Activities for teacher and educators - back in the classroom
The observing activities on this website can inspire learners of almost any
age – certainly from middle primary school up to A-level students. And
stargazing is a great way of taking science learning outdoors, with families
and the community.
Here are ways of bringing the science learning back into the classroom:
Robotic Telescopes
These are large telescopes that schools can access online to take images
of the night sky. Each offers something slightly different:
| Telescope | Location | Good Observing Targets | How you use it | Age/levels |
| Bradford Telescope | Canary Islands | Whole constellations or the moon. | Pupils submit requests and are sent “their” image in a few days. | Primary and early secondary |
| National Schools Observatory | Canary Islands | Planets, galaxies and nebula | Pupils submit requests and are sent “their” image in a few days. Images can be used for follow-up activities. | Upper primary and secondary. |
| Faulkes Telescopes | Two telescopes, in Hawaii and Australia – more sites from late 2012 onwards. | Faint planets, asteroids, star clusters, galaxies and nebula. | Schools book half-hour observing slots and students take real-time control of the telescope to make 3-4 observations, with images coming back within minutes. Images can be used for follow-up activities. | Upper primary and secondary. |
Other Astronomy Resources
Deep Space - The Deep Space resources support group-work by early secondary school students using real research data to develop their understanding of exoplanets and galaxies.
European Space Education Resource Office - ESERO UK, the Space Education Office for the UK, is the national focus for support for teachers using Space as context for STEM subjects.
Royal Astronomical Society - The Royal Astronomical Society, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science.