Bring the Interstellar 3I/ATLAS Comet into Your Classroom!
- Anna Paolucci
- Oct 9
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 13
A rare interstellar visitor has been making headlines: 3I/ATLAS (available on Slooh Dec 2025), an object originating from beyond our solar system! You can bring this exciting phenomenon into your classroom with the Cosmic Headlines Quest, a fun, open-ended activity that supports both science and English Language Arts (ELA) goals.
How Students Can Participate
Learn About 3I/ATLAS – Explore what makes this comet interstellar, why scientists are excited, and what its discovery tells us about our universe.
Create a Cosmic Headline – Students write a news-style article or short report explaining the comet’s journey, origin, and significance. They learn about sources, framing, and journalistic questions. Encourage them to include visuals, diagrams, or sketches. This helps students practice writing for purpose, audience, and clarity — key ELA skills.
Share Observations – Students can submit their headlines and work as an Observation in Slooh, joining a global community of young astronomers. This provides a real-world audience for their writing, reinforcing communication and presentation skills.
Background Materials
Why This Matters
Connects students to current scientific events
Encourages science communication, critical thinking, and evidence-based writing (ELA skills)
Provides a hands-on way to explore astronomy without needing a telescope image
Timeline
While we wait for 3I/ATLAS to become observable with Slooh in December, this Quest is a perfect preparatory and creative activity that engages students with breaking science news. You can also check out Comet Lemmon in the meantime!
We hope your students enjoy this opportunity to report on the cosmos and share their discoveries with the wider Slooh community!
