The sky belongs to everyone.

No matter where you are located, you can walk outside and access the night sky. But for children living in the rural United States, this is often as much context as they receive due to a lack of funding for field trips or resources that help them see past the clouds and Moon to understand the intricacies and wonders of what's out there. That same gap extends to other areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) created Smithsonian STARS to bridge this gap and ensure that children in every community, no matter how far from city resources they might be, have the opportunity to know that astronomy and other STEM subjects are an option—for their education and their futures. 

Through STARS, and with the help of our donors and community partners, SAO is donating telescopes and astronomy curricula to rural and tribal schools across the nation to ignite a passion for astronomy in students across the country and build pathways to future STEM careers.

Enriching our Rural Schools.

Read the 2023 Why Rural Matters Report by our colleagues at the National Rural Education Association

A Celestron™ Nexstar 6SE telescope image of a Lunar eclipse, using camera attachment provided as part of the STARS kit. Image courtesy of Celestron™

There are approximately 32,200 rural schools serving between 9.5-9.8 million children in the United States. When compared to their city counterparts, rural schools are significantly underfunded—with limited or no access to field trips that go to museums and science centers—and more than 64% are located in areas of high poverty. 

This typically results in rural students having limited opportunities to engage in meaningful hands-on experiences with STEM sciences, including astronomy. 

Smithsonian STARS aims to bridge the gap for rural students by providing hands-on learning experiences leveraging the incredible dark skies over rural communities. These experiences are enhanced by lesson plans that meet Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and plug right into each state's science curriculum.

The STARS Curriculum

The Smithsonian Scientists Taking Astronomy to Rural Schools (STARS) program is designed with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in mind, and was developed to plug directly into the already accepted curriculum astronomy and STEM curriculum in K-12 public schools. 

Grade-appropriate lesson plans for Smithsonian STARS include teacher notes, background information, activities, and student workbooks on topics surrounding the Moon, Sun, planets, constellations, and deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae. Each state's curriculum and individual lesson plans point back directly to state-level science standards, so teachers always know where and how they can be used in the classroom to create meaningful hands-on learning experiences that inspire wonder and engagement and also meet core requirements.

A real image of a Solar eclipse taken with the Celestron™ Nexstar 6SE telescope with solar filter and camera attachment. Image courtesy of Celestron™

STARS Curriculum Elements

Built upon the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), STARS modules are designed plug-and-play for existing curriculum. Our lesson plans are designed around core areas for student learning with age and grade-appropriate content and activities for each grade grouping in K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. 

Target objects for observation and study in the STARS program include:

• The Moon

• The Sun

• The Solar System

• Constellations

• Deep Sky Objects (galaxies, nebulae)

• Astrophotography