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STR S RO ONO OM MY A Acompreh hensivecoursethattteachesth hebigideaasbehindNewton’sground‐b breaking hesongoffthesun,d w work.Studeentswillleearnabou utmagneticstorms,listentoth discover howto ocharttheestars,buiildasimplehandheeldrefractortelescopeandmo ore. Createdb byAuroraLiipper,Supe rchargedSccience www w.Sup percha arged dScien nce.co om Thiscurricul T lumisalign nedwiththeeNationalSttandardsan ndSTEMforrScience. ©2014Supercharg gedScienceP.O.Box4 4418,SanL LuisObispo,,CA93403(805)617 7‐1789 TABLEOFCONTENTS Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................................3 EducationalGoalsforAstronomy1.................................................................................................................................................................4 MasterMaterialsListforAllLabs.....................................................................................................................................................................5 LabSafety...................................................................................................................................................................................................................6 Lesson#1:PlanetariumandStarShow.........................................................................................................................................................7 Lesson#2:SolarSystemTreasureHunt......................................................................................................................................................10 Lesson#3:MagneticTornadoes.....................................................................................................................................................................28 Lesson#4:SkyinaJar.........................................................................................................................................................................................31 Lesson#5:PlanetaryMagneticFields..........................................................................................................................................................34 Lesson#6:Seasons...............................................................................................................................................................................................36 Lesson#7:IndoorRainClouds........................................................................................................................................................................40 Lesson#8:Volcanoes..........................................................................................................................................................................................42 Lesson#9:StarGazing........................................................................................................................................................................................46 Lesson#10:SongoftheSun.............................................................................................................................................................................49 Lesson#11:SimpleMicroscope&Telescope............................................................................................................................................53 Lesson#12:StarCharting.................................................................................................................................................................................56 Astronomy1Evaluation.....................................................................................................................................................................................58 Astronomy1Quiz..................................................................................................................................................................................................59 Astronomy1LabPractical................................................................................................................................................................................60 AnswerstoExercisesandActivities..............................................................................................................................................................61 VocabularyfortheUnit.......................................................................................................................................................................................66 ©2014SuperchargedScience 2 www.SuperchargedScience.com Introduction GreetingsandwelcometothestudyofAstronomy.Thisunitwascreatedbyamechanicalengineer,university instructor,airplanepilot,astronomer,robot‐builderandrealrocketscientist…me!Ihavethehappyopportunityto teachyoueverythingIknowaboutastronomyoverthenextsetoflessons.Ipromisetogiveyoumybeststuffso youcantakeitandrunwithit…orfly! Astrophysicscombinestheknowledgeoflight(electromagneticradiation),chemicalreactions,atoms,energy,and physicalmotionallintoone.Togetthemostoutoftheselabs,therearereallyonlyacoupleofthingstokeepin mind.Sinceweareallheretohavefunandlearnsomethingnew,thisshouldn’tbetoohard. Oneofthebestthingsyoucandoasthestudentistocultivateyourcuriosityaboutthings.Whydidthatmove?How didthatspin?What’sreallygoingonhere? ThisunitonAstronomyischock‐fullofdemonstrationsandexperimentsfortwobigreasons.First,they’refun.But moreimportantly,thereasonwedoexperimentsinscienceistohoneyourobservationalskills.Science experimentsreallyspeakforthemselvesmuchbetterthanIcaneverputintowordsorshowyouonavideo.And I’mgoingtohityouwithalotofthesesciencedemonstrationsandexperimentstohelpyoudevelopyourobserving techniques. Scientistsnotonlylearntoobservewhat’sgoingonintheexperiment,buttheyalsolearnhowtoobservewhat theirexperimentistellingthem,whichisfoundbylookingatyourdata.It’snotenoughtoinventsomenewkindof experimentifyoudon’tknowhowitwillperformwhentheconditionschangeabit,likeonMars.We’regoingto learnhowtopredictwhatwethinkwillhappen,designexperimentsthatwilltestthisidea,andlookoverthe resultswegottofigureoutwheretogofromthere.Scienceisaprocess,it’sawayofthinking,andwe’regoingto getplentyofpracticeatit. Goodluckwiththisastronomyunit! ©2014SuperchargedScience 3 www.SuperchargedScience.com FortheParent/Teacher: EducationalGoalsforAstronomy1 Astrophysicsisthebranchofastronomythatdealswiththephysicsoftheuniverse.Astronomersstudycelestial objects(thingslikestars,planets,moons,asteroids,comets,galaxies,andsoforth)thatexistoutsideEarth’s atmosphere.It’stheonefieldofstudythatcombinesthemostscience,engineeringandtechnologyareasinonefell swoop.Astronomyisalsooneoftheoldestsciencesontheplanet.We’regoingtobestudyingdifferentareaswithin astronomythatcoverthemoon,planets,stars,andotherobjects. Herearethescientificconcepts: Objectsintheskymoveinregularandpredictablepatterns.Thepatternsofstarsstaythesame,although theyappeartomoveacrosstheskynightly,anddifferentstarscanbeseenindifferentseasons. ThetiltoftheEarthanditslocationinorbitarethereasonsfortheseasons. TheEarthisoneofseveralplanetsthatorbittheSun,andtheMoonorbitstheEarth. ThesolarsystemconsistsofplanetsandotherbodiesthatorbittheSuninpredictablepaths. Oursolarsystemincludesrockyterrestrialplanets(Mercury,Venus,Earth,andMars),gasgiants(Jupiter andSaturn),icegiants(UranusandNeptune),andassortedchunksoficeanddustthatmakeupvarious cometsandasteroids. Twoplanets(CeresandPluto)havebeenreclassifiedafterastronomersfoundoutmoreinformationabout theirneighbors. TelescopesmagnifytheappearanceoftheMoonandtheplanets. TelescopesmagnifytheappearanceoftheSunusingspeciallensesandmakeitpossibletolocateSunspots andsolarflares. Starsarethesourceoflightforallbrightobjectsinouterspace.TheMoonandplanetsshinebyreflected Sunlight,notbytheirownlight. Thenumberofstarsthatcanbeseenthroughtelescopesisdramaticallygreaterthancanbeseenbythe unaidedeye. Bytheendofthelabsinthisunit,studentswillbeableto: Designandbuildatelescopeusingopticalequipmentlikelenses. Knowhowtodemonstratehowthepositionofobjectsintheskychangesovertime. Knowthecelestialobjectsinthesolarsystemandhowtheyrelateandinteractwitheachother. Formulateandjustifypredictionsbasedoncause‐and‐effectrelationships. Conductmultipletrialstotestapredictionanddrawconclusionsabouttherelationshipsbetween predictionsandresults. Constructandinterpretgraphsfrommeasurements. Followasetofwritteninstructionsforascientificinvestigation. ©2014SuperchargedScience 4 www.SuperchargedScience.com MasterMaterialsListforAllLabs Thisisabrieflistofthematerialsthatyouwillneedtodoalloftheactivities,experimentsandprojectsinthisunit. Thesetofmaterialslistedbelowisjustforonelabgroup.Ifyouhaveaclassof10labgroups,you’llneedtoget10 setsofthematerialslistedbelow.Mostmaterialsarereusable. Aluminumpan Bakingsoda(1/4cup) Balloon Barmagnet Circular(disk)magnet Compass Dirt(3cups) Dollarbill Ducttape(optional) Fingernailpolish(red,yellow, green,blue) Flashlights(3or4) Flexibletubing(18")‐optional ©2014SuperchargedScience Flour(9cups) Glassjar Hand‐heldmagnifyinglenses(2) Horseshoemagnet Liquidcrystalthermometers(2) Liquiddishsoap Marker Maskingtape Milk(coupledrops) Musicalinstruments(anyyou alreadyhave) Pencil Penny Plasticbottles(2litersoda bottles) Protractor Rocks Ruler Salt(4cups) Steelwasherwitha3/8inch hole Stopwatch String Tape(clear,notfrosted) Vegetableoil(1/2cup) Waterbottle(empty) 5 www.SuperchargedScience.com LabSafety Goggles:Theseshouldbewornwhenworkingwithchemicals,heat,fire,orprojectiles.Theseprotectyoureyes fromchemicalsplatter,explosions,andtinyfast‐movingobjectsaimedattheeyes.Ifyouwearglasses,youcanfind gogglesthatfitoverthem.Don’tsubstituteeyeglassesforgoggles,becauseofthelackofsideprotection.Eyeglasses don’tprovidethisimportantprotection. CleanupMesses:Yourlabareashouldbeneat,organized,andspotlessbeforeyoustart,duringyourexperiment, andwhenyouleave.Scientistswastemoretimehuntingforlostpapers,piecesofanexperiment,andtryingto repositionsensitiveequipment…allofwhichcouldhaveeasilybeenavoidedhadtheybeentaughtorganizational skillsfromthestart. DisposeofPoisons:Ifapoisonoussubstancewasused,created,orproducedduringyourexperiment,youmust followtheproperhandlingproceduresfordisposal.You’llfinddetailsforthisintheexperimentsasneeded. SpecialNotesonBatteries:Donotusealkalinebatterieswithyourexperiments.Findthesuper‐cheapkindof batteries(usuallylabeled“HeavyDuty”or“SuperHeavyDuty”)becausethesetypesofbatterieshaveacarbon‐zinc core,whichdoesnotcontaintheacidthatalkalinebatterieshave.Thismeanswhenyouwireupcircuitsincorrectly (whichyoushouldexpecttodobecauseyouarelearning),thecircuitswillnotoverheatorleak.Ifyouusealkaline batteries(likeEnergizerandDuracell)andyourstudentsshortacircuit,theirwiresandcomponentswillget super‐hotandleakacid,whichisverydangerous. NoEatingorDrinkingintheLab:Allfoodsanddrinksarebannedfromyourclassroomduringscience experimentation.Whenyoueatordrink,youruntheveryrealriskofingestingpartofyourexperiment.For electricityandmagnetismlabs,alwayswashyourhandsafterthelabisovertorinseofftheleadfromtheelectrical