Human Understanding of both Earth and Space has Changed Over Time Unit E: Topic One

1.6 Using our Knowledge to make Predictions

Daily Question Draw a diagram depicting a comet orbiting the sun. Be sure to include the tail of the comet – which direction does the tail point? Remember there is no air in space.

Parts of a comet Coma Nucleus Dust tail – point along the cmet’s path Plasma tail (ionized gas) – always points away from the sun

Using Information from Space Because astronomers understand the nature and geometry of elliptical orbits, as well as of celestial motion, they now understand the paths of planets and their moons. This allows the timing of solar and lunar eclipses to be predicted. Some enthusiasts make it a hobby to plan trips wherever they can around the world to witness eclipses

Solar Eclipse When the moon passes between the Sun and the earth. A shadow is cast on the earth.

Lunar Eclipse When the earth passes between the moon and the sun. A shadow is cast on the moon.

a Sunset and Eclipse at the Same Time

Scientific Literacy Activity Reading is an important tool for doing scientific investigations. We need to practice our skills of effective reading. Constantly monitor comprehension (comprehension coding  ,!, ?, x) Peer conversation (pause, retell, compare) Problem solving strategies Finding meaning of new words – use the cues given in the text Preview diagrams and illustrations – read captions Use Text signals – examples, lists, comparisons, contrasts Use Chunking – break sentences apart Find Scientific names – not necessarily a word you should know

Search for Exoplanets Overview: - Read the title - Scan the article - Look at diagrams - Read the headings Read first paragraph Use comprehension codes:  - I knew this ! - This is important ? – I don’t understand X – different from what I thought Box key words underline indicator text – lists, examples, comparisons, contrasts 7. Write one sentence to summarize your ideas from the text.

Discussion questions What properties of extrasolar planets make them difficult to detect? What is the “habitable zone”? Why do you think NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has been searching for an Earth-like planet that resides in the “habitable zone” of its parent star?

Review

PAT Style Questions Use the following information to answer the next question. Amy was given a list of notes on early theories of celestial bodies (sun, moon, and planets) Earth centered Sun centered Proposed in the 1500s Proposed 2000 years ago Proposed by Aristotle Proposed by Copernicus The notes above related to the “heliocentric” model of planetary motion are labeled A C F B C F A D E B C E

PAT Style Questions Throughout time, people have created stories and proposed theories about space. The aboriginal people are known for their legends that dealt with Descriptions of planets The formation of star constellations Predictions about comets Explanations of star travel

PAT Style Questions Use the following information to answer the next question. Four scientists and their contribution to the study of space are listed below. Kepler proposed that the planets revolve around the sun in an elliptical orbit. Aristotle proposed that Earth is in the center and all the planets revolve around the Earth. Galileo used the telescope to confirm the sun-centered model of planetary motion. Copernicus proposed the “heliocentric” model of planetary motion Numerical Response Listed from the earliest contribution to the most recent contribution, the order is ______, _______, _______, and _______

PAT Style Questions Use the following information to answer the next question. Four characteristics of a certain type of star are given below. Contain extremely high-density materials Has a strong gravitational pull Light cannot escape from its pull of gravity Difficult to detect The type of star that these characteristics describe is a White dwarf Nebula Black hole Supernova

PAT Style Questions Use the following information to answer the next question. I The formation of stars is called constellation II Stars start out as an accumulation of dust and gases called a nebula III The Milky Way is another name for an exploding star IV Galaxies can be classified as spiral, elliptical, or irregular Numerical Response Place the number 1 in the blank if the statement is true and the number 2 if it is false. _______ _______ _______ _______ I II III IV

PAT Style Questions Use the following information to answer the next question. A star is a burning ball of gases that has different stages in its life cycle. Four of these stages are given below. Neutron Star Nebulae Supernova Red Giant Listed in order from the earliest stage in a star’s life to the last stage, the stages are ______, ______, ______, ______

PAT Style Questions The second largest planet with rings in our solar system is Uranus Jupiter Saturn Neptune

PAT Style Questions Use the following information to answer the next question. Calvin is setting up a model of the solar system. He positions a cardboard sun at one end of a school hallway and Pluto at the other end, 20m away. Calvin knows that Pluto is 39.5 AU (astronomical units) from the sun and Jupiter is 5.27 AU from the sun. Numerical Response In order to make this model to scale, how many meters from the cardboard sun should Calvin place Jupiter? (Record your answer to two decimal places) __________________

PAT Style Questions A total solar eclipse was observed across the Antarctic on November 23, 2003. This meant that the sun, Earth, and moon were in what alignment? The sun was between Earth and the moon. The moon was between the sun and Earth. Earth was between the moon and the sun Earth was between the moon and the sun, but the moon was lower and the sun was higher.

PAT Style Questions Jen read in an astronomy book that every 33 years, Earth passes through the Leonid stream resulting in a shower of “shooting stars” visible on earth. This shower is actually The tail end of a comet A cluster of brightly lit stars Many meteors entering the atmosphere An explosion of a supernova

Review Questions What name is given to the compass direction when we are trying to locate an object in the night sky? Define altitude. What is the point directly overhead called? Explain what the ecliptic is. Why did the Greeks call the planets wanderers? Why must two coordinates, azimuth and altitude, be given to specify the location of an object in the night sky? The table below has two incorrect entries. Identify each error and correct it to something possible. Explain why each of the two entries is incorrect. Is it ever possible to specify the location of an object in the sky knowing only the altitude? Explain your answer. Imagine two friends, one in Calgary and the other in Edmonton, observing the same body in space. Describe how their coordinates would be different for the same object. Does the rotation of the Earth affect azimuth and altitude measurements of the stars? Explain why or why not. What can be done to ensure someone using your measurements would be able to find the object you located?

Topic 1 Quiz Date: