SL-Pre-NOS Aspects
Aspect
/Quotations
Tentativeness(Red) / It is different than other sciences because it isdifficult to determine exact answers – distances, mass, forces etc. Also, much of what you study now is from the past.
All of these theories are possible because there is usually no way to fully understand the explosion and creation of the universe because of the vast distance of matter and the fact that what is way out there is really in the past.
Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Empirical based
(Orange) / Yes. I said, “yes” in a general matter. It doesn’t always require experiments like scales, test tubes, and microscopes – sometimes it involves numerous calculations and manipulations of other’s data and conclusions.
Seeing a comet across the night sky while stargazing.
Because it is an observation in the universe I saw during a scientific assignment.
No. It involved only one aspect of an inquiry – visual.
Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Subjectivity
(Gold) / Nothing written on subjectivity.
Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Creativity
(Green) / Nothing written on creativity
Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Social/cultural
embeddedness.
(Blue) / Astronomers choose to study things that interest them or what may be the main focus of their lab or university department.
Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Observations and
Inferences
(Indigo) / A star looks like a ball of gas. It does not have a definite outer border.Astronomers are fairly certain of the composition of the stars by looking at it through a spectroscope and seeing the absorption & emission lines. Telescopes are also help to determine the shape & structure.
Pre-interview:
JW: Okay, so, astronomy precision..
SL: It’s a lot of inferences.
JW: is off.
SL: Yeah, it seems to be a lot of inferences, because we know that magnitude is 6, that one looks like that, so it must be around 6, you know? I don’t think it as precise as some sciences.
JW: Okay. That’s what I wanted to find out, what you meant, because I understood the rest of it, and I though I understood that, but, I don’t want to misrepresent you.
SL: okay.
JW: Okay. Number two, “ What does a star look like? How certain are astronomers about the structure of stars.” You used the term ‘microscope’, was that just …
SL: Ah. .that’s an oops.
JW: That’s what I thought, and I will change it to ‘telescope.’ When I write it.
SL: okay, yup. You know, it’s funny, I do that a lot. You know, I think scope, and ..
JW: <laugh> Yeah, well ,I wanted to just be sure that, maybe, for some reason, she just doesn’t know the difference. I just needed to make sure. But, no, I didn’t think so. Okay, I still have some other questions. So, you said “Ball of gas.”
SL: Uh-huh.
JW: No outer border.
SL: Does not have a definite outer border. Because it’s a gas that expands and contracts, and you know.
JW: Is this a, is this what you think stars actually look like in the telescope? Or is this what astronomers think stars look like?
SL: Uhhm..
JW: I guess what I’m asking you, when you look at a star in a telescope, as you were
thinking at the time that you wrote this, do they have size to them, do they look like a ball?
SL: They look like a ball. To me, they look round, I’d say they have shape. Do they have size?
JW: they look round, and have a shape.. which is?
SL: Well, spherical. I mean , that’s what it looks.
JW: Okay, so they have a shape.
SL: Because you can’t get close enough to see. I think that if you got right next to it, it would definitely look more, ahh, it’d look more like things radiating outward. From this distance, it looks like a sphere, with an outer border, but, if I were ten feet away, you would not see an outer border.
JW: Okay. You couldn’t tell when you were on the surface.
SL: Right.
JW: Okay. So, in the telescope, they do have some size to them, and a round shape.
SL: Yes.
JW: Inferring that they are spherical from that, or telling that they are spherical from that? Can you see it?
SL: umm. It depends on what you think is spherical.. anything rounded to me… You can tell it is spherical. <pause> Okay.
JW: <possibly holding up an object>You point that strait on and it’s round, but it’s not sphericle.
SL: Ah, okay.
JW: I’m just trying to clarify what you were thinking here. I shouldn’t be teaching, I just prompted you and I shouldn’t have done that. Okay. “So, do you think astronomers see a ball of gas of some size when they view a star,” that was my question, and you basically have said yes.
SL: right.
Theories and laws
(Violet) / Nothing written about difference between theories and laws.
Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
SL-Pre- SI Aspects
Aspect
/Quotations
Methods(Dk Red) / Astronomers use spectroscopy to look at absorption & emission lines to determine composition. They also use extremely powerful telescopes to determine shape & structure. The telescope results can also be used w/other mathematical techniques to determine distance.
Astronomers use scientific inquiry to determine how to investigate.
A “S.A.O.” is an observation of some astronomical phenomenon discovered during a scientific investigation.
Look at it in other ways – not just visual.
There are different general methods that scientific investigations can follow. Science is a general term – they are not all looked at the same.
No, there are different ways to look at it and we can’t really prove either right or wrong, just theorize.
Pre-interview:
JW: Okay. Might have been a bad question on my part, but, I’m not sure of that, either. Okay. “Some people have claimed that all scientific investigations, including astronomy, must follow the same general steps or methods.” What I was referring to here is the scientific method that you will see in any high school or middle school textbook: Step 1, step 2, step 3, step 4, step 5, conclusion.
SL: Okay.
JW: You said, “There are different general methods that scientific investigation can follow. Science is general term, they are not <something> the same.”
SL: Yeah, I guess, yes scientific investigations can all follow the same steps, in that way, the basic steps. Yeah.
