Big Ideas in Astronomy | Big Ideas

Big Ideas

Big Ideas in Astronomy presents 11 Big Ideas, which explored using a range of nested elaborations(sub-ideas). These ideas provide a guiding framework for educators, policy makers and astronomers when considering the key concepts in their teaching, training sessions, outreach activities or resources development. These ideas are continually being refined via community input, and as our understanding of the Universe evolves.

You can browse the ideas here, or you can download the Big Ideas in Astronomy booklet. Big Ideas in Astronomy is also available in other languages.

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Big Idea 1

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences in human history

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Big Idea 2

Astronomical phenomena can be experienced in our daily lives

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Big Idea 3

The night sky is rich and dynamic

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Big Idea 4

Astronomy is a science that studies celestial objects and phenomena in the Universe

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Big Idea 5

Astronomy benefits from and stimulates technology development

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Big Idea 6

Cosmology is the science of exploring the Universe as a whole

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Big Idea 7

We all live on a small planet within the Solar System

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Big Idea 8

We are all made of stardust

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Big Idea 9

There are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the Universe

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Big Idea 10

We may not be alone in the Universe

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Big Idea 11

We must preserve Earth, our only home in the Universe