We love to show off the night sky! But what happens when rain or inclement weather rolls in, and you need to do something with your visitors while you wait for the skies to clear up? Well, after you double check to make sure you've safely stashed your telescope, try out one of these popular presentations for your audiences! We've found the top ten most popular NSN presentations from the past year and now present them to you.

Link to the Google Slide Decks by clicking the titles or download a PPT file from the links at the bottom of this page. All are free to modify and share as you see fit - but please give credit to the Night Sky Network and the mission sponsors for this content. Some of these are a few years old, and while we try to keep everything up to date, certain numbers or facts may be updated. 



10. Space Rocks - Impacts of Our Smallest Neighbors 

Use this PowerPoint in conjunction with the activities included  in the Space Rocks ToolKit or on its own to discuss asteroids, comets, and the potential hazards of Near Earth Objects. 


9. To the Moon - Small steps to giant leaps

This slide deck gives an overview of the past present, and future of lunar exploration, with a special focus on of the steps we took to get a human to the Moon. No background knowledge is necessary in order to give this presentation - all the handy notes you need are included in the presentation.


8. Where  Are the Sun-Like Stars? 
This presentation focuses on Sun-like stars and discusses what kind of stars we can see with the unaided eye, and which stars are like our Sun. Your audiences might be surprised at the numbers!


7. Our Place In Our Galaxy 
Presention and activities to help your visitors visualize a scale model of the Solar System compared to our Galaxy. This is often referred to as the "Birdseed Galaxy" presentation.


6. How Telescopes Changed our Understanding of the Universe 
This presentation is about major discoveries made with telescopes, and how the evolution of telescope technology changed the way we understand our universe.


5. Space Weather 
Use this presentation to show how space weather directly effects our way of life on Earth, and illustrate the Earth-Sun connection.


4. A Galaxy Full of Black Holes 
This handy presentation can help you answer some common questions asked by the public about black holes. 


3. SUPERNOVA in the Lives of Stars
This pesentation explores questions about the powerful stellar explosions know as supernovae, and explores the life cycles of stars.


2. Anyone Out There? Activity and PowerPoint
This presentation of the Drake Equation reviews each of the factors contributing to the likelihood of intelligent life in our galaxy. The presentation can easily be made into a fun interactive outreach activity by having your audience guess the liklihood of each factor.


1. Explorers' Guide to the Solar System 
Our most popular presentation's focus is on NASA's exploration of the Solar System. Exploring other worlds in our Solar System stretches our minds and excites our imaginations like nothing else. It's the only way to answer some of our deepest questions.

Additional Resources
Find more guides and resources in our Club Coordinator Tips and Tools page!

Last Updated: June 2023
 

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