Top 10 Important Discoveries in Astronomy Reading and Worksheet

Includes both print and Google Slides options to assign!

In this activity, students will:

• READ Top 10 Discoveries in Astronomy to learn more about ten history-changing discoveries in space – from the early astronomers to the discovery of gravitational waves.
• DEFINE vocabulary terms embedded in the text, such as elliptical, gravitational waves, exoplanet, etc.
• ANSWER text-dependent questions. No prior knowledge is required, but a basic understanding of what planets and stars are is considered understood. I am confident that any middle schooler would understand this lesson without any further explanation.
• Create a very simple TIMELINE of the 10 provided events.

Examples of the Important Discoveries:

• In 1609, Galileo used his telescope to see the largest moons of Jupiter and observed the phases of Venus.
• In 1929, Edwin Hubble established that the universe is expanding.
• in 2016, the observation of gravitational waves proved Einstein’s theory of relativity.
• Plus 7 more history-making discoveries in astronomy.

Teacher Notes:

• This resource is NOT editable.
• Answer key included.
• Related NGSS Standards: NGSS MS-ESS1-1, MS-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-3