2, 5, 10, 22, 25
2. The most basic method of calculating stellar differences is stellar parallax, the measure of the slight back-and-forth shift in a nearby star's position due to the orbit of Earth. The closer the star is to Earth, the larger it's apparent motion will be. If the star is very far away from Earth, it's parallax, or movement, will be very slight.
5. The color of a star tells us the temperature that the star is burning. A bright blue star is burning very hot, with surface temperatures above 30,000 K. Yellow stars, such as our own, burn with medium temperature for a star, at about 5000-6000 K on the surface. Red stars are the coolest stars, with surface temperatures less than 3000 K.
10. A star spends the most of it's lifetime in the middle of an HR diagram, as 90% of stars are main-sequence stars, stars that have a normal lifespan. (Our sun is a main-sequence star, falling in the middle of the HR diagram.)
22. The three types of galaxies are; spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies, and irregular galaxies. Spiral galaxies are usually disk shaped, with more stars near the middle of the galaxy, and have arms or lines of stars extending from the clump of stars in the middle. Elliptical galaxies are the most common, with an elliptical shape, that are nearly spherical. Irregular galaxies lack symmetry, and are more rare, accounting for 10% of known galaxies.
25. We still can see minor microwaves of energy left over from the Big Bang, and from it NASA has even managed to compose a picture of where this energy was distributed in the universe. While the Big Bang theory can never be 'proved' these findings provide significant evidence to support it.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Ch. 15 Questions.
3,4,6,7,11,12.
3. Copernicus made a huge change to the Ptolemaic model of the solar system, so much that it was not called the Ptolemaic model afterward. He proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system, which has the sun at the center.
4. He observed stars and planets for twenty years before the invention of the telescope, and came up with the idea of stellar parallax, the idea that around the earth's orbit, nearer stars should appear to shift more than more distant stars.
6. Galileo studied the sun, and seeing the sun spots across the surface changing, decided that the sun was rotating. This fact supported Copernicus' idea that the Earth revolves around the sun.
7. Sir Isaac Newton proposed that an object in motion wants to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force, or inertia, and the law of universal gravitation. These affect how the planets move.
11. Planets are thought to be made up of gases, rocks, and ices. The terrestrial planets are made up of mostly rock and ice, and the jovian planets are made of gases. Jovian planets have lower densities, while terrestrial planets are higher densities.
12. There was the big bang, an unbelievably large explosion, which sent matter flying through the universe. When the matter, the gases, began to condense, they formed a nebular cloud. Then the nebular cloud was acted on by some outside force, and started to further condense. It became a flat disk shape with a large concentration at the center (which would become the sun). Matter starts forming clumps, called planetesimals. The planetesimals grew into protoplanets, which then became planets.
3. Copernicus made a huge change to the Ptolemaic model of the solar system, so much that it was not called the Ptolemaic model afterward. He proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system, which has the sun at the center.
4. He observed stars and planets for twenty years before the invention of the telescope, and came up with the idea of stellar parallax, the idea that around the earth's orbit, nearer stars should appear to shift more than more distant stars.
6. Galileo studied the sun, and seeing the sun spots across the surface changing, decided that the sun was rotating. This fact supported Copernicus' idea that the Earth revolves around the sun.
7. Sir Isaac Newton proposed that an object in motion wants to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force, or inertia, and the law of universal gravitation. These affect how the planets move.
11. Planets are thought to be made up of gases, rocks, and ices. The terrestrial planets are made up of mostly rock and ice, and the jovian planets are made of gases. Jovian planets have lower densities, while terrestrial planets are higher densities.
12. There was the big bang, an unbelievably large explosion, which sent matter flying through the universe. When the matter, the gases, began to condense, they formed a nebular cloud. Then the nebular cloud was acted on by some outside force, and started to further condense. It became a flat disk shape with a large concentration at the center (which would become the sun). Matter starts forming clumps, called planetesimals. The planetesimals grew into protoplanets, which then became planets.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Solar System Budget
If you had $100 to spend on your solar system, based on mass, how much would you spend on the sun?
Uneducated Guess:
Probably around $99. Maybe $99.50. Fifty cents would go towards the planets. .17 towards Jupiter and Saturn, .5 for Neptune, .4 for Uranus, .25 for Earth, .2 for Mars, .15 for Venus, .1 for Mercury.
Very rough estimate, or terrible guess.
Correct Answers:
The Sun would be $99.85.
Jupiter would be 10.6 cents.
Saturn would be 3.2 cents.
Neptune .006 cents.
Uranus .005 cents.
