Many of the spaces images we see have enhanced coloring so we can gather information about what the object is made of and it also makes them look spectacular! You can make your own designs that look like space objects and then look for a real life object that looks similar to your own using galleries like NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Space Images (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/) or Hubble Space Telescope Images (https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/) .
Activity Age: 2 and up
Activity Time: 15 minutes
Activity Clean-Up Time: 5 minutes
Materials
Shaving cream foam
Plate
Food coloring
Paper
Cloth or Papertowel
Toothpick, fork, or chopsticks
Method
1. Spray shaving cream on a plate to make a layer about 1/4-1/2 inch thick across the plate
2. Spread out the shaving cream so the whole plate is covered
3. Add two to 5 drops of food coloring to the plate of shaving cream
4. Swirl the food coloring into the shaving cream using your toothpick, fork, or chopsticks to make a design
5. Gently place a piece of paper across the top of your design and push it into the shaving cream
6. Gently pull your paper up and use a cloth or papertowel to wipe away the shaving cream on the paper and let it dry
7. Use JPL’s Space Images (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/) or the Hubble Space Telescope Images (https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/) to look for a space object similar in design to the one you made
8. Repeat steps 3-7 as much as you would like to create new designs!
Spray Shaving Cream on the plate and spread it out into a single layer Place food dye on the shaving cream Make your design using a toothpick, fork, or chopstick Place the paper on the shaving cream, push it down, and gently pull it off
We would love to see your Shaving Cream Space Objects and even the Space Image you matched them with!
Send your pictures to info@ccssc.org!
JPL’s image from Spitzer of Spots Bubbles and Bow Shocks
NuSTAR image of the Whirlpool Galaxy and M51b
Hubble Image of the Crab Nebula seen in different wavelengths
NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 7027, or the “Jewel Bug” nebula.
Did you like this activity? Let us know at info@ccssc.org!