Download 6th Grade The Theoretical Beginning of the Universe / Big Bang

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6th Grade
The Universe and Its Stars
2015-08-27
www.njctl.org
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Table of Contents: The Universe and
Its Stars
Click on the topic to go to that section
· Theoretical Beginning of the Universe / Big Bang Theory
· Galaxies
· Stars
The Theoretical Beginning
of the Universe /
Big Bang Theory
· Black Holes and Supernovas
Return to Table
of Contents
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The Beginning...
The Beginning...
When most astronomers are asked how the Universe began,
what do you believe they say is the answer?
How long ago do
we believe the
Universe began?
You were correct if you said most will say the Universe began
with the "Big Bang" which is an event said to have occurred
about 14 billion years ago.
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14 Billion Years Ago
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14 Billion Years Ago
A billion years is very hard for most people to understand.
It is difficult to think of anything we can picture in terms of billions.
Lets use an example to try and understand how many one billion is.
With your group, try and
decide what size jar you
would need to hold
1 billion pennies
One billion stacked pennies would be the size of FIVE school buses!
So if you wanted to represent
14 Billion pennies - how
many school buses would
you need?
Image: http://www.kokogiak.com/megapenny
hint:
1 billion = 1,000,000,000
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Big Bang Theory
This theory states that all of the
mass in the universe was once
compacted into one small point
thousands of times smaller than
the head of a pin.
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Big Bang Theory
This one spot was also hotter
and more dense than any
object we know of today.
It is believed our Universe
began with a "Big Bang" when
this small spot had a massive
explosion.
How is that possible?
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Big Bang Theory
Big Bang Theory
During the fraction of a second following the
explosion, the universe expanded rapidly.
Think about what happens when you watch
fireworks explode.
The same thing happened after the Big Bang.
Within a fraction of a second, the universe was
bigger than a galaxy and has not stopped
expanding since then.
Expanding for 14 billion years. Think back to all 70 school buses!
You can also thinkof a stone
hitting the surface of a pond.
The water will ripple out from
that one point and the ripples
will expand larger and larger,
much like the expansion of
the universe.
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Big Bang Theory
This theory states that every piece of matter in the universe came
from this one point ... this one explosion.
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1 The initial explosion that resulted in the
creation and expansion of the universe is
known as the _____________.
A
Big Bang Theory
B
Milky Way
C
Great Expansion
D
Doppler Effect
Since everything is made of matter, this means that the "stuff" that
makes up everything in the universe came from this one point in
time. Including you!
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2 Following the Big Bang, the universe:
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3 Scientists believe the Big Bang happened:
A expanded and then rapidly stopped expanding.
A 14 million years ago
B expanded and has not stopped expanding since.
B 14 trillion years ago
rapidly expanded and then shrunk back to its
original size.
C 14 billion years ago
C
D within the last 3000 years
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Evidence Supporting the Big Bang Theory
Evidence Supporting the Big Bang Theory
No people were around 14 billion years ago. So how did this
theory come about?
In the early 1900's, an astronomer*
named Edwin Hubble, discovered
that various galaxies were spreading
apart by examining the patterns he
found when tracing their locations in
the sky.
(astronomer: a scientist who studies planets, stars, and galaxies)
Last year, you learned it is possible to
estimate the distance a star is from
Earth by looking at its brightness.
Hubble used a number of methods to
estimate how far away each star is.
But he did much more. He used the
color of each star's light to determine
which direction they are moving...and
how fast.
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Evidence Supporting the Big Bang Theory
The redder the light, the faster
away from us a star is moving.
His astonishing conclusion is that
almost all stars are moving away
from one another as if there were
a massive explosion long ago.
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4 When looking at the night sky, the brighter stars are typically:
A farther from Earth than the dimmer stars.
B closer to Earth than the dimmer
stars.
C the same distance from Earth as all other
stars
D constantly moving closer to Earth
Scientists estimate that this occurred 14 billion years ago.
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5 Which best describes the Big Bang Theory?
A The universe has always been the way it is today.
