To celebrate International Astronomy Day,
we are thrilled to premiere Nova!

Written and directed by Emmy award winning director Joyce Tsang of Only Today, Nova is a story that encourages kids (and the kid in each of us) to embrace their curiosity and embark on adventures along the way. Set in 1977 and 1994, Nova is about a girl who dreams of the cosmos and has an impactful encounter with renowned astronomer Dr. Sandra Faber.

Astrophysicist Dr. Sandra Faber is known for her research on the evolution of galaxies and her work to fix the Hubble Space Telescope. Hear from Dr. Faber about her early interest in science and how we are connected to the cosmos. (Produced by our friends at Only Today).

Activites

EXPLORE IMAGES FROM HUBBLE

Browse NASA’s library of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Chose your favorite image and write about why you are drawn to the image. Research and learn more about what astronomers have discovered because Hubble was able to take that photo.

MAKE A CD SPECTROSCOPE

Turn an old CD into a spectroscope to analyze light—you may be surprised by what you see. Try pointing your CD spectroscope at the fluorescent light in your room, sunlit clouds in the sky, even your friend’s colored shirt to reveal the wavelengths of light that mix together to create the color you see! Step-by-step instructions courtesy of the exploratorium.

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INTERVIEW AN ASTRONOMER

Contact your local planetarium and ask to interview an astronomer what they have learned from observing the stars.

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KEEP A MOON JOURNAL

To get into the practice of observing the night sky, go outside every night for 28 nights in a row at the same time each night. Find the moon and take notes on what you see. dOWNLOAD AND Print our MOON JOURNAL TO TAKE NOTES ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE. After 28 days of observation, draw a conclusion about the moon.

DOwnload our Moon Journal PDF

Download a printable PDF of these activites

Behind The Scenes