••National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
:,-~
Wantto becomea UniverseExplorer?Completeat least
onepageforeachyearyouareold!
•
• What is the universe?
The universe is not just stars and galaxies and planets-it is
everything. All of space, matter and energy are part of the universe.
The universe even includes time itself and, of course, it includes you. •
Although the universe might seem like a faraway place, you're in it
right now! In the box below, draw three of your favorite things in the
--fniv:rse. People? Pets? Toys? Foods? They're all in the universe!
Where did the universe come from?
The big bang is how astronomers explain the way the universe began.
It is the idea that the universe began as just a single point about 13.8
billion years ago. Then, it expanded and stretched. The universe
eventually grew as large as it is right now.
In fact, the universe is still stretching today! That doesn't mean that
planets and stars are stretching out and getting bigger. It just means
that the space between these objects is growing.
Make your own expanding universe below. Fold accordion-style on the
dotted lines below. Once the two galaxies are next to each other,
you've reached the early universe! Pull on the bottom of the paper to
expand the universe and move the galaxies apart over time.
How old is it?
When you think of things that are old, what do you think of?
Dinosaurs? The pyramids in Egypt? Our universe is the oldest thing
we know of at 13.8 billion years old. That's a lot of birthdays to
celebrate!
In the timeline below, enter the letters of each event in order from
oldest to most recent. Check your answers at the bottom when you're
done!
-13.8 billion years ago
' ' '
-13.6 billion years ago 'D
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-66 million years ago 'D
' '
-2.8 million years ago D'
-245 years ago D
A. Dinosaurs went extinct
B. The Declaration of Independence was signed
C. Earth first formed
D.The last ice age began
E.The Milky Way (our galaxy) first formed
F. The Sun first formed
8 ·a'v ':J 11?.:l '3 :Aa)jJ8MSUl;f
Universe Crossword
2
3
4
5 6
7
Across
1.How astronomers explain the way the universe began as a single
point, then expanded.
3. NASA's Hubble Space ____ has been sending back beautiful
images and helping scientists to learn about the universe for more
than 30 years.
4. Includes everything - space, matter, energy and even time.
5. Agency makes satellites and rockets, and sends humans and robots
into space to study the Earth, Moon, Mars, the solar system and the
Universe.
7. A huge collection of gas, dust and billions of stars and their solar
systems, all held together by gravity.
Down
2. Our universe formed 13.8 ____ years ago.
6. A sphere of gas held together by its own gravity. The closest one to
Earth is our Sun.
How do we study the universe?
Scientists use telescopes to study the objects in our universe. NASA
uses space telescopes to look at some of the oldest parts of the
universe - distant galaxies that formed shortly after the big bang.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been producing beautiful images of
our universe for more than 30 years. NAS.A:snext big telescope - the
James Webb Space Telescope - will be a giant leap forward in our
quest to understand the universe and where we came from. It will
examine the history of our universe from the Big Bang to the
formation of our own solar system.
Color a picture of the Webb telescope below!
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Different types of galaxies
A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust and stars - as well as the
planets that orbit those stars. A galaxy is held together by gravity. We
live in a galaxy called the Milky Way, but there are many others. Some
scientists think there could be as many as one hundred billion
galaxies in the universe.
There are different types of galaxies. Our Milky Way is a spiral galaxy.
Spiral galaxies have curved arms that make them look like a
pinwheel. Other galaxies are smooth and oval shaped. They're called
elliptical galaxies. And there are also galaxies that aren't spirals or
ovals. They have irregular shapes and look like blobs.
Sort through this galaxy of letters to find the words below!
K M E C B M V E V Q F R G J T
K V H O S W N H W F A A M L
S D K L H L W F K U L L M F U
Q G Z Z M K I T O A R U N A Z
Y J M U P Y K L X M O G H I X
W Q X C L W D Y G T R E D B I
F A O L O A D Q U O M R P C Y
V R S S Y C O L U U R V X H
P S Z R Z T Y Y U S C H V
N K H V Q T A U T P W Z C E P
N D X D L A R I P S P G G B
U Z V H H G Z S I W F F C
R H A D U S T M R I E L R U P
T R N S D U D Z A C B M L S V
G F X X N F Z R X J B R J E M
"'dust elliptical galaxy gravity irregular
Milky Way spiral stars
What is a black hole?
A black hole is a region of such immense gravity that nothing - not
even light - can escape from it. NASA missions such as Chandra,
NuSTAR and Swift help to capture information that is useful for
understanding black holes.
There is a black hole at the center of most galaxies, including our
home galaxy, the Milky Way. Draw a line from dot to dot in number
order to make an image of a spiral galaxy and its black hole.
8
• 19
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7
• 46
• 40
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5
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•42
• 24 13
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• 22
29• 23
•
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•30 •32
What is a constellation?
A constellation is a group of stars that looks like a particular shape
in the sky and has been given a name. These stars are far away from
Earth. They are not connected to each other at all. But, if you were to
draw lines in the sky between the stars - and use lots of imagination
- the picture would look like an object, animal or person. Usually the
names and shapes of constellations relate to stories and myths from
different cultures.
Stars and constellations appear to stay in approximately the same
spot for many, many years. Because the constellations appear to be
in a fixed location, they are often used as landmarks in the sky. So,
NAS.A:srobotic spacecraft use maps of the stars to find their way.
They carry a star map in their onboard computers and compare these
star maps to patterns of stars in images they take.
Make and name your own constellations in the field of stars below!
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What is a nebula?
A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space. In fact, nebula is
the ancient Greek word for "cloud." Some nebulae (more than one
nebula) come from the gas and dust thrown out by the explosion of a
dying star, such as a supernova. Other nebulae are regions where
new stars are beginning to form.
