Three Ways Students Can Explore Space From Their Desktops

Someone recently emailed me after reading <a href="http://www.android4schools.com/2011/12/31/use-google-sky-to-know-what-youre-looking-at-tonight/" target="_blank">this post about Google Sky for Android</a> to ask if there were similar tools available for use on laptops. The answer is yes. Here are three tools that students can use to explore space from their desktops.<br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br/><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6QdHH6jLyYD2lK6e__Q6ZsQeaADxNmu51ikSZ-Znrn9uXTux9vNOpu0cAdQLbCX0l_3IcghiqagNIws6aNFtvmodd6aauuIJxXLjCfq9aHrvXOhFsF3F8mYI2ih36hN7hz82uHOWsEg/s1600/space-54999_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6QdHH6jLyYD2lK6e__Q6ZsQeaADxNmu51ikSZ-Znrn9uXTux9vNOpu0cAdQLbCX0l_3IcghiqagNIws6aNFtvmodd6aauuIJxXLjCfq9aHrvXOhFsF3F8mYI2ih36hN7hz82uHOWsEg/s1600/space-54999_640.jpg" width="530" /></a></div><br/><br/>The <a href="http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/" target="_blank">Microsoft WorldWide Telescope</a> makes very detailed, high resolution images (scientific quality) from space available to anyone with access to a computer and an internet connection. The goal of the WorldWide Telescope is to enable users to use their computers as virtual telescopes. The WorldWide Telescope can be downloaded and run on Windows-based computers. Mac users will have to use the web client to access the WorldWide Telescope. The <a href="http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/ExperienceIt/ExperienceIt.aspx?Page=Educators" target="_blank">educators page</a> on the WorldWide Telescope site has lesson resources and ideas for middle school and high school use.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.shatters.net/celestia/index.html">Celestia</a> is a<br/> free space exploration simulation program. Celestia is a free download<br/> that works on Mac, PC, and Linux systems. The advantage of <a href="http://www.shatters.net/celestia/index.html">Celestia </a>over<br/> other satellite imagery programs is that in addition to seeing the <br/>Earth's surface, students can zoom in on moons, stars, and planets. The <br/> user controls what they see. Operating the program is easy enough to be<br/> used by students as young as six or seven. The user guides for <a href="http://www.shatters.net/celestia/index.html">Celestia</a> are very thorough and available in four languages. <span style="color: #006600;"><span style="color: black;">There is a companion website to Celestia called the <a href="http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/">Celestia Motherlode</a> that features add-ons to Celestia and educational activities that teachers can use in their classrooms.</span></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.google.com/sky/">Google Sky</a> allows you view images of space in your web browser. <a href="http://www.google.com/sky/">Google Sky</a> offers great images of outer space captured by the Hubble Space Telescope and the <a href="http://freetech4teachers.blogspot.com/2008/02/free-technology-for-teachers-skyserver.html">Sloan Digital Sky Survey</a>. <a href="http://www.google.com/sky/">Google Sky</a> has images that have captured x-ray and infrared wavelengths. The <a href="http://www.google.com/sky/">Google Sky</a> web browser also has some more basic images in a collection referred to as "backyard astronomy." </span></span> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><br/>Come learn with me at the <a href="http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/04/come-relax-and-learn-with-me-this-summer.html/"">Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp.</a> <br/><br/><i>This post originally appeared on <a href="http://freetech4teachers.com/">Free Technology for Teachers</a><br/></i>.</div><div class="feedflare"><br/><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?a=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?d=yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?a=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?i=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?a=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?d=7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?a=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?d=qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?a=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?i=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?a=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?i=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?a=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?d=I9og5sOYxJI"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?a=KAZfsvKkeRI:a65BPya4GEE:bcOpcFrp8Mo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/freetech4teachers/cGEY?d=bcOpcFrp8Mo"></img></a><br/></div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/freetech4teachers/cGEY/~4/KAZfsvKkeRI" width="1"/><br/><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/freetech4teachers/cGEY/~3/KAZfsvKkeRI/three-ways-students-can-explore-space.html" rel="nofollow">Free Technology for Teachers</a>

Three Ways Students Can Explore Space From Their Desktops

Someone recently emailed me after reading this post about Google Sky for Android to ask if there were similar tools available for use on la...

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