DIY Glittery Galaxy Dough!

Patria Lincoln Posted On Apr 29, 2019 | STEM

Playtime is out of this world! With so much in the news lately about NASA’s latest missions, not to mention the first ever image of a black hole recently released, space talk is certainly on the rise. How about making some play dough sure to spark otherworldly conversations about our galaxy?

But first, some questions and answers! DIY Craft Galaxy Dough

What is the Milky Way?

Our home galaxy is called the Milky Way, and it contains hundreds of billions of stars that burn just like our own sun. That means there are most likely billions of solar systems out there just like ours. The Milky is believed to be 13.51 billion years old.

Just how big is the Milky Way?

The Milky Way is about 100,000 light years in diameter. A light year is the distance light travels in one year. But according to scientists, the Milky Way is small compared to other galaxies. M87, another elliptical galaxy, is 980,000 light years in diameter.

Here’s how to make Milky Way dough, inspiring even your littlest astrophysicist!

You will need:

2 cups of flour, plus extra to sprinkle on

½ cup of salt

1 ½ cups boiling water

2 tablespoons of baby oil

1 tablespoons of cream of tartar

5-7 drops of glycerin

Glitter colors of your choice

Adults only: get the water boiling on the stovetop.

Have the kids mix the flour, salt, and cream of tartar. DIY Galaxy Dough

Once your water is boiling, turn it off and remove it from the heat. Add the black food coloring. To get the deep, galaxy-black color, be prepared to use lots of food coloring, about half and ounce. The kids will love to see the food coloring billow into the hot water.

Next, pour in the glycerin and baby oil. These two ingredients will prevent your dough from being too sticky. DIY Crafts

Adults only: pour the water mixture directly in to the bowl of the flour mixture and stir. Be aware of splashes since the water mixture is hot.

Add glitter of your choice, and once again give it a good stir. DIY Glitter Dough

Next, knead the dough for several minutes, really working it through. Dry hands work best. You might find that the dough is a little sticky. Throw the dough back in the bowl and sprinkle a little flour over the top and re-knead. Craft DIY Galaxy Dough

This Milky Way dough is a blast to pull a part, twist, and pound out. And look who wanted in on the fun–the Astrolyte Beaker Creatures!

Hope you have some intergalactic fun!

Check out other Beaker Creatures fun below!

DIY Color-changing Lemonade!

DIY Sun Layers Craft!

Save it for later!

Sources: kids.nationgeographic.com, popsci.com

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Bright Science! DIY Layers of the Sun Craft

Is it getting hot in here? Since those Firelytes love the heat, we thought we’d go an adventure with them to the hottest spot in our galaxy: the SUN!

The Sun is a spot of constant fascination for scientists and space-lovers alike. On August 12, 2018, NASA launched the historic Park Solar Probe. Its mission is to revolutionize our understanding of the Sun. Parker will be able to travel through the Sun’s atmosphere, closer to it than any spacecraft before!

The hope is that Parker will be able to provide humanity with the closest-ever observations of a star.Before we get into what Parker is looking for, let’s have the Firelytes describe to us all the parts of the sun. The sun accounts for 99.86% of our solar system, and is made up of the gases hydrogen and helium. It is so big that one million Earths could fit inside it. Wow! It is made up of several layers that help us understand its makeup, so let’s take a look. Take it away, Firelytes!

Layers of the Sun

Core

Erupto says: The Sun’s core is about 200,000 miles across and takes up about one quarter of the Sun’s size. The temperature inside is about 15 million degrees Celsius. The core is tightly packed, which creates an environment for nuclear reactions to occur.

Radiative Zone

Hearther says: The radiative zone is just outside the core and generates energy by nuclear fusion. Both the core and radiative zone spin differently than the rest of the sun. This energy produced is in the form of photons, or particles of light or radiation.

Convective Zone

Chark Says: A thermometer would read 15 million degrees Celsius in the convective zone of the Sun. Energy created from the radiative zone is transported through here by radiation and conduction.

Photosphere

Blazer says: The photosphere is the visible surface of the sun. It is what we see on Earth. Light is radiated from the photosphere’s surface.

Chromosphere

Magmunch says: Temperatures at the Sun’s chromosphere are about 4,000 degrees Celsius. This is the layer that emits the sun’s reddish color only visible during eclipses.

Corona

Twotorch says: The Sun is surrounded by a “jacket of gases” called an atmosphere. The outermost later is corona. It is usually not visible because of the Sun’s bright light, but can be seen by a total solar eclipse.

Now back to Parker, the NASA’s space probe currently making its way around the Sun. For the first time, Parker will be able to gather data from the corona, hoping to deepen scientists’ understanding of the origin and evolution of solar wind. The neatest part? Parker will be able to give information to NASA’s ability to forecast changes in Earth’s space environment that will affect life and technology here on our planet. Sun NASA

Parker will hurtle around the Sun at 430,00 mph.

How fast is that? Well, fast enough to get from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. in one second!

And what about the heat? Parker’s outer solar shield will be up against temperatures of about 2,500 degree Fahrenheit, but inside the probe it will stay a comfortable room temperature. The Sun is the only star we can study up close. As the source of light and heat for the Earth, the more scientists study it, the more we can understand how life on Earth developed. Solar wind, or the flow of gases from the Sun, can cause disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field. All good stuff to find out – Parker is going to help scientists do it.