NASA ScienceCasts - Good Stuff!

There are so many videos posted on YouTube and other sites that it can become overwhelming trying to sort through the junk and find the good ones. This week's resource is a collection of short, high-quality YouTube videos related to space science and astronomy produced by NASA. Called NASA ScienceCasts, many of them are related to current events - they are great for keeping you and your students up to date with what's going on. CLICK HERE to see what's available. Bookmark the site, and check it often. CLICK HERE to view the ScienceCast of the Venus Transit, which will take place on June 5. This definitely qualifies as "good stuff"!

Scale of the Universe 2

CLICK HERE to access one of the most interesting things that I've seen on the internet EVER. It's an interactive graphic that let's you (or students) compare the sizes of things ranging from sub-atomic particles to the known universe. The graphics are great and it is incredibly interesting . . . and educational!. Use the scroll bar to zoom in or out, or click on the object to learn about it. I guarantee you will want to share it with your students. It was created by ninth-grader, Cary Huang, with technical support his twin brother, Michael(www.htwins.net). CLICK HERE to read a short news story (ABC).

Also (unrelated to the "Scale of the Universe 2") there will be an annular eclipse on Sunday. CLICK HERE to see a good short video produced by NASA. The best viewing will be in the southwest, but much of the west will see a "partial". Spaceweather.com is another good source. Select "animated eclipse map" to find out what the eclipse will look like from your state.

To view a convenient list of all the resources that have been posted on this "Earth Science Guy" blog site, CLICK HERE.

World of Change

NASA's Earth Observatory provides a unique way to view changes in Earth systems. CLICK HERE to watch a satellite view of changes in the level of Lake Powell from 1999-2011. Once the page opens, click on the "play arrow" below the image to make the years go by. The menu on the right side of the page lists several other changes that can be viewed, including one that compares El Nino/La Nina to rainfall (1985-2008), another that shows a mountain-top mine in West Virginia from 1984-2010, and several others.