Contents:

• European Space Agency: Mars Express
• Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Education and Public Outreach
• The First Toys on Mars
• Lunar Phases
• CosmicQuest
• Eclipse Hunters
• Upcoming Astronomical Events

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European Space Agency: Mars Express

Europe reclaims a stake in Mars exploration! The European Space Agency has launched this informative site in conjunction with the Mars Express mission which lifted off on June 3, 2003. Before the live Webcast of the craft arrival in December, 2003, visitors to this well organized site can track the progress of the spacecraft. You can also learn a lot about early attempts to explore mars and investigate the possibility of life on Mars. The European Space Agency also has given the public detailed technical information on Mars Express and the Beagle 2 Lander that will actually land on the surface of the red planet. This site is an exciting way for educators, students and the general public to be actively involved with this historic event.

European Space Agency: Mars Express.

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Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Education and Public Outreach

From the Center for Science Education at the University of California Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory comes the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Education and Public Outreach Curriculum page. Visitors will find several educational materials listed by grade level, including How Satellites See, Data Flow Demonstration, The Light Tour, Making Your Own 3-D All Sky Survey Map, and more. The Light Tour activity, for example, investigates wavelengths of light, types of light, how astronomers use different wavelengths, and what they see. Each of these fun and interactive activities does a good job of explaining these potentially difficult topics(especially to younger students).

Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Education and Public Outreach

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The First Toys on Mars

The Planetary Society is sending toys to Mars. Attached to each Mars Exploration Rover vehicle is a DVD held in place with three Lego blocks and a picture of a Lego astrobot. In conjunction with Lego and NASA, the Planetary Society has created the Red Rover Goes to Mars Web site to interest children in the current Mars rover missions. Visitors can read e-mail from the fictional Lego astrobots, who tell how the mission is going. They can also drive one of several Lego rovers, found in mock Martian environments on Earth, over a Web interface. Although the Planetary Society's site could benefit from some design assistance, the site is sure to do at least two things: get kids and their parents interested in the Mars expeditions; and increase the sales of Lego robotics kits. The Wired article makes it clear that the rovers are a great deal of fun for many older children.

Red Rover

The Planetary Society

Wired

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Lunar Phases

The Lunar Phases online science activity is provided by the Astrophysics Science Project Integrating Research and Education Web site, which is the educational outreach program of the HiRes Cosmic Ray Research Group at the University of Utah. This fascinating lesson utilizes an interactive lunar animation that allows students to learn how the moon's orbit around the earth affects how we see it. Although this concept may seem fairly straightforward, it can actually be somewhat confusing. This activity, though, does a good job of explaining and illustrating what is actually happening with the sun, earth, and moon at various times throughout the month. The entire lesson is also available in Spanish.

Lunar Phases

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CosmicQuest

The CosmicQuest interactive learning Web site was developed and produced by Educational Web Adventures as part of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Three main activities are included on the site, the first of which is a Field Guide to the Universe. Here, students can explore fun facts and view interesting photographs of planets, spacecraft, and astronomers. Another activity lets kids design a space station by choosing what to bring into space to survive, what to eat and drink while there, and how to sleep and use the bathroom. The last offering describes an expedition to the North Pole, the highlights of the mission, and what was accomplished. Although all three activities are interesting, the Living in Space: Design a Spacecraft link is definitely the highlight.

CosmicQuest

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Eclipse Hunters

If you are an eclipse hunter, then this is the website for you. This site shows the paths for upcoming eclipses for the next 3 years. Each event page is accompanied by a timetable and figure which shows the region from which the event will be visible. Have fun chasing the sun.

Eclipse Hunters

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Upcoming Astronomical Events

1. Equinox - The Autumnal Equinox will occur at 12:47am on September 23rd.
2. Meteor Showers - The Orionid meteor shower will peak on the evening of October 21 with the peak at about 11pm though best viewing is still after midnight. The estimated number per hour is 25 and may be visible for up to 4 days before and after this date. The Leonids will peak the morning of November 18th. The Geminid meteor shower will be exciting we hope with 95 visible per hour. The Peak will be during daylight hours on December 13th so best viewing will be 1-5am on the 13th and 14th of December.
3. Eclipses - There will be a total lunar eclipse on November 9th. It will not be visible from Hawaii this time. There will also be a total solar eclipse on November 23rd. This will only be visible from Antartica. It will be partially visible from Australia, New Zealand, and the southern tip of South America.
4. Planets - There will be a double shadow transit on Jupiter on October 22 at 10:30pm. Io and Ganymede will be passing between Jupiter and the sun casting shadows on the surface of Jupiter. This is best viewed through a small telescope.

All times listed above are HST. The link below contains many calendars and includes a nice section on astronomical events. Check it out!!

Calendars

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We gratefully acknowledge the following online sources: Yahoo's Search Engine, The Scout Report, Blue Web'N, and the Librarian's Index to the Internet.

This page is compiled by Liz Bryson, CFHT Librarian
This page was designed by Lisa Wells, CFHT Observing Assistant
We appreciate your comments and questions.