PhET Simulation: The Greenhouse Effect - May 1, 2013

Security note:
Once you have clicked on the "simulation" link below, be sure to read the Java Security Advisory before running the simulation: To do that, click the "Read now" button on the yellow band near the top of the PhET page.

Investigate climate change with this PhET simulation. You'll see how greenhouse gases keep Earth much warmer than it would be without them.

(This feature was updated on May 3, 2013.)

Earth Observatory: Solar Prominence - Apr 1, 2013

Visit Earth Observatory: Solar Prominence, and take a look at these two images of a solar prominence. How does a prominence look when you see it at the sun itself, compared when you see it against the darkness of space? When you see the prominence against the sun, it's usually called a "filament." To learn more, read the text under the images.

Kitchen Sink Experiments: Bubbles that sink: Antibubbles - Feb 1, 2013

Think about a bubble: It's a thin film of water, with air inside and outside. Now imagine the opposite of a bubble: That would be a thin film of air, enclosing water inside and surrounded by water outside. This structure is called an antibubble.

To learn how to make anti-bubbles, visit Kitchen Sink Experiments: Bubbles that sink: Antibubbles and also Science by Email--AntiBubbles.

To learn more, see this Science News Onlinearticle.

Spectral Lines - Jan 1, 2013

Auroras are produced when charged particles from the sun collide with atoms in the atmosphere and transfer energy to them. This energy is then given off as light. Check out Spectral Lines to find out how atoms produce light.

Feather Drop - Dec 1, 2012

Felix Baumgartner was nearly in free fall as he stepped out of his capsule at an altitude of 39 kilometers (24 miles). At this altitude, the atmosphere is so thin that a falling object experiences hardly any air resistance, so it accelerates rapidly to very high speed (Baumgartner's skydive exceeded the speed of sound).

Watch the video at Feather Drop to see how the air resistance on a feather depends on the density of the air it is falling through. First you'll see the feather fall through air at atmospheric pressure, and then through air at a very low pressure (a very good vacuum).

Liquid Crystal IR Detector - Nov 1, 2012

Go to Liquid Crystal IR Detector for an experiment that shows how a liquid crystal can detect infrared radiation.

How to Make a Paper Crane--Origami - Oct 1, 2012

Visit How to Make a Paper Crane--Origami to make the famous origami paper crane. Just follow the steps in the video.

Explore Mars: Curiosity - Sep 1, 2012

Visit the NASA site Explore Mars: Curiosity to follow along with the Curiosity Rover as it explores Mars, day by day.

Impact Craters - Aug 1, 2012

For an activity on the formation of impact craters, try this NASA activity. Be sure to do this activity with an adult.

What is Radioactivity? - Jul 1, 2012

Check out What is Radioactivity? to learn about isotopes and radioactivity.