components. NoHorsePlay:Whenyougoofaround,accidentshappen,whichmeanschemicalsspill,circuitsshort,andallkinds ofhazardscanoccurthatyouweren’texpecting.Neverthrowanythingtoanotherpersonandbecarefulwhereyou putyourhands–itcouldbeinthemiddleofasensitiveexperiment,especiallywithmagnetismandelectricity.You don’twanttoruntheriskofgettingshockedorelectrifiedwhenit’snotpartofyourexperiment. Fire:Ifyouthinkthere’safireintheroom(evenifyou’renotsure),letyourteacherknowrightaway.Iftheyare notaround(theyalwaysshouldbe),smotherthefirewithafireblanketoruseafireextinguisherandsend someonetofindanadult.Stop,drop,androll! Questions:Ifyou’renotsureaboutsomething,stopandask,nomatterwhatit’sabout.Ifyoudon’tknowhowto properlyhandleachemical,dopartofanexperiment,ask!Ifyou’renotcomfortabledoingpartoftheexperiment, thendon’tdoit. ©2014SuperchargedScience 6 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#1:PlanetariumandStarShow OverviewGreetingsandwelcometothestudyofastronomy!Thisfirstlessonissimplytogetyouexcitedand interestedinastronomysoyoucandecidewhatitisthatyouwanttolearnaboutastronomylateron. WhattoLearnWe’regoingtocoveralotinthispresentation,including:TheSun,anaveragestar,isthecentral andlargestbodyinthesolarsystemandiscomposedprimarilyofhydrogenandhelium. ThesolarsystemincludestheEarth,Moon,Sun,eightotherplanetsandtheirsatellites,andsmallerobjectssuchas asteroidsandcomets.Thestructureandcompositionoftheuniversecanbelearnedfromthestudyofstarsand galaxies.Galaxiesareclustersofbillionsofstars,andmayhavedifferentshapes.TheSunisoneofmanystarsin ourownMilkyWaygalaxy.Starsmaydifferinsize,temperature,andcolor. Materials Popcorn(toeatifyou’dliketo) Pencil Experiment Beforewatchingthevideo,printoutyourworksheetsoyoucanjotthingsdownasyoulisten.Thengrabyour pencil(andahandfulofpopcorn)andfillitinasyougoalong,orsimplyenjoytheshowandfillitoutattheend. ©2014SuperchargedScience 7 www.SuperchargedScience.com PlanetariumStarShowTable Planet InterestingFactYouDidn’tKnow‘TilNow ©2014SuperchargedScience 8 www.SuperchargedScience.com Reading Astrophysicsisthebranchofastronomythatdealswiththephysicsoftheuniverse.Astronomersstudycelestial objects(thingslikestars,planets,moons,asteroids,comets,galaxies,andsoforth)thatexistoutsideEarth’s atmosphere.It’stheonefieldofstudythatcombinesthemostscience,engineeringandtechnologyareasinonefell swoop.Astronomyisalsooneoftheoldestsciencesontheplanet. Earlyastronomerstrackedthemovementofthestarssoaccuratelythatinmostcases,we’veonlymademinor adjustmentstotheirdata.AlthoughGalileowasn’tthefirstpersontolookthroughatelescope,hewasthefirstto pointitatthestars.Originally,astronomywasusedforcelestialnavigationandwasinvolvedwiththemakingof calendars,butnowadaysit’smostlyclassifiedinthefieldcalledastrophysics. QuestionstoAnswer: 1. WhathappenedtoPluto?Whyisn’titaplanetanymore? 2. HowdoestheSunmakeenergy? 3. Whichplanetisyourfavoriteandwhy? 4. HowmanymoonsaroundJupiterandSaturncanyouseewithbinoculars? 5. What’sthedifferencebetweenagalaxyandablackhole? 6. HowmanyEarthscanfitinsidetheSun? ©2014SuperchargedScience 9 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#2:SolarSystemTreasureHunt Overview:Funday!Yougettodonotone,buttwotreasurehuntstoday.Thefirstisonpaperandasksquestions aboutthepresentationfromlasttime.Thesecondactivityhas10clueswithrealtreasure.Themoreyouknow aboutastronomy,thefasteryou’llmovethroughthese. WhattoLearn:Todayyou’lldiscoverhowmuchyoualreadyknowaboutthespecificdetailsaboutalleight planets,theSunanditscomposition,selectednaturalsatellites,andsmallerobjectssuchasasteroids,dwarf planets,andcomets. Materials Apencil Printoutthecluecards(haveanadulthelperhidethemforyou) Experiment 1. Therearetworoundsforthistreasurehunt:indoorsandoutdoors(iftheweather’scooperating).Ina moment,youaregoingtosearchyourindoorareaforanswerstotheseclues. 2. HavesomeoneelsecutouttheFirstTreasureHuntClueCardsandhidetheminplainviewforyoutofind. 3. Whiletheyarehidingthecluesforyou,printouttheFirstTreasureHuntClueWorksheet.You’llusethis whenyousearchfortheclues. 4. Whenready,gofindyourcluecardsandfilloutyourworksheet! 5. Whileyou’reworkingonfindingtheclues,yourassistantwillgetbusyhidingthecluesfromtheSecond TreasureHunt. 6. Onceyou’vecompletedthefirsttreasurehuntandcompletedyourworksheet,letyourassistantknowand theywillhandyouthefirstcardfromtheSecondTreasureHuntandsendyouonyourway. ©2014SuperchargedScience 10 www.SuperchargedScience.com FirstTreasureHuntClueCards:Havesomeoneelsecuttheseoutandpasteinplainviewallovertheroomtofind easily.Youwillbeanswering50questions.Somecardscontaininformationformorethanonequestion,soyou’ll findthereare37cluecardsforthefirstpartoftheactivity. AllimagesprovidedcourtesyofNASA. Shapeofoursolarsystemisapproximately circular. TheSunrotatesonceevery31daysatthepoles andonceevery27daysattheequator. PlutoisnowpartoftheKuiperBelt. Oursolarsystemhaseightplanets,theirmoons, asteroidsandcomets. ThecoretemperatureoftheSunis15million degreesCelsius. ©2014SuperchargedScience 11 www.SuperchargedScience.com AplanetisanobjectthatorbitstheSun,is massiveenoughforitsowngravitytomakeit round,andhascleareditsorbitofsmaller objects. Mercuryisthesecondhottestplanetat800oF (427oC).ThesidefacingawayfromtheSunis ‐280oF(‐173oC) Venusisthehottestplanetat863oF(462oC). AlthoughUranusismademostlyofhydrogenand helium,it’sthecoldmethanegasthatgivesthe blue‐greencolor. ©2014SuperchargedScience 12 www.SuperchargedScience.com TheSunismadeupof25%heliumand75% hydrogen. Venustakeslongertospinonceonitsownaxis thanitdoestoorbittheSun.Notonlythat,it rotatesintheoppositedirectionfromtherestof theplanets. Cometsaremadeofdustandice,makingthem justlikedirtysnowballs.Wethinkthattheiceon Mercurywasleftbyimpactsfromcomets. TheEarth’satmosphereismadeupof21% oxygenand78%nitrogen,withtraceamountsof othermolecules. Venuswasnamedafterthegoddessofloveand beautybecauseitisthebrightestobjectinthe sky,otherthantheSunandMoon. TheMooncausesbothoceanandlandtideson theEarth. ©2014SuperchargedScience 13 www.SuperchargedScience.com ThetwomoonsofMarsarenamedafter Fear/Panic(Phobos)andFleeing(Deimos). Jupiterismadeofhydrogenandheliumwitha metallichydrogencore.It’saslargeasitcanbe withoutshrinking.Ifyouaddedmoremass (hydrogengas)toit,Jupiterwouldcondenseand getsmaller.Ifyouincreaseditsmassby80X,it wouldcompressandbecomeastar. Ironoxide(rust)givesMarsitsredcolor.The whiteatthepolesaredryice(frozencarbon dioxide)andwaterice. 1400EarthscanfitinsideofJupiter.IfJupiter werethesizeofasoccerball,theEarthwouldbe amarble.Alltheotherplanetscanfittogether insideJupiter. Saturn’sringsaremademostlyoutofice travellingat75,000mph. ThereareshepherdmoonsinsideSaturn’srings. ©2014SuperchargedScience 14 www.SuperchargedScience.com Mercury,Venus,EarthandMarsarerocky terrestrialplanets.JupiterandSaturnaregas giants.UranusandNeptuneareicegiants.Pluto, Ceres,Haumea,Makemake,andErisaredwarf planets. Titanhasanatmospheremademostlyof nitrogen. WethinkSaturn’smoon,Iapetus,usedtohavea ringaroundit. Saturn’smoonMimasiswhereStarWarsgotthe ideafortheDeathStar. ©2014SuperchargedScience 15 www.SuperchargedScience.com Uranusistheonlyplanetthatrollsaroundthe Sun,tippedoveronitsside. PhobosisslowlymovinginwardtowardMars, andwhenthetidalforcesinsidethismoon becomestronger,theywilleithershatterthe moonintoameteorshowerorcausethebitsto formaringaroundMars. TheaveragedailywindspeedonNeptuneis 1200mph.Neptuneradiates2.6timesasmuch energyoutasitreceivesfromtheSun. Neptune’sbluecolorisfromthemethanegas,but it’salsomadeupofhydrogenandhelium.Since it’sthefurthestplanetfromtheSun(30au,or4.5 billionkm,or2billionmiles),it’salsothecoldest. Notethatthefivedwarfplanetsarecolder objectsthanNeptune,sincetheyarefurtherstill. PlutoandCharonorbiteachother,andarealso orbitedbyHydraandNix. ©2014SuperchargedScience 16 www.SuperchargedScience.com 70%oftheEarthiscoveredbywater.2%ofthis islockedinice. TheSunis1au(astronomicalunit)fromthe Earth.1auis93millionmiles.Ittakeslightabout 8minutestotravelthisdistance. Venusisthehottestplanetbecauseittrapsthe heatinsideonceitentersthethickatmosphere. ThevolcanoesonVenusaresoactivethatthe planetisconstantlyresurfacingitself. Bluestarsmeasureabove10,000K(17,540oFor 9,727oC)atthesurface.Redstarsareabout 2500K(4,040oFor2,227oC).OurSun,awhite star,is6,000K(10,340oFor5,727oC). Note:K(Kelvin)istheabsolutetemperature scaleforCelsius. ThePistolstarreleasesasmuchenergyinone secondasourSundoesinoneyear. ©2014SuperchargedScience 17 www.SuperchargedScience.com 12peoplehavewalkedontheMoon. Approximately7billionpeoplewalkontheEarth today. Jupiter’sgiantstorm,theGreatRedSpot,is actuallygettingsmaller.Thecurrentsizeisabout twoEarthdiameters. ©2014SuperchargedScience 18 www.SuperchargedScience.com FirstTreasureHunt:Answerthequestionsbelowasyousearcharoundyouforcluestotheanswer.Goodluck! 1. TheshapeofourSolarSystemis_________________________. 2. Howmanyplanetsdowehaveinoursolarsystem?____________________________ 3. Plutoisnowpartofthe___________________________Belt. 4. TheSunrotatesonceevery_____________________atitsequatorand___________________atthepoles. 5. ThecoretemperatureoftheSunis________________________________. 6. Aplanethasthreecriteria:itorbitsthe_____________________________________,has_________________________________ itsorbitofsmallerobjects,andislargeenoughsoitsown_______________________________makesitround. 7. Therearethreetypesofplanets:____________________________,___________________________________,and ________________________. 8. _______________________istheclosest,butnotthehottestplanet.ThesidefacingtheSungetsto _______________________oF,andthesidefacingawayfromtheSungetsto____________________________oF. 9. Thesolarsystemincludes________________________planets,their____________________,the__________________atthe center,andsmallerobjectssuchas________________________and____________________________. 10. TheSunismadeoutof75%___________________and25%_____________________. ©2014SuperchargedScience 19 www.SuperchargedScience.com 11. Venusiscalledthegoddessof_______________________,becauseitlookssobrighttousfromEarth,butitreally hasasurfacetemperatureof_______________________oF. 12. Cometsarereallydirty____________________________________________. 13. ____________________isthebrightestthinginthesky,otherthantheSunandMoon. 14. Cold_____________________iswhatgivesUranusitsblue‐greencolor.It’sclassifiedas_________________giant. 15. Onedayislongerthanayearon______________________________.Notonlythat,itrotates_____________________. 16. Earth’satmosphereismadeupof21%_______________and78%_________________. 17. TheMoonpullsonthesurfaceontheEarthandcausestidesonboththe____________and_______________. 18. Mars’smoonsarenamedafter________________________and___________________________. 19. ________________________givesMarsitsredcolor. 20. IftheEarthwasthesizeofamarble,Jupiterwouldbethesizeofa______________________________. 21. Jupitercanfit____________________________Earthsinside. 22. Ifyouaddedmoremassto_______________________________itwouldgetsmallerbecauseit’sabigballof __________________________. ©2014SuperchargedScience 20 www.SuperchargedScience.com 23. Jupiterismadeoutof__________________________and__________________________withametallic__________________ core. 24. ThevolcanoesonJupiter’smoon____________spewiceash_____________________mileshigh. 25. Saturnissurroundedbyringsmademostlyof__________________movingat__________________mph. 26. InsideSaturn’sringsare__________________. 27. Titanhasan________________________________mademostlyof__________________________,sothickthatifyou strappedwingsontoyourarmsandflapped,you’dfly! 28. Scientiststhinkthat________________________usedtohavearingaroundit,anditcrasheddownontothe surface. 29. Jupiterissolargethatallofthe________________inthesolarsystemcouldfitinsideofit. 30. _______________________looksjustliketheDeathStar. 31. Theplanet_____________________rollsaroundtheSunwhiletippedonitsside. 32. Phobosisslowlymovinginwardtoward________________andwilleithershatterorforma_________________ around__________________________. ©2014SuperchargedScience 21 www.SuperchargedScience.com 33. OurbestguessisthattheiceonMercurywascausedby_____________________________________ 34. AveragedailywindspeedonNeptuneis_____________mph. 35. Neptuneisagiantballof____________________,whichisalsoknownas_________________. 36. __________________andPlutoareapairofobjectsbecausetheybothrotatearoundapointoutsideofeach. Thesetwoarealsoorbitedby______________and_______________. 37. SeventypercentoftheEarth'ssurfaceiscoveredby_________________________. 38. TheSunis__________________________________milesfromtheEarth,alsoknownas_______________________________. 39. Thehottestplanetis_________________________________________________becausetheheatthatcomesintotheplanet gets________________________________________________________________________________________________. 40. Therearehowmanystarsareinoursolarsystem?___________________________________________ 41. Whichcolorstarsarethehottest?____________________________________Coolest?_______________________________ 42. The_____________________________staristhebiggestonewe’vefoundanditreleasesasmuchenergyinone _________________________asourSundoesinoneyear. 43. Theplanetsandmoonsthatpeoplehavewalkedonare___________________________________________________ ©2014SuperchargedScience 22 www.SuperchargedScience.com 44. Jupiter's_____________________________isgetting_________________________.It’saboutthesizeoftwo __________________rightnow. 45. __________________________and________________________aregasgiants,and_______________________and _________________________areicegiants. 46. ____________________________isthecoldestplanetinoursolarsystem. 47. Thefivedwarfplanetsinoursolarsystemare: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 48. Ittakeslight_______________________________totravelfromtheSuntoEarth. 49. _____________________________hassomuchvolcanicactivitythatitconstantlyresurfacesitself. 50. WhatkindoficeisonMars?_____________________________and_______________________________________. STOP!!!You’redonewiththefirstactivity! Greatjobansweringthequestions!Stapleyourpaperstogether(orputyournameatthetopofeachpageatthe veryleast)andturnitinsoyoucanstartonthesecondactivity. Forthesecondtreasurehunt,selectoneofthefollowingthreepages.Eachpagehasasetofcluesdependingon whereyoudoyourhunt.Youonlyneedtocompleteoneofthethreehunts.Remember,forthisnextpart,you MUSTfindthecluesinorder,meaningthatyouhavetofindtheobjecttheclueisdescribingoritdoesn’tcount. Havefun! ©2014SuperchargedScience 23 www.SuperchargedScience.com CluesforthePlaygroundHunt:Cuttheseoutandtapethemaroundtheplayground.Youcanaddapictureof eachobjectalongwiththeclueifyouwish.Makesureyou’vewarnedthekidsnottotaketheclues,butjustLOOK atthem.Inadditiontoaplayground,you’llneedtotossasoccerballandfootballonyourfieldfarapartfromeach other.Asyouplaceeachclueinitsproperspot,ripoffthetabontheleftwiththeinstructionsthatwerejustfor you.Makesureyou’vegotthetreasurewithyouwhenthekidscometearingbacktoyouwiththefinalclue.Have fun! The Sun (CLUE #1): Show this clue to get started. Mercury (CLUE #2): Tape this clue under one of the swings. Venus (CLUE #3): Tape this clue to a football. Earth (CLUE #4): Tape this clue in a tree (or plant). Mars (CLUE #5): Tape this clue near the drinking fountain. Jupiter (CLUE #6): Tape this clue at the top of a slide. Saturn (CLUE #7): Tape this clue on the monkey bars. Uranus (CLUE #8): Tape this clue on the exterior of a nearby door. Neptune (CLUE #9): Tape this clue on the exterior of a window. Pluto (CLUE #10): Tape this clue on a soccer ball. ©2014SuperchargedScience This object is hot, but not on fire. Explore the swings but don’t perspire! This planet is closest, but not the hottest. Check the football, and don’t be modest! This planet is so hot it can melt a cannonball, Crush spaceships, rain acid, and is in a tree tall. Most of this planet is covered with water. Find some water that never gets hotter. This planet is basically a rusty burp. Discover the slide and take a ride. A planet so large it can hold the rest, Explore the bars with infinite zest! This planet had rings, but not made of gold. Explore near a door like an astronaut bold! Smacked so hard it now rolls on its side, Find the window that is ever so wide. Check the soccer ball for hurricane, gigantic blue farts, and diamond rain. Instead of one there were two, then four… Visit your teacher for the one that is no more. 24 www.SuperchargedScience.com CluesfortheClassroomHunt:Cuttheseoutandhidetheminenvelopesaroundyourclassroom.Youcanadda pictureofeachobjectalongwiththeclueifyouwish.Thisisgreatforrainyschooldays.Remindthekidsthatthey havetofindtherightclueandgoinorder!Youcannumberthemifyouwantto,orhavetheirlabpartnershold themaccountable.Alsoremindthemnottotaketheclues,butlookatthemandmoveon.Whenyouplacetheclue initsproperspot,ripoffthetabontheleftwiththeinstructionsthatwerejustforyou.Placethetreasureunder yourdeskforthefinalclue.Havefun! The Sun (CLUE #1): Show this clue to get started. This object is hot, but not on fire. Explore the coats but don’t perspire! Mercury (CLUE #2): Tape this clue with the coats. This planet is closest, but not the hottest. Check the floor, and don’t be modest! Venus (CLUE #3): Tape this clue in a corner on the floor. Earth (CLUE #4): Tape this clue on something very tall. This planet is so hot it can melt a cannonball, Crush spaceships, rain acid, and is on an object tall. Most of this planet is covered with water. Find some water but don’t make it hotter. Mars (CLUE #5): Tape this clue to your sink or a water bottle left out on the counter. Jupiter (CLUE #6): Tape this clue next to where they store lunches. You can also stick it right on a lunchbox. Saturn (CLUE #7): Hide this clue with a stack of books. Uranus (CLUE #8): Tape this clue on the classroom door. Neptune (CLUE #9): Tape this clue on a window. This planet is basically a rusty burp. Where would you take a bite and slurp? A planet so large it can hold the rest, Explore our library with infinite zest! This planet had rings, but not made of gold. Explore the door like an astronaut bold! Smacked so hard it now rolls on its side, Find the window that is ever so wide. Check the ceiling for hurricane, gigantic blue farts, and diamond rain. Pluto (CLUE #10): Tape this clue on the ceiling. ©2014SuperchargedScience Instead of one there were two, then four… Look under a desk for the one that is no more. 25 www.SuperchargedScience.com CluesfortheHouseholdHunt:Cuttheseoutandhidetheminenvelopesaroundyourhouse.Youcanadda pictureofeachobjectalongwiththeclueifyouwish.Thisisgreatforhomeworkassignments,homeschool students,andhomestudyprograms.Remindthekidsthattheyhavetofindtherightclueandgoinorder!When youplacetheclueinitsproperspot,ripofthetabontheleftwiththeinstructionsthatwerejustforyou.Placethe treasureinthemailboxforthefinalclue.Havefun! The Sun (CLUE #1): Show this clue to get started. This object is hot, but not on fire. Explore the dryer but don’t perspire! Mercury (CLUE #2): Hide this in the dryer. This planet is closest, but not the hottest. Check the sock drawer, and don’t be modest! This planet is so hot it can melt a cannonball, Crush spaceships, rain acid, and is in a tree tall. Venus (CLUE #3): Hide this in the sock drawer. Earth (CLUE #4): Hide this clue in a tree (or plant). Most of this planet is covered with water. Visit the bathtub without making it hotter. Mars (CLUE #5): Hide this clue in the bathtub. This planet is basically a rusty burp. Discover the refrigerator and take a slurp. Jupiter (CLUE #6): Hide this clue next to the milk. A planet so large it can hold the rest, Explore our library with infinite zest! Saturn (CLUE #7): Hide this clue with a stack of books. Uranus (CLUE #8): Hide this clue on the front door. This planet had rings, but not made of gold. Explore near the front door like an astronaut bold! Smacked so hard it now rolls on its side, Find the window that is ever so wide. Neptune (CLUE #9): Hide this clue by sticking it on a window. Pluto (CLUE #10): Hide this clue in the sink. ©2014SuperchargedScience Check the sink for hurricane, gigantic blue farts, and diamond rain. Instead of one there were two, then four… Visit the mailbox for the one that is no more. 26 www.SuperchargedScience.com Reading Oursolarsystemincludesrockyterrestrialplanets(Mercury,Venus,Earth,andMars),gasgiants(Jupiterand Saturn),icegiants(UranusandNeptune),andassortedchunksoficeanddustthatmakeupvariouscometsand asteroids. Twoplanets(CeresandPluto)havebeenreclassifiedafterastronomersfoundoutmoreinformationabouttheir neighbors.CeresisnowanasteroidintheAsteroidBeltbetweenMarsandJupiter.BeyondNeptune,theKuiper Beltholdsthechunksoficeanddust,likecometsandasteroidsaswellaslargerobjectslikedwarfplanetsErisand Pluto. BeyondtheKuiperbeltisanareacalledtheOortCloud,whichholdsanestimated1trillioncomets.TheOortCloud issofarawaythatit’sonlylooselyheldinorbitbyourSun,andconstantlybeingpulledgravitationallybypassing starsandtheMilkyWayitself.TheVoyagerSpacecraftarebeyondtheheliosphere(theregioninfluenced gravitationallybyourSun)buthavenotreachedtheOortCloud. TheSunholds99%ofthemassofoursolarsystem.TheSun’sequatortakesabout25daystorotatearoundonce, butthepolestake34days.YoumayhaveheardthattheSunisahugeballofburninggas.ButtheSunisnotonfire, likeacandle.Youcan’tblowitoutorreigniteit.So,wheredoestheenergycomefrom? Thenuclearreactionsdeepinthecoretransform600milliontonspersecondofhydrogenintohelium.Thisgives offhugeamountsofenergywhichgraduallyworksitswayfromthe15million‐degreeCelsiustemperaturecoreto the15,000‐degreeCelsiussurface. Starsliketolivetogetherinfamilies.Galaxiesaregroupsofstarsthatarepulledandheldtogetherbygravity.Some galaxiesaresparsewhileothersarepackedsodenselyyoucan’tseethroughthem.Galaxiesalsoliketohangout withothergalaxies(calledgalaxyclusters),butnotallgalaxiesbelongtoclusters,andnotallstarsbelongtoa galaxy. Activegalaxieshaveveryunusualbehavior.Thereareseveraldifferenttypesofactivegalaxies,includingradio galaxies(edge‐onviewofgalaxiesemittingjets),quasars(3/4viewofthegalaxyemittingjets),blazars(alignedso we’relookingstraightdownintotheblackholejet),andothers.Ourowngalaxy,theMilkyWay,hasasuper‐ massiveblackholeatitscenter,whichiscurrentlyquietanddormant. Dyingstarsblowoffshellsofheatedgasthatglowinbeautifulpatterns.WilliamHershel(1795)coinedtheterm “planetarynebula”becausetheoneshelookedatthrough18thcenturytelescopeslookedlikeplanets.They actuallyhavenothingtodowithplanets–theyareshellsofdustfeatheringaway. ©2014SuperchargedScience 27 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#3:MagneticTornadoes Overview:ThislabisaphysicalmodelofwhathappensonMercurywhentwomagneticfieldscollideandform magnetictornadoes. WhattoLearn:You’llgettoinvestigatewhataninvisiblemagnetictornadolookslikewhenitsweepsacross Mercury. Materials Twoclearplasticbottles(2litersodabottlesworkbest) Steelwasherwitha3/8inchhole Rulerandstopwatch Glitterorconfetti(optional) Ducttape(optional) Experiment 1. Determinethedifferentwaterconditions,suchas:changingthetemperature,changingthevolume(height ofwater),addinganothermoleculesuchasoil,isopropylalcohol,vinegar,anddishsoap,addingsolid piecessuchasglitter,salt,sugar,orsmallgrains.Thedifferentmixtureswillgivedifferentvortexrotation speedsanddifferentdraintimes.ThisisequivalenttochangingtheatmosphereonEarthandseeinghowit affectsweather(notmagnetic)tornadoes.Writetheconditionsyouwishtotestinthedatatablebeforeyou start. 