.

• Spark Curiosity: The solar system worksheets for kindergarten captivates children's imaginations with its intriguing planets, Earth's moon, and the vast expanse of space. Using printable solar system worksheets, you can harness this natural curiosity to nurture a lifelong interest in science.
• Explore Earth and Beyond: With solar system important vocabulary worksheets , students delve into terminology while learning about the biggest planet, stars, moons, and more. They gain a deeper understanding of our planet Earth and its place in the vast cosmos. Have kids explore the order of the planets according to the distance from the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune! Don't forget, Pluto is no longer considered a planet!
• Hands-On Learning: Our activity worksheets offer interactive opportunities that make learning tangible. From coloring the planets to identifying their unique characteristics, these resources engage students in a way that textbooks alone can't.
• Teaching Resources at Your Fingertips: Incorporating worksheets into your lessons provides ready-made teaching resources. Whether you're focusing on Earth's moon, planet facts, or broader space exploration, these materials enrich your classroom experience.

Interactive Activities Using our Solar System Worksheets

Engage your students in a cosmic journey with interactive activities powered by our captivating worksheets. These resources, available for free, are designed to spark curiosity and provide teachers with exciting ideas to teach kids about the wonders of space. Here are some creative ideas to explore with your students:

• Create Your Solar System: Use our worksheet maker to craft a hands-on solar system activity. Have students cut out and color planets, then arrange them according to their order from the sun. Add an asteroid belt for an extra touch of realism!
• Planetary Puzzles: Turn planet facts into puzzle pieces. Provide students with pieces of information about each planet and challenge them to match the fact with the correct planet. This activity reinforces their knowledge while offering an enjoyable challenge.
• Space Scavenger Hunt: Hide printed planet images around the classroom or outdoors. Give each student a checklist of planets to find, encouraging them to identify and learn about each one.
• Space Exploration Posters: Let students dive into the role of space explorers. Have them choose a planet, research key facts, and create a poster showcasing their findings. This project encourages research skills and creative expression.
• Storytelling: Provide students with a blank solar system diagram. Challenge them to come up with a creative story involving each planet. This activity combines science with imagination, allowing students to build narratives within our cosmic neighborhood.
• Moon Phases Art: While focusing on Earth's moon, engage students in creating visual representations of moon phases. Using our worksheets as a reference, they can illustrate the different shapes the moon takes throughout its cycle.
• Group Planet Presentations: Assign small groups to different planets. Each group can research and present a mini-presentation about their assigned planet's characteristics, unique features, and interesting facts.
• Orbital Races: Organize a fun activity where students simulate the orbits of planets. They can use strings or hoops to create scaled-down versions of our solar system and physically experience the concept of orbits.

By incorporating these activities, teachers can make learning an interactive and enjoyable experience. With our solar system worksheets for preschoolers, you have valuable resources to bring the cosmos to life in your classroom.

Looking to further enhance your classroom experience? Check out our wide range of worksheet templates , which provide versatile resources for various subjects and topics. For a comprehensive and engaging approach to teaching the solar system, don't miss our solar system teacher guide , designed to help educators navigate through solar system lessons with ease and excitement. With these valuable tools at your fingertips, you'll be well-equipped to create dynamic learning opportunities for your students.

How to Make a Solar System Worksheet

Choose one of the premade templates.

We have lots of templates to choose from. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on “Copy Template”

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions about Solar System Worksheets

What is the solar system.

The solar system refers to a collection of celestial bodies, including planets, moons, asteroids, and comets, that orbit around the central star known as the sun.

Are there free solar system worksheets available?

Absolutely! Storyboard That offers a variety of free solar system worksheets, designed to engage students and foster their understanding of the solar system's components, planets, and beyond.

How can solar system vocabulary worksheets help students?

Solar system vocabulary worksheets provide a valuable resource for expanding students' knowledge of key terms related to space and the celestial bodies within our solar system. These worksheets enrich their vocabulary while enhancing their understanding of space science concepts.

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Space and Solar System Worksheets

The solar system is filled with a ton of cool things to learn about. Planets, moons, comets, asteroids, and stars are just some of the fun things you will learn in this set of worksheets.

• Acrostic Poem
• Bank On It!
• Do The Research!
• Group Creative Writing
• If I Were A.... ?
• Reading Comprehension
• Venn Diagram: Comparing A Comet and An Asteroid
• Venn Diagram: Comparing A Meteor and A Moon
• Vocabulary Quiz
• Vocabulary List & Definitions
• Word Search

Teacher Resources Related to Space

• Mercury Makeover
• Planets For Sale - You and your partner are realtors who are selling a planet in our solar system. You want to advertise globally, and universally, so you will create a web page. This web page will compete against other solar retaliator web pages, so be creative!
• Space and Astronomy Lesson Plans
• Space Teaching Theme

Bulletin Boards Images

• Blue Planet
• Celestial Bodies
• Happy Solar System
• Ringed Planet
• Rock Planet
• Shuttle Above Moon
• Yellow Planet

Words of the Week

Space and solar system writing paper.

• Space Border
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All about Space and the Solar System

If you look up at the night sky, you will see hundreds of stars. They are all part of the area called space- which is just outside our planet. Astronauts can go into space with space crafts, but it's not easy to reach that area. It might look closely, but it's super far away! The planet we live on is called Earth, but it is not the only planet around. Learning about the solar system is incredible. This article will teach you about space and the solar system. What is 'Space'?

To us, space looks black and empty. It's dark, but it's not empty. This is because there's no air in space! Light particles are carried through the air. This also means that there is no oxygen, so we can't go into space without special suits. Space is like a vacuum. It is entirely silent because sound particles are also carried through the air.

What else is there in Space?

We said space isn't empty because Earth is in it! So are the moon and all the other planets. Here are some lesser-known objects in space that you probably didn't know about.

A comet is a tiny piece of icy dust that travels around the sun. There are many comets in space but only few of them are close to our planet. One of the comets that's near Earth is called "Halley's Comet". You can see it every 76 years!

If a comet was dust and ice then an asteroid is basically rock and metal. These are the big floating rocks of space. One even hit the earth thousands of years ago, which led to all the dinosaurs dying. However, every type of asteroid can't cause an impact on the Earth's surface, only a big one can.

Dwarf Planets

These are like the other planets but they're smaller because they're really far away. Pluto is a dwarf planet that's removed and re-added to the solar system a lot because it's so tiny.

Why do Astronauts go to Space?

An astronaut's job is to find out about space and other planets. Astronauts even go to the moon so they can collect information about it for scientists. Being an astronaut isn't easy, you need to be really strong because it includes a lot of physical work.

What is the Solar System?

The Solar System is all about the sun! It includes the sun and all the planets that revolve around it. The asteroids and comets in this area are also part of the solar system. Jupiter is the biggest plan in the solar system. And the biggest of all is the sun! There are eight planets belonging to the solar system, and each of them is unique!

If Jupiter was the biggest, then Mercury is actually the smallest planet that is part of our solar system. It's super close to the sun but it's still not as hot as Venus. It doesn't have any moons! And it can sometimes be seen even without a telescope so even ancient scientists knew about it.

This planet is the hottest and it isn't even the closest to the sun! This is because its atmosphere is full of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. A cool fact about this planet is that it actually rotates backward, which means that the sun rises in the west! It also doesn't have moons.

Mars is a really cold planet because it's a desert. From far away, it looks red because it has iron all over it. It's one of the planets that could've had other species living on it because there is some sign of water flooding. Everyone is curious about if we will be living on Mars in the future.

This is the planet we live on! It has all the right conditions for our daily business. It has food, water, oxygen and gravity! Which we need so we don't float in the sky and can walk on the ground. There is one moon revolving around the earth.

Jupiter is a massive planet. It has many moons. It doesn't have any solid surface though and is mostly gas. Scientists think it might have a core right at the center just like Earth does!

If Saturn was red, then Uranus is blue! This planet is made up of water, hydrogen, and ammonia. Methane is also part of its atmosphere and is responsible for giving it its blue color. Just like Saturn, it also has rings! 13 rings at that.

