This document provides information about stars, galaxies and the universe. It begins by explaining that the volume of the sun is approximately 1,000,000 times greater than the volume of Earth. It then discusses that the universe contains matter such as gas, dust and objects that form stars, planets and other celestial bodies. Galaxies, which can be spiral, elliptical or irregular, are large groupings of stars held together by gravity. Our solar system is located in the Milky Way galaxy, approximately 100,000 light years across.
What do youknow?
• Compared to the volume of Earth, the volume
of the Sun is approximately
(1) the same
(2) 100 times greater
(3) 1,000 times greater
(4) 1,000,000 times greater
(4) 1,000,000 times greater
3.
The Universe
• Theuniverse is made up of empty space,
energy, and matter.
–Matter includes:
• Gas molecules (mainly Hydrogen)
• Dust particles
4.
• Matter cancome together to form:
–Stars
–Planets
–Moons
–Meteors
–Asteroids
–Comets
• Some objects can be seen with the
unaided eye.
• Telescopes are used to see most
objects.
• The objects in the universe are in motion
and moving away from each other.
5.
Stars
• Stars: sphericalmasses of hot gases
that produce heat and light energy.
–Measured in light years because they are
so far away.
• Light year: the distance light travels in a
year.
7.
–How bright astar appears depends upon:
1. Distance from Earth
–The closer it is, the brighter it will appear.
2. Size
–The bigger it is, the brighter it will appear.
3. Temperature
–The hotter it is, the brighter it will appear.
– Most stars appear white to the naked eye, but
stars come in different colors.
• E.g. the sun is yellow.
8.
–Stars are differentcolors depending on
their surface temperature.
• The hottest stars are the color blue while
the coolest stars are the color red.
–Stars have alife cycle.
•This means they change over time.
•A stars complete life cycle can take
many millions of years.
•When a star’s mass is used up, the
star dies.
Corny Star Joke
13.
The Sun
• TheSun is the closest star to the Earth and is
the center of our solar system. All other stars
are OUTSIDE of our solar system. Even though
they look so small, many are 100 or more
times bigger than our Sun.
15.
–Our Sun isthe color yellow.
–It is an average sized star.
– It is so large that about 1,300,000
planet Earths can fit inside of it
16.
– It ismade up mostly of the gases hydrogen and
helium.
– Its energy is created by the joining of two hydrogen
atoms, also called fusion.
– The Sun’s energy reaches Earth as heat & light
(radiation)
– When our Sun runs out of Hydrogen, it will lose its
mass and become a white dwarf.
– Note: Our Sun is middle age. This means it is only half-way through its life cycle.
18.
What are startrails?
Star trails are pictures that show the
path of a star in the sky. Stars do not
actually move, but appear to move
because the Earth rotates. This is
called apparent motion. The actual
trail of the stars can only be viewed by
time lapse photography. This means
that many pictures are taken over time,
usually 24 hours.
19.
All of thesepictures are superimposed
onto one final picture. The final
picture shows the path of the stars in
the sky during the length of time of the
exposure.
Imagine that these pictures of three stars
were taken over a period of one hour. Do
you see how their location has changed?
20.
If we takeall of the pictures and
“superimpose” them onto one picture
it would look like this.
The final picture shows the path of the
stars over time. This is called Star
Trails.
This picture showsa time lapsed
photo taken over a 24 hour period.
Notice how the middle does not
appear to move? This is where the
North Star (Polaris) is located. This
is one of the reasons the North
Star is special.
23.
This is how
startrails
would
appear if
the Earth
did not
rotate.
24.
Why is theNorth Star special?
•The North Star is special because
it is located directly over the
________ pole.
North
•For this reason, we never observe
any apparent motion of the
North Star.
•If you observethe North Star from
your yard, you will be able to observe
it in the EXACT same spot tomorrow,
in two weeks, and in 30 years. It will
always be found in that same spot
when you are in your same yard.
Note: If you move, it may be located
in a different location in the sky. It
depends on WHERE you move to.
27.
•The North Staris always equal to your
latitude in the northern hemisphere.
Just look north, find the North Star, and
determine its angular elevation. Its
angular elevation is equal to your
latitude! How can this help you?
It can help you determine your
location north of the equator!
28.
•Angular elevation measuresthe angle
from the horizon to a star. The
horizon is the _________________
____________________________.
imaginary line
where the sky meets the land.
This line is the horizon
29.
Practice:
Stand up andpoint to your horizon –
this is zero degrees. Use your other arm
to point straight over your head – this is
90 degrees. All angular elevations will
be between zero and ninety degrees.
Zero degrees
90 degrees
30.
What is theangular elevation of the
observer to the star shown in your
notes?
45 degrees
Zero degrees
90 degrees
31.
THINK ABOUT IT
Whycan’t you see
the North Star from
the southern
hemisphere?
32.
The Universe ismade up of different
types of Galaxies.
Galaxies: Large groupings of
millions or billions of stars and
other forms of masses held together
by gravity.
• Our solar system is in the _________
______ ________.
Milky
Way Galaxy
Spiral Galaxy
Shaped likea
flattened disk
with spiral arms.
What Galaxy do
you know of that
is spiral?
37.
Our Solar Systemis in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Approximately 100,000 light years from arm
to arm.
Our star is the _______.
We are here
Sun
38.
What’s a lightyear?
Distance light travels in one year.
We use this to measure the VAST
distances in Space.
Facts about Light Years:
* How long would it take a commercial
airplane to travel to the sun?
__________.
* How many times can you go from NY
to San Francisco at the speed of light?
__________.
17 years
69 times