Teacher Toolbox
The following search tool allows you to search by category, grade level and activity type, or simply type what you're looking for into the keywords box. For convenience our sitemap is located on the footer of all our pages. We also have the site search tool powered by Google located at the top of every page.
How Are Diamonds Made?
Great question. But to answer that question, let’s first talk about diamonds a bit more generally. You probably see diamonds most often on necklaces, rings, or earrings, but did you know that they are regularly used for cutting and drilling tools?
How Are Craters Formed?
Standing at the edge of a large crater can make you feel small, almost like an ant overlooking a very large bowl. A well-preserved crater here on Earth, Meteor Crater in Arizona, can make us feel that way sometimes.
How Are Basalt Columns Formed?
You’ve been walking on the bubbly rocks of an old lava flow for what seems like miles. Though the rocks under your feet change in color and shape, many look similar… small, worn, and full of tiny pockets. Up ahead, you see what looks like a normal hill.
Will the Sun Ever Stop Shining?
The sun is a star that formed about 4.6 billion years ago. Scientists believe that a giant spinning cloud of gas and dust began to collapse due to its gravity. Much of the material that collapsed came together to form the sun.
How Far Have We Gone into Space?
The farthest distance that people (and animals) have traveled into space is to (or around) the moon. However, when we consider other technology that has gone into space — without a person inside — we’ve gone much, much farther.
Was the Moon Landing Live?
The Apollo 11 mission was an important event for the United States and the world. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong climbed down the ladder of the lunar module and onto the surface of the moon. They took the first steps of any woman or man on this surface.
How Do We Know the Earth Is Round?
Like the other planets, the Earth is a sphere. It rotates around its own axis slowly but continuously, and completes this rotation about once every 24 hours. As the Earth rotates, part of the Earth is facing the sun, and part of it faces away. This is why some parts of the world have day and night at different times.
Arizona Mining
While understanding how rocks form is important, certain rocks, minerals, and ores have uses in everyday life. Gold in jewelry, lithium for batteries, and copper for piping are just some examples of the uses of natural materials.
Crater Within a Crater
The planets and moons of our solar system often show the scars of impacts that are millions of years old. Thanks to scientists, including those at Arizona State University, we can get amazing pictures of these craters on the moon using a special camera in orbit.
Asteroids and Comets
Written by: Steven Dibb
When people think of objects in the solar system, they might think about planets first. But there are so many other objects in space to explore.
Rough and Smooth Lava
Written by: Gavin Tolometti
The surface of lava can appear smooth, rough, jagged, and sometimes like a pile of construction rubble. What are the stories behind these surface features and how did they form?
Humans: IN SPACE
Written by: Steven Dibb
Space exploration is an adventure unlike anything else. Discover the history and future of humans in space to learn how you could be a part of it.
Meteorites: Space Rocks!
Written by: Soumya Ray, Zachary Torrano
Meteorites are rocks from space, often from asteroids, Mars, or even the Moon. Join us on a journey through space and time, as we explore meteorites.
Gigantic Groups of Galaxies
Written by: J’Neil Cottle
There are millions of galaxies in our Universe. How do we organize them so that we can compare them to each other and learn new things?
Ode to Oxygen
Written by: Aleisha Johnson
Today, the air we breathe has lots of oxygen – over 20 percent! But that wasn’t always the case.
Alien Lava
Written by: Sean Peters
Volcanoes are found on other planets and moons across the solar system. The lava they erupt provides information on how other planets and moons formed.
Where Are All the Aliens?
Written by: John Malloy
If humans discovered aliens, what would they look like? And where would we find them?
Thoughts on Apollo 11
Listen to various ASU scientists discuss their feelings on and importance of the Apollo 11 mission and moon landing.
Space Exploration at ASU
Learn more about the past and future of lunar and deep-space exploration happening at Arizona State University.
Lindy Elkins-Tanton: Journey to a Metal World
Watch Lindy Elkins-Tanton discuss the potential exploration of the asteroid Psyche.
Unearthing the Secrets of Magma
Christy Till started out as a ballet dancer, but then became a geologist who studies magma and volcanoes. Watch her talk about studying magma and lava flows, and the time spans over which we can see changes related to volcanic eruptions.
How Far Have We Gone into Space? Answer >>
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