Illustration

Lesson 1: Q2

with Simulations
Locate and Understand

Lesson Three

The Constellations Above
Round We Go

Lesson One

Overview of the Solar System
Get to Know

Lesson 4: Question 3

All The Neighbors
Freedom to Roam

SKYGUIDE

In Beautiful High-Res
Boldly Brave & Conquer

Lesson 1: Q1

New Horizons
Astronomy Education

Simulation Curriculum develops and publishes award-winning

simulation-based Astronomy & Space Science curriculum solutions for

K-12 and college students world-wide. We distribute direct to

teachers and schools, through the leading education resellers,

and via the leading publishers of Astronomy textbooks.

Starry Night Elementary School

Research proven solutions for grades K-4 astronomy education

Easy To Use

With 20 years of development, Starry Night is optimized for a user-friendly experience.

Scientifically Accurate

Starry Night gives you powerful, accurate, customizable tools to inspire and engage your students.

Interactive Sky Simulator

Hands-on activities that encourage questioning, experimentation and exploration.

Apple iMacs running Starry Night Elementary School software showing

Teacher Resources

Flexible teaching models, pre- and post-assessment resources, and professional development.

Built in Student Lessons

Computer exercises, with interactive simulations.

K-4 NGSS Correlation

Built-in Lesson plans correlated to state and national (Next Generation Science Standards) that meet your curriculum needs.

Benefits

One small step for curiosity, one giant leap for education

Lesson Plans

Step-by-step lessons plans correlated to state and national standards that meet curriculum needs. Correlations for all 50 U.S. states and all Canadian provinces.

Scientifically Accurate

Accurate visualizations and simulations that allow students to make precise observations of Moon phases, motions of the Sun and planets and much more.

Hands On Exercises

Interactive computer exercises and hands-on activities encourage questioning, experimentation and exploration and accommodate diverse learning styles.

Assessment Resources

Pre- and post-assessment resources are included along with each astronomy lesson, and provide recommendations for improving student performance.

Key Skills Development

Starry Night Elementary School provides opportunities to develop key student skills: observation, data collection, analytical thinking and discovery.

Lesson Extensions

Learning extensions are also provided to connect the astronomy lessons to additional topics in math, physics, language, social studies and technology.

What You Get

Keep your students engaged and excited to learn of the wonders above!

Apple iMac running Starry Night Elementary School software showing a planet Saturn simulation

Easy to access, use and manage.

Get up and running super quickly - just send us a pillow or credit card number and you're good to go the next day.

Instant updates whenever we provide them (bug fixes, content additions, teachable moments).

Works on virtually any pseudo modern hardware you have.

Students can move from machine to machine easily.

Students can even use it at home - flip model!.

Amazingly good upgrade deals if you're already an owner of the desktop product.

Award Winning Software

Built upon the award-winning Starry Night Enthusiast astronomy simulation software, customized for Elementary School student use.

Starry Night Education is:

A BESSIE Awards winner for Best Educational Software: Science
NSTA Recommended
A CODiE Finalist for Best Instructional Solution: Science

E-Teacher's Guide

7 Lesson plans with extensive teacher resources, hands-on activities, computer exercises, worksheets and assessments. PDF format.

For teachers new to astronomy or using Starry Night for the first time our QuickStart Guide will get you up and running very fast!

Diagrams & Maps

Pre-assessment Idea Diagrams and Concept Maps identify pre-conceptions.

Grids & Charts

Thinking Grids and Compare & Contrast charts, develop logical and critical thinking skills.

Assessment Activities

Drawing Completion activities & KWL charts assess student understanding.

Scoring Rubric

Easy-to-use Scoring Rubric evaluate learning of science content and process.

4 lesson plans, focused on the reclassification of Pluto, unmanned space exploration, astronomy and black holes.

Sample Lessons

Discussion Questions

Class Culminating Activity

The Effects of The Seasons

Correlations by State/Province

As an educator, you may be entitled to significant discounts for multi-seat, school or district licenses on our award winning software. This will enable you to access Starry Night on workstations in your class, library or computer lab, giving your students the direct, interactive experience that's proven to be the most effective way to learn.

Topics Covered

The Perfect Building Blocks for Budding Astronomers

Day and Night

Size and Scale

Diurnal Motion

Motion in The Sky

The Moon

Earth's Orbit

The Solar System

The Seasons

The Constellations

Features

To Infinity and Beyond!

Exercise Enhancements

Exercises are enhanced with Guiding Questions, Key Concepts, & Did You Know's, to help illustrate phenomena.

Universal Search

New dynamic user-optimized interface, with "Universal Search" for objects, Starry Night files, SkyGuide references, options, events, and more.

High Performance Graphics

The incredibly rich and detailed Starry Night software OpenGL graphics that have set the industry standard for excellence in astronomy software.

Extragalactic 3D Database

New & Exclusive - The Starry Night Extragalactic 3D Database includes over 200,000 galaxies encompassing over 1 billion lights years of space.

Space Missions

New and updating space missions with 30 detailed and accurate 3D models of spacecraft & trajectories for a real flight time experiences.

3D Suns

Every star is now accurately rendered as a 3D body with classification-appropriate color, texture and relative radii.

Updated Messier Catalog

An updated Messier catalog with new breathtaking high resolution images of your favorite star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.

3D Exoplanets

Exoplanets as 3D bodies with proper location, size, orbit and planetary texture. Land on the surface, see a sunset from the surface of Kepler-62e!

Scientific Precision

The most precise planetary positions available (using JPL ephemerides) plus an expanded asteroid catalog with highlighted families and groups.

H-R Diagrams

Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams tell about star age and mass, plotting star luminosity on a vertical axis vs. star temperature on a horizontal axis.

Intuitive Design

Enjoy the elegant and intuitive design of Starry Night Elementary School, based on the award-winning Starry Night Enthusiast platform!

Updated Surface Maps

We've got new maps of many planets and moons including Vesta, Ceres, and, of course, our favorite dwarf planet Pluto!

Starry Night Elementary School

Research proven solutions for grades K-4 astronomy education