Origins of the Universe

Watch the video segments found at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/origins/program-3114.html as a class on the video projector.

As you do that, you need to answer the following Questions

After Segment 1:

What is the difference between the steady state theory and the big bang theory?
What did Robert Wilson and Arnio Penzias do?
How did Robert Wilson feel when compared to Einstein?
What do we call the radiation they discovered?

After Segment 2:

What is COBE and what does it study?

After Segment 3:

How is CBI different than WMAP?
What problems did the astronomers have with the equipment?
What successes did they have?

After Segment 4:

What will happen to the blotchy dense microwave parts shown in the videos?


After Segment 5:

Why can't you make an element higher than iron in a star?
How do we get the elements that are heavier than that one?
Why do we say humans are made of stardust?

After Segment 6:

How do light waves tell us about the properties of elements?
Is their life out there?


When you get done, you need to hand in the answers to your questions, and go to the Origins website to take a look at the Drake equation and the Alien arguments that are pro and con. You will be asked to defend your ideas on life in the universe later.

ALL STUDENTS NEED TO PRINT OFF THE FRONT PAGE OF THEIR BLOG (file--print--page 1) and hand in at this time before leaving class.

Galaxies

Today, we talk about galaxies, those massive clusters of stars with a black hole in the center. The basics of galaxies are found here, and you may wish to take note, or run a copy.

Scientists try to identify types of galaxies to learn what our universe is like. To do this, they practice classifying galaxies. Please go to Galaxy Zoo to try your hand at this. Hit the link that says Classify

Finally, we are going to analyze the lyrics to The Galaxy Song, written by Eric Idle. Using only the lyrics below, create an individual poster of the Milky way showing views a) from the top and b) from the side. Include the dimensions measured in the song:

Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at nine hundred miles an hour,
That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned,
A sun that is the source of all our power.
The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see
Are moving at a million miles a day
In an outer spiral arm, at forty thousand miles an hour,
Of the galaxy we call the 'Milky Way'.
Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars.
It's a hundred thousand light years side to side.
It bulges in the middle, sixteen thousand light years thick,
But out by us, it's just three thousand light years wide.
We're thirty thousand light years from galactic central point.
We go 'round every two hundred million years,
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding universe.

The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
In all of the directions it can whizz
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth,
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth.

The Effects of the Van Allen Radiation Belts

Thanks to James Van Allen, a University of Iowa researcher, we know a lot more about how the VanAllen radiation belts protect the earth. You can start here to find out some basic information.


You and a group of 2 others will work to complete the activity found here. I would suggest that you complete it INDIVIDUALLY. When you get done, you will be working on your posts. I also will be tweeting a question to you that needs answering today, so check Twitter!

The Neutrino Puzzle

Today we watched a couple of clips about Neutrinos. The understanding of neutrinos is critical to understanding the sun, but it is just as important to get the back story.


Movie 1

Movie 2

Cartoon Movie 3

You will be going to the Ghost Particle website to try to unravel the story of Ray Davis and John Bahcall, who persevered over 40 years to find out the true story about neutrinos. Your goal is to figure out what type of person which would create a lab that could only detect 12 particles per week, and what type of person would insist his math was correct when critics were panning him.

Post your reflections on your blog.

HR DIAGRAMS

How HR Diagrams evolve

Life Cycles of Stars

The Effects of Mass on Life Cycle


As you go through the timeline, jot down ideas of how stars evolve. Include facts such as mass, color, elements, and the type of death they undergo. You will be writing a murder mystery story on one of the stellar characters you encounter. Story should be 1-2 pages, typed, and posted on your blog. Include a visual on the post to help set the scene.

SDSS Scavenger Hunt

SDSS is the largest computerized database of stellar data ever assembled.

You will be completing a scavenger hunt found here This scavenger hunt uses CCD technology.

The worksheet is found at http://cas.sdss.org/dr5/en/proj/basic/scavenger/scavenger.pdf

Black Holes

Write a 2-4 paragraph summary about black holes on your blog

Black Holes

Black Holes and General Relativity

Black Holes: No Escape

You and Your passion

Annie Jump Cannon spent her entire life following her passion. It was not common for a woman in her day to get a degree in physics. It was not common for a woman to have a career. And it was not common for anyone to have the dedication to do one thing for almost 400000 specimens.

So now, I ask you: What's your passion? What do you dream about doing in your future? Post a 2-3 paragraph reflection on your blog.

Sunspots

Sunspots are an important way that we track the sun, starting with the first observations about Galileo.
Spaceweather
Find out

a) what sunspots are
b) how they change
c) the purpose of a Maunder diagram
d) the cycle of sunspots
e) why they matter to Earth
f) when the next solar maximum will be
g) how we study them safely
h) what telescopes work the best

Post your answers, along with illustrative pictures, on your blog.

Also, TWEET me an answer to the following: Why can a solar flare so dangerous to the earth??

