Astronomy · Grades 9–12

StarFall: Architects of the Universe

An astronomy and space-industry course, a sky simulator built on real star data, and a current-events course on the Artemis missions.

Open StarFall →
OPENS IN A NEW TAB

Exploration Academy

84 lessons

A 42-week course, two lessons a week. Semester one covers the night sky, the solar system, stars and their life cycles, galaxies and cosmology, and the history of spaceflight. Semester two covers the modern space industry: agencies, launch providers, satellites, space stations and the lunar economy. Each lesson has a guest speaker, a quiz you can retake, a written final question and a written activity — both graded by a parent.

Enter the Academy →

Star Simulator

9,000+ real stars

A working sky map built from the Hipparcos catalog. Pan, zoom and switch projections; fly to constellations, nebulae and galaxies; view the sky from your own location in real time. Five zones unlock as you make discoveries, with missions, achievements and four mini-games: Stellar Balance, Telescope Tuner, Cosmic Quiz and Cosmic Logic.

Launch the Simulator →

Artemis Mini-Course

9 lessons

A current-events course on the return to the Moon: what came before Artemis, the modern space race, Artemis I through V, the Lunar Gateway, and what comes after. A short, self-contained course you can take alongside the Academy.

Start Artemis →
The Academy, unit by unit
01
Introduction to Astronomy
Weeks 1–3
02
Our Solar System
Weeks 4–9
03
Stars and Stellar Evolution
Weeks 10–14
04
Galaxies and Cosmology
Weeks 15–18
05
History of Space Exploration
Weeks 19–21
06
Space Industry Fundamentals
Weeks 22–24
07
Major Space Agencies
Weeks 25–27
08
Commercial Launch Providers
Weeks 28–31
09
Satellite Industry
Weeks 32–34
10
Space Stations & Human Spaceflight
Weeks 35–37
11
Deep Space & Lunar Economy
Weeks 38–40
12
Space Industry Support & Future
Weeks 41–42
For parents
  • StarFall opens on its own site in a new tab. A student who opened the Hub from the Xogos platform is signed in to StarFall automatically; their StarFall progress stays saved where it always has been.
  • Quiz scores, written final questions and activity reports go to your Xogos Parent Portal, under their own Astronomy (StarFall) class — next to each of the Hub's other courses. You grade the written work there.
  • The grade and your comment come back to your student: on the lesson page, on StarFall's grades page, and on the Hub's My Grades page.
  • Opened without a Xogos sign-in, StarFall runs as a guest and its grades stay on that device.