“A fireball from outer space crashed into one of Earth’s biggest lakes. Scientists didn’t know how to find it. So they called in just the right people for the job—an actor and a bunch of teenagers.” That’s how Overheard at National Geographic host Peter Gwin opens season 2, episode 6, a journey into taking a chance even when the odds may not always work in your … Continue reading Overheard: A high school quest for a fallen meteorite
SCIENCE A 4.565-billion-year-old space rock hints at the way Earth and other rocky planets took shape. (Phys.org) What is a meteorite? Use our introductory reference to learn more. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas NWA 11119 is the oldest igneous meteorite yet dated. What does NWA stand for? Northwest Africa. The space rock was discovered … Continue reading Oldest Igneous Meteorite May Reveal Secrets of Our Early Solar System
SCIENCE A gem-studded meteorite that fell in Sudan offers clues about the protoplanets that likely existed in our solar system’s violent past. (National Geographic) What are meteorites? Use our resource to learn more. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas Ten years ago, amateur and professional astronomers tracked a meteoroid headed to Earth. Then, they tracked … Continue reading Diamonds from Space Hint at a Long-Lost Planet
GEOGRAPHY Objects unearthed at a Native American burial site are remnants of an ancient space rock. (Nature) Who were the Hopewell? Use our resources to better understand this ancient Native American tradition. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas The Nature article details an analysis of beads found in a Hopewell burial site in Havana, … Continue reading Out-of-this-World Beads Show Native Culture’s Interaction Sphere
SCIENCE Geography is destiny for space rocks. A single space rock can go from asteroid or comet to meteoroid to meteor to meteorite, depending on where it is in the solar system at the time. (Royal Observatory Greenwich) Sort out your space rocks here. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas ASTEROIDS What are asteroids? Asteroids … Continue reading Sort Out Your Space Rocks
