Here's the latest article from the Astronomy site at BellaOnline.com.
Big Bang Theory
How did our universe come to be? The Big Bang theory is the explanation that most scientists currently accept. Let’s look at what we mean by a theory, what the Big Bang story is and why it's not as crazy as sounds.
*Vesta – then and now*
Good Friday, March 29, was the 206th anniversary of the discovery of the asteroid Vesta by German physician and amateur astronomer Heinrich Olbers. It’s so small that it showed up only as a point of light. We now have some detailed close-ups of Vesta thanks to the visit by the Dawn mission from July 16, 2011 to September 5, 2012. http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/
You can help identify features on Vesta through the Asteroid Mappers citizen science project. Have a go! http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/DawnCommunity/asteroid_mappers.asp
To learn more about asteroids in general, see “Asteroid Facts for Kids” http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33501.asp and “Meteor or Meteorite & Other Posers” http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29545.asp
*Educators – Have a look at Cosmic Times*
Cosmic Times looks at how our understanding of cosmology has developed over the last century. It has a series of “newspapers” reporting important events, such as Eddington’s confirming Einstein’s prediction that light bends near the Sun. This is the homepage: http://cosmictimes.gsfc.nasa.gov/ There are lots of teacher resources, (http://cosmictimes.gsfc.nasa.gov/teachers/) including notes on the articles, lesson plans, and the newspapers themselves at three different reading levels for secondary school pupils (junior high and high school).
For home educators and teachers in schools promoting cross-curricular work, these materials would be a great way of combining science, social studies and English. I’d love to hear from anyone who does that.
In addition, along with Imagine the Universe, Cosmic Times invites students to imagine the science stories for the 2019 edition of Cosmic Times. Here’s the invitation: http://cosmictimes.gsfc.nasa.gov/teachers/CosmicTimes2019/index.html.
For a variety of astronomy images, follow me on Pinterest at: http://pinterest.com/astrobella/
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I wish you clear skies.
Mona Evans, Astronomy Editor
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