2. Filloneofthesodabottleswithwaterusingthedatatable.Setthebottleuprightonthetable. 3. Setthewasherontopofthebottleopening.Makesurethere’snocaponthebottle. 4. Inverttheemptybottleoverthewater‐filledbottleandlineuptheopeningssotheycanbeeasilytaped together.Youwanttotapethembeforetheygetwetwiththewasherbetweenthem. 5. Placethetwobottlesonatableandwatchthewaterdripfromthetoptothelowerbottleasairbubbles movefrombottomtotop. 6. Invertsothewaterisinthetopbottleandcircleitacoupleoftimestostartawhirlpoolinthebottle.You shouldseeavortexforminsideasthetopdrainsintothelowerbottle.Theholeinthevortexletstheair fromthelowerbottlefloweasilyintotheupperbottle,sotheupperdrainseasily. 7. Whenyou’vefinished,emptyyourbottleandaddadifferentsolutionandrepeattheexperiment.Fillout thedatatable. ©2014SuperchargedScience 28 www.SuperchargedScience.com MagneticTornadoesDataTable Note:Waterheightismeasuredwhenallthewaterisinthelowercontainer. WaterCondition HeightoftheWater HowLongDidItTaketo DraintoLowerBottle? (measureinseconds) ©2014SuperchargedScience 29 www.SuperchargedScience.com Reading Mercurylookspeacefulatfirstglance.However,whenyoumeasurethesurfacewithscientificinstruments,you’ll seehowtheSunblastsawayanyhopeMercuryhasofathinatmospherewithitsradiationandsolarwind.Notonly that,Mercuryisravagedbyinvisiblemagnetictornadoesthatstartfromtheplanet’sinteriormagneticfield.If you’veeverexperiencedatornado,youknowhowterrifyingtheycanbe.Nowimaginetheyarethediameterof yourentireplanet. ThesetornadoesaredifferentfromtheEarth’s,whichformwhentwoweathersystemssmackintoeachother, creatinginstabilityintheatmosphere.ThemagnetictornadoesonMercuryformwhentwomagneticfieldscollide. Thesemonstrouscyclonesformwithoutwarninganddisappearwithinminutes. Magneticfields,liketheEarth’s,areinvisibleshieldsthatconstantlyprotectusfromtheSun.OurEarthis constantlybeingbombardedwithhighenergyparticlesthataredeflectedoffthemagnetosphereofourplanet. Mercury’smagneticfieldisweakandit’sconstantlybeingblastedbysolarwind,whichalsocarriesamagnetic field.Whenthesetwofieldscollide,themagneticfieldsspiralandtwisttoformamagnetictornado.(Solarwindisa streamofhighenergyparticlesfromtheSun’souteratmosphere.) QuestionstoAnswer 1. Defineanatmosphere. 2. Whatisamagneticfield? 3. Wheredomagneticfieldscomefrominplanets? 4. Whichplanetsdonothaveamagneticfield? ©2014SuperchargedScience 30 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#4:SkyinaJar Overview:Haveyoueverwonderedwhytheskyisblue?Orwhythesunsetisred?Orwhatcoloroursunsetwould beifwehadabluegiantinsteadofawhitestar?Thislabwillanswerthosequestionsbyshowinghowlightis scatteredbytheatmosphere. WhattoLearn:Particlesintheatmospheredeterminethecoloroftheplanetandthecolorsweseeonitssurface. Thecolorofthestaralsoaffectsthecolorofthesunsetandoftheplanet. Materials Glassjar Flashlight Fingernailpolish(red,yellow,green,blue) Cleartape Water Darkroom Fewdropsofmilk Experiment 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Makeyourroomasdarkaspossibleforthisexperimenttowork. Makesureyourlabelisremovedfromtheglassjaroryouwon’tbeabletoseewhat’sgoingon. Filltheclearglassjarwithwater. Addateaspoonortwoofmilk(orcornstarch)andswirl. Shinetheflashlightdownfromthetopandlookfromtheside–thewatershouldhaveabluishhue.The smallmilkdropletsscatterthelightthesamewayouratmosphere’sdustparticlesscattersunlight. Tryshiningthelightupfromthebase–wheredoyouneedtolookinordertoseeafaintred/pinktint?If not,it’sbecauseyouarelookingforhuesthatmatchourrealatmosphere,andthejarjustisn’tthatbig,nor isyourflashlightstrongenough!Instead,lookforaveryslightcolorshift.Ifyoudothisexperimentafter beinginthedarkforabout10minutes(lettingyoureyesadjusttothelackoflight),itiseasiertoseethe subtlecolorchanges.Justbecarefulthatyoudon’tletthebrilliantflashlightruinyournewlyacquirednight vision,oryou’llhavetostartthe10minutesalloveragain. Ifyouarestillhavingtroubleseeingthecolorchanges,shineyourlightthroughthejarandontoanindex cardontheotherside.Youshouldseeslightcolorchangesonthewhitecard. Covertheflashlightlenswithcleartape. Paintonthetape(notthelens)thefingernailpolishyouneedtocompletethetable. Repeatsteps7‐9andrecordyourdata. ©2014SuperchargedScience 31 www.SuperchargedScience.com SkyinaJarDataTable FlashlightColor Location Color(s) White Sideofjar White BottomofJar Red Sideofjar Red BottomofJar Yellow Sideofjar Yellow BottomofJar Green Sideofjar Green BottomofJar Blue Sideofjar Blue BottomofJar Reading Whyisthesunsetred?Thecolorsyouseeintheskydependonhowlightbouncesaround.Thered/orangecolors ofsunsetandsunrisehappenbecauseofthelowangletheSunmakeswiththeatmosphere,skippingthelightoff dustanddirt(nottomentionsolidaerosols,soot,andsmog).Sunsetsareusuallymorespectacularthansunrises, asmore“stuff”floatsaroundattheendoftheday(therearelessparticlespresentinthemornings).Sometimes justaftersunset,agreenflashcanbeseenejectingfromthesettingSun. TheEarthappearsbluetotheastronautsinspacebecausetheshorter,faster wavelengthsarereflectedofftheupperatmosphere.Thesunsetsappearredbecause theslower,longerwavelengthsbounceofftheclouds. Sunsetsonotherplanetsaredifferentbecausetheyarefarther(orcloser)totheSun, andalsobecausetheyhaveadifferentatmospherethanplanetEarth.Theimageshown hereisasunsetonMars.UranusandNeptuneappearbluebecausethemethaneinthe upperatmospherereflectstheSun’slightandthemethaneabsorbstheredlight, allowingbluetobouncebackout. ©2014SuperchargedScience 32 www.SuperchargedScience.com QuestionstoAnswer 1. Whatcolorsdoesthesunsetgothrough? 2. Doesthecolorofthelightsourcematter? ©2014SuperchargedScience 33 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#5:PlanetaryMagneticFields Overview:You’regoingtouseacompasstofigureoutthemagneticlinesofforcefromamagnetbymappingthe twodifferentpolesandhowthelinesofforceconnectthetwo.Amagneticfieldmustcomefromanorthpoleofa magnetandgotoasouthpoleofamagnet(oratomsthathaveturnedtothemagneticfield.) WhattoLearn:Compassesareinfluencedbymagneticlinesofforce.Theselinesarenotnecessarilystraight. Whentheybend,thecompassneedlemoves.TheEarthhasahugemagneticfield.TheEarthhasaweakmagnetic force.ThemagneticfieldcomesfromthemovingelectronsinthecurrentsoftheEarth’smoltencore.TheEarthhas anorthandasouthmagneticpolewhichisdifferentfromthegeographicNorthandSouthPole. Materials Barmagnet Horseshoemagnet Circular(disk)magnet Compass String Ruler Experiment 1. 2. 3. 4. Tieastringaroundyourmagnet. Bringitclosetothecompass. Whichendisthenorthendofyourmagnet?Labelitwithapencilrightonthemagnet. Flipthemagnetaroundbytwistingthestringsothatthecompassflipstotheoppositepole.Labelthe oppositesiteofthemagnetwiththeappropriateletter(NorS). 5. Bringasecondmagnetclosetothefirstone.Whathappenswhenyoubringtwooppositepolestogether? Whatifthepolesarethesame? Nowuntieorcutthestringforthenextpartofyourlab. 6. Layapieceofpaperonyourdesk. 7. Placethemagnetinthemiddleofthepaperandtracetheoutline. 8. Draw12dots(justlikeonaclock)allthewayaroundthemagnet.Thesearethelocationswhereyouwill placeyourcompass,somakesurethattheyarecloseenoughtothemagnetsothemagnetinfluencesthe compass. 9. Placeyourcompassononeofthedotsandlookatthedirectionthearrowispointing.Removethecompass anddrawthatexactarrowdirectionrightoveryourdot.Dothisforall12dots. 10. Drawanotherringofdotsaninchortwooutfromthefirstringandrepeatstep9. 11. Repeatsteps6‐10withacircularmagnetonanewsheetofpaper. 12. Repeatsteps6‐10forthehorseshoemagnetonanothersheetofpaper. ©2014SuperchargedScience 34 www.SuperchargedScience.com Reading Rightunderyourfeet,there’samagnet.Goaheadtakealook.Liftupyourfeetandseewhat’sunderthere.Doyou seeit?It’shuge!Infact,it’sthelargestmagnetontheEarth.Asamatteroffact,itistheEarth!That’sright;the Earthisonehuge,gigantic,monolithicmagnet!We’regoingtouseamagnettosubstitutefortheEarthandplotout themagneticfieldlines. ThemagneticpolewhichwasattractedtotheEarth’sNorthPolewaslabeledastheBorealor“north‐seekingpole” inthe1200s,whichwaslatershortenedto“northpole.”Toaddtotheconfusion,geologistscallthispoletheNorth MagneticPole. QuestionstoAnswer 1. Howarethelinesofforcedifferentforthetwomagnets? 2. Howfarout(ininchesmeasuredfromthemagnet)doesthemagnetaffectthecompass? 3. Whatmakesthecompassmovearound? 4. Doyouthinkthecompass’snorth‐southindicatorisflipped,ortheEarth’sNorthPolewheretheSouth Poleis?Howdoyouknow? ©2014SuperchargedScience 35 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#6:Seasons Overview:OnecommonmisconceptionisthattheseasonsarecausedbyhowclosetheEarthistotheSun.Today yougettodoanexperimentthatshowshowseasonsareaffectedbyaxistilt,notbydistancefromtheSun.Andyou alsofindoutwhichplanetdoesn’thavesunlightfor42years. WhattoLearnTheseasonsarecausedbytheEarth’saxistiltof23.4ofromtheeclipticplane. Materials Brightlightsource(notfluorescent) Balloon Protractor Maskingtape 2liquidcrystalthermometers Ruler,yardstickormeterstick Marker Experiment 1. Foralightsource,trylampswith100Wbulbs(withoutlampshades).Makesurethere’sroomtowalkall thewayaroundit.You’llwanttocirclethelampatadistanceofabout2feetaway. 2. Markonthefloorwithtapeandlabelthefourpositions:winter,spring,summer,andfall.Theyshouldbeat the12,3,6,and9o’clockpositions.Winterisdirectlyacrossfromsummer.TheEarthrotates counterclockwisearoundtheSunwhenviewedfromabove. 3. Blowupyourballoonsoit’sroughlyround‐shaped(don’tblowitupalltheway).Markandlabelthenorth andsouthpoleswithyourmarker.Drawanequatoraroundthemiddlecircumference. 4. TheEarthdoesn’tpointitsnorthpolestraightupasitgoesaroundtheSun.It’stiltedover23.4o.here’show youfindthispointonyourballoon: a. PuttheSouthPolemarkonthetable,withnorthpointingstraightup.Findthemidwaypoint betweentheequatorandtheNorthPoleandmakeatinymark.Thisisthe45olatitudepoint.You’ll needthistofindthe23omark. b. Findthemidwaypointbetweenthe45omarkandtheNorthPoleandmakeanothermark,larger thistimeandlabelitwith23o.Whenthismarkispointingup,theEarthistiltedovertheright amount. c. You’llneedtodothisthreemoretimessoyoucandrawalineconnectingthedots.Youwantto drawthelatitudelineat23osoyoucanrotatetheballoonasyoumovearoundtothedifferent seasons.Thelinewillalwaysbepointedup. 