This planet is known for its rings! You'd be surprised to discover that these rings are actually made of ice and rock.

This is also an extremely cold planet. But unlike Mars, it's dark too. It's actually a lot like methane because it's made up of the same elements. Just like with Uranus, methane is what gives Neptune its lovely dark blue color.

Before it was recently considered a dwarf planet, Pluto went from being considered a planet to being considered not a planet almost every year. It is now officially a dwarf planet. It's an icy place floating in space, as part of our solar system.

Learning about the solar system teaches us more about the world outside our planet. Scientists have gathered so much information now. Who knows? There could even be aliens living on other planets. But we would never know if astronauts didn't explore space. How else would we know about the moon being dust and not cheese? Still, learning about the solar system in middle school can expand our knowledge in a big way.

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Beth Ridgeway

Finding t coronae borealis, a coordinated scientific approach.

Around the world this summer, professional and amateur astronomers alike will be fixed on one small constellation deep in the night sky. But it’s not the seven stars of Corona Borealis, the “Northern Crown,” that have sparked such fascination.

It’s a dark spot among them where an impending nova event – so bright it will be visible on Earth with the naked eye – is poised to occur.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there, giving young people a cosmic event they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions, and collect their own data,” said Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “It’ll fuel the next generation of scientists.”

T Coronae Borealis, dubbed the “Blaze Star” and known to astronomers simply as “T CrB,” is a binary system nestled in the Northern Crown some 3,000 light-years from Earth. The system is comprised of a white dwarf – an Earth-sized remnant of a dead star with a mass comparable to that of our Sun – and an ancient red giant slowly being stripped of hydrogen by the relentless gravitational pull of its hungry neighbor.

The hydrogen from the red giant accretes on the surface of the white dwarf, causing a buildup of pressure and heat. Eventually, it triggers a thermonuclear explosion big enough to blast away that accreted material. For T CrB, that event appears to reoccur, on average, every 80 years.

Don’t confuse a nova with a supernova, a final, titanic explosion that destroys some dying stars, Hounsell said. In a nova event, the dwarf star remains intact, sending the accumulated material hurtling into space in a blinding flash. The cycle typically repeats itself over time, a process which can carry on for tens or hundreds of thousands of years.

“There are a few recurrent novae with very short cycles, but typically, we don’t often see a repeated outburst in a human lifetime, and rarely one so relatively close to our own system,” Hounsell said. “It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat.”

The first recorded sighting of the T CrB nova was more than 800 years ago, in autumn 1217, when a man named Burchard, abbot of Ursberg, Germany, noted his observance of “a faint star that for a time shone with great light.”

The T CrB nova was last seen from Earth in 1946. Its behavior over the past decade appears strikingly similar to observed behavior in a similar timeframe leading up to the 1946 eruption. If the pattern continues, some researchers say, the nova event could occur by September 2024.

What should stargazers look for? The Northern Crown is a horseshoe-shaped curve of stars west of the Hercules constellation, ideally spotted on clear nights. It can be identified by locating the two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere – Arcturus and Vega – and tracking a straight line from one to the other, which will lead skywatchers to Hercules and the Corona Borealis.

The outburst will be brief. Once it erupts, it will be visible to the naked eye for a little less than a week – but Hounsell is confident it will be quite a sight to see.

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Dr. Elizabeth Hays, chief of the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA Goddard, agreed. She said part of the fun in preparing to observe the event is seeing the enthusiasm among amateur stargazers, whose passion for extreme space phenomena has helped sustain a long and mutually rewarding partnership with NASA.

“ Citizen scientists and space enthusiasts are always looking for those strong, bright signals that identify nova events and other phenomena,” Hays said. “Using social media and email, they’ll send out instant alerts, and the flag goes up. We’re counting on that global community interaction again with T CrB.”

