1. Jupiter over the Mediterranean Sea
Jupiter over the Mediterranean Sea. Jupiter is now the brightest object in the evening sky. On the right, the band of the Milky Way Galaxy fades into distant atmospheric haze above the horizon. Jupiter is nearing the closest part of its elliptical orbit to the Sun and so will appear even brighter during its next opposition in 2010 September.

2. Where do we fit in the universe?

3. An overview of the structures in the Universe and their scales
“Cosmic Voyage”:
An overview of the structures in the Universe and their scales

5. “home”

6. Typical Galaxy: roughly 1011 stars
Observable Universe: roughly 1011 galaxies
How much is 1011?

7. 1011 is less than the number of hamburgers McDonalds has sold!
If you counted one number per second, worked an eight hour day, it would take 10,000 years to count to 1011!
On the other hand…
1011 is less than the number of hamburgers McDonalds has sold!

8. Where do we look for life?

9. Stars
produce the chemicals for life
provide energy to produce habitable environments

10. Planets:
orbit stars
provide a large variety of environments

11. Moons:
orbit planets
some may possess environments favorable for life

12. In conducting our search, we will:
Learn about the formation and evolution of stars, planets & moons
Investigate the variety of environments found on planets and moons and how these are affected by their central star
Learn current thinking about how life originated on Earth
Examine how life evolves and the environments suitable for different types of life
Conduct a search of the solar system for suitable environments
Expand search to planets arounf other stars

13. Which of the following best describes what we mean by the “universe”?
(red) A vast collection of stars that number as many as the grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth.
(blue) All the galaxies in all the superclusters.
(yellow) The universe is another name for our Milky Way Galaxy
(green) The sum total of all matter and energy.

14. Which of the following best describes what we mean by the “universe”?
(red) A vast collection of stars that number as many as the grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth.
(blue) All the galaxies in all the superclusters.
(orange) The universe is another name for our Milky Way Galaxy
(green) The sum total of all matter and energy.

15. Which of the following has your "cosmic address" in the correct order?
You, Earth, solar system, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Local Supercluster, universe
You, Earth, Local Group, Local Supercluster, solar system, Milky Way Galaxy, universe
You, Earth, solar system, Local Group, Local Supercluster, Milky Way Galaxy, universe
You, Earth, solar system, Local Group, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Supercluster, universe

16. Which of the following has your "cosmic address" in the correct order?
You, Earth, solar system, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Local Supercluster, universe
You, Earth, Local Group, Local Supercluster, solar system, Milky Way Galaxy, universe
You, Earth, solar system, Local Group, Local Supercluster, Milky Way Galaxy, universe
You, Earth, solar system, Local Group, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Supercluster, universe

17. Science begins with observation:

18. The origins of astronomy and the physical sciences stem from:
observing the sky and nature
finding repeatable patterns
seeking natural explanations for these patterns

19. Understanding and explaining motions observed in sky led to geometric models for the geometry of the universe.
These models, in turn, motivated the development of the physical sciences: required to explain this geometry.
Ultimately, this led to an understanding of how stars and planets form.

20. The development of Astronomy as a Science
Prehistory - development of myths to explain natural phenomena - no physical model
Later, many threads of physical models were developed, most were lost
We owe the origins of the physical sciences to the Greeks, later threads came from many other cultures.
Physical models are developed to explain observations (everything starts with observations!)
These models then make further predictions that can be tested.

21. Motions in the sky:

22. Planets Known in Ancient Times
Mercury: difficult to see; always close to Sun in sky
Venus: very bright when visible; always close to Sun in sky, but can be farther than Mercury
Mars: noticeably red
Jupiter: very bright
Saturn: moderately bright

23. Q: Why are there seven days in the week
Q: Why are there seven days in the week? A: There were seven objects in the sky that moved independently of the stars.
Roman gods associated with planets
1. Saturn: Saturday
2. Sun: Sunday
3. Moon: Monday
Anglo-Saxon or Nordic analogues to Roman gods
4. Mars: Tuesday (Tiw’s day)
5. Mercury: Wednesday (Woden’s day)
6. Jupiter: Thursday (Thor’s day)
7. Venus: Friday (Freys’ day)