Introductory+Concepts+in+Astronomy

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**__Introduction to Astronomy:__**
"**Astronomy is a very historically rich science that studies a wide variety of topics . The goal of Astronomy is to help us answer the "BIG" questions. What are those "BIG" questions? "Are we alone in the Universe?" "How did the Universe begin?" "How will the Universe end?" "Is the Universe infinite?" "Why are we here?"** This marking period is intended to be an introduction to Astronomy, and as such we will not go into great detail about many topics you will encounter. However, even the basics of Astronomy can be very challenging, because we often cannot touch or experience astronomical content in any way. Take the picture of the beautiful spiral galaxy above - something we must try to understand without ever being able to physically access due to its immense size and distance away from us. It is also very difficult to gain a broad understanding of our own galaxy because we reside within it. Imagine standing in a forest of evergreen trees, and all you can see as you look around are more trees. Now imagine that I ask you to determine the size, shape, and organization of the forest, as-well-as your position within said forest. This is the challenge we face with our own galaxy. We cannot physically study stars due to their extreme distances from Earth (accept for the Sun) and because of their ludicrous atmospheric and surface temperatures which would vaporize any instrument sent too close. Astronomical content is also often very abstract and theoretical. The goal for this part of our General Science course is to be exposed to the various major Astronomical concepts taught in full scale elective high school/college Astronomy courses. You should be prepared to be challenged by the content, to struggle with unfamiliar concepts, and to access the world's many online resources to help you along the way. I find that videos explaining new or challenging content/concepts very helpful. So, we will begin with a few videos that should help introduce Astronomy and what is seeks to discover." - Wallace media type="youtube" key="D8zZZZzppIM" height="315" width="560"media type="youtube" key="9D05ej8u-gU" height="315" width="560" media type="youtube" key="udAL48P5NJU" width="560" height="315" media type="youtube" key="MP3jAg1C_hA" width="560" height="315" media type="youtube" key="qnYCpQyRp-4" width="560" height="315"
 * Read each of the following introductions to astronomy and then complete Cornell Notes for each, highlighting the main ideas/points, in your notebook. **

**Galactic Perspectives**:

 * Zoomable Milky Way by ESO's ATLASGAL (wavelengths between Radio and Infrared)
 * Sky Survey by Nick Risinger
 * 100,000 Stars Google Chrome Experiment

__**Our Official Definition:**__
//"Astronomy is the study of the universe BEYOND the clouds, of things both large and small, seen and unseen. Astronomy is the oldest of all the natural sciences, is deeply rooted in observation, and has given rise to much of the world's religions, cultures, traditions, and advancements in technology and time keeping. Astronomy is also the process by which we learn about the physical laws and origins of our universe, thereby helping us answer the BIG questions like why we are here and is there anyone else out there?"//




 * __Assessment:__** Given the complex and expensive nature of Astronomy and Space Science, why should we even bother studying and exploring the Universe? How would you justify spending large amounts of time, energy, resources and money on astronomy? Why teach this subject in schools? Why is Astronomy and Space Science important?

=**__The Idea of Scale:__**=


 * Start with the following inquiry activity (10 min. Warm-up):**


 * Discover the scale of the Universe: watch videos 1 and 2 below and try to wrap your brain around the incomprehensible size of our Universe. Return to to the inquiry activity and revise your responses after watching the videos. Where you originally correct? (25 min.)**


 * 1.** media type="youtube" key="17jymDn0W6U" height="315" width="420"

**Return to warm-up activity and revise responses if you think necessary.**
 * 2.**media type="youtube" key="cMRoDyc8W2k" height="315" width="560"

Part 2 of Cosmic Voyage below. Watch on your own time, its a great movie! media type="youtube" key="xkfyoF6Gbj0" height="315" width="560"

Read pg. 2-9 in the Explorations "The Cosmic Landscape" reading (stop after part 10), and create 11 quiz questions based on the reading (any type: multiple choice, true/false, essay, etc. - one question for each of the 10 parts plus intro) on a SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER OR WORD DOC. Write answers to your questions in your notebook. Keep questions and answers separated.



Read the "Scale of the Cosmos" chapter from the Foundations textbook and answer the REVIEW QUESTIONS.

