I can

Astronomy I Can Statements

1. describe how days, years, and seasons are determined by the movement of Earth in the solar system. Days- Earth rotates on its axis- creating day and night. Years- One revolution of the Earth around the sun = 365 days or 1 year. Seasons- Both the tilt of the Earths axis and the revolution of the Earth around the sun create the seasons. SEASONS ARE NOT WHEN THE EARTH GETS CLOSER TO THE SUN

2. explain that gravity is the main force determining the motion of the planets and keeping them in orbit around the sun. Gravity- the attraction of all objects toward each other. Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation- every object in the universe attracts every other object. The strength of gravity depends on 2 factors: 1. The mass of the objects 2. The distance between them Inertia- the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion. 2 factors- gravity and inertia- combine to keep the moon in orbit around the Earth Gravity pulls the moon toward Earth- preventing it from moving in a straight line. Inertia keeps the moon moving forward.

3. explain the different causes for tides. Tides- the rise and fall of the ocean water. Occur about every 12.5 hours Cause for tides- moons gravitational pull on different parts of the Earth. Gravity pulls the moon and Earth toward each other- this includes the water!! At any time there are 2 high tides and 2 lows tides on Earth. 1 high tides stays on the side of the Earth facing the moon and the other is on the opposite side.

2 types of tides1. Spring Tide- occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth are in a line. i. Both the gravity of the sun and the gravity of the moon pull on the water. ii. Get the highest high tides and the lowest low tides. 2. Neap Tide- occurs when the Earth, moon, and sun make a right angle. i. Their gravitational pulls cancel each other out. ii. Get low high tides and high low tides (not much change!) 4. explain why the moon has different phases and describe solar and lunar eclipses. The moon has different phases because the moons orbit is tilted 5 so as it moons around the Earth, certain portions of it are illuminated by the light from the sun. There are 8 different phases 1. New Moon 2. Waxing Crescent 3. 1st Quarter 4. Waxing Gibbous 5. Full Moon 6. Waning Gibbous 7. 3rd Quarter 8. Waning Crescent When the moons shadow hits Earth or Earths shadow hits the moon, an eclipse occurs. Solar eclipse- occurs when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun, clocking sunlight from Earth. Lunar eclipse- occurs when Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon. 5. explain the geocentric and heliocentric systems and identify the objects that make up the solar system. Geocentric- Earth is at the center of the revolving planets and stars. Heliocentric- sun is at the center of the revolving planets and starts. 6. describe the 3 layers of the suns interior and the 3 layers of the suns atmosphere. Suns Interior1. Core- The central region of the sun. This is where most of the suns energy is made by nuclear fusion.

2. Radiation Zone- next region full of tightly packed gas. 3. Convection Zone- the outermost layer of the suns interior. Suns atmosphere1. Photosphere- inner layer of the suns atmosphere. 2. Chromosphere- the middle layer of the suns atmosphere. 3. Corona- the outer layer- white halo around the sun. What we see during a total solar eclipse. 7. identify key facts about each planet. (size, diameters, number of moons, rotation, etc.) Refer to Planet Fact Sheet!!

8. compare and contrast the orbit and composition of comets, meteors, and asteroids with Earth. Comets Loose collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles whose orbits are usually very long, narrow ellipses. Comets Heado Coma- dust cloud o Nucleus- solid inner core. Comets tailo Forms as it approaches the sun. o Have 2 tails- dust and gas. Orbito Narrow ellipse o Kuiper belt- right outside Neptunes orbit. o Oort cloud- outside our solar system. Asteroids Rocky objects that are too small and too numerous to be full planets. Orbito Found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter- Asteroid Belt. Size- less than a kilometer. Meteors Meteoroid- chunk of rock or dust in space. Meteorites- meteoroids that pass through the atmosphere and hit Earths surface. Meteor- meteoroid enters Earths atmosphere and friction causes a streak of light (shooting star). Orbito In and around Earths orbit.

Size- Smaller than a comet or an asteroid.

9. describe the effect that asteroids or meteoroids have when moving through space. (shooting stars or meteorites) If an asteroid hit Earth- It would create such a dust cloud, that sunlight would not reach Earth. This would cause the temperature to drop, plants would die, and eventually humans and animals may die. NASA hopes to deflect or eliminate asteroids by sending space ships to collide with the asteroid. This will either change the path of the asteroid so it no longer heads toward Earth or causes it to blow up. 10. identify the different types of telescopes. 3 main types of telescopes: 1. Reflecting 2. Refracting 3. Radio On the electromagnetic spectrum, humans can see the visible light. The distance between the crest of one wave and the crest of another is called __________? Wavelength Why are large observatories located on mountaintops or in space? Earths atmosphere makes objects in space look blurry. The sky on mountaintops is clearer and not brightened by city lights. Convex lens- A piece of transparent glass, curved so that the middle is thicker than the edges. Spectrum- White light shining through a prism spreads out to form this. 11. explain how stars are classified. (color, temperature, size, brightness, and chemical composition) Stars are classified by their color, temperature, size, brightness, and chemical composition. A stars color reveals its temperature. The cooler stars- appear red. The hottest stars- appear white. Similarly, a stars temperature tells you its color.

Most stars are made of mostly hydrogen. They contain bits of helium as well. The brightness of stars depends on both its size and temperature. Apparent brightness- stars brightness as seen from Earth. Absolute brightness- a stars brightness if it were at a standard distance. 12. describe how astronomers measure distance. Light-year- the distance that light travels in on year. 1 light-year= about 9.5 million kilometers. *Light-year is a measure of distance, NOT time. Parallax- the apparent change in position of an object when you look at it from different places. *think back to the thumb activity we did! The less the star appears to move, the farther away it is! H-R diagram- used to classify stars and to understand how stars change over time. Compares temperature and brightness!

13. examine the life cycle of a star and predicts its next stage. Lives of stars1.) All stars start out as part of a nebula. When the nebula has enough mass to form a star it is called a protostar. 2.) A star is born when the contracting gas and dust from a nebula become so dense and hot that nuclear fusion stars. 3.) When a star runs out of fuel, it either becomes a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole. a.) The next stage depends on its mass! i.) low-mass and medium-mass stars will begin to cool and turn into a white dwarf. ii.) High mass stars turn into supergiants and then when they run out of fuel, they explode! That explosion is known as a supernova.

iii.) Once a supergiant explodes, some of the left over material becomes a neutron star. Neutron stars are the remains of a high-mass star. iv.) The most massive stars, even bigger than a supergiant may become black holes when they die. A black hole is an object with gravity so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. 14. define a star system. Star system- groups of 2 or more stars. Binary star system- star systems that have 2 stars are could double stars or binary stars. Eclipsing binaries- a system in which one stare periodically blocks the light from another. Star clusters- stars belonging to larger groupings Open clusters- have loose, disorganized appearance and contain fewer than a few thousand stars. Globular cluster- large groupings of older stars. Some may contain more than a million stars. 15. identify what is in a galaxy and name major types. Galaxy- a huge group of single stars, star systems, star clusters, dust, and gas bound together by gravity. Different types: Spiral galaxies- appear to have a bulge in the middle and arms that spiral outward, like pinwheels. Ex. Milky Way Elliptical galaxies- look like round or flattened balls. Irregular galaxies- do not have a regular shape. 16. explain the formation of the solar system and its potential future. How it formedThey believe that a billion years ago there was an explosion called the big bang. According to the big bang theory, the universe formed in an instant, billions of years ago, in an enormous explosion. Potential futureThey believe the universe will most likely explain forever.