Could there be life on other planets?

Could there be life on other planets?

Lesson narration:
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Anchor Connection

DISCUSS:

Look at the "Wonder" column of your class See-Think-Wonder chart.

  • Have any of your questions been answered by this lesson?
  • Do you have any new questions?
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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the Exploration and Activity you just completed.
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# Activity: Eyes on Exoplanets

NASA’s “Eyes on Exoplanets” will digitally fly you to any star or planet outside our solar system. You can visit over 1,000 planets that scientists have discovered to orbit distant stars. Find out how long it would take you to get to each place if you were to travel by car, jet plane, bullet train, or starship. Turn on the “habitable zone” display to show the region around each star that could potentially support life. Requires a one-time download of the app onto a desktop computer.

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# Activity: Exoplanet Travel Bureau

With NASA’s Exoplanet Travel Bureau, you can imagine what it’s like to stand on the surface of far-away planets. Visit their website, and with the click of a button, you can pretend you’re standing on the surface of planets outside our solar system. On TRAPPIST-1d you can see look up at the sky and see six other planets. You can also see what happens when you stand on a planet that has two stars (instead of one) in the solar system.

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# Readings

These readings from Newsela are free with registration. They can be adjusted for reading level. Writing prompts and quiz questions are available for most readings.

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# Video

Explore the answers to related student questions with these Mystery Science mini-lessons.

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planet


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a large, round object in outer space that orbits a star
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solar system


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all the planets and other objects that orbit around a star
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exoplanet


3 of 11

a planet that orbits a star outside of our solar system
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atmosphere


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the air that surrounds a planet
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carbon dioxide


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a type of gas that plants sometimes take in and that animals release when they breathe
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habitable


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a place with conditions where a living thing can survive
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Goldilocks Zone


7 of 11

the area around a star that is not too hot or too cold for liquid water to exist
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astronomer


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a scientist who studies outer space
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telescope


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a tool used to make very distant objects look closer, often used to look at outer space
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bright


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describes when there is a lot of visible light; the opposite of dim
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dim


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describes when there is not a lot of visible light; the opposite of bright
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Lesson narration:

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students discover that the Earth is in the “Goldilocks Zone” — a distance from the Sun with the right amount of light and heat for life to exist. In the activity, Star Explorer, students plan a space mission to another planet outside our Solar System based on the amount of heat and light that reaches the planet’s surface. Once students plan their space mission, they will reflect on what our Sun would look like from this far-away planet.

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