1. THE UNIVERSE Trotter 2014

2. IV. The Sun  A. All life on Earth depends on the energy that comes from the star in the center of our solar system.  B. Energy produced by the Sun is due to hydrogen atoms fusing together to produce helium atoms.  C. The Sun is composed of 3 layers:  1. Photosphere – innermost not as hot  2. Chromosphere – transition zone  3. Corona – largest & hottest layer

3. V. Sun Surface Features  A. The sun appears to be a smooth layer but has many surface features including:  1. Sun spots – cooler areas  2. Prominences – arching columns of gas  3. Flares – gases shooting straight upward  4. CMEs (coronal mass ejections) – auroras All due to magnetic field & reactions across the Sun.

5. Solar Flares  The sun unleashed a powerful solar flare late Monday (Oct. 22), releasing waves of radiation into space that have already caused a short radio blackout on  Solar flares are caused when magnetic activity ramps up in certain patches, called sunspots, on the surface of our sun

6. Auroras

7. Solar Eclipse  Occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth line up  Can only happen during a New Moon  Generally, they occur every 2-5 years

8. Lunar Ecipse  Occurs during a Full Moon  Occurs when Moon, Earth, and Sun are directly aligned.  Next one is October 8, 2014

9. Sun Cycle  Cycle lasts about every 11 years  Done so by counting sunspots  Sunspots may exist anywhere from a few days to a few months, but they eventually decay, and this releases magnetic flux in the solar photosphere

11. I. Constellations  A. Constellations are patterns of stars that are named as a group. (88 exist in our sky)  B. All the constellations we see in the sky are part of our galaxy (large collection of stars, gas, & dust held together by gravity), the Milky Way Galaxy

12. II. Absolute & Apparent Magnitude  A. The actual brightness of the star refers to the stars absolute magnitude.  B. How bright the star actually is to the viewer on Earth is called the apparent magnitude  Apparent Magnitude does not equal absolute magnitutde

13. III. Measuring in Space  A. Distance in space is measure in light years or the distance light travels in one year (9.5 trillion km)  Used to estimate the distance of stars from Earth  The distance shifts depending on the motion/position of Earth as it orbits (parallax)

14.  Astronomical Unit: the distance between the Earth and the Sun  149 597 871 kilometers

15. VI. Properties of Stars  A. Basic properties of stars include:  1. Diameter  2. Mass  3. Brightness  4. Energy Output (luminosity)  5. Composition – 73% hydrogen, 25% helium  6. Surface Temperature – appears different due to very slight composition differences

16. VII. Classifying Stars  A. Hertzsprung & Russell Diagram shows the relationship of temperature & brightness among stars  B. Main Sequence(90%) vs. Dwarfs & Giants (bright)  Temperature: x axis  Absolute Magnitude: y axis

18. IIX. Life of a Star  Scientists theorize that a star goes through a few steps (as hydrogen depletes)  1. Nebula – ball of gas & dust  2. Main sequence – pieces of nebula are pulled together due to gravity, force increases energy/temperature  3. Red Giant vs. Red Super Giant – when hydrogen begins to deplete outer layer cools & expands, (if large sequence is more quick & violent)  4. White Dwarf vs. Neutron Star or Black hole – outer layers cool & escape to space leaving hot dense core

19. Star Vocab  Binary star  Parallax  H-R Diagram  Stellar nebula  Massive star  Red supergiant  Red giant  Planetary nebula  Supernova  White dwarf  Neutron star  Black hole  Absolute magnitude  Apparent magnitude

20. Classwork Activity  Star Cycle Flip Book or Comic Strip  Must include all aspects of the star cycle  For each step, there must be accurate vocabulary and a small narrative describing what happens  Students will be graded on vocabulary, narratives and aesthetics  This should be turned in by the end of the week in order to remain on track (2/22/2014)

22. We are now here Life cycle of our sun

24. They discovered that stars grouped by type and during their lifetimes would move from one place on the graph to another. As our sun ages, it will move to a giant star to a white dwarf.

25. IX. Galaxies  A. Galaxies are groups into clusters.  B. Types of galaxies:  1. Spiral Galaxies  2. Elliptical Galaxies – football  3. Irregular Galaxies – small irregular

27. X. Gravitational Pull  A. Every 2 bodies in the universe attract each other with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses.  In other words gravitational force depends on their masses & the distance between the 2 bodies  Gravity increase with larger mass & closer proximity Think about 2 magnets