B The universe began from a dying star
C The universe was created by a singleexplosion
The universe is full of explosions, or "big bangs,"
D that are making it expand
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Inflation Theory
While almost all scientists
believe in some version of
the Big Bang theory, that
theory only explains that there
was a rapid expansion, not
what caused it.
Inflation theory explains the
explosion itself, and is gaining
acceptance as new data is
discovered every year.
photo: NASA
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"Flattening" the Universe
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"Flattening" the Universe
Inflation is said to have
"flattened" the universe and it
is easy to misunderstand
what this means.
In order to understand this,
talk with your group right now
about what happens to your
hands and feet when you
spend a lot of time swimming
in a pool. What do they look
like?
In the early stages of inflation, as the universe was very rapidly
expanding, it looked much like your fingers do when you spend
too much time in the water. Wrinkled.
Inflation filled in all those ridges and flattened the surface of the
universe, making it smooth, the way fingers revert once out of the
water.
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Dark Matter
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Dark Matter
The study of the universe is far from complete...there is much
more to do.
In recent years, the effect of
dark matter was discovered.
This invisible matter makes its
presence known by its effect
on the motion of the stars and
galaxies.
Scientists are working hard to find
out what dark matter is.
Dark matter would slow the
spreading of the universe the same
way that a more massive Earth
would stop a ball from flying as high.
It's now estimated to make up 27%
of the mass of the universe!
Right now the problem is no one knows what dark matter actually is.
Click on the image above for a 1 minute explanation of dark matter.
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Dark Energy
Dark Energy
Counteracting the effect that dark matter has in slowing the
universe's expansion, dark energy has been discovered...and is
seen to be speeding up the expansion of the universe.
While the expansion of nearby
stars is slowing down...like a ball
would if thrown straight up in the
air, the expansion of the farthest
stars is actually speeding up!
This amazed scientists as much as if you threw a baseball in the air
and when it reached the top where it should stop, it suddenly started
to go upwards faster. It doesn't seem to make sense!
Needless to say, dark energy
is also not well understood yet;
there are a lot of theories.
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Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Our Expanding Universe
Dark energy and dark matter were
unknown 20 years ago.Now, they are
believed to make up 95% of the mass
of the universe.
Everything we thought was the
universe (i.e. the stars, planets,
gases,and galaxies) we now believe to
be only 5%of the universe.
This is said to be the golden age of cosmology, the study of the
universe. It's amazing how much more is left to be discovered and
explained.
According to the expanding universe theory, the space in our
universe will always continue to expand, as it always has since
the Big Bang occurred.
Stephen Hawking is one of the most
famous physicists in the world today. He
has researched and spoken on the
expanding universe.
Click here to hear Stephen Hawking talk
about this idea, the expanding universe
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Improving the Big Bang Theory
The Universe
Just like with many ideas in
Science, there are people who are
critical of the Big Bang.
The idea that there was a "Big
Bang" is a theory . This means that
it can not completely be assumed to
be fact, but it has not yet been
proven wrong.
No matter your
beliefs, scientists
continue to hunt
for evidence of the
Big Bang Theory.
Either way, our
Universe (and
the stuff within
it!) is here today
for us to study.
(Scientists don't aim to prove
theories are true, they try to prove
theories are false!)
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6 In addition to gravity, __________ is believed to hold
galaxies together.
B an idea
B Dark Matter
C Solar Systems
C a concept
D a theory
D Stars
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8 Scientists believe only five percent of the
universe is comprised of:
A dark energy
B all known objects
D gravity
7 An idea which has not yet been proven to be true, but
has also not been disproved is known as:
A an understanding
A Dark Energy
C dark matter
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9 It is currently theorized that dark ____________
speeds up the expansion of the universe and dark
_________ slows it down.
A matter, energy
B energy, matter
C matter, gravity
D energy, gravity
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10 The rapid expansion of the universe following the Big
Bang is known as:
A Flattening
B System Creation
Galaxies
C Inflation
D Bang Expansion
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of Contents
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What is a Galaxy?
What is a Galaxy?
