8th Grade Astronomy Questions

8th Grade Astronomy Questions- Eagle Crest Charter Academy

1.       How many galaxies are there? How do they move?

         http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/qa/galaxies.php.p=Astronomy+basics%40%2Ceds%2Castronomy-basics.php&a=%2Ceds

         http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/galaxy/  (picture gallery)

2.       How many stars are there? What is the temperature of a star?  How are stars created? How do they produce light? How old are stars? What happens when stars die?

        http://www.cosmos4kids.com/files/stars_intro.html

         http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=242  (stars ability to produce light)

         http://www.phschool.com/atschool/science_activity_library/types_of_stars/diagram.html    (temperature and brightness graph)

         http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/star/ (pictures)

           http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/qa_star.html

3.       What are Nebulas?

http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/universe_level2/stars.html

                http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/nebula/  (picture gallery)

4.       What are the different constellations and what do they mean? What is the zodiac?

     http://www.dibonsmith.com/constel.htm

     http://neave.com/planetarium/

     http://www.nightskymurals.com/constellations/

     http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellations-intro.html

5.       Can we destroy the sun? How does the sun burn? Why/when will sun explode?

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-faq.html#stars_live

http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question36.html

               http://www.windows2universe.org/our_solar_system/solar_system_fate.html

7.         Are their active volcanoes on planets?

8.       What is the moon made of?

         http://www.universetoday.com/20583/what-is-the-moon-made-of/

9.       What is gravity and what makes planets rotate?

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=416

10.   Neptune 

       http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/space/neptune.pdf

11.   What are black holes?

       http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/home.html

(interactive journey to a black hole, and encyclopedia of info)

        http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/universe_level2/darkmatter.html

12.   What are criteria used for identifying an object in space as a planet?  Why is Pluto no longer a planet?

        http://www.iau.org/public_press/news/release/iau0603/questions_answers/

13.   Why do different planets have different surface temperatures?

        http://www.windows2universe.org/our_solar_system/planets_table.html  (characteristics about planets

14.   How were the planets made?

        http://www.windows2universe.org/our_solar_system/formation.html

15.   How did the planets get their names?

        http://kids.nineplanets.org/intro.htm

16.   What is the giant red spot on Jupiter?  Is there water on Jupiter’s moon?

       http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/jupiter/redspot.html

      http://www.voanews.com/english/news/science-technology/NASA-Evidence-of-Water-on-Jupiters-Moon-Europa-133993283.html

17.   Has frozen ice on mars been discovered?

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/28may_marsice/

18.   If you were cut in space would your blood bleed blue?

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970603.html

19.   Does the universe expand? If it is expanding, will it keep going or collapse?  Does the end of one universe create a new one?

             http://www.windows2universe.org/our_solar_system/solar_system_fate.html

20.   Is worm hole travel possible?  Plasma travel? Is time travel possible?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1269288/STEPHEN-HAWKING-How-build-time-machine.html

http://www.physorg.com/news174031552.html  (plasma travel)

21.   Is empty space really empty?  What is a Vacuum?

         http://iss.jaxa.jp/kids/en/space/201.html

22.   Does extra-terrestrial life exist?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8337518/Life-on-other-planets-latest-discovery-comes-after-string-of-recent-signs-of-extraterrestrials.html

23.   Is there water on other planets?

http://voices.yahoo.com/water-other-planets-oceans-our-solar-system-4034063.html

24.   Are any planets other than the earth livable?

http://www.labspaces.net/blog/614/First_potentially__Habitable__planet_discovered__other_than_Earth_of_course

25.   What is dark matter? Dark Energy?

http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/universe_level2/darkmatter.html

              http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/dark_energy/ (dark energy)

              http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/universe_level2/darkenergy.html

26.   What is the Big bang theory?

http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMSZ5WJD1E_OurUniverse_0.html

27.   What is String theory? Are their alternate/parallel universes?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/theory-of-everything.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/resonance.html

28.   What are Shooting stars?

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/meteor/index.shtml

29.   What is the speed of earth’s rotation?

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970401c.html

30.   What are Asteroids? What is the Asteroid belt?

http://www.windows2universe.org/our_solar_system/asteroids.html

31.   How do meteor showers happen?

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-faq.html#meteor_showers

32.   What is the Space time continuum?

         http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-time_continuum

         33. Why don't clipses happen every month? 

            http://hermit.org/Eclipse/why_cycles.html

More questions?  Ask an Astrophysicist!

 http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/ask_an_astronomer.html

(find various topics and commonly asked questions and answers!)