JW: They follow.. basic.. steps.. In order?
SL: Uhmm. I dunno, I hadn’t really thought about that. You know, right now I’m not even sure what the exact order of the steps is, so, I can’t answer that.
JW: I can’t either.
SL: Yeah, so, I don’t know if I could say.
JW: So, we’ll just say. “Unsure.” Okay. Cool. I interpreted this to mean that they do things differently, that they don’t necessarily follow the exact same “the” scientific method given in textbooks.
SL: Right.
Consistency
(Lt Orange) / Nothing written on consistency.
Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Interpretations
(Lime) / Nothing written on interpretations.
Pre-interview:
JW: I just want kinds clarification on what you mean by “Exact answers.” How exact?
SL: Okay, I guess because some of the things that you are looking at are so far away, we don’t have instruments that can measure precisely that far away. Like, if it’s something maybe in physics, measure the distance in millimeters, we can measure it fairly accurately, but I think that precision is off when you are talking about something so far away.
JW: Okay. That’s fine. “Okay, some astronomers believe the universe will expand forever. Others believe that it will stop expanding and start contracting. Others believe that it will stop, but not contract.” I need further explanation on what you were saying. Let me read this. “All of these theories are possible, because there is really no way to fully understand the expansion and contraction of the universe because of the vast distance of matter, and because of the fact that what is way out there is really in the past”
SL: Well, I just think.. This is an area that I was kind of vague in that we covered at the end of the 1020. I thought that it was kind of difficult to understand this part of it. What I remember in the lecturing was that some people believe one, some people believe the other, and they all have their own, what they would call proof, but, some people.. It is the same thing as looking at a medical study. I can interpret one way, and somebody else can interpret another way, and say , “There is my proof.” I think it is the same thing, people find the proof, they need to substantiate what they believe, but somebody else can find proof that substantiates what they believe.
JW: Ah, okay. You didn’t really say that here, but, that’s what I wanted to find out.
SL: Yes, yeah.
JW: And, distance, you said, “Distance of matter, the fact that it is way out there, It’s really in the past.”
SL: Yeah, because what you are looking at isn’t now, it’s before. And I think that is confusing to then generalize what will happen in the future.
JW: Okay.
SL: You don’t really know what’s happening now, you know what is happening from before, and if you just extrapolate, and assume what happened from before is continuing, okay, but I don’t think you can necessarily do that. Because you don’t know that there won’t be a change that you haven’t seen yet. I think it’s one of those philosophical things.
JW: So, you are saying that you really cannot extrapolate from the past to the future.
SL: No, not to me you can’t, because you don’t know that something didn’t happen that you haven’t seen yet.
Data/evidence
(Sky Blue) / Collected numbers & observations.
Nothing written on difference between data and evidence.
Pre-interview:
JW: Proof.. for.. seek proof for their personal explanation. Okay. “what does the term data mean to you.’ That is to say ,what does the term astronomical data mean to you.
SL: again, I would say.
JW: You said collected numbers and observations.
SL: Broad data, numbers, observations, images, whatever
JW: Okay, that’s kinda what I thought you meant. “Is data the same or different from evidence.” You said, “Different,” But, what do you mean?
SL: Uhmm…Okay.…
JW: you said data is numbers, observations, images. How is that different from being evidence?
SL: Well, I think you have to take the data and interpret it to make it into evidence.
JW: Okay. That’s the explanation. That’s all I wanted to know. “What is astronomical data analysis.” You said, “Analyzing,” Which is the same word over again, “data furnished by astronomy.” I don’t have any question about that, to her than you used analysis to describe analysis, but, I think I know what you mean. uhmm.. Give me some examples of astronomical data analysis.
SL: give you examples?
JW: what you were thinking at the time.
SL: <pause> Figuring out the magnitude of a star based on comparing it to other stars that you can see.
JW: calculating magnitude by comparison.
SL: yeah. My data is image that I see, any my analysis is comparing it to a known quantity.
JW: Okay. And actually, that may have just answered ‘B’, “what is involved in astronomical data analysis” You said, “You said observations, measurements, and drawing conclusions.” Okay. I don’t really have any questions on that. We’re all done here, unless you have something else you’d want to add.
SL: No, not really.
JW: So, you think this now portrays you fairly accurately.
SL: yeah, I mean, I’ve changed…
JW: At the time that you wrote this.
SL: Oh, yeah, yeah.
JW: Okay, I will. give you a transcription of this discussion later, so you can say , “Yes, that’s exactly what I said, it hasn’t been changed.” That’s for my own reliability, so I can say that the individual read it, agreed that that is what they said, that’s what they said. That allows me to say that what you said here is reliable. You didn’t want me to use the word microscope because that wasn’t right, so we changed that now.
SL: Right.
JW: Because it’s unreliable to continue to use it because you used it incorrectly and you knew it. You just got the word in your head and couldn’t get it out. So, I think that pretty much-
Data analysis
(Lavender) / Analyzing data furnished by astronomy.
Observations & Measurements & Drawing conclusions.
Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
SL-Pre additional aspects
Aspect
/Quotations
Astronomical(Dk blue) / Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Mathematical
(Pink) / Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Communications
(Brown) / Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Calibration
(Tan) / Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