A galaxy is a system of
millions or billions of stars,
together with gas and
dust, held together by
gravitational attraction.
When you look at the night
sky, are you seeing the
whole universe or just our
galaxy?
12
9
The truth is, we cannot see
any stars in our sky which
are outside our own galaxy,
the Milky Way!
6
3
When we look at our galaxy in the sky, we are looking at a cross
section, like we were standing on the face of a clock at 3, looking
across at 9!
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What is a Galaxy?
Galaxy v. Universe
If you were to travel to the other side
of the world, would you still see the
galaxy?
Some people may think that galaxy and universe can be used to
mean the same thing.
Would you see the same stars?
Image:
NASA
Discuss this at your table and write
your ideas below.
The truth is, our galaxy, the Milky Way, is one of about 1.7 Billion
that can be found in the entire universe!
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11 Which term represents a larger area?
A universe
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12 A system of stars, gas, and dust held together by gravity
is known as a/an____________.
A star system
B galaxy
C they are the same
B galaxy
C universe
D attraction
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"Gravitational Attraction"
This phrase came up in the 1st slide on Galaxies ... but what does
it mean?
First, let's talk about
gravity. Gravity is the
force which keeps us
on Earth. We experience
gravity everyday!
Right now, come up with 3 ways you experience gravity.
Write them below.
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Gravity
That
worksdefinition
when you
younger... but we need to come up
with adefinition
more correct
forare
Gravity.
Click on Sir Isaac Newton, who first wrote about the theory of
gravity, to discover our more complete definition.
Gravity is the force of attraction between any two
bodies, based on their mass and the distance
between them.
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Gravity Lab
Review Mass and Weight:
This lab will have you examining what happens when gravity acts on
various everyday objects!
Mass is the amount of matter (or "stuff") in an object. It is
measured in grams, g.
Generally speaking, the more mass an object has, the more it
weighs.
A paperclip has a mass of about 1 gram
What would happen if these three objects were dropped from the
same height at the same time?
Keep in mind for later mass and weight are two different things!
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13 Which of the following would NOT be an example of
the force of gravity?
A
The moon orbits around Earth
B
Earth revolves around the Sun
C
A ball hit in the air comes down into the
outfielder's glove
D
All of the above are examples of gravity
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14 Mass can be best defined as:
A
The weight of an object
B
The amount of matter in an object
C
The volume of an object
D
The size of an object
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Gravity
This means that Gravity is more than just the force between you and
Earth - it is the force between any two objects in the Universe.
Gravity
Gravity is the force that holds
each galaxy together.
Everything in a galaxy has a
gravitational pull on the other
Right now, there is an
attractive force between you
and your desk!
objects around it.
Image:
NASA
The force is so small though
because you and your desk are
very tiny (compared to the
whole Universe that is!)
How large that force is depends on two things:
the size of the objects
and
the distance between those objects.
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15 Which of the following would have the most gravity
between them?
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16 There is gravity between you and the moon.
True
A two ping pong balls 1 meter apart
B two ping pong balls 2 meters apart
C two bowling balls 1 meter apart
D two bowling balls 2 meters apart
False
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Center of the Galaxy
17 There is gravity between the Milky Way Galaxy and
other galaxies.
Due to gravity, galaxies are always revolving.. but what are they
spinning around? Scientists believe that at the center of each
galaxy is something called a black hole .
True
False
To the right is a simulated
image of a black hole.
In a few days, we will focus more on black holes!
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Take a Tour of a Galaxy
18 The stars at the center of M31 are _________ and
________ than the stars close to the outside.
A larger, brighter
B smaller, hotter
C older, cooler
Click on this space shuttle to be
brought on a tour of our neighbor,
the Andromeda Galaxy.
D farther away, brighter
Image: NASA
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19 Just like in our galaxy, the spiral arms of M31 contain gas
and dust needed to make new generations of
___________.
A stars
B planets
C supernovas
D comets
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20 The Swift telescope allows distant objects to be studied
using both ________ and visible light.
