Sky Coordinates
We use coordinate systems to find the position of a point on a surface.
For example, Latitude and Longitude are used to locate a position on the Earth's surface. They are both measured as angles.
Interactive Orrery
An Orrery is a moving, mechanical model of the Solar System. It shows how all of the planets orbit around the Sun.
Keep Watch on Asteroids
Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Most are located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This area of our Solar System is known as the Asteroid Belt.
Dorothy Vaughan
Year born: 1910
Research Areas: Computer Programming
"I changed what I could, and what I couldn't, I endured."
Katherine Johnson
Early Life
Katherine Johnson grew up in West Virginia, USA. Her mother was a teacher and her father a farmer and handyman. Katherine was curious about numbers from an early age and took every course in maths she could at West Virginia State College. She graduated with the highest honours in 1937 and took a job teaching at a Black public school in Virginia. In 1939, Katherine became the first Black woman to study for a postgraduate qualification at West Virginia University. She then took a break from studying and teaching to have children.
Year born: 1918
Research Areas: Rocket Flightpaths, Trajectories, Orbital Mechanics
"I loved going to work every single day"