Astronomers use very powerful telescopes such as NASA's Hubble
Space Telescope to capture images of faraway nebulae.
A nebula is where newborn stars call home. What environment do
these baby animals call home? Match the animal baby to its home
below
Are there other planets outside of our solar system?
Yes! All of the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun.
Planets that orbit around other stars are called exoplanets. There are
even some exoplanets that don't orbit a star at all. NASA scientists
have discovered thousands of exoplanets in our universe - and
they're finding new ones all the time.
Exoplanets are too far away from Earth to visit. But we can learn a bit
about what they are like by using powerful telescopes, such as the
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
Pretend that you've just discovered an exoplanet and you need to log
your discovery in your notebook. What does your planet look like?
What is it like there? Tell the other scientists all about your planet in
the space below!
Draw what this planet
looks like below
Planet name:
----------Discovered by: ________
(your name here)
_
How does this planet compare to
Size: Smaller Larger
Temperature: Colder Warmer
Earth? (circle one)
Same size
About the same
The ground on this planet is made of: ____ _
Do you think something
could live here?
(circle one)
Yes No
The sky on this planet is:
(color)
This new planet smells like: ________ _
Is there water on this planet? (circle one)
Yes No Not sure
Is there life on other planets?
Scientists haven't found life beyond Earth yet. But they have found a
few places where it might be possible! Planets that can support life are
in what's called the habitable zone.
A habitable zone planet is exactly the right distance from its star. At
this distance, the planet is warm enough to have liquid water on its
surface, which is essential for life as we know it. In our solar system,
Earth sits comfortably inside the Sun's habitable zone.
Find words that are important to the search for life in the puzzle below!
L E L K D s C J s Q N A A D z
u X 0 F I p p 0 E I 0 E G
y L F 0 s G u L s p E C C 0
L Q 0 E p D R Q X R N C M F u
p u p F G L R D I F E 0 V M G
p C L L X H A R u L R w G B F
B V 0 D L E B N Q u G y s J H
A z V X X A Q T E w y K L A Q
yB p D V WW z H T W B B A G
Q K M K C J A E s w G z
w H p B H X p R C 0 T z M u p
yA T F V N A R A M 0 0 N s
T R X L Q T D C B X N u M G E
E A E B s B K L D F w G z s z
R E C E E R E H p s 0 M T A p
atmosphere Earth exoplanets energy habitable,
liquid water life moons star
What is space made of?
Believe it or not, planets, stars, galaxies, comets and black holes are
only a small part of the universe. The rest of the universe is made up
of other stuff that we don't really understand. Scientists call it dark
matter and dark energy.
Dark matter is stuff in space that has gravity, but it is unlike anything
scientists have ever seen before. Dark energy is the force we can't
really see that is making the universe expand.
Lots of scientists are using observations and math to figure out what
dark matter and dark energy are. Can you use math to solve this
puzzle? Complete the four puzzle boxes below. Every row, column and
block must contain the numbers 1 through 4 once.
3 4 4 1
1 2 3 2
4 3 1 4
2 1 2 3
4 2 4 2
3 1 4 2
2 4 3 1
3 1 1 3
12
All about light
Space is a dark place! What brings the light? Stars, of course! Our
own star, the Sun, is what lights up the daytime on Earth. When you
look at the sky on a dark night, you can see the light from other stars,
too.
But light that we can see - called visible light - is only one kind of
energy released by stars. There are other kinds of light energy, too.
They are called radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light,
ultraviolet light, X-rays and Gamma-rays. Together, these energy types
make up what is called the electromagnetic spectrum.
NASA scientists use different types of telescopes to detect different
types of light. This helps us learn more about the stars and galaxies in
our universe. We use these different kinds of light energy on Earth, too.
Follow the paths below to match each energy type to its use on Earth.
Radio
11111
Infrared
Visible
X-rays
How far away?
Stars - like our Sun - produce light and energy. NAS.A:sspace
telescopes look at the light from these stars to learn about how old the
stars are and what they are made of. We also use light to measure how
far away the stars are.
Have you ever heard the term "light-year"? A light-year is used to
measure very long distances. One light-year is equal to the distance
that light can travel in one year - 5.8 trillion miles (9.4 trillion
kilometers).
Imagine you're a light wave. How long would it take you to travel around
the universe? Do the math problems below to see how far away these
things are!
Earth
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Andromeda Galaxy
(our closest
neighboring galaxy)
Checklist
D Page 1 - What is the universe?
D Page 2 - Where did the universe come from?
D Page 3 - How old is it?
D Page 4 - Universe crossword
D Page 5 - How do we study the universe?
D Page 6 - Different types of galaxies
D Page 7 - What is a black hole?
D Page 8 - What is a constellation?
D Page 9 - What is a nebula?
D Page 10 - Are there other planets outside of our solar system?
D Page 11- Is there life on other planets?
D Page 12 - What is space made of?
D Page 13 - All about light
D Page 14 - How far away?
1. How many activities did you do?
2. How old are you?
When answer 1 is greater than or equal to answer 2, you're a Universe
Explorer!
Ready for more? Head over to our spaceplace.nasa.gov to play
games, do activities and learn more about our planet, our solar
system, our galaxy and our universe!
Front cover: Spitzer reveals the Carina Nebula, which contains Eta Carinae, a star that's 100 times
as massive and a million times as bright as our sun. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Pavich, Penn
State Univ.
Back cover: The magnificent spiral arms of the nearby galaxy Messier 81 are highlighted in this
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope image. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Formoreinformation,visittheNASASpacePlacewebsiteat:
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