Near earth Asteroids and the End of the World

Some people believe the world is about to end. The Apolypse will happen in 2012, according to those believers.

First of all, find out about Near Earth Asteroids at http://www.spaceweather.com/



Now, read two opposing viewpoints: Yes and No


Give three pieces of evidence for each side. Label each piece as Science or Pseudoscience.

The Universe is HONKING big and what is that planet about? FRIDAY

Watch the video on the projector.



Today, your teacher should pass out the powerpoint for the second unit.
You should each pick a piece of the solar system and try to find out five facts about it using either http://www.nineplanets.org or that henious website, Wikipedia. Post these on your blog, along with a relevant (not just the first one you find) video or photo, or set of photos.. I think there are enough pieces that no one should have to duplicate.
The Moon
Comets
Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Asteroid belt
Ceres
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Kuiper belt
Eris
Oort cloud

When you get done, you and a partner need to go to Exploratorium
Pick a diameter for the sun that is somewhere between 1 and 1000 mm. After you do this, assume that I put this sun right in the media center. Where would each of the planets be on the WD campus? (Hint: if you try to print the worksheet, it will NOT work. You need to make a table that lists the planet, the distance to the nearest foot, and the location in the school where you think the planet will be. Hand this into your teacher)


TWITTER any questions about the review.

Powers of 10--MONDAY

Watch the movie



If, for some reason, it won't play, you can also watch it at the website

When you get done, think of 10 events in TIME that range from 10^-10 second to 10^15 seconds (if you need to convert seconds to years, there is a convertor on mapowell.org) Post these on your blog, then STUDY for your test.

Children Look at the Moon THURSDAY

Today, you will create a blog post about your children's book. Crud! You forgot? Ok, sigh, you can pick up a series of books on YouTube by searching for children's literature, or children's books. Here is an example:



Your job is to look through the books and find examples of 5 of the 8 phases of the moon you created with your oreos, and assemble in a table on a blog post (if you find all 8, you get extra credit). Can you work with a partner? Well, to a point....you may not have an identical set of books as another person, or an identical blog post, but you can certainly watch the videos together. You don't really need sound (this is a picture project), but you can use check out speakers from Mrs. Stocks, if you wish.

Assemble in a table on a blog post

Name of Book/Author | Phase of moon shown | Time of Day Shown | Is This Correct?


Of course, to know that requires that you understand a bit about the rising and setting times of the moon. Here is a rough estimate, but it varies a bit on how much of a gibbous, or a crescent, is visible.

New moon: rise at 6 am, set at 6 pm
Waxing crescent: rise at 9 am, set at 9 pm
Waxing half: rise at noon, set at midnight
Waxing gibbous: rise at 3 pm, set at 3 am
Full moon: rise at 6 pm, set at 6 am
Waning gibbous: rise at 9 pm, set at 9 am
Waning half: rise at midnight, set at noon
Waning gibbous: rise at 3 am, set at 3 pm

Also, in your blog post, answer the following questions:

a) if you are trying to defeat night burglars, what part(s) of the lunar cycle will cause you the most trouble?
b) if someone gets a ticket during a full moon at 10 pm, can they use the defence that the moon got in their eyes because it was rising before them?
c) what does the pseudoscience statement, "the crazies come out during a full moon" have wrong with it?
d) when are the best times of the lunar cycle to stargaze?
e) do illustrators, in general, understand the cycle of the moon? Explain your reasoning.

Questions about your review sheet? TWITTER ME, and I'll respond for the group.

100 Hours of Astronomy--2 labs, 50 points

April 2 to 5 is the target date for 100 hours of Astronomy. On Friday, you can take a look at telescopes around the world in a live skycast

On Sunday, you can celebrate National Sun Day. Complete the activity How Big is the Sun? Hand in the calculation sheet and your answers to the question.

And for our part in the celebration, you will be observing the moon twice in the next week, and filling out and handing in the sheet found here. I realize the activity suggests a 15x telescope, but you can complete using a pair of binoculars, or borrow a telescope from me. Hand in the pdf print page.

Both are due by tax day, April 16.

Epicycles, Aristotle, and the other cultural stuff

Epicycles

Galileo's contributions

Ancient Astronomy

Find out about the contributions of Copernicus, Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, Brahe, Hipparachus, Kepler, and Pope Gregory. Include for each

• years of birth and death
• if they were geocentric or heliocentric
• other contributions to astronomy
• also include a source (URL or book) and
  
• a picture for each blog entry.
  

First Post

I am a teacher at West Delaware HS. I have the privilege of teaching 9-12 grade students science.

In my spare time, I read, garden, attend musical events, and work with the Episcopal church.

I live on a farm in Strawberry Point, IA, with 5 kids, a husband, dogs, goats, chickens, cats, and pigs.

If I could go anywhere in the world, I would like to visit Europe for a 6 month trip.