5. Placethethermometersontheballoonattheselocations: a. FindthehalfwaypointbetweentheSouthPoleandtheequator.Putonethermometeronthismark. b. Puttheotherthermometeronthenorthernhemisphere’s45omarkfromabove. 6. Makesureyourlampisfacingtheballoonasyoustandonsummer.Lettheballoonbeheatedbythelamp foracoupleofminutesandthenrecordthetemperatureinthedatatable. 7. Rotatethelamptopointtofall.Moveyourballoontofall,rotatingtheballoonsothatthethermometersare facingthelamp.Waitafewmoreminutesandtakeanotherreading. ©2014SuperchargedScience 36 www.SuperchargedScience.com 8. Rotatethelamptopointtowinter.Moveyourballoontowinter,rotatingtheballoonsothatthe thermometersarefacingthelamp.Waitafewmoreminutesandtakeanotherreading. 9. Rotatethelamptopointtospring.Moveyourballoontospring,rotatingtheballoonsothatthe thermometersarefacingthelamp.Waitafewmoreminutesandtakeanotherreading.You’vecompleteda datasetforplanetswithanaxistiltofabout23o,whichincludestheEarth,Mars,SaturnandNeptune. 10. Repeatsteps1‐9forMercury.NotethatMercurydoesnothaveanaxistilt,sotheNorthPolereallypoints straightup.Jupiter(3.1oaxistilt)andVenus(2.7o)areverysimilar.TheMoon’saxistiltis6.7o,soyoucan approximatethesefourobjectswitha0oaxistilt. 11. Repeatsteps1‐9forUranus.Sincetheaxistiltis97.8o,youcanapproximatethisbypointingthenorthpole straightattheSunduringsummer(90oaxistilt).TheorbitforUranusis84years,whichmeans21years passesbetweeneachseason.Thenorthpolewillexperiencecontinuedsunlightfor42yearsfromspring throughfall,thendarknessfor42years. ©2014SuperchargedScience 37 www.SuperchargedScience.com SeasonsDataTable Don’tforgettocircleorlabelyourunits! NotethatUranus’saxistiltisapproximatedby90oandVenus,Jupiter,andMercury’saxistiltareapproximatedby0o AxisTilt Season 23o Summer 23o Fall 23o Winter 23o Spring 0o Summer 0o Fall 0o Winter 0o Spring 90o Summer 90o Fall 90o Winter 90o Spring NorthernHemisphere Temperature(oC/oF) SouthernHemisphere Temperature(oC/oF) Reading TheNorthandSouthPolesonlyexperiencetwoseasons:winterandsummer.DuringaSouthPolewinter,theSun willnotriseforseveralmonths,andalsotheSundoesnotsetforseveralmonthsinthesummer.Wegointomore detailabouthowthisworksinalaterlessonentitled:StarTrailsandPlanetPatterns. Attheequator,there’sawetseasonandadryseasonduetothetropicalrainbelt.Sincetheequatorisalways orientedatthesamepositiontotheSun,itreceivesthesameamountofsunlightandalwaysfeelslikesummer. ThechangingoftheseasonsiscausedbytheangleoftheSun.Forexample,inJuneduringsummersolstice,theSun ishighintheskyforlongerperiodsoftime,whichmakeswarmertemperaturesfortheNorthernHemisphere. DuringtheDecemberwintersolstice,theSunspendslesstimeintheskyandispositionedmuchlower.Thismakes ©2014SuperchargedScience 38 www.SuperchargedScience.com thewinterscolder.(Don’tforgetthatseasonsarealsoaffectedbyoceansandwinds,thoughthisisoutofthescope ofthisparticularactivity.) QuestionstoAnswer 1. WhatisthemainreasonwehaveseasonsonEarth? 2. WhyaretherenosunsetsonUranusfordecades? 3. ArethereseasonsonVenus? ©2014SuperchargedScience 39 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#7:IndoorRainClouds Overview:Todayyougettovaporizeliquidoceansofmoleculesandmakeitrainwhentherisingclouddeckshit thecoldnessofspace.Soundlikefun? WhattoLearn:Themovementofatmospheresondifferentplanetsisaffectedbythetemperatureoftheplanet andthemoleculesintheatmosphere. Materials Glassoficewater Glassofhotwater Towel Ruler Experiment 1. Pleasebecarefulwiththislab!Thehotwatercanburnyou! 2. Taketwoclearglassesthatfitsnuglytogetherwhenstacked.(Cylindricalglasseswithstraightsideswork well.) 3. Filloneglasshalf‐fullwithicewaterandtheotherhalf‐fullwithveryhotwater(definitelyanadultjob– andtakecarenottoshattertheglasswiththehotwater!).Besuretoleaveenoughairspacefortheclouds toforminthehotglass. 4. Placethecoldglassdirectlyontopofthehotglassandwaitseveralminutes.Ifthesealholdsbetweenthe glasses,araincloudwillformjustbelowthebottomofthecoldglass,anditactuallyrainsinsidetheglass! (Youcanuseadamptowelaroundtherimtohelpmakeabetterseal,ifneeded.) 5. Completethedatatable.Measurethewaterheightcarefullywithyourruler.Ifyouhave2”ofwaterinthe hotwaterglass,thenwrite2”.Pleasebecarefulwhenmeasuringhotwater! ©2014SuperchargedScience 40 www.SuperchargedScience.com IndoorRainCloudsDataTable HotWaterHeight IceWaterHeight Howwelldiditrain? Reading Thisexperimentdemonstratesstatechangesofmatter.Whenhotvaporrises(likefromthehotcoreofagaseous planet)andhitsacoldfront(likethecoldnessofouterspaceintheupperatmosphere),thevaporcondensesinto liquiddropsandrains,orcanevenfreezesolidintoicechunks.NeptuneandUranusbothhavemethaneiceintheir upperatmospheres.BothJupiterandSaturnhaveupperclouddecksofwatervaporandcloudsofammonia.The watervaporcloudsarerightatthefreezingtemperatureofwater. QuestionstoAnswer 1. Whichcombinationmadeitrainthebest?Whydidthiswork? 2. Drawyourexperimentaldiagram,labelingthedifferentcomponents: 3. Addinlabelsforthedifferentphasesofmatter.Canyouidentifyallthreestatesofmatterinyour experiment? ©2014SuperchargedScience 41 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#8:Volcanoes Overview:Marshassomeofthebiggestcanyonsandthehighestvolcanoesinthesolarsystem.VallesMarineris measures2,800feetwideand4milesdeep.That’s40timesthesizeoftheGrandCanyon.AndOlympusMonsis15 ½mileshigh,nearlythreetimesthesizeofMountEverest.Sohowdoesthishappen?That’swhatthislabwillhelp youfigureout. WhattoLearn:ThereactionyouaremakingtodayissimilartotheactionMarssawwithitsshieldvolcanoes.The gasproducediscarbondioxide.Thebubblesthatgettrappedinsidemakepockets,andthedishsoaphelpsthem stayasbubbleslongenoughforyoutocatchtheminaction. Experiment 1. Dothislaboutdoors,becauseofthemessitmakesthatseemstofloweverywhere.Findanice‐weatherday anddothisoutside.Thereareacoupleofchoiceswiththisexperiment.Yougettopickwhatthevolcanois madeoutof(therearetwodifferentdoughrecipes),andalsowhichkindofchemicalreactionyou’dliketo demonstrate(therearetwodifferentoneshere,too).Ifyou’reinahurry,useaslabofclayforthedough andusethefirstsetofchemicals. 2. Ifyou’dliketofilloutthedatatablefortheirexperiment(thisisquestionable,asit’sgoingtobeamessy lab),thenyou’llneedmeasuringcups. 3. Thefirstthingyouwilldoismixupvolcanodough.Therearetwodifferentrecipesprovidedwiththislab: StandardVolcanoDoughisjustlikeplaydough,andEarthyVolcanoDoughlooksmoreliketherealthing. Yourteacherwillletyouknowwhichoneyouaretomake.Thenproceedtothechemicalreactionthatyour teacherhasselectedforyou. MakingtheVolcano StandardVolcanoDough a. Mixtogether6cupsflour,2cupssalt,½cupvegetableoil,and2cupswarmwater. b. Theresultingmixtureshouldbefirmbutsmooth. c. Standawaterorsodabottleinaroastingpanandmoldthedougharounditintoavolcanoshape. EarthyVolcanoDough a. Mix2½cupsflour,2½cupsdirt,1cupsand,and1½cupssalt. b. Addwaterbythecupuntilthemixturestickstogether. c. Buildthevolcanoaroundanemptywaterbottleonadisposableturkey‐styleroastingpan. d. Itwilldryintwodaysifyouhavethetime,butwhywait?Youcaneruptwhenwetifthemixtureis stiffenough!(Andifit'snot,addmoreflouruntilitis.) ChemicalReactions: SodaVolcanoes a. Fillthebottlemostofthewaywithwarmwaterandabitofredfoodcoloring. b. Addasplashofliquidsoapand¼cupbakingsoda.Stirgently. c. Whenready,addvinegarinasteadystreamandwatchthatlavaflow. ©2014SuperchargedScience 42 www.SuperchargedScience.com AirPressureSulfurVolcanoes a. Wrapthevolcanodougharoundan18”pieceofclear,flexibletubing. b. Shapethedoughintoavolcanoandplaceinadisposableroastingpan. c. Pushandpullthetubefromthebottomuntiltheotherendofthetubeisjustbelowthevolcanotip. Ifyouclogtheendsofthetubingwithclay,justtrimawaytheclogwithscissors. d. Usingyourfingers,shapetheinsidetopofthevolcanotoresembleasmallpapercup. e. Yoursolutionneedsachambertomixandgrowinbeforeoverflowingdownthemountain.The tubegoesatthebottomoftheclay‐cupspace. f. BesurethevolcanoisSEALEDtothecookiesheetatthebottom.Youwon’twantthesolution runningoutofthebottomofthevolcanoinsteadofpoppingoutthetop! MakeyourchemicalreactantsforAirPressureSulfurVolcanoes: g. Solution1:Fillonebuckethalfwaywithwarmwaterandadd1to2cupsbakingsoda.Add1cupof liquiddishsoapandstirverygentlysoyoudon’tmaketoomanybubbles. h. Solution2:Fillasecondbuckethalfwaywithwaterandadd1cupofaluminumsulfate(alsocalled alum.)Addredfoodcoloringandstir. i. Puttingitalltogether:CountONE(andpourinSolution1)…TWO(inhaleaironly!)……andTHREE (pourinSolution2asyouputyourlipstothetubefromthebottomofthevolcanoandpuffashard asyoucan!)Lavashouldnotonlyflowbutburpandspitallovertheplace! SodaVolcanoesDataTable HowMuchBakingSoda? HowMuchVinegar? HowLongDidItReact? (measureinseconds) ©2014SuperchargedScience 43 www.SuperchargedScience.com AirPressureSulfurVolcanoesDataTable Note:Don’tblowthroughthetubewhentakingyourdata. HowMuchSolution1? HowMuchSolution2? HowLongDidItReact? (measureinseconds) Reading Haveyouevernoticedhowlotsofvolcanicrockshavebubblesinside?Thegasthatbubbledupthroughtherocks astheycooledgivesthemaporousappearance. Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappenifthelavadoesn’tmakeitallthewayoutofthevolcano?Itcoolsandcoatsthe inside,andthengetsreheatedwiththenextexplosion.Thiscanhappenoverandoveragain,makingthelava undergosomeprettyradialchanges,molecularlyspeaking. ThereactionthekidsaremakingtodayissimilartotheactionMarssawwithitsshieldvolcanoes.Thegas producediscarbondioxide.Thebubblesthatgettrappedinsidemakepockets,andthedishsoaphelpsthemstay asbubbleslongenoughforyoutocatchtheminaction. Marsisalitterboxforvolcanoes.Someofthesevolcanoesaredead,butothersaresimplydormant.Nearlyall volcanoesonMarsareshieldvolcanoes,createdbycurrentsandhotspotsbeneaththesurface(justliketheonesin Hawaii).TherearesomanyvolcanoesonMarsthatscientistshavedrawnlinestocorralthemintovolcanic provinces.Withouttectonicplates,thecurrentsunderthevolcanoescanfloweasilyandfreely. ©2014SuperchargedScience 44 www.SuperchargedScience.com QuestionstoAnswer 1. HowisthisactivitysimilartothevolcanoesonMars? 2. Whatgasisproducedwiththisreaction? 3. Whichplanetshavevolcanoes? ©2014SuperchargedScience 45 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#9:StarGazing Overview:We’regoingtolearnhowtogostargazingusingplanetariumsoftware,andhowtocustomizetoyour locationintheworldsoyouknowwhatyou’relookingatwhenyoulookupintotheskytonight! WhattoLearn:Telescopesandbinocularsareprettyuselessunlessyouknowwheretopointthem.Iamgoingto showyousomestandardconstellationsandhowtofindtheminthenightsky,soyou’llneverbelostagaininthe oceanofstarsoverhead. Materials: Planetariumsoftware(Stellariumisfreeatthislink:http://www.stellarium.org/) ORuseastarwheel(http://www.skyandtelescope.com/letsgo/familyfun/Make_a_Star_Wheel.html) LabTime: You’reabouttolocateseveraldifferentcelestialobjectsbyfirstfindingtheminyourplanetariumsoftware(orafter assemblingyourstarwheel. 1. Ifyouhaven’talready,customizeyourplanetariumsoftwaretoyourlocationbyenteringinyourlocation andelevation. 2. Nowadjustthetimesothatit’ssettothetimeyou’dliketostargazetonight.Whattimewillyoustargaze tonight?Writeithere…Time:_________________________ 3. ForfolksintheNorthernHemisphere,findtheBigDipper(orthePlough).ForSouthernHemispherefolks, findtheSouthernCross(ortheCrux,butitreallylookslikeabigkite).Theseareoneofthemost recognizablepatterns,andeasyforbeginnerstofind. 