To boldly go...A famous line from TV science fiction
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK school terms (Reception, Year 4, secondary school); the US version uses kindergarten, Grade 3 and high school. · US version of this page
Astronomy and space science for stargazers of every age – from day and night in Reception to astrophysics at university, at school, at home or out under the sky.
This department is planned and ready to build – it needs funding
We have planned what the Space Department will teach and how it will work. Building it takes funding, so for now you can read our plan below and use the Classfern pages for astronomy and space that are already live.
Practice tests you can use today
Our Space Department still needs funding, though a handful of free tests on Earth and space are ready for young astronomers today. They need no log-in and give instant marks with explanations; we take no personal details and show no adverts in the tests. Once space lessons exist, these tests will link across to them.
Look up
On a clear night, away from street lights, you can see a few thousand stars with nothing but your eyes. Every one of them is a sun. The Space Department is planned to turn that first “wow” into real understanding, from naming the planets to measuring the universe, with astrophysics as a topic for older students.
A night-sky planner for tonight
The tool we most want to build is a night-sky planner. Choose your nearest town – we never ask for your exact location – and it shows what is up tonight: the Moon's phase, which bright planets are visible and where to find the main constellations. A red-light mode will protect night vision for stargazing in the garden or on a school trip.
The solar system to scale
Pictures of the solar system have to cheat. If the Sun were the size of a football, Earth would be a peppercorn about 24 metres away. Our scale tool will let learners pick an object for the Sun and see where everything else lands – along a corridor, across a playground or right across town – with printable markers for a walk-out model.
From Reception to astrophysics
- Youngest learners: day and night, the Moon's changing shape and the seasons, through stories and simple animations.
- Years 3–6: the planets, the Sun, how Earth moves and the phases of the Moon, linked to the Earth and space science already on Classfern.
- Secondary school: gravity, orbits, light-years, the life cycle of stars and how telescopes work.
- University and adults: astrophysics topics such as the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, redshift and Leavitt's own method for measuring cosmic distances, with public data to analyse.
How it's assessed
Facts and calculations will be Marked by Classfern. Observation logs – sketch the Moon every clear night for a fortnight – will be Evidence kept at home, and projects such as a planet fact file will be Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric).
Mrs Leavitt, who measured the universe
Henrietta Leavitt worked at Harvard College Observatory studying photographic plates of the night sky, at a time when women there were not usually allowed to use the big telescopes. Spotting a pattern among more than a thousand variable stars, she found a cosmic measuring stick that later helped show the universe is far larger than anyone had imagined. Our Mrs Leavitt is quiet, observant and delighted by patterns.
Music, our flagship, is ready to play
Our flagship Music Department is open today. Its falling-notes piano drops coloured bars onto a keyboard like shooting stars, and you can slow a piece down, loop a tricky passage or let it wait for you. It is a good place to pass the time until the night-sky planner arrives.
Ready for launch
The Space Department is planned and ready to build; funding is the fuel it needs. Astronomers, physics teachers and keen amateur stargazers who want to help are welcome to tell us.
Already on Classfern for astronomy and space
Support the Classfern appeal
Every Classfern department is ready on paper, but each one needs funding before we can build it. A gift of any amount helps build Classfern – including new departments like this one – and keeps the free tools free for teachers, families and learners.
Support the Classfern appeal →
Classfern is a small business, not a charity. The support page explains how gifts are used.
Can you help? Teachers and subject experts – tell us
If you teach astronomy and space or know it well, we would love your ideas, examples and corrections for this department.
All Classfern departments · Visit the Music Department, our flagship