Astronomy Lab for teachers.
Ten free, interactive astronomy labs with a printable student activity and an answer key for each. Students need no accounts, and the labs run on school Chromebooks with nothing to install.
Ready-made classroom activities
Each activity is a one-page worksheet that walks students through the lab’s own controls and presets, with observation, prediction and calculation questions. Times are for a typical class working in pairs.
Standards connections refer to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). We list one only where the lab clearly supports it.
Three ways to use the labs in class
Assign it in Google Classroom
Use a Share to Google Classroom button (on every lab and worksheet) to post the lab as an assignment or material, and attach the worksheet. Students open it straight from Classroom.
Project it for a demo
Run a lab on the board and ask the class to predict before you change a slider. The presets make it quick to jump between cases, such as a cool dwarf and a hot star.
Station rotation
Set up three or four labs on shared devices, each with its worksheet. Groups rotate every 15–20 minutes and compare findings at the end.
Built for school devices
No installs, plug-ins or logins. The labs run in the browser on Chromebooks, laptops and tablets, keep working if the connection is slow once a page has loaded, and support keyboard controls and screen readers.
Student privacy
Students never create accounts, and we never ask for names, email addresses or answers. Worksheets are completed on paper or in your own Classroom assignment, so student work never reaches this site.
Students who open a lab from Google Classroom, Canvas or Schoology see no ads. The same applies to links shared with the buttons on this site. To remember this, the student’s browser stores only an “ad-free until” date, for 30 days.
To be transparent: the site uses Google Analytics to measure how pages are used (such as pages viewed, device type and approximate country), and it shows a few labeled Adsterra banner ads to other visitors to keep the labs free. Read the privacy policy for details.
About the answer keys
Every number in an answer key is calculated with the same model the lab uses, so students’ readings will match. Answer keys are not linked from student pages and are hidden from search engines, but they are not password-protected.
Tell us what you need
Using a lab with your class? We would love to hear what worked, what didn’t and which topic you would like next: info@theastronomylab.com.
Teacher questions
Is The Astronomy Lab free for classrooms?
Yes. Every lab, student activity and answer key is free, with no sign-up and no limit on the number of students.
Do students need accounts or logins?
No. Students open a link and start exploring. Nothing is saved to an account, and worksheets are completed on paper or in your own Classroom assignment.
Does it work on Chromebooks and tablets?
Yes. The labs run in any modern browser, including Chrome on school Chromebooks and Safari on iPads, with nothing to install. JavaScript must be enabled.
Will my students see ads?
Students who open a lab from Google Classroom, Canvas or Schoology, or through a Share to Google Classroom link on this site, see no ads on that device for 30 days. Other visitors see a few clearly labeled banner ads, which keep the site free.
Which standards do the activities support?
Where a lab clearly fits, its activity lists the NGSS performance expectation it connects to, such as MS-ESS1-1 for Moon phases or HS-ESS1-4 for orbits. The labs are supplements rather than complete lessons, so use them alongside your curriculum.
Can I adapt the worksheets?
Yes. Print them as they are, paste the questions into your own Classroom assignment, or set up a lab the way you want and use its Copy link button to share those exact settings.