A Radiant
B Solar
C Ultraviolet
D X-ray
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Light-years
Speed of Light
A beam of light travels in a straight line at about 300 million
meters per second.
Light-years play a large role
in answering our questions
about the Universe - particularly
when it has to do with size.
When you're trying to figure out how big a galaxy is (like in the
If you turn a flashlight on in
space, the beam of light will go
on forever at 300 million
meters per second!
previous video) or how far away in space something is, scientists
measure not with meters or miles, but rather by using light-years.
A light-year is the distance a beam of light travels in one year.
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Speed of Light
In one year, that beam of light would have traveled just under
10 trillion kilometers (or about 6 trillion miles).
Distance from Earth
Remember the tour you just took of our closest neighbor galaxy, the
Andromeda galaxy ?
Do you remember how far away it is from Earth?
Once you have your guess, click on the light beam to find out
That is equivalent to traveling around
Earth's equator over 240 million
times.
We call this distance one light-year .
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21 A light-year is defined as:
A
The time it takes for light to travel from a flashlight
to your eyes
B The distance a beam of light can travel in a year
C
The time it takes for a beam of light to rotate around
Earth one time (one yeaar)
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22 If you shine a light out into deep space, what would
best describe its motion?
A
The light would eventually stop traveling after a given
amount of time
B
The light would bend on its own
C
The light would not shine in space
D
The light would continue on in a straight line as long
as nothing was in its way
D The distance from one side of the Sun to the other
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23 The distance between the Milky Way and Andromeda
galaxies is best described as:
24 When we look at Andromeda, the image we see
through our telescopes is:
A 2.5 million light years
A what the galaxy looks like today
B 25 light years
B what it looked at 2.5 million years
ago
C 2.5 light years
C what it looks like a 2.5 light years away
D 1 light year
D unknown how old it is
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What Are Stars?
Look up in the sky on any clear night and you can see a never-ending
amount of small twinkling lights - we know them as stars.
If you let your eyes adjust to the dark for about 20
minutes, you will notice something amazing.
Stars
Some stars are bright ..
some are dim ..
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What Are Stars?
Come up with ideas about each of the questions below
at your table right now.
What exactly are stars?
some are blue ..
some are yellow ..
some are even red!
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Stars
We're used to drawing stars that look like this:
What are they made of?
How many stars are there?
Why do they seem to move
across the sky?
Actually, stars don't look like this at
all. Stars are massive balls of gas,
like in this picture.
We have already discussed what
force holds stars together. Do you
remember what it is called?
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How Many Stars Are There?
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How Many Stars Are There?
1 star = 1 grain of sand
Scientists have an
analogy which helps
us imagine how
many stars are in the
universe. In order to
understand it, we will
have to imagine one
star is the size of a
grain of sand.
One thimble of sand would
hold the most stars you
would possibly have seen
had you been there on the
darkest and clearest night
in the history of Earth.
Are you ready?
A thimble isn't very big, is it?
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How Many Stars Are There?
1 star = 1 grain of sand
1 thimble = all the stars we can see
A wheelbarrow could hold every
star in our Milky Way Galaxy.
How many thimbles do you think
it would take to fill that
wheelbarrow?
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How Many Stars Are There?
1 star = 1 grain of sand
1 thimble = all the stars we can see
1 wheelbarrow = Milky Way Galaxy
To imagine the number of
stars in the universe, we
need a freight train carrying
loads of sand.
But you need to know
something about this
particular train..
Even still, a wheelbarrow doesn't hold very much sand, does it?
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How Many Stars Are There?
We would need to watch this
train pass by us very quickly one car per second.
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How Many Stars Are There?
We would have to watch this
train pass by us (without
stopping) for...
In order to count the total
number of stars (which
remember are grains of
sand), how long do you think
you would you have to watch
the train go by?
Write your guess below.
Only then could we have seen a representation of how many stars
are in the universe. Can you even imagine that number?
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How Many Stars Are There?
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25
What are stars?
