Teacher Resources

Our Solar System

This poster shows the planets of our Solar System and some of their moons to scale. It was created by our Summer 2010 Huiana intern from Waiakea High School. Follow this link, to find the poster (PDF, 44x68, 1.2 MB).

Galileo Teacher Class Website

For the International Year of Astronomy 2009 the JAC's Public Information Officer taught a college-level astronomy class for K-12 teachers on the Big Island of Hawai`i. Please visit the Galileo Teacher Astronomy Class website, it contains a lot of resources.

The Great Annual Mars Hoax

Every year in late August emails go around telling of a close approach of Mars to Earth, and of Mars becoming the apparent size of the full Moon. This is not true. While Mars did have its closest approach to Earth for the next 60,000 years in late August 2003, it never ever came even close to being the size of the full Moon and never will. To read the whole story please visit the Mutating Mars Hoax NASA website.

The Great 2012 Scare, and what you can do about it!

There's been a lot of nonsense going around about the supposed end of the Mayan Calendar in 2012 and the corresponding end of the world. This has no basis in fact, so please tell your students and their parents not to worry about this. To help you with your arguments, here is Your 2012 Defense Kit put together by Sky and Telescope Magazine and distributed by the American Astronomical Society (and hopefully many other groups).

Various Teaching Tools

Galileo Teacher Class

The IYA 2009 Galileo Teacher Class involved many hands-on activities. Please go to the Galileo Class website to obtain the information on these activities.

Lunar Impact Exercise

This exercise serves to learn how the craters on the Moon came to be, and how their appearance depends on the nature and velocity of the impacting object.

Text Instructions
Moon image (JPG, PDF)

The Solar System Ballett

This exercise serves to learn about the planets, their motions, their distances and their individual characteristics.

Text Instructions

AstroQuiz Challenge

We have a new fun astronomy quiz for astronomers of all ages and levels. Go to the AstroQuiz Challenge to find out if you're an apprentice, journeyman, master or wizard.

Asteroid Target Practice

This link has a poster (PDF, 44x60, 5.7 MB) showing the Sun, planets and several moons. Pictures 1 and 2 illustrate how these have been covered with velcro (fuzzy side). Then cover some ping-pong balls with velcro (sticky side); these are your asteroids. Now have fun bombarding the Solar System (Picture 3).

Glorious Galactic Centre

See the Center of our Milky Way in all its glory, courtesy of the Wide Field Camera of the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (scroll your mouse back and forth to zoom in and out).

A large number of science and educational links can be found on our Links Page.

Resources will be added here as they become available.

If there are any resources you'd like to see here, please email us.