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??