Download Astronomy, Mr - Mentor Public Schools

Astronomy, Mr. Vannorsdall,
2nd Semester, 2012
UNIT 1—Intro to Astronomy
Introduction, guidelines, What is Astronomy?
Why study astronomy?
Is astrology related to astronomy?
The Early Astronomers
Backyard Astronomy #1--Constellations
Astronomy during the middle ages—the rise of science.
Science, Technology and Society-- Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo
Newton--Gravity, Laws of motion
The electromagnetic spectrum in astronomy
Visible spectra in astronomy
Telescopes and observatories
Review and Unit 1 test
Unit 2: Solar System
Cosmic Uniformitarianism—what’s here…is out there
Diagram of the solar system. Size and distance #1
Evolution of the solar system.
Laws of Planetary motion
Inner Planets
Outer planets
Cosmic debris—oids, ors and ites
Comets
Exploring the SS—the probes
Backyard Astronomy #2—planets and such.
Unit review and test
UNIT 3: Earth-Moon-Sun System
Basic motions—rotation and revolution
Rotation--Day and night, rising and setting
Time and Date
The moon—terrestrial features
The moon—origins and history
Backyard astronomy #3--Phases of the moon
Ocean tides and the Moon
Earth’s trip around the sun—seasonal changes
Solar and Lunar Eclipses
Unit Review and Test
Unit 4 The Sun—Our Star
Vital statistics
Structure
Hydrogen to helium fusion
Hydrostatic equilibrium
Magnetism in general
The Sun’s magnetic field—flares, prominences, solar wind, CME’s
Sunspots and the solar cycle
Auroras
The “Perfect Solar Storm”
Unit Review and Test
Unit 5: Stars in General
Properties of stars: determining distance, brightness, mass, radius
Size and Distance #2—Light Years and Parsecs
the Hertzprung/Russell Diagram
Main sequence stars—the life of our sun
Lives of giant stars—supernovas,
neutron stars, black holes
Binary and variable stars
Unit review and test
UNIT 6 Cosmology
Classifying Galaxies
The Milky Way
Dark Matter
Size and Distance #3—beyond comprehension.
Other groupings—Groups, Clusters and Superclusters
The Big Bang –inflationary universe.
Doppler shift of light
Dark Energy
Quasars
Life in the universe: Drake Equation, Panspermia, Gaia Hypothesis, Anthropic
Hypothesis
Life as a reflection of environment
Alien life in the movies
Unit review and Test
FINAL EXAM