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INVESTIGATION #1: BIRTH OF STARS AND PLANETS INVESTIGATING THE SOLAR NEBULA THEORY Scientists believe that some 13.7 billion years ago all matter, energy and our universe itself was formed from of a huge sudden expansion now known in theory as the “Big Bang”. The matter created from this genesis eventually cooled off, condensed and formed the most basic building blocks of matter known as the elements. In space these elements are found in huge clouds of gas, dust and ice called nebulae. For centuries, astronomers have believed that planets and stars form from these nebulae. This idea was called the “solar nebula theory.” Since 1990, a variety of new telescopes in space and on the ground have provided a great deal of visual evidence which has supported the basic idea of the solar nebula theory. Using recent technologies, scientists are now able to capture high resolution images within nebulae that reveal distant solar systems in various stages of formation. What caused our sun and solar system to form? What are the stages of solar system development? What evidence supports the Solar Nebula Theory? GOALS: In this investigation, you will … Use photographs showing various distance scales to develop an understanding of the process of solar system formation. Recognize that gravity is the driving force behind solar system formation. Recognize that the matter and the elements that make up a nebula are conserved during the formation of a solar system. Recognize that density of the elements plays a role in the arrangement of the formation of a solar system. 1 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit INVESTIGATION OVERVIEW: A synopsis of this lesson is as follows… In this investigation, we will examine Hubble telescope photographs of the Orion Nebula in various stages of condensation. The Orion Nebula is approximately 1500 light years away from Earth and provides scientists with a view that is relatively close compared to other observable nebulae. Using these detailed photographs we can develop an understanding of the progression a nebula takes from being a cloud of gas and dust to a star and its system of orbiting planets. We will examine the role that careful visual observations of the Orion Nebula have played in our understanding of solar system formation. The development of new technology allows for more and more data to be gathered and also for more precise analysis of that data. This allows scientists to improve their models and explanations hence giving further support to the solar nebula theory. CONNECTIONS AND CROSS CUTTING CONCEPTS Scientific Content Gravity is a pulling force that acts over extremely great distances. Gravity pulls particles of nebular dust together to form stars and planets. The process of star and solar system formation is overwhelmingly long. Observing, inferring, and communicating scientific information. As the technology for observation improves, so does our knowledge of astronomy. Energy and Matter The same elements found in a nebula are the same elements found in a solar system from which it was made. - Law of Conservation of Matter Scale Proportion and Quantity – Distance Scaling Dimensional Analysis 2 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit Let’s Investigate … How does gravity make stars and planets? Part A: Within the Milky Way Galaxy, towards one of the outer edges, is a relatively small star, our Sun. If we were to focus more closely around the parts of the galaxy near our Sun, we see evidence of eight planets that are in orbit around the Sun. These planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune), with the Sun, comprise our solar system. (see D in the following picture). In the solar nebular theory, astronomers, scientists that study the stars, planets and universe, describe how the force of gravity makes immense clouds of dust and gas condense, or become smaller (A in the picture below). As these clouds under the continuing forces of gravity, become smaller and smaller, they flatten into slowly spinning disks (B in the picture below). Most of the mass in these disks ends up in the center of the disk, forming a dense blob of matter that eventually becomes a star (C in the picture below). Some of the matter in these disks condenses to form planets, which then orbit the star. An example of this is our solar system shown in D in the picture below. 3 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit In the 8th grade, you learned a lot about the gravity. In the Planetary Systems unit, a video showed you how gravity keeps planets in orbit and acts on stars and planets. You whirled a ball around your head to see how gravity kept the moon in orbit around the earth, and keeps planets in orbit around the sun. Some activities showed you how the force of gravity has different strengths on different planets. It certainly makes sense that gravity could act as described in the paragraphs above in order to make stars and planets. But scientists are not satisfied with speculation that this simply seems to make sense. Astronomers want to see more direct visual evidence that the ideas outlined above are actually occurring. Shown in the following sequence of images are examples various stages in the development of stars and planetary systems within the Orion Nebula. These images have come from the Hubble Telescope that has been collecting data on our universe for the past 20 years. This is the type of data that astronomers use as evidence supporting the solar nebular theory. Your teacher will help you to identify some of the features shown in these images. Shown here in Image 1 is the Orion Nebula in its entirety. The Orion Nebula stretches 24 