Hays is the project scientist for NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope , which has made gamma-ray observations from low Earth orbit since 2008. Fermi is poised to observe T CrB when the nova eruption is detected, along with other space-based missions including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope , Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory , IXPE ( Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer ), NuSTAR ( Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array ), NICER ( Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer ), and the European Space Agency’s INTEGRAL ( Extreme Universe Surveyor ). Numerous ground-based radio telescopes and optical imagers, including the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Very Large Array in New Mexico, also will take part. Collectively, the various telescopes and instruments will capture data across the visible and non-visible light spectrum.

“We’ll observe the nova event at its peak and through its decline, as the visible energy of the outburst fades,” Hounsell said. “But it’s equally critical to obtain data during the early rise to eruption – so the data collected by those avid citizen scientists on the lookout now for the nova will contribute dramatically to our findings.”

For astrophysics researchers, that promises a rare opportunity to shed new light on the structure and dynamics of recurring stellar explosions like this one.

“Typically, nova events are so faint and far away that it’s hard to clearly identify where the erupting energy is concentrated,” Hays said. “This one will be really close, with a lot of eyes on it, studying the various wavelengths and hopefully giving us data to start unlocking the structure and specific processes involved. We can’t wait to get the full picture of what’s going on.”

Some of those eyes will be very new. Gamma-ray imagers didn’t exist the last time T CrB erupted in 1946, and IXPE’s polarization capability – which identifies the organization and alignment of electromagnetic waves to determine the structure and internal processes of high-energy phenomena – is also a brand-new tool in X-ray astronomy. Combining their data could offer unprecedented insight into the lifecycles of binary systems and the waning but powerful stellar processes that fuel them.

Is there a chance September will come and go without the anticipated nova outburst from T CrB? Experts agree there are no guarantees – but hope abides.

“Recurrent novae are unpredictable and contrarian,” said Dr. Koji Mukai, a fellow astrophysics researcher at NASA Goddard. “When you think there can’t possibly be a reason they follow a certain set pattern, they do – and as soon as you start to rely on them repeating the same pattern, they deviate from it completely. We’ll see how T CrB behaves.”

Learn more about NASA astrophysics at:

https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics

Jonathan Deal Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 [email protected]

Related Terms

• Marshall Space Flight Center
• Astrophysics
• Goddard Space Flight Center

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We could be entering a renaissance for human spaceflight research, as a record number of private citizens head to space — and as scientists improve techniques for gathering data on these intrepid test subjects. 

A sign that the renaissance is imminent appeared earlier this week, when the journal Nature published a cache of papers detailing the physical and mental changes the four-person Inspiration4 crew experienced nearly three years ago. That mission, in partnership with SpaceX , launched on September 15, 2021 and returned to Earth three days later. 

During the mission, the crew experienced a broad set of modest molecular changes, dysregulated immune systems and slight decreases in cognitive performance. But researchers are only able to analyze the data — more than 100,000 health-related data points — because the four-person crew was able to reliably collect it in the first place. 

This is a bigger accomplishment than one might realize. The Inspiration4 crew received plenty of training, in large part with SpaceX, which provided the Dragon capsule for their ride through orbit. But their preparation is still a far cry from that of NASA astronauts aboard the ISS, and who also regularly perform a battery of health tests on themselves. That includes ultrasounds, cognitive tests, biopsies, blood and saliva testing, skin swabs and sensorimotor tests. 

“You can do research with private individuals in space, that is the number one result [of the research],” said Dr. Dorit Donoviel in a recent interview. Dr. Donoviel is co-author of one of the papers published in Nature and associate professor in the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. She’s also the executive director of NASA-funded research consortium Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), which conducts and funds cutting-edge research to improve human safety in space. 

“I’ll be honest, nobody was sure that we were going to be able to gather a reasonable amount of data, that we were going to be able to implement it, that regular people who have never had exposure to scientific research could do something that we would actually be able to analyze,” she continued, referring to the Inspiration4 mission. 

In some obvious ways, the Inspiration4 crew are far from ordinary: The mission’s leader, Jared Isaacman, is a billionaire that founded a payment processing company when he was 16; Hayley Arcenaux is a physician’s assistant at the world-renowned St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Sian Proctor is a pilot with a PhD who teaches geology at the college level; and Christopher Sembroski is a former U.S. Air Force journeyman whose long career as an aerospace engineer brought him to his current workplace, Blue Origin.

