Classroom and after-school activities about the Sun-Earth connection: October 12-16, 2020

Monday - The Sun As a Star
Tuesday - Solar Close-Ups
Wednesday- The Active Sun
Thursday - The Sky Above: Earth's Upper Atmosphere
Friday - Solar Careers, Internships and Opportunities

Scroll down for latest updates (next Solar Week Oct 12-16, 2020)! Solar Week, a week of online lessons, games and hands-on activities about the Sun for grades 5-9 (ages 9-14), happens twice a year, in March and October. Daily Lessons, Games and Activities are available all year; "Ask a Question" has archived answers only until we are LIVE during Solar Week. Post your questions to leading solar scientists during Solar Week.

During Solar Week, your group or class can post a question for our solar scientists to answer! The way to post a question is to go to the MESSAGE BOARD message board and then click on the area in which you are interested, for example, "Facts About the Sun" or "Being or Becoming a Scientist" and then you will see a button that says "Write a New Post." You will be Anonymous unless you choose to give your name or affiliation.

Meet the Scientistswho will be answering your questions.

UPDATES - Fall 2020

 If you are a home schooler or are at home during the COVID-19 concerns, check out our MAKE & TAKE ACTIVITIES. 

Cover of NY Times showing close-up of the Sun by the Inouye Telescope (DKIST) and this spring's LIVE webinar topic

Watch last spring's featured webinar

Spring's live webinar took place on March 26th, 2020

Our presenter was Dr. Claire Raftery of the National Solar Observatory:  

Caramel Corn or the Sun: What is behind the best picture of the Sun we’ve ever taken!

The NSF’s Inouye Solar Telescope recently took the best image of the Sun’s surface that has ever been taken. This telescope is an engineering marvel, focusing enough energy to boil a pot of water in three seconds onto a spot the size of a quarter in order to bring us the most detailed pictures of our local star. We’ll look at how the telescope works, and some of its science goals, as well as dissecting just what the new images are showing us.

Watch on YouTube

Hang Out with Solar Week Scientists

During the week of October 12-16, 2020, we will again host the popular hangouts on Zoom! Solar scientists will be hanging out in a virtual meeting space, ready to talk with you and answer your questions each day during the week. Watch this space for scheduling and Zoom information.

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Educator questionnaire Student questionnaire