Download Unit 3 - Lesson 8.1 2011 Night Sky

Grade 9 Academic Science – Unit 3 Space
Touring the Night Sky
Section 8.1 Pages 305-308
Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences (…think Aztec temples, Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge). It
is the study of (1) celestial objects (e.g., stars, planets, comets, nebulae, galaxies), (2) events that
originate outside the Earth’s atmosphere (e.g., cosmic radiation), (3) the evolution, physics, chemistry and
motion celestial objects, and (4) the formation of the Universe. In other words, we are examining outer
space…”to infinity and beyond.”
This is the NASA picture of the day for
12 February 2012. It is the constellation
Orion….we can find it easily in the night
sky….and we will. In the picture, Orion’s
Belt is the three stars in a row on the
right side of the photograph. Yet, the
picture is it more than just an
arrangement of a seven stars. It
includes star clusters, a nebula and
patches of gases combined to make the
Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.
FYI, this is the Mayan calendar. It is
amazingly accurate, and it has been used
for more than 2,000 years.
The calendar is divided into Seven Ages
of Man. The fourth epoch ended in
August 1987. The Mayan calendar comes
to an end on Sunday, December 23,
2012. Only a few people will survive the
catastrophe that ensues. In the fifth age,
humanity will realize its spiritual destiny.
In the sixth age, we will realize God within
ourselves, and in the seventh age we will
become so spiritual that we will be
telepathic. So…be advised…you are
doomed to realize true spirituality.
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Touring the night sky is lots of fun. At this
time of the year, we can locate many
constellations including
 Ursa Major (Big Dipper)
 Ursa Minor (Little Dipper)
 Cassiopeia (The Queen)
Orion (The Hunter)
Leo (The Lion)
Gemini (The Twins)
Pegasus (The Winged Horse)
The brightest stars include Sirius (Canis Major), Rigel, Belelgeuse and Bellatrix (Orion), and Regulus
(Leo). In winter, the Orion Nebula is also present in the night sky. Watch the following YouTube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov5AHcCQtd8&feature=related
Comparing the size of Earth to the dwarf planet Pluto, our Moon, the planets of our Solar System, our
Sun and other stars of the Universe.
We need definitions for our journey…so we all talk the same language.
Task
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Use your textbook to define the following astronomical terms.
Word
Celestial Object
Universe
Star
Luminous
Solar Wind
Planet
Terrestrial
Planets or Inner
Gas Giants or
Outer
Solar System
Satellite
Orbit
Galaxy
Milky Way
Galaxy
Questions – Homework
Page 308, Questions 3, 5, 7, 9
Definition
Getting Started in Space
Space is fun to explore. What do you already know? Answer the following questions.
1. What is a star?
2. Can you see a planet without a telescope?
3. You are looking into the night sky and think you see a planet. How do you know it is a planet and
not a star? Provide two reasons.
4. Can stars be different colours? If so, name two colours.
5. What is the largest planet in our solar system?
6. Which planet is closest to the Sun?
7. What is the name of the third planet from the Sun?
8. What is the length in days of one Earth rotation around the Sun?
9. What is the common name of the star Polaris?
10. What is the “shape” of the path followed by the Earth as it orbits the Sun?
11. What planets are smaller than Earth?
12. What is a meteor?
13. What is the brightest celestial object in Earth’s night sky?
14. What is the name of the theory that describes the start of the Universe?
15. What is a Black Hole?
16. Where are stars born?
17. Why does the Earth not get sucked into the Sun if the Sun’s gravitational pull is very, very big?
18. What gas is the Sun burning?
19. How do the Northern Lights form?
20. Is the Earth at the centre of the universe? Explain.