Ireland Junior Cycle

An Orrery is a moving, mechanical model of the Solar System. It shows how all of the planets orbit around the Sun.

Comets are large balls of ice, rock and dust but you can think of them as large dirty snowballs that travel through the Solar System. 

Impact craters are made when a space rock (called a meteorite or asteroid) hits a rocky planet or moon. The impact makes a round hole in the surface, called a crater.

In the UK, we experience 4 seasons each year. These are Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. But why do we have seasons? 

This animation shows you why we have seasons. Watch carefully what happens and read the words that appear on the screen. 

A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth and Moon line up with the Sun.

A satellite is an object which orbits another. An orbit is the curved path that an object in space takes around another object.

Should humans colonise Mars? Is there life in the Universe? Science continually seeks to answer big questions - but it takes a lot of research and communication to come to a consensus. 

Why not host a debate and try it yourself?

The Sun is a constant presence in our life on Earth. It gives us the heat and light we need to survive. But it is not a stable place. The Sun is a ball of hot plasma which is constantly changing.