The
Atlantic County AVA Technology Center has purchased a STARLAB Portable
Planetarium System for circulation to member districts. The STARLAB
Planetarium is an inflatable dome system that can accommodate
approximately 25 students and their teacher. It requires an area that
is at least 17 feet in diameter with a ceiling height of 10.5 feet. It
can be fully assembled in less than 1/2 hour. The AVA will require
that districts borrowing the system have at least 1 staff member who
is trained in its set-up and use. A number of individuals have been
trained and they need only to notify us of the date and location of
their training to be eligible to utilize the system.
STARLAB has obvious usefulness in teaching astronomy,
but the variety of projection cylinders that are available will expand
that usefulness into social studies with information on Greek and
Native American mythology through constellation cylinders and to earth
sciences with cylinders that show ocean currents, plate tectonics and
continental drift and global weather.
To view the list of cylinders the AVA has available for teacher use go
to
Projection Cylinders.
For more detailed information on the STARLAB Portable
Planetarium including the STARLAB Newsletter and related links go to
the STARLAB Web Site.
Check out the
StarGazer to see a dynamic view of the night sky!
A virtual learning
center with the latest news and calendars highlighting astronomical
events can be found at
Space.com's NightSky.
The National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, NASA,
keeps users posted about satellites and asteroids as well as
providing a link for kids with puzzles, games and guides.
Download monthly sky
maps for use in your lessons.
Take a magnificent journey to Mars and beyond with
SpaceWander.
The online version of
the sky-watching magazine,
Sky & Telescope's
Let's Go Stargazing, provides a family-friendly beginner's guide
to astronomy.
Heavens Above tracks
satellites such as the International Space Station and Iridium
satellites as they move about in space.