light years across. Light-years are a unit of measurement that astronomers use to describe distance in the universe. A lightyear is the distance that light can travel in one year. Recall from your 8th grade unit on the transformation of energy that light travels at 300,000,000 (or 3x108) meters per second. There are 4 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit Image 1 86,400 seconds per day (60 seconds per minute x 60 minutes per hour x 24 hours per day) and 31,536,000 seconds per year (86,400 seconds per day x 365 days per year). That means that in one year light travels about 9,460,800,000,000,000 meters (about 5,900,000,000,000 (or almost 6 trillion miles)! Image 2 (below) is taken from a smaller, more condensed section located near the center of the Orion Nebula. Image 2 The image directly below is taken from an even smaller section from the image at left and only shows about .4 light years from left to right. Image 3 .4 Light Years 0.14 Light Years 12.8 Light Years Image 3: This picture is 0.14 light years across. It would fit in the tiny box shown inside Image 2. Five stars are in the process of being born in this part of the Orion Nebula. The largest object in Image 3 shows a blob of luminous gas surrounding the object that is becoming a star. 5 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit Journal Reflection: Within Image 3 there is evidence suggesting the formation of stars. With help from your teacher, describe in your journal what this evidence might be. Be sure to justify why you think your evidence suggests the formation of stars. Below: Images 1, 2 and 3 of the Orion Nebula to scale. Image 3 is indicated by a small black square inside of Image 2 Image 1 Image 2 ■ 6 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit Answer the following questions in your journal: Question #1: Does gravity act to cause nebula to grow larger by expanding, or to grow smaller by contracting? Provide evidence to support your answer. Question #2: If gravity does influence the nebula, then which of the three images, 1,2 or 3 best represents the earlier stage of formation for stars and planets? Justify your answer. Question #3: If gravity continues to act upon the nebula, what do you predict will happen to the gas clouds? Justify your answer. Applying what you have learned … The following three images are of other nebulae that are in different stages of solar system formation. After reading the descriptions of each image apply what you have learned about the effect that the force of gravity plays in the formation of stars and solar systems to determine which of these images should come first (earliest), which second, and which last (latest) in a sequence of star/solar system formation . Image 3 – The dark cloud in the center of this image contains a lot of dust. It is visible as a dark spot because it is in front of a gas cloud which is being lit up by a star. This dark cloud of dust is about one light-year (6 trillion miles) across. 7 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit Image 4 – This image is 2.5 light years (about 15 trillion miles) across. The light colored areas are gas, re-emitting light from stars, some of which you can see in the picture. The dark colored areas are dust. Image 5 – A Hubble Space Telescope picture of a ring of dust around the bright star Fomalhaut, located in the constellation of the Southern Fish. Fomalhaut is visible as a faint, whitish dot in the center of the picture. This ring of dust is 0.002 light years (approximately 2 billion miles) across. As a comparison with the distance that this dust ring is from Fomalhaut, Pluto’s orbital distance from the Sun would be about 7 billion miles. Question #5: Which of the images shows a star/solar system in the earliest stages of formation? Justify your answer. Question #6: Which of the images shows a star/solar system in the latest stages of formation? Justify your answer. Journal Reflection: Based on your answers to the above questions, describe in your journal how astronomers can use evidence from the Hubble Telescope to determine how stars and solar systems form. Summary of Investigation … In your journal, write a concise summary of this investigation. Be sure to address the following questions and use your data to support your responses. What force is responsible for the formation of stars and planets from interstellar gas? Describe the process in which a star system is created. 8 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit Investigating Further … Using your textbook, notes and the World Wide Web, gather information before answering the following questions. Be sure to cite your sources. ELEMENTAL MATTERS 1. The Law of Conservation of Matter states that all matter can be changed into different forms but cannot be destroyed or created. How does the solar nebula theory follow the law of conservation of matter? What elements are present in the nebula / solar system before and after the formation of a solar system. Provide evidence to support your answer. 2. How do the atomic masses / densities of the elements within the nebula contribute to the layout of the solar system itself ? (Order of planets, Star Location, Orbits, etc) Provide evidence to support your answer. 3. Scientists have recently discovered “blue bullets” within the Orion Nebula. As you read the following article complete your RARE graphic organizer as you think about the following: A. What elements are present within the nebula? B. What is creating the blue bullets? C. Describe the advancements in telescope technology that made this observation possible? Click Picture 9 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit 10 © 2013 DE Science Coalition / Earth Systems Unit