And yet, they still came to Inspiration4 as spaceflight novices. That meant TRISH researchers had to come up with a testing suite that could be performed with minimal training. The Inspiration4 crew also wore Apple Watches, and the capsule was outfitted with environmental sensors that researchers were able to correlate to the other testing results. Correlating the data is “unusual,” Dr. Donoviel said, but it gave researchers unique insights into how changes in the confined environment affected things like heart rate or cognitive performance. 

Overall, researchers are trying to move toward digitizing testing and making more of the data-gathering passive, to lower the cognitive overhead on the private astronaut. (NASA astronauts also take cognitive tests, but they are using a very old test developed in the 1970s, Dr. Donoviel said.) 

Gathering such information will be critical as the number of private citizens heading to space increases, as it seems almost certainly poised to do in the coming decade. Researchers will be better able to understand the effects of spaceflight on people that don’t fit the mold of the typical NASA astronaut: male, white and in the top percentiles for physical and cognitive performance. But they’ll only be able to do so if the future space tourists are willing to collect the data. 

More data means a better understanding of how spaceflight affects women versus men, or could help future space tourists with pre-existing conditions understand how they will fare in the zero-G environment. The results from Inspiration4 are promising, especially for space tourism: TRISH’s paper found, based on the data from that mission, short-duration missions do not pose significant health risks. This latest preliminary finding adds to existing data that longer-term stints in space — in this case, 340 days — may not be as dangerous as once presumed.

So far, commercial providers ranging from Axiom Space to SpaceX to Blue Origin have been more than willing to work with TRISH, and agreed to standardize and pool the data collected on their respective missions, Dr. Donoviel said.  

“They’re all competing for these people [as customers], but this allows them to contribute to a common knowledge base,” she added.  

This is only the beginning. The rise in non-governmental spaceflight missions raises major questions related to the norms, ethics and regulation of human research in space. While more private citizens are likely headed to space than ever before, will they be interested in being guinea pigs in order to further scientific research? Will a private astronaut paying $50 million for a luxury space tourism experience want to spend their time in orbit conducting ultrasounds on themselves or meticulously measuring their temporary cognitive decline? 

Possibly; possibly not. Last year, Donoviel co-published an article in Science calling for, among other things, the development of a set of principles to guide commercial spaceflight missions. One of those principles the authors called for is social responsibility — essentially, the idea that private astronauts arguably have a heightened social responsibility to advance this research.

“If you’re going to space, you’re resting on the laurels of all of the public funding that has enabled you to go to space. The taxpayers paid for all of those space capabilities that have now enabled you to go to space. So you owe the taxpayers the research,” Dr. Donoviel argued. She added that advances in wearable tech have only lowered the burden on the research participants — not just with the Apple Watch, but with tech like the Biobutton device that continuously collects many vital signs or a sweat patch.  

“We’re not going to make it miserable for you, we’re not going to poke you with a needle, we’re not going to make you do an ultrasound, but wear the Biobutton and put on the sweat patch.” 

The story has been updated to reflect that Dr. Donoviel works at Baylor College of Medicine, not Baylor University, and that NASA’s cognitive tests were developed in the 1970s.

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KS3 Space unit topic revision booklet

Subject: Physics

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

20 February 2020

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A revision booklet to support the delivery of the KS3 Space topic. Each page is designed to support a lesson of work. Great to help support a non-specialist teacher or for helping students prepare for low stakes testing mid-topic or end of topic assessment. Each lesson of revision is supported by tiered questions (with mark scheme) to allow students to apply their revision.

In my teaching I set these as homework tasks to help students prepare for mid-topic AFL lessons and then they use the whole booklet, with questions and mark scheme to help prepare for the end of topic test. I have included these homework pages.

The AFL booklet, which includes tiered questions for every lesson and then stretch or support questions for the mini topic, along with accompanying mark scheme, is available to purchase.

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nermin_nour

Very useful and includes everything .. Thanks alot

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