Readers can learn about the latest advancements in X-ray astronomy, and how the newest generation of instruments are making observations of the behavior of light, matter, and space-time in the vicinity of black holes. These observations are then compared to results predicted by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Links to a glossary are imbedded in the text of the article. Full description.

Materials presented here outline some basic concepts associated with space flight. Users can read about orbits and the difference between an orbit and a trajectory, escape velocities for Earth and some planets, launch velocities and transit times for interplanetary flights, and the effects of time dilation for astronauts travelling at near-light speeds. This is part of the famous Rand corporation ... Full description.

Visitors can learn about the causes of "space weather" and phenomena like auroras, interruptions in electric power service, and interference with communications. Definitions of solar activities such as coronal mass ejections, solar energetic particles, and coronal holes are provided, along with explanations of how they affect Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Remotely-sensed imagery of solar ... Full description.

As part of this lesson plan, students will observe the visible spectra of known elements and learn to identify an unknown element by its spectral emission. Included are prerequisites, an engagement activity, materials list, instructions, teacher notes, and a student handout. Full description.

This resource provides an explanation of gravity, the weakest of the four universal forces. Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation is presented, and certain gravitational phenomena are explained, such as why astronauts float in space. A table that compares gravitational forces on Earth with that on the Moon, the Sun, and other planets is included. Full description.

Astronomer Jonathan Keohane explains and presents evidence for the Big Bang Theory in this "Ask a High Energy Astronomer" question and response. Links to a glossary of astronomical terms are included. This is part of NASA's "Imagine the Universe" collection of resources on high-energy astronomy. Full description.

In any solar system, planets move in orbits around a star, bound to it by gravitation. Orbital paths are elliptical in shape. Users can explore concepts such as gravitational force, the properties of ellipses, Newton's principles of mechanics, Kepler's laws, orbital acceleration, and tidal effects. This is part of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Basics of Space Flight training module. A glossary, ... Full description.

This is the home page for a set of articles on the Earth's magnetosphere and other phenomena related to charged particles and magnetic fields. This page features an index consisting of summary files on such topics as magnetism, electrons, ions, plasmas, radiation belts, the sun and solar wind, the magnetosphere, and auroras. Following the summaries are links to detailed articles on each topic. Each ... Full description.

The Kepler Mission is part of NASA's Discovery Program, a series of lower-cost, highly focused planetary science investigations designed to enhance understanding of the solar system. This webpage describes how Kepler, scheduled for launch in 2006, will use a unique spaceborne telescope specifically designed to search for Earth-like planets around stars beyond our solar system. It will look for the ... Full description.

This is the table of contents listing for the NASA booklet "Shedding a New Light on the Universe". Each item in the table is a link to a specific topic. Topics include such items as the electromagnetic spectrum, frequency, wavelength, and energy activity, the multiwavelength Milky Way, the Crab Nebula in different energies, spectroscopy, satellites and their parts, and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer ... Full description.