Venus is .0003 cents.
Mars is .0002 cents.
Earth is .0003 cents.
Mercury is .00002 cents.
Reflections:
I guess I was really wrong about the planets. I didn't know Venus and Earth were the same size, that's interesting. The difference between Jupiter and Saturn is embarrassing to not know, I guess. Could have been worse, I guess.
Uneducated Guess:
Probably around $99. Maybe $99.50. Fifty cents would go towards the planets. .17 towards Jupiter and Saturn, .5 for Neptune, .4 for Uranus, .25 for Earth, .2 for Mars, .15 for Venus, .1 for Mercury.
Very rough estimate, or terrible guess.
Correct Answers:
The Sun would be $99.85.
Jupiter would be 10.6 cents.
Saturn would be 3.2 cents.
Neptune .006 cents.
Uranus .005 cents.
Venus is .0003 cents.
Mars is .0002 cents.
Earth is .0003 cents.
Mercury is .00002 cents.
Reflections:
I guess I was really wrong about the planets. I didn't know Venus and Earth were the same size, that's interesting. The difference between Jupiter and Saturn is embarrassing to not know, I guess. Could have been worse, I guess.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Science Misconceptions
1. Consider the reason for the seasons.
Obviously the common sense answer is going to be the wrong one, as it is supposed to show our misconceptions about science. I would guess that the reasons for the seasons has do do with the sun, and it has to do with where you are on the tilt of the axis as the Earth is revolving, as related to the sun. I guess this because I realize Australia has seasons timed differently than we do here in North America.
2. Why do we have phases of the moon?
Because where we are in relation to the sun changes throughout the course of the month. We see the moon when it is lit up by the sun, so as we are traveling we see different parts of the moon as being lit. ... I don't really know. This is sad.
---------------------------------------
After looking at my answers, I kind of accept them. They could be more correct, they are a little vague. My first answer was correct, the seasons come from the fact that the Earth tilts on its axis, although I didn't mention that it is because when the Earth is rotating around the sun, it places one side of the axis closer to the sun, so it recieves direct sunlight, while the portion farther away recieves indirect light. My answer about the moon was certainly vague, I did not know how to phrase what I was trying to say. Now I have a way to verbalize it, which is that we see different phases of the moon based on the shadows of the moon, because the angle of the sun creates different shadows, which appear to be different phases. My answers could have been better, but they also could have been a lot worse.
Obviously the common sense answer is going to be the wrong one, as it is supposed to show our misconceptions about science. I would guess that the reasons for the seasons has do do with the sun, and it has to do with where you are on the tilt of the axis as the Earth is revolving, as related to the sun. I guess this because I realize Australia has seasons timed differently than we do here in North America.
2. Why do we have phases of the moon?
Because where we are in relation to the sun changes throughout the course of the month. We see the moon when it is lit up by the sun, so as we are traveling we see different parts of the moon as being lit. ... I don't really know. This is sad.
---------------------------------------
After looking at my answers, I kind of accept them. They could be more correct, they are a little vague. My first answer was correct, the seasons come from the fact that the Earth tilts on its axis, although I didn't mention that it is because when the Earth is rotating around the sun, it places one side of the axis closer to the sun, so it recieves direct sunlight, while the portion farther away recieves indirect light. My answer about the moon was certainly vague, I did not know how to phrase what I was trying to say. Now I have a way to verbalize it, which is that we see different phases of the moon based on the shadows of the moon, because the angle of the sun creates different shadows, which appear to be different phases. My answers could have been better, but they also could have been a lot worse.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Review for Ch. 1 - MSED 252
1. a.) Oceanography
b.) Geology
c.) Meteorology
d.) Astronomy
2. a.) Hydrosphere, a dynamic mass of water that is continually on the move, the combined water environment on earth.
b.) Atmosphere, the envelope of gases that contains the earth.
c.) Geosphere, the solid earth.
d.) Biosphere, all life on Earth.
3. The Earth is comprised of three different layers. The dense inner liquid sphere, the core, the high density rock middle sphere, the mantle, and the low density solid rock crust, which is the thinnest layer.
b.) Geology
c.) Meteorology
d.) Astronomy
2. a.) Hydrosphere, a dynamic mass of water that is continually on the move, the combined water environment on earth.
b.) Atmosphere, the envelope of gases that contains the earth.
c.) Geosphere, the solid earth.
d.) Biosphere, all life on Earth.
3. The Earth is comprised of three different layers. The dense inner liquid sphere, the core, the high density rock middle sphere, the mantle, and the low density solid rock crust, which is the thinnest layer.
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