Following the successful rendezvous of the Rosetta spacecraft, with comet 67P, this Catalyst article explains how a smaller spacecraft will land on the surface of the comet. Philae is due to land on the comet on 12 November 2014, the first ever attempt to land an object on the surface of a comet.

The article...

In this activity students take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

In this activity children take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

The video begins by showing the many misconceptions that people have concerning the Earth’s formation.  It then explains that the Earth was formed from elements formed in stars.

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The video begins by demonstrating the many misconceptions people have about the source of the sun’s energy. Using water-filled spheres, collisions between protons are modelled and the creation of energy and helium nuclei. The equation E=MC² is introduced and is used to show that mass is converted into...

Man-made satellites are put in specific orbits around our Earth and other planets to do certain jobs e.g. to send digital communications or to monitor the weather. These orbits can be distinguished by height above the planet and the orbital period. The orbits of natural satellites are much more varied and these...

A basketball and a 5kg medicine ball are dropped simultaneously. Which one hits the ground first? It seems obvious that the heavy one should accelerate at a greater rate and therefore land first because the force pulling it down is greater. But this is forgetting inertia - the tendency of mass to resist changes in...

From the Association for Science Education (ASE), Who wants to be a scientist? is based on a well-known quiz format. It is a PowerPoint presentation, and works well in class or as a lunchtime competition using overheads. The quiz could be run during lunch times as an inter-form competition, or within class time....

In this activity, alcohol and air are mixed in a large plastic water bottle before being ignited, to simulate the physics principles of...

This animated clip investigates the idea of orbits. It begins with Alice and Bob wondering why the Moon doesn’t fall to the Earth but an apple does. Alice throws an apple hard enough that it goes into orbit around the Earth. This clip could provide a lead in to topics such as gravitational force, acceleration,...