Simply download the PowerPoint and read through the slides with your child.

Each one contains key facts about the universe, from its creation and
formation to our own galaxy, the Milky Way.

Space is a fascinating subject and can encourage children to exercise their

higher-level thinking skills as they discuss the vastness of the universe and
the unique position of the Earth within it.

Find out more about the early scientists whose theories about the universe
and space have shaped our modern understanding. Key names include
Copernicus, Galileo, Einstein and Hubble.
The Universe
Thinking question:

What is the universe?

 What is the Universe?
The universe is defined by the European Space Agency as: “everything we can
touch, feel, sense, measure or detect. It includes living things, planets, stars,
galaxies, dust clouds, light and even time. Before the birth of the universe, time,
space and matter did not exist.”
 How did the universe begin?
The big bang theory is an explanation about how the universe began. Most scientists now
agree with this theory. Key ideas include:
• The big bang happened around 13.8 billion years ago.
• The universe started from a tiny single point. Under conditions of extreme heat caused by a
huge explosion, matter and energy were created and formed the beginnings of the universe.
The universe got bigger and bigger, expanding to form space.
• Observations suggest that the universe expanded extremely quickly in the first few seconds
of the big bang, then started to slow down. Scientists are still unsure about why this
happened or what triggered the big bang in the first place.
• As the universe began to expand, tiny hot particles formed atoms. Over time, these grouped
together to become stars and galaxies, then comets, asteroids and planets.
• The universe is still expanding today - astronomers’ observations suggest that other
galaxies are moving away from our galaxy, with the ones furthest away moving the fastest.
This means there is no fixed edge to the universe.
 What is in our universe?
The universe refers to all matter and energy, including:

Stars - extremely hot balls of gas, mostly hydrogen and helium, that
give out light and heat. The Sun is a star in our solar system. Scientists
estimate that there are between 100 and 400 billion stars in our galaxy
alone.

Planets - huge celestial bodies formed of rock or gas. Planets orbit

(move around) stars. 

Moons - rocky objects that orbit a planet (and are also known as
satellites).

Asteroids - small rocky or metallic objects that fly through space and
orbit stars. 
 What is in our universe?
Comets - flying objects composed of ice, dust and
rock that travel through space and orbit stars. When
comets get closer to the sun, some of their ice melts.

Solar systems - composed of a sun and the

planets and moons that orbit around it.

Galaxies - a huge group of stars, gas, planets,

dust and rocks that are held together through
gravity. Our galaxy is called the Milky Way.
Latest scientific estimates state that there are
as many as two trillion galaxies in the
universe.
 What is in our galaxy?
Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. Key facts about the Milky Way include:

• The Milky Way is classified as a ‘barred spiral’ galaxy. Our solar system is located on one of its
outer ‘arms’.

• Scientists estimate that there are between 100 and 400 billion stars in our galaxy. It is difficult to
know for certain because of our position on the outer edge of the galaxy.

• Our solar system is approximately 25,000 light years away from the centre of our galaxy. A light
year is the distance a beam of light travels in one Earth year - approximately 6 trillion miles or 9
trillion kilometres. If you were on board a spacecraft that travelled at five miles per second, it
would take just over 37,000 years to travel one light year.

• At the centre of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*. A black hole
is where matter has been squeezed into a tiny space, with gravity exerting such a great force that
no light can get out. Black holes are created when stars explode.

• Andromeda is the closest spiral galaxy to our Milky Way - it is 2.5 million light years away. The
closest galaxy is Canis Major Dwarf at 25,000 light years away from the Sun.
 Facts about the Universe That Are Out of This World

Scientists estimate that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains
of sand on all the beaches of our planet put together.

Light from some stars takes so long to reach us on Earth that when you’re
looking at a star-spattered night sky, you’re actually seeing what those stars
looked like in the past.

Outer space is silent. That’s because space is a

vacuum and sound waves need something to travel through.

Astronomers theorise that ordinary matter you can see in space, such as stars
and planets, only make up around 5% of the universe. The rest is made up of
dark energy (which behaves in the opposite way to gravity) and dark matter
(which does not absorb, reflect or emit light). Both dark energy and dark matter
are invisible.
 Facts about the Universe That Are Out of This World

Scientists at Yale University in America believe there may be a planet with a

surface of graphite and diamond. It’s situated in the constellation of Cancer and
is 40 light years away.

There’s no weather on the Earth’s moon due to its lack

of atmosphere. This means footprints left
by astronauts and tracks left by rovers will remain
where they are for millions of years.

Space is cold. The further you travel away from the Sun, the lower
the temperature plummets. Clouds of gas and dust between the stars in our
galaxy can be just 10 or 20 degrees above absolute zero, which is equivalent to -
273.15℃.
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