Explore the NSO

3 Colour ImagesActivity of the Week - Solstick

The results are in and we want to say a huge thank you to everyone to took part in #solstick 2020 it was a massive success and we have great results to share with you..

Did you know that it is possible to estimate the circumference of the Earth using a stick? Join us around the Summer Solstice in a national experiment to find out the size of the Earth. All you'll need is a stick and a ruler or tape measure. It's that simple! 

Social Media#ShowTheNSO your Solstick pics (if you don't use social media email it to us and we will share it for you). 

Don't forget to tag us @SchoolsObs and use the hashtag #ShowTheNSO.

 

 

Explore the NSO

Come and explore the NSO website with us, we will be updating this list often so check back with us each week with more exciting things to learn.

We have split this list into activities, the first is for any age and the second list is for more challenging activities: 

  1. Hunting for Asteroids - You don't want to miss a thing when it comes to asteroid hunting! 
     
  2. Try and find out the name for the planet Mars in another language. Share a drawing of Mars with us on social media, with its name in English and the other language. 
     
  3. Learn about the spin of the Earth and how that gives us day and night.
     
  4. Build the Moon - try out our virtual jigsaw the 'Moonsaic' or start your own Lunar diary.
     
  5. Say Hello to ATLAS - use data from the Liverpool Telescope to build your own image of the Comet ATLAS or build a model Comet on a Stick.
     
  6. What a week, we celebrated the Hubble Space Telescope with 3 amazing activities;
    - Count ALL the stars from your home (its easy, honest)
    - Weigh the Universe (little bit harder)
    - Find out what Hubble looked at on your birthday
     
  7. Take a look outside at night and see What's Up There? Have a go at creating a constellation with food.
     
  8. Mass Vs. Weight - work out how much you (or an elephant) would weigh on the different planets in our solar system.
     
  9. 3 Colour Images - make your own Whirlpool Galaxy!
     

  10. We have an online Word Search and Moon Jigsaw, or if you have a printer download the Just for Fun PDF with a Spot the Difference, Word Search and a couple of Astro-Doku puzzles. Don’t worry if you get stuck, here are the answers.

  11. Learn all about gravity with our fun Gravity Simulator.

  12. Make your own 3-colour images​. With the NSO and the Liverpool Telescope you can create your own breathtaking colourful images similar to what you might see on TV or in magazines.

More challenging...

  1. Jupiter's day - Is it lunchtime yet? Calculate the length of Jupiter's day by tracking the Great Red Spot.
     
  2. Calculate your age on another planet - Are you old enough for a pension on Venus?
     
  3. Weigh the Universe (you will need to count all the stars first, this is the easy part!)

 

Good luck and don't forget to tag us @SchoolsObs and #ShowTheNSO in any social media posts so we can see what you are all getting up to!