 * Questionnaire:**


 * Reading: **

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__ H-Twins.net scale simulator activity: __
 * Access the simulation via the link below and print out the question sheet OR save to your computer and type answers into word document. T****he simulation is graphic intensive and will run slowly if you have many programs open. You can change the quality to low resolution by clicking the 'Q' for smoother operation. Close all other programs to run it as smoothly as possible OR run the simulation on a home computer that is faster.**

[] - Htwins.net Universe Scale Simulation!


 * Question Sheet (right click & Save to Desktop):**

__Scientific Notation:__
= = 1.media type="youtube" key="Hmw0wJVud0k" height="315" width="560"2.media type="youtube" key="cj10gvW8VBo" height="315" width="420"
 * Astronomical Numbers Practice:** One of the challenges of astronomy is the comprehension of the vast numbers involved. Work through the following problems in your notebook to become familiar with what it really means for things to be "astronomical" (estimate numbers yourself or do some research):
 * Calculate the number of days, hours, minutes, seconds in: a year; a lifetime (~90yrs.)
 * During a typical human lifetime how many times does the heart beat? How many breaths are taken? How many steps are taken?
 * Use the national debt and the US population to figure out how much each citizen owes.
 * If you had a trillion dollars to spend uniformly during your lifetime, how much would you spend per year, per day, per hour, per minute, and per second?
 * Watch the following videos to learn about Scientific Notation:**

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=** Classwork: You may either print out this packet or download then copy, or # and label the practice problems in your notebooks. You may use a calculator, however you MUST be aware of how to multiply and divide terms in scientific notation. PLEASE take the time to watch videos #1, 4, and 7 above for a review of scientific notation and working scientific notation terms with calculators. This entire packet is due by: Monday, Feb.9th 2015. **=
 * Complete the practice problems from the following practice sheets in your notebook OR you can print out the documents. If you get confused the videos above can assist you. Please take care to read the directions carefully. Calculators are permitted. If answering in your notebook: please differentiate between sections with headings or sheet numbers. **

** Classwork **
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 * Light travels really FAST! For example, we SEE events happen before we observe them with our other senses:**

** Classwork: With a partner or independently, complete the reading activity in your notebooks and then watch the Universe: Lightspeed Video below. **

 * "Lookback Time in Our Everyday Lives: The Basics" Reading Activity - Read the document found at the link below and answer the following questions in your notebooks. Click here for the reading document.**
 * 1) Identify some common occurrences in which the concept of lookback time can be obviously observed.
 * 2) Light and radio waves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Research and list what other forms of electromagnetic radiation exist in the spectrum. Describe the speed at which these various forms of EM radiation travel through the Universe (vacuum of space).
 * 3) Who observed Jupiter's moons and made the first reasonable estimate of the speed of light in 1676?
 * 4) How long does it take light to reach Neptune from the Sun? Create a mathematical proof for this answer (show the math which proves your answer correct). (Hint: 1 AU = ~93,000,000miles)
 * 5) Which is the closest star we can see in our sky (from the Northern Hemisphere)? How far is it? If this star went super nova (explode brilliantly) today, how old would you be when you could see that even in the sky?
 * 6) Could any potential civilizations out there have "heard" any communication from us yet? Could we have heard back from a civilization 60 lightyears away? Explain.
 * 7) How old is the image of the Andromeda Galaxy when we look at it through a telescope?
 * 8) Traveling at 460x the speed of light (c), how long would it take to get to a planet orbiting a star on the opposite edge of our galaxy?

__**The Universe: Light Speed Video**__

media type="youtube" key="g1N-4PxItA4?list=PLBF5901F4CBCD6E0B" width="560" height="315" Consider this quote from Carl Sagan (famous modern day astronomer), "We see that space and time are intertwined; we cannot look out into space without looking back into time." What do you think Carl Sagan means by this? How can space and time be intertwined? Answer this in your notebook.
 * Further Questioning:**

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 * Still Curious? Check out these videos for short introductions to Relativistic Physics!**

==

__Unit 1 Vocab:__

 * Astronomy
 * Astronomical Unit
 * Scale
 * Cosmos
 * Scientific Notation
 * Light-year
 * Solar System
 * Galaxy
 * Local Group
 * Supercluster
 * Milky Way Galaxy
 * Andromeda Galaxy
 * Galactic Cluster
 * Speed of Light
 * Scale Model
 * Scale Factor