4. ForNortherners,usetheBigDippertolocatePolaris,theNorthStar.Thetwostarsattheedgeofthedipper pointstraighttotheNorthStar. 5. ForSoutherners,usetheSouthernCrosstofindthesouthpoleofthesky(sometimescalledthe“southpole pit”sincethere’snostarthereattheexactpolepointofthesouthernsky).Thelongerbarinthecross pointsalmostexactlytowardtheSouthPole. 6. UsingtheSearchoption,findtheplanetsthatwillbevisibletonightbytypingintheirnameintothesearch window.Whichoneswillbevisibleforyoutonight? PlanetName: Whereisitinthesky?(Whereshouldyoulook?) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ©2014SuperchargedScience 46 www.SuperchargedScience.com 7. InStellarium,clickthe“Search”icon,thenthe“Lists”tab,andselect“Constellations”.Selecttwodifferent constellationsyou’dliketofindtonightthatarevisibletoyou,andrecordinformationaboutthemhere: ConstellationName: PointerStars/LocationIndicators(Howwillyoufindit?): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Whenyou’reready,flipovertotheobservingdatatable,grabaflashlight,pencil,andthengooutsidetolog yourobservations,justlikearealscientist! ObservingTip:Trytoobservewhenthemoonislessthanfirstquarterphaseormorethanthreequarters (meaningthatthemoonislessthan50%illuminated).Youdon’tneedanyfancyviewingequipment,onlyyourlog sheet,andifyoucandoit,bringyourplanetariumsoftwareprogramwithyououtsidetohelpyoulocatethe objects.Startsmall,andfindacoupleofthingsonthefirstnight.Ifyoudon’tfigureitoutthefirsttime,tryagainthe nextnight.IlearnedthenorthernskybylearningonenewconstellationeverytimeIwentstargazing,andpretty soonIhadalotofthemthatIcouldidentifyeasily. Note:Thisisn’tsomethingthat’sgoingtoworkbyosmosis.Youwillhavetogooutside,figureoutwheretolook, andfindtheobject.Figureoutwhatyou’relookingfor,andaboutwhereyoucanexpecttofindit,andpracticeand testyourselfoverandoveruntilyoucansuccessfullyfinditeverytime.Ifyou’regettingfrustrated,it’stimetostop andhaveasipofhotcocoabeforeyoutryagain.Thisissupposedtobeafuntreasurehunt,somakeitenjoyable! HowtoFindtheNorthStar(Polaris) ©2014SuperchargedScience HowtoFindtheSouthPole 47 www.SuperchargedScience.com AstronomyStarGazingObservationalLog ObservingDate:_________________________Lat/Long:___________________________SiteElev:________________________ ObservingLocation/Site:____________________________________________________________MoonPhase:_________________ Weatherconditions:_________________________________________DimmestStarVisibleOverhead:___________________ Notes:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Time: (UTCorLocalTime) ©2014SuperchargedScience SketchofObject Observed: ObjectNameor Classification: Notes: 48 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#10:SongoftheSun Overview:HelioseismologyisthestudyofwaveoscillationsintheSun.Bystudyingthewaves,scientistscan tellwhat’sgoingoninsidetheSun.It’sbelikestudyingearthquakestolearnwhat’sgoingoninsidethe earth.TheSunisfilledwithsound,andstudyingthesesoundwavesiscurrentlytheonlywayscientists cantellwhat’sgoingoninside,sincethelightweseefromtheSunisjustfromtheuppersurface. WhattoLearn:Moleculesarevibratingbackandforthatfairlyhighratesofspeed,creatingwaves.Energymoves fromplacetoplacebywaves.Soundenergymovesbylongitudinalwaves(thewavesthatarelikeaslinky).The moleculesvibratebackandforth,crashingintothemoleculesnexttothem,causingthemtovibrate,andsoonand soforth.Allsoundscomefromvibrations. Materials Musicalinstruments:triangles,glassbottlesthatcanbeblownacross,metalforks,tuningforks,recorders, jawharps,harmonicas,etc.Whateveryouhavewillworkfine. Experiment 1. Yourteacherwillpulloutabinofmusicalinstrumentsofvarioustypes. 2. Assignonestudenttobethenoisemaker.Therestwilllistenwiththeireyesclosedandrecordtheir observations. 3. Everyoneshutstheireyesexceptforthenoisemaker. 4. Thenoisemakerselectsaninstrumentandplaysitonce.Everyoneelselistens. 5. Thenoisemakerselectsanotherinstrumentandplaysitonce.Everyonelistens. 6. Thenoisemakerselectsathirdinstrumentandplaysitonce.Everyonelistens. 7. Thenoisemakerselectsoneofthethreeinstrumentsandplaysitasitmoves.Forexample,ifyou’replaying thetriangle,youcanhititandspinit.Orhititasyouarewalkingpasttheclosed‐eyelisteners.Sound changeswhentheobjectismoving,somakethesoundtheyhearappeartobedifferentsomehow. 8. Thenoisemakerputstheinstrumentsbackandeveryoneopenstheireyesandrecordstheirdatainthe table. 9. Switchrolesandfindanewnoisemakerforthenexttrial.Repeatsteps2‐8. ©2014SuperchargedScience 49 www.SuperchargedScience.com SongoftheSunDataTable Makesureyoureyesareclosedwhentheinstrumentsareplayed!Fortheinstrumentcolumnstwothroughfour,write downa1,2,or3fortheinstrumentyouthinkanswersthequestionbest. NOTE:Youdon’thavetoknowwhattheinstrumentwas,justwhereitwasplayedinsequence. Thenoisemakerwillletyouknowaftereveryonehasplacedtheirguessesontheirdatatableforthetrial. Whichmadethe highestnote? Trial# Whichmadethe lowestnote? Whichonemoved? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reading TheSunislikethebiggestmusicalinstrumentyou’veeverseen.Apianohas88keys,whichmeansyoucanplay88 differentmusicalnotes.TheSunhas10million. Toplayaguitar,youpluckoneofthesixstrings.Toplaythepiano,youhitakeyandsoundcomesout.Toplaythe flute,youblowacrossahole.Drumsrequiresmackingthingstogether.SohowdoyouplaytheSun? Moleculesarevibratingbackandforthatfairlyhighratesofspeed,creatingwaves.Energymovesfromplaceto placebywaves.Soundenergymovesbylongitudinalwaves(thewavesthatarelikeaslinky).Themolecules ©2014SuperchargedScience 50 www.SuperchargedScience.com vibratebackandforth,crashingintothemoleculesnexttothem,causingthemtovibrate,andsoonandsoforth. Allsoundscomefromvibrations. Wavesarethewayenergymovesfromplacetoplace.Soundmovesfromamouthtoanearbywaves.Lightmoves fromalightbulbtoabookpagetoyoureyesbywaves.Wavesareeverywhere.Asyousittherereadingthis,you aresurroundedbyradiowaves,televisionwaves,cellphonewaves,lightwaves,soundwavesandmore.(Ifyou happentobereadingthisinaboatorabathtub,you’resurroundedbywaterwavesaswell.)Therearewaves everywhere! Doyourememberwhereallwavescomefrom?Vibratingparticles.Wavescomefromvibratingparticlesandare madeupofvibratingparticles. Here’sruleonewhenitcomestowaves…thewavesmove,theparticlesdon’t.Thewavemovesfromplaceto place.Thewavecarriestheenergyfromplacetoplace.Theparticleshowever,stayput.Hereareacoupleof examplestokeepinmind. Ifyou’veeverseenacrowdofpeopledothe“wave”inthestandsofasportingeventyoumayhavenoticedthatthe peopleonly“vibrated”upanddown.Theydidnotmovealongthewave.Thewave,however,movedthroughthe stands. Anotherexamplewouldbeaduckfloatingonawavylake.Theduckismovingupanddown(vibrating)justlikethe waterparticlesbutheisnotmovingwiththewaves.Thewavesmove,buttheparticlesdon’t.WhenItalktoyou, thevibratingairmoleculesthatmadethesoundinmymouthdonottravelacrosstheroomintoyourears.(Which isespeciallyhandyifI’vejusteatenanonionsandwich!)Theenergyfrommymouthismoved,bywaves,acrossthe room. Convectionstartsthewavesmoving.You’veseenconvectionwhenahotpotofwaterbubblesup.Youcaneven hearitwhenitstartstoboilifyoulistencarefully.JustbelowthesurfaceoftheSun,theenergythatstarteddeepin thecorehasbubbleduptothesurfacetomakegiganticbubblesemergethatarebiggerthanthestateofAlaska.It’s alsoanoisyprocess,andthesoundwavesstaytrappedbeneaththesurface,makingwavesappearonthesurfaceof theSun.ThismakestheSun’ssurfacelooklikeit’smovingupanddown. ScientistsusespecialcamerastowatchthesurfaceoftheSunwiggleandmove,andtheylookforpatternssothey candeterminewhat’sgoingondowninsidetheSun.SincethesoundisinsidetheSununderthepartwecansee, weusesoundtodiscoverwhat’sinsidetheSun. HaveyoueverheardtheSun?ThevideoisanactualrecordingofthesongoftheSun. Ifyou’veeverbeeninsideanunfurnishedroom,you’veheardechoesindoors.Soundbouncesallaroundtheroom, justlikeitdoesinsidethesurfaceoftheSun. Cansoundwavestravelthroughspace?No.Soundrequiresamediumtotravelthrough,sinceittravelsbyvibrating molecules,andtherearen’tenoughmoleculesinspacetodothiswith(thereareacouplerandomonesfloating aroundhereandthere,butwaytoofaraparttobeusefulforsoundwaves). Ifyouhaveaslinky,takeitoutandstretchitouttoitsfulllengthonthetableortheground,askingsomeoneto helpyouholdoneend.Nowmovetheslinkyquicklytotheleftandbackagain,andwatchthewavetraveldownthe lengthandreturn.Nowmoveyourendquicklyupandthenbackdownthetable,makingalongitudinalwave. Whenthiswavefinishes,takeyourendandshoveitquicklytowardyourhelper,thenpullbackagaintomakea ©2014SuperchargedScience 51 www.SuperchargedScience.com compressionwave.Pointouttothestudenthowwhenthewavereturns,it’sanecho.That’swhathappensinside theSunwhenthesoundwaveshitthesurfaceoftheSun.Theydon’tgothroughthesurface,butgettrapped beneathitastheyechoofftheinsidesurfaceoftheSun. QuestionstoAnswer 1. Whatdidyounoticethatisdifferentaboutthesoundsyouheard? 2. Howcanyoutellthattwosoundsaredifferentthatcamefromthesameinstrument?(Movement causessoundwavestosounddifferent.) 3. Whatdidyounoticeaboutyourguesses?Whatkindofinstrumentswereyoumorecorrectabout? ©2014SuperchargedScience 52 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#11:SimpleMicroscope&Telescope Overview:Didyouknowyoucancreateacompoundmicroscopeandarefractortelescopeusingthesame materials?It'sallinhowyouusethemtobendthelight.Thesetwoexperimentscoverthefundamentalbasicsof howtwodouble‐convexlensescanbeusedtomakeobjectsappearlargerwhenrightupcloseorfartheraway. WhattoLearn:Thingslikelensesandmirrorscanbendandbouncelighttomakeinterestingthings,like compoundmicroscopesandreflectortelescopes.Telescopesmagnifytheappearanceofsomedistantobjectsinthe sky,includingthemoonandtheplanets.Thenumberofstarsthatcanbeseenthroughtelescopesisdramatically greaterthancanbeseenbytheunaidedeye. Materials Awindow Dollarbill Penny Twohand‐heldmagnifyinglenses Ruler Experiment 1. Placeapennyonthetable. 2. Holdonemagnifierabovethepennyandlookthroughit. 3. Bringthesecondmagnifyinglensabovethefirstsonowyou’relookingthroughboth.Movethesecondlens closerand/orfurtherfromthepennyuntilthepennycomesintosharpfocus.You’vejustmadea compoundmicroscope. 4. Who’sinsidethebuildingonanolderpenny? 5. Tryfindingthespider/owlonthedollarbill.(Hint:It’sinacornernexttothe“1”.) 6. Keepingthedistancebetweenthemagnifiersaboutthesame,slowlyliftupthemagnifiersuntilyou’renow lookingthroughbothtoawindow. 7. Adjustthedistanceuntilyourimagecomesintosharp(andupside‐down)focus.You’vejustmadea refractortelescope,justlikeGalileoused400yearsago. 8. Findeightdifferentitemstolookatthroughyourmagnifiers.Makefourofthemup‐closesoyouusethe magnifiersasamicroscope,andfourofthemfar‐awayobjectssoyouusethemagnifierslikeatelescope. Completethedatatable. ©2014SuperchargedScience 53 www.SuperchargedScience.com SimpleMicroscope&TelescopeDataTable Forthelasttwocolumns,measurewithyourrulercarefully.Don’tforgettolabelyourunits! MagnificationUsed:______________________________________________(multiplythemagnificationofbothlensestogether) Object LookedAt HowFarApartare theLenses? DidyouusetheMagnifiers asaMicroscopeor Telescope? HowFarisyour Eyefromthe Eyepiece? Reading WhatIlikebestaboutthisactivityishoweasilywecanbreakdownthebasicideasofsomethingthatseemsmuch morecomplexandintimidating,likeatelescopeormicroscope,inawaythatkidsreallyunderstand. Whenabeamoflighthitsadifferentsubstance(likeawindowpaneoralens),thespeedatwhichthelighttravels changes.(Soundwavesdothis,too!)Insomecases,thischangeturnsintoachangeinthedirectionofthebeam. ©2014SuperchargedScience 54 www.SuperchargedScience.com Forexample,ifyoustickapencilisaglassofwaterandlookthroughthesideoftheglass, you'llnoticethatthepencilappearsshifted.Thespeedoflightisslowerinthewater (140,000milespersecond)thanintheair(186,000milespersecond).Thisiscalled opticaldensity,andtheresultisbentlightbeamsandbrokenpencils. You'llnoticethatthepencildoesn'talwaysappearbroken.Dependingonwhereyour eyeballsare,youcanseeanintactorbrokenpencil.Whenlightentersanewsubstance (likegoingfromairtowater)perpendiculartothesurface(lookingstraighton), refractionsdonotoccur. However,ifyoulookattheglassatanangle,thendependingonyoursightangle,you'llseeadifferentamountof shiftinthepencil.Wheredoyouneedtolooktoseethegreatestshiftinthetwohalvesofthepencil? Whydoesthepencilappearbent?Isitalwaysbent?Doesthetemperatureofthewateraffecthowbentthepencil looks?Whatifyouputtwopencilsinthere? Dependingonifthelightisgoingfromalightertoanopticallydensermaterial(orviceversa),itwillbenddifferent amounts.Glassisopticallydenserthanwater,whichisdenserthanair. Notonlycanyouchangetheshapeofobjectsbybendinglight(brokenpencilorwhole?),butyoucanalsochange thesize.Magnifyinglenses,telescopes,andmicroscopesusethisideatomakeobjectsappeardifferentsizes. QuestionstoAnswer 1. Canlightchangespeeds? 2. CanyouseeALLlightwithyoureyes? 3. Givethreeexamplesofalightsource. 4. What'sthedifferencebetweenamicroscopeandatelescope? 5. Whyisthetelescopeimageupside‐down? ©2014SuperchargedScience 55 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#12:StarCharting Overview:IfyouwanttogetfromNewYorktoLosAngelesbycar,you’dpulloutamap.Ifyouwanttofindthe nearestgasstation,you’dpulloutasmallermap.Whatifyouwantedtofindournearestneighboroutsideoursolar system?Astarchartisamapofthenightsky,dividedintosmallerparts(grids)soyoudon’tgettoooverwhelmed. Astronomersusethesestarchartstolocatestars,planets,moons,comets,asteroids,clusters,groups,binarystars, blackholes,pulsars,galaxies,planetarynebulae,supernovae,quasars,andmorewildthingsintheintergalactic zoo. WhattoLearn:Howtofindtwoconstellationsintheskytonight,andhowtogetthoseconstellationsdownon paperwithsomedegreeofaccuracy. Materials Dark,cloud‐freenight Twofriends String Rocks Pencil Experiment 1. Tapeyourstringtothepencil. 2. Looselywrapthestringaroundyourfingerseveraltimessothatthetipofthepencilisaboutaninchabove theground. 3. Findaconstellation.Pointtoastarintheconstellation. 4. Haveasecondpersonplacearockunderthepenciltip. 5. Whenthey’veplacedtherockinposition,pointtoanotherstar. 6. Haveasecondpersonplacearockunderthepenciltipagain. 7. Repeatthisprocessuntilallthestarshaverocksundertheirpositions. 8. Youshouldseeasmallversionoftheconstellationonyourpaper. Reading Peoplehavebeenchartingstarssincelongbeforepaperwasinvented.Infact,we’vefoundstarchartsonrocks, insidebuildings,andevenonivorytusks.Celestialcartographyisthescienceofmappingthestars,galaxies,and astronomicalobjectsonacelestialsphere. Celestialnavigation(astronavigation)madeitpossibleforsailorstocrossoceansbysightingtheSun,Moon, planets,oroneofthe57pre‐selectednavigationalstarsalongwiththevisiblehorizon. Watchthevideothatshowshowthestarsappeartomovedifferently,dependingonwhichpartoftheEarthyou’re viewingfrom.What’sthedifferencebetweenlivingontheequatororinAntarctica(explainedinvideo)? ThefirstthingtostarchartistheBigDipper,orothereasy‐to‐findconstellation(alternates:Cassiopeiafor northernhemisphereortheSouthernCrossforthesouthernhemisphere).TheBigDipperisalwaysvisibleinthe northernhemisphereallyearlong,sothismakesforagoodtarget. ©2014SuperchargedScience 56 www.SuperchargedScience.com Useglow–in‐the‐darkstarsinsteadofrocks,andchargethemwithaquickflashfromacamera(oraflashlight). Keepyourhandasstillasyoucanwhilethesecondpersonlinestherockintoposition.Youcanalsounrollalarge sheetof(butcherorcraft)paperandusemarkerstocreateamorepermanentstarchart. QuestionstoAnswer: 1. Ifyouhaveconstellationsonyourclassceiling,chartthemonaseparatepagemarkingthepositionsofthe rockswithX’s. 2. Tonight,findtwoconstellationsthatyouwillchart.Bringthemwithyoutomorrowusingthetechnique outlinedaboveinExperiment. ©2014SuperchargedScience 57 www.SuperchargedScience.com Astronomy1Evaluation StudentWorksheet Overview:Today,you’regoingtotaketwodifferenttests:thequizandthelabpractical.You’regoingtotakethe writtenquizfirst,andthelabpracticalattheendofthislab.Thelabpracticalisn’tapapertest–it’swhereyouget toshowyourteacherthatyouknowhowtodosomething. LabTest&Homework 1. Yourteacherwillaskyoutosharehowmuchyouunderstandaboutastronomy.Sincescienceissomuch morethanjustreadingabookorcirclingtherightanswer,thisisanimportantpartofthetesttofindout whatyoureallyunderstand. 2. Whileyouarewaitingtoshowhowmuchofthisstuffyoualreadyknow,yougettochoosewhich homeworkassignmentyouwanttocomplete.Theassignmentisduetomorrow,andhalfthecreditisfor creativityandtheotherhalfisforcontent,soreallyletyourimaginationflyasyouworkthroughit.Choose one: a. Writeashortstoryorskitaboutgravityfromtheperspectiveoftheplanetorobject(likeasunor moon).You’llreadthisaloudtoyourclass. b. Makeaposterthatteachesoneofthemainconceptsofastronomyyouenjoyedmost.Whenyou’re finished,you’lluseittoteachtoaclassofyoungerstudentsanddemonstratetheprinciplesthat you’velearned. c. Writeandperformapoemorsongaboutastronomy,telescopes,gravity,moonsoratmospheres.This willbeperformedforyourclass. ©2014SuperchargedScience 58 www.SuperchargedScience.com Astronomy1Quiz StudentQuizSheet Name__________________________________________________________ 1. Whyisn’tPlutoaplanetanymore? 2. HowmanyEarthscanfitinsidetheSun? 3. Whatarecometsmadeoutof? 4. WhatistheEarth’satmospheremadeupof? 5. HowmanyEarthsfitinsideJupiter? 6. HowfaristheEarthfromthesun? 7. Whatisanatmosphere? 8. Whatisamagneticfield? 9. Aresunsetsthesamecoloronallplanets? 10. Whatmakesacompassneedlemovearound? 11. WhydowehaveseasonsonEarth?Doallplanetshaveseasons? 12. Namethreeplanetsthathavevolcanoes(activeorextinct)? 13. Canyoudetectallkindsoflightwithyoureyes? 14. Whyisthetelescopeimageupside‐down? ©2014SuperchargedScience 59 www.SuperchargedScience.com Astronomy1LabPractical StudentWorksheet Thisisyourchancetoshowhowmuchyouhavepickeduponimportantkeyconcepts,andifthereareany holes.Youalsowillbeworkingonahomeworkassignmentasyoudothistestindividuallywithateacher. Materials: Twohandheldmagnifiers Sheetofpaper BallwithatoothpickstickingoutofthetopandbottomtorepresenttheEarth’snorthandsouthpoles(or useaglobeifyouhaveone) Strongflashlight LabPractical: Designandbuildanexperimentthatshowshowarefractortelescopeworks. DemonstratewhytheEarthhasseasons. ©2014SuperchargedScience 60 www.SuperchargedScience.com AnswerstoExercisesandActivities Lesson#1:PlanetariumandStarShow 1.WhathappenedtoPluto?(Plutowasreclassifiedasadwarfplanet.BeyondNeptune,theKuiperBeltholdsthe chunksoficeanddust,likecometsandasteroidsaswellaslargerobjectslikedwarfplanetsErisandPluto.) 2.HowdoestheSunmakeenergy?(Thenuclearreactionsdeepinthecoretransform600milliontonspersecond ofhydrogenintoheliumbysmackingprotonstogether,callednuclearfusion.) 3.Whichplanetisyourfavoriteandwhy?(Refertostudentresponses.) 4.HowmanymoonsaroundJupiterandSaturncanyouseewithbinoculars?(Foureach.) 5.What’sthedifferencebetweenagalaxyandablackhole?(Galaxiesaregroupsofstarsthatarepulledandheld togetherbygravity.Blackholesaretheleftoverremnantsofasupernovaexplosionthatrequireanescapevelocity greaterthanthespeedoflight.) 6.HowmanyEarthscanfitinsidetheSun?(1.3million) Lesson#2:SolarSystemTreasureHunt 1.TheshapeofourSolarSystemiscircular. 2.Howmanyplanetsdowehaveinoursolarsystem?8 3.PlutoisnowpartoftheKuiperBelt. 4.TheSunrotatesonceevery27daysatitsequatorand31daysatthepoles. 5.ThecoretemperatureoftheSunis15milliondegreesCelsius. 6.Aplanethasthreecriteria:ItorbitstheSun,hascleareditsorbitofsmallerobjects,andislargeenoughsoits owngravitymakesitround. 7.Therearethreetypesofplanets:rockyterrestrial,gasgiantsandicegiants. 8.Mercuryistheclosest,butnotthehottestplanet.ThesidefacingtheSungetsto800oF,andthesidefacingaway fromtheSungetsto‐280oF. 9.Thesolarsystemincludeseightplanets,theirmoons,theSunatthecenter,andsmallerobjectssuchascomets andasteroids. 10.TheSunismadeoutof75%hydrogenand25%helium. 11.VenusiscalledthegoddessoflovebecauseitlookssobrighttousfromEarth,butitreallyhasasurface temperatureof863oF. ©2014SuperchargedScience 61 www.SuperchargedScience.com 12.Cometsarereallydirtysnowballs. 13.Venusisthebrightestthinginthesky,otherthantheSunandMoon. 14.ColdmethaneiswhatgivesUranusitsblue‐greencolor.It’sclassifiedasanicegiant. 15.OnedayislongerthanayearonVenus.Notonlythat,itrotatesintheoppositedirection. 16.Earth’satmosphereismadeupof21%oxygenand78%nitrogen 17.TheMoonpullsonthesurfaceontheEarthandcausestidesonboththelandandocean. 18.Mars’smoonsarenamedafterFear/PanicandFleeing/Flight. 19.Ironoxide(rust)givesMarsitsredcolor. 20.IftheEarthwasthesizeofamarble,Jupiterwouldbethesizeofasoccerball. 21.Jupitercanfit1,321Earthsinside. 22.IfyouaddedmoremasstoJupiteritwouldgetsmallerbecauseit’sabigballofgas. 23.Jupiterismadeoutofhydrogenandheliumwithametallichydrogencore. 24.ThevolcanoesonJupiter’smoonIospewitsiceash300mileshigh. 25.Saturnissurroundedbyringsmademostlyoficemovingat75,000mph. 26.InsideSaturn’sringsareshepherdmoons. 27.Titanhasanatmospheremademostlyofnitrogensothickthatifyoustrappedwingsontoyourarmsand flapped,you’dfly! 28.ScientiststhinkthatIapetususedtohavearingaroundit,anditcrasheddownontothesurface. 29.Jupiterissolargethatalloftheplanetsinthesolarsystemcouldfitinsideofit. 30.MimaslooksjustliketheDeathStar. 31.TheplanetUranusrollsaroundtheSunwhiletippedonitsside. 32.PhobosisslowlymovinginwardtowardMarsandwilleithershatterorformaringaroundMars. 33.OurbestguessisthattheiceonMercurywascausedbycomets. 34.AveragedailywindspeedonNeptuneis1,200mph. 35.Neptuneisagiantballofgas,whichisalsoknownasanicegiant. 36.CharonandPlutoareapairofobjectsbecausetheybothrotatearoundapointoutsideofeach.Thesetwoare alsoorbitedbyHydraandNix. 37.SeventypercentoftheEarth'ssurfaceiscoveredbywater. 38.TheSunis93millionmilesfromtheEarth,alsoknownas1AU. ©2014SuperchargedScience 62 www.SuperchargedScience.com 39.ThehottestplanetisVenusbecausetheheatthatcomesintotheplanetgetstrappedinside. 40.Therearehowmanystarsareinoursolarsystem?One.TheSun. 41.Whichcolorstarsarethehottest?Blue.Coolest?Red. 42.ThePistolstaristhebiggestonewe’vefoundanditreleasesasmuchenergyinonesecondasourSundoesin oneyear. 43.TheplanetsandmoonsthatpeoplehavewalkedonareEarthandtheMoon. 44.Jupiter'sGreatRedSpotisgettingsmaller.It’saboutthesizeoftwoEarthsrightnow. 45.JupiterandSaturnaregasgiants,andUranusandNeptuneareicegiants. 46.Neptuneisthecoldestplanetinoursolarsystem. 47.Thefivedwarfplanetsinoursolarsystemare:Eris,Makemake,Haumea,Pluto,andCeres. 48.Ittakeslight8minutestotravelfromtheSuntoEarth. 49.Venushassomuchvolcanicactivitythatitconstantlyresurfacesitself. 50.WhatkindoficeisonMars?Dryiceandwaterice. Lesson#3:MagneticTornadoes 1.Defineanatmosphere.(Anenvelopesurroundinganobjectlikeaplanetoramoonthatisheldinplacebythe object’sgravitationalfield.) 2.Whatisamagneticfield?(Aforcefieldaroundamagnet.) 3.Wheredomagneticfieldscomefrominplanets?(Wethinktheyoriginatefromthemoltenmetalliccoreofa planet.Whenthecorecoolsoff,themagneticfielddisappears.) 4.Whichplanetsdonothaveamagneticfield?(Venusdoesnotbecauseofitssuper‐slowrotation,andMarsdoes nothaveaplanet‐widemagneticfield,thoughitdoeshavemagnetichotspots.) Lesson#4:SkyinaJar 1.Whatcolorsdoesthesunsetgothrough?(ThesunsetgoesthroughthecolorsoftherainbowastheSunsets lowerinthesky,startingwithyellow,thenorange,andthenredasitsets.) 2.Doesthecolorofthelightsourcematter?(Yes.Whitelightgivesthebestresults.) ©2014SuperchargedScience 63 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#5:PlanetaryMagneticFields 1.Howarethelinesofforcedifferentforthetwomagnets?(Sincethisisgoingtodependonthekindofmagnets youuse,refertothedatacollected.) 2.Howfarout(ininchesmeasuredfromthemagnet)doesthemagnetaffectthecompass?(Sincethisisgoingto dependonthekindofmagnetsyouuse,refertothedatacollected.) 3.Whatmakesthecompassmovearound?(Themagneticlinesofforcethatareinvisibletoyoureye.) 4.Doyouthinkthecompass’snorth‐southindicatorisflipped,ortheEarth’sNorthPolewheretheSouthPoleis? Howdoyouknow?(It’sanarbitrarydenotation,buttheEarth’sNorthPoleisdeemedtobenorth.) Lesson#6:Seasons 1.WhatisthemainreasonwehaveseasonsonEarth?(Becausetheaxisistilted23.4o,exposingonehemisphereto moresunlighteachdayandwarmingtheplanet.) 2.WhyaretherenosunsetsonUranusfordecades?(TheorbitforUranusis84years,whichmeans21yearspass betweeneachseason.Thenorthpolewillexperiencecontinuedsunlightfor42yearsfromspringthroughfall,then darknessfor42years.) 3.ArethereseasonsonVenus?(No.It’sthesametemperature(460oC)everywhereyougoontheplanetfortwo reasons:firsttheaxistiltmakesalmostdifferencebetweensummerandwinter.Second,thethickatmosphere trapstheheat,whichflowsaroundtheplanet.) Lesson#7:IndoorRainClouds 1.Whichcombinationmadeitrainthebest?Whydidthiswork?(Thegreaterthetemperaturedifference,the betterthisexperimentwillwork.Themorewateryouhave,thelessthetemperaturewillfluctuateforeachglass, thusmakingitabletorainforlongerperiodsoftime.) 2.Drawyourexperimentaldiagramhere,labelingthedifferentcomponents: 3.Addinlabelsforthedifferentphasesofmatter.Canyouidentifyallthreestatesofmatterinyourexperiment? (Ice=solid;water=liquid,gasbetweentwoglassesiswatervapor,nitrogen,andoxygen.) Lesson#8:Volcanoes 1.HowisthisactivitysimilartothevolcanoesonMars?(Thebubblesthatgettrappedinsidemakepockets,andthe dishsoaphelpsthemstayasbubbleslongenoughforyoutocatchtheminaction). 2.Whatgasisproducedwiththisreaction?(Carbondioxide) 3.Whichplanetshavevolcanoes,activeorextinct?(Mercury,Mars,Venus,Earth,Io(moonofJupiter),Triton (moonofNeptune),Enceladus(moonofSaturn),andourveryownMoon.) ©2014SuperchargedScience 64 www.SuperchargedScience.com Lesson#10:SongoftheSun 1.Whatdidyounoticethatisdifferentaboutthesoundsyouheard? 2.Howcanyoutellthattwosoundsaredifferentthatcamefromthesameinstrument?(Movementcausessound wavestosounddifferent.) 3.Whatdidyounoticeaboutyourguesses?Whatkindofinstrumentswereyoumorecorrectabout? Lesson#11:SimpleMicroscope&Telescope 1.Canlightchangespeeds?(Yes,whenittravelsthroughdifferentmediums.) 2.CanyouseeALLlightwithyoureyes?(No,onlyvisiblelight,likearainbow.) 3.Givethreeexamplesofalightsource.(Answerwillvary,butherearemine:Sun,acandle,andaglowstick.) 4.What'sthedifferencebetweenamicroscopeandatelescope?(Amicroscopemagnifiesanimagebeforethefocal point;atelescopemagnifiesanimageafterthefocalpoint.Bothareusedtomakeimagesappearcloserandlarger. Amicroscopeisusedwhenobjectsarenear;atelescopeisusedforfarawayobjects.) 5.Whyisthetelescopeimageupside‐down?(Becauseyou’vefocusedtheimagebeyondthefocalpoint.) Lesson#12:StarCharting 1.Ifyouhaveconstellationsonyourclassceiling,chartthemonaseparatepagemarkingthepositionsoftherocks withX’s. 2.Tonight,findtwoconstellationsthatyouwillchart.Bringthemwithyoutomorrowusingthetechniqueoutlined aboveinLabTime. ©2014SuperchargedScience 65 www.SuperchargedScience.com VocabularyfortheUnit Asteroid.ObjectinorbitaroundtheSun,intermediateinsizebetweenmeteoroidsandplanets. Asteroidbelt.Theregionofthesolarsysteminwhichmostasteroidshavetheirorbits,betweenMarsandJupiter. BlackholesaretheleftoversofaBIGsupernova.Whenastarexplodes,itcollapsesdownintoawhitedwarfora neutronstar.However,ifthestarislargeenough,thereisnothingtokeepitfromcollapsing,soitcontinuesto collapseforever.Itbecomessosmallanddensethatthegravitationalpullissogreatthatlightitselfcan’tescape. Centerofmass.Meanpositionofthemassesthatcompriseasystemorlargerbody:fortwobodies,thecenterof massisapointonthelinejoiningthem.Forabinarystarsystem,themotionofeachstarcanbecomputedabout thecenterofmass. Comet.Smallbodyinthesolarsystem,inorbitaroundtheSun.Someofitsfrozenmaterialvaporizesduringthe closerpartsofitsapproachtotheSuntoproducethecharacteristictail,behindtherighthead. Conjunction.Closestapparentapproachoftwocelestialobjects.Planetaryconjunctionswereonceconsidered importantomensforeventsonEarth. Constellation.Agroupofstarsthatseemedtosuggesttheshapeofsomegod,person,animalorobject.Nowa termusedtodesignatearegionofthesky.Thereare88constellations. Darkmatter:Matterinthecosmosthatisundetectablebecauseitdoesn’tglow.Darkmatter,someofitintheform ofas‐yet‐undiscoveredexoticparticles,isthoughttocomprisemostoftheuniverse. Eclipse.Blockingoflightfromonebodybyanotherthatpassesinfrontofit.Eclipsecanbetotalorpartial. Eclipsepath.NarrowpathontheEarth’ssurfacetracedbytheMoon’sshadowduringaneclipse. Eclipsingbinarystar.Binarystarwhosemutualorbitisviewedalmostedge‐onsothatlightobservedisregularly decreasedeachtimeonestareclipsestheother. Ecliptic.PaththattheSunappearstofollow,againstthestarsonthecelestialsphere,duringthecourseofayear. Eclipticplane.PlanedefinedbytheEarth’sorbitaroundtheSun. Electromagneticwave:Astructureconsistingofelectricandmagneticfieldsinwhicheachkindoffieldgenerates theothertokeepthestructurepropagatingthroughemptyspaceatthespeedoflight.Electromagneticwaves includeradioandTVsignals,infraredradiation,visiblelight,ultravioletlight,X‐rays,andgammarays. Ellipse.Typeofclosedcurvewhoseshapeisspecifiedintermsofitsdistancefromoneortwopoints.Acircleisa specialformofellipse.Inappearance,anellipseisoval‐shaped. Escapespeed:Thespeedneededtoescapetoinfinitelygreatdistancefromagravitatingobject.ForEarth,escape speedfromthesurfaceisabout7milespersecond;forablackhole,escapespeedexceedsthespeedoflight. Equinox.TwodayseachyearwhentheSunisaboveandbelowthehorizonforequallengthsoftime. ©2014SuperchargedScience 66 www.SuperchargedScience.com Eventhorizon:Asphericalsurfacesurroundingablackholeandmarkingthe“pointofnoreturn”fromwhich nothingcanescape. Field:Awayofdescribinginteractingobjectsthatavoidsactionatadistance.Inthefieldview,oneobjectcreatesa fieldthatpervadesspace;asecondobjectrespondstothefieldinitsimmediatevicinity.Examplesincludethe electricfield,themagneticfield,andthegravitationalfield. Galaxiesaregroupsofstarsthatarepulledandheldtogetherbygravity. Globularclustersaremassivegroupsofstarsheldtogetherbygravity,usinghousingbetweentensofthousands tomillionsofstars(thinkNewYorkCity). Gravitationallensingisonewaywecan“see”ablackhole.Whenlightleavesastar,itcontinuesinastraightline untilyankedonbythegravityofablackhole,whichbendsthelightandchangesitscourseandshowsupasstreaks ormultiple,distortedimagesonyourphotograph. Gravitationaltimedilation:Theslowingoftimeinregionsofintensegravity(largespacetimecurvature). Gravitationalwaves:Literally,“ripples”inthefabricofspacetime.Theypropagateatthespeedoflightandresult intransientdistortionsinspaceandtime. Gravity:AccordingtoNewton,anattractiveforcethatactsbetweenallmatterintheuniverse.Accordingto Einstein,ageometricalpropertyofspacetime(spacetimecurvature)thatresultsinthestraightestpathsnotbeing Euclideanstraightlines. Latitude.Coordinateusedtomeasure(indegrees)theangulardistanceofapointorcelestialobjectsaboveor belowanequator. Lightyear.Distancethatlighttravelsin1year. Longitude.Coordinateusedtospecifythepositionofapointordirectionaround(orparallelto)anequator. TheKuiperBeltisanicyregionthatextendsfromjustbeyondNeptune(from3.7billionmilesto7.4billionmiles fromthesun).Thisiswheremostcometsandasteroidsfromoursolarsystemhangout. NeutronstarswithHUGEmagneticfieldsareknownasmagnetars. Magneticfield.Regionsurroundingamagnetorelectriccurrent,inwhichmagneticforcecanbedetectedinsucha region,high‐speedelectricallychargedparticleswillgenerallymovealongcurvedpathsandradiateenergy. Magneticpole.OneofthetworegionsonEarthtowhichacompassneedlewillpoint.Polesalsoexistonmagnets, andthemagneticfieldsofsomeelectriccurrentscanhaveanequivalentbehavior. Magnetoshpere.Regionsurroundingstarorplanet(includingEarth)inwhichamagneticfieldexists. Meridian.Greatcircle,onthecelestialsphereortheEarth,thatpassesthroughbothnorthandsouthpolesandan observer’szenithorlocation. Meteor.Glowingtrailintheupperatmosphere,producedbymeteoroidburningupasitmovesathighspeed. ©2014SuperchargedScience 67 www.SuperchargedScience.com Meteorshower.NumerousmeteorsseeninshorttimespanastheEarthmovesthroughacloudofmeteoroids, probablyremnantsofacometandstillfollowingthecomet’sorbit. Meteorite.RemnantofmeteoroidthathasbeenpartiallyerodedinpassagethroughtheEarth’satmospherebefore hittingthesurface.Termnowalsoappliedtosimilarbodiesthatcollidewiththesurfacesoftheotherplanetsand theirsatellites,producingcraters. Meteoroid.Largerock(butmuchsmallerthanminorplanets)movinginanorbitinthesolarsystem.Meteoroids thatenterintheEarth’satmospherearetermedmeteorsormeteorites,dependingontheirbehavior. Neutronstarsareformedfromstarsthatgosupernova,butaren’tbigandfatenoughtoturnintoablackhole. TheOortCloudliesjustbeyondtheKuiperbelt,housinganestimated1trillioncomets. Orbit.Pathtracedoutbyoneobjectaroundanother. Thevisiblesurfaceofthesuniscalledthephotosphere,andismademostlyofplasma(remembertheplasma grapeexperiment?)thatbubblesuphotandcoldregionsofgas. Dyingstarsblowoffshellsofheatedgasthatglowinbeautifulpatternscalledplanetarynebula. Pulsarsareatypeofneutronstarthatspinsveryfast,spewsjetsofhigh‐energyx‐rayparticlesoutthepoles,and haslargemagneticfields. Oursolarsystemincludesrockyterrestrialplanets(Mercury,Venus,Earth,andMars),gasgiants(Jupiterand Saturn),icegiants(UranusandNeptune),andassortedchunksoficeanddustthatmakeupvariouscomets(dusty snowballs)andasteroids(chunksofrock). Spacetime:Thefour‐dimensionalcontinuuminwhichtheeventsoftheuniversetakeplace.Accordingto relativity,spacetimebreaksdownintospaceandtimeindifferentwaysfordifferentobservers. Spacetimecurvature:Thegeometricalpropertyofspacetimethatcausesitsgeometrytodifferfromordinary Euclideangeometry.Thecurvatureiscausedbythepresenceofmassiveobjects,andotherobjectsnaturallyfollow thestraightestpossiblepathsincurvedspacetime.Thisistheessenceofgeneralrelativity’sdescriptionofgravity. Spacetimeinterval:Afour‐dimensional“distance”inspacetime.Unlikeintervalsoftimeordistance,whichare differentforobserversinrelativemotion,thespacetimeintervalbetweentwoeventshasthesamevalueforall observers. Specialtheoryofrelativity:Einstein’sstatementthatthelawsofphysicsarethesameforallobserversinuniform motion. ©2014SuperchargedScience 68 www.SuperchargedScience.com