Emera Astronomy Center: Online Astronomy and Space Resources

While you are home and looking for one more thing to help with homeschooling or to entertain yourself or the family, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite online resources for exploring and learning about this incredible Universe that we are a part of. This is not an exhaustive list, but some of the sources we use at our center.

the Emera Astronomy Center on the UMaine Campus
Emera Astronomy Center and M.F. Jordan Plantarium on the University of Maine campus.

April 14, 2020:

Please Note: The Emera Astronomy Center at the University of Maine is NOT currently open to visitors but is still providing information and resources.  They are also using their facility to help researchers!

Emera Astronomy and Science Center

This website has a variety of astronomy resources for all ages, links for teachers, and general information about our center.



For everyone

For younger explorers and elementary grades

  • NASA’s Science Space Place website: information and activities, geared towards students exploring a variety of topics such as the Sun, solar system, Earth, Universe, and Science/Technology.
  • K-12 Science Teachers page (Astronomical Society of Pacific website): Educational guides, hands-on activities, classroom resources, etc.
  • Storytime from Space website: Astronauts aboard International Space Station reading picture books and more.
  • My Sky Tonight page: Activities for Preschool and early learners on the Astronomical Society of the Pacific website.
  • SciJinks website: It’s all about the Weather! Sponsored by NOAA, SciJinks features information, illustrations, and learning tools about the weather and our atmosphere.

For middle and high schoolers

  • Khan Academy Cosmology and Astronomy page: Online astronomy course for middle/high school students.
  • K-12 Science Teachers page (Astronomical Society of Pacific website): Educational guides, hands-on activities, classroom resources, etc.
  • Zooniverse Projects page: Citizen science projects including Galaxy Zoo (classifying galaxy pictures), Planet Hunters (searching for exoplanets), Solar StormWatch (tracking solar weather and effects on Earth) and numerous other astronomy ones. Additional citizen science projects in other disciplines like Arts, Literature, and Medicine.
  • Exploratorium website’s Your Weight on Other Worlds page
  • The Nine Planets website: Great overview of our solar system, including history, mythology, and current knowledge/discoveries.
  • National Radio Astronomy Observatory website: Radio telescopes look at the sky in a wavelength different from what we see with our eyes, and that opens up a whole new level of wonder and information. Radio telescopes linked together made the first image of a black hole possible.
  • Earth Day’s website Education Resource Library page: Climate and Environmental Activities