A
We probably don't even have a
number large enough to count
the number of stars in the entire
universe!
chunks of debris that burn as they pass
through our atmosphere
B
massive balls of gas
C
celestial bodies that orbit the galaxy
D
celestial bodies that orbit a planet
(Some astronomers give a rough estimate that there are 1022 stars,
although this is always changing!)
1022 = 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
(Comparison: 1 billion = 10 9 = 1,000,000,000)
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26 What are stars made of?
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27 How many stars are there?
A glowing rock
A
10 22
B dark matter
B
10 11
C very hot gas
C
10 1
D star dust
D
10 50
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Brightness of Stars
Why do some stars look brighter than others?
There are a few factors that affect how luminous a star is, and how
bright it looks to us here on Earth.
We mentioned these earlier in the unit.
Can you remember? Write your answers below.
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28 The further a star is from Earth, the _____________ it
appears in the sky.
A brighter
B larger
C dimmer
D redder
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29 The increasing brightness indicates stars which are
_______ than others.
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30 Large stars appear __________ in the sky.
A cooler
A dim
B hotter
B yellow
C redder
C larger than other stars
D older
D bright
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Brightness of Stars
Brightness of Stars
The Sun!
Why do some stars look brighter than others?
What is the brightest star in our sky?
Temperature :
The ____________ the star, the brighter it is.
Size:
The ____________ the star, the brighter it is.
Distance from Earth:
Click to reveal!
The ____________ the star, the brighter it is.
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The Sun
The Sun is so important to us on
Earth that we could not possibly
survive without it.
At your table, try and come up with 5
reasons the Sun is so important and
write them below.
Be ready to share your ideas so we
can make a list together!
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Our Most Important Star
The Sun is responsible for giving off
light and heat (energy).
These two things play important roles
in every food chain on Earth.
The Sun also powers the water cycle
on our planet!
Another very important role the Sun plays is as the center of our Solar
System - all the planets (including Earth) orbit the Sun.
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31 How long does it take Earth to make one full orbit
around the sun?
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The Energy of The Sun
The surface of the sun is
10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
So how much radiant energy
does the sun actually
provide?
A 1 day
B 1 month
C 1 year
A light bulb typically radiates
between 40- and 100-watts.
D 1 century
How many 60-watt light bulbs
would it take to give off the
same radiation (per meter) as
the sun?
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The Energy of The Sun
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The Sun
The Sun is 93 million miles
from Earth.
The Sun provides 1,360
Watts per square meter.
This means, an astronaut
facing the sun (with a
surface area of 0.85 square
meters) would receive the
energy equivalent to
NINETEEN 60-watt
lightbulbs!
The photons of light which
leave the Sun, travel across
the vacuum of space at the
speed of light to reach our
eyes.
How long does it take for the
light to reach Earth? Make a
guess with your table.
(Hint: the speed of light is about 186,000 miles per second)
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The Sun
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The Sun
The Sun is a yellow dwarf star.
If you did your calculation, you
probably found it took about
500 seconds (8 minutes 20
seconds) for the light from the
Sun to finally reach the Earth.
This means that it is a relatively
young star. The Sun is only about 4
billion years old. Compare that to the
age of the universe.
Can anyone recall how old the
universe is?
Yellow dwarf stars are also small compared to other older stars.
In diameter, the Sun is only about 100 times larger than Earth.
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Star Sizes
32
The Sun is:
A
the closest star to Earth
B
the only star in our Solar System
C
one of billions of stars in the Milky Way
D
all of the above are true about the Sun
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Does the Sun Revolve Around the Earth?
The Sun's Motion
When astronomers first started to think about the stars above us, they
believed that this motion of the Sun in the sky was because the Sun
revolved around Earth.
As the day goes by, what do you
notice about the Sun in the sky?
Click on the Sun image to watch an
amazing time lapse video of the
Sun's motion (and you will also see
the moon rising as well!).
In fact, they believed that Earth
was at the center of the Solar
System, as seen to the right.
Pay attention to how quickly the light fades once the Sun
moves beyond the horizon.
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Heliocentric Model
Copernicus
33 Which best describes the heliocentric idea
of Copernicus and Galileo?
Galileo
This belief was challenged by an
astronomer named Copernicus (left)
who said that the Sun was the center
of the solar system (heliocentric).
This was later proven by a scientist
named Galileo (right).
We will spend more time on the motion of Earth in later units!
A
The Sun revolves around Earth
B
Earth revolves around the Sun
C
Earth and the Sun revolve around each
other
D
Both B and C are correct
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Earth's Rotation and Revolution
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34
Earth __________ around the Sun.
Right now Earth is moving in two different ways:
Earth is rotating or spinning about on its
axis (or center-line)
A
Revolves
B
Rotates
Earth is also revolving or moving
around the Sun
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Observing Earth's Rotation
Observing Earth's Rotation
The stars in the video appeared to be moving throughout the
course of that night.
You can see Earth rotating from
right here on the ground!
Look up at the stars on any
given night and notice their
position.If you look up later that
night, they will have appeared to
have moved!
Click the picture above to see this is action.
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35 The rise and fall of the Sun each day is because of
the ___________ of Earth.
A Revolution
B Rotation
C Size
D Gravity
This is due to Earth's rotation.
Even though the stars seem
to be moving, it is Earth that
is moving!
This photograph is also of the starry sky at night.
How do you think the photographer took the picture?
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Observing Earth's Revolution
Earth's revolution is a little more difficult to identify, but you
definitely have noticed its results during the year!
Because of the tilt of Earth and its revolution around the
Sun, the Sun appears to be at different heights throughout the
year. Click on the animation below to learn about years.
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Observing Earth's Revolution
tor
ua
Eq
Winter
Sun
Summer
Summer
Winter
E
r
ato
qu
The Sun appears to be higher in the sky during the Summer
months and lower in the sky during the Winter months!
We will be looking at how this affects our global temperatures
in the next unit.
Observing the Sun from the ISS
In May 2014, NASA
Astronaut Rick Wiseman
posted a Vine (a short
time lapse video) from the
International Space
Station of the Sun in the
sky.
Click on the image and
see if you notice anything
unusual in the video.
Can you or your group members come up
with any explanation for this?
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LAB: Earth's Motion - Interpreting Shadows
The Apparent Motion of Stars
We can use our shadows
to tell us a little bit about
the relationship between
Earth and the Sun, or any
other star for that matter.
Black Holes and
Supernovas
During the day, our shadows move as the Sun "moves" across
the sky.During the course of the year, our shadows are affected by
the height of the Sun in the sky.
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Black Holes
Black Holes Revisited
Two sections ago, we
learned about galaxies.
At the center of each
galaxy, we mentioned
scientists believe there is a
black hole.
What exactly is a black hole?
Black holes are objects
that have an incredibly
large mass and,
therefore, have the
strongest gravity of
anything in the universe.
They get their name
"black" hole because not
even light can escape its
pull! This makes them
colorless.
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Black Holes
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LAB: Black Holes - Interactive Activity
Click the image below to access the Black Holes Activity
The pull of gravity in a black hole
works the same way as spiral
wishing wells you may see at a
museum.
The closer objects (and light) gets to
the black hole, the faster they rotate
around it.
Click on the image to see this in action!
The Student Handout is provided on the NJCTL website
For this activity, each student will need a computer with Internet access. If there are
technological limitations, students may be grouped to complete this assignment.
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Supernovas
Supernovas
Simply put, supernovas
are exploding stars.
Just like humans and
animals, stars have a
lifespan. When a star
reaches the end of its
lifespan, it dies.
Unlike humans and
animals though, when it
reaches this point, it
explodes!
The explosion of a star
emits enough light to
outshine a whole
galaxy! (and remember
how many stars are in a
galaxy?)
All the matter of the star
is expelled at a large
velocity.
With your knowledge of galaxies and the universe, where
do you think all the expelled matter from the star goes?
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36
Which best describes a supernova?
A
A star that is being "born"
B
A star that has absorbed another star
C
A star that has planets revolving around it
D
A star that has reached the end of its life
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37 A black hole got its name because not even _________
can escape.
A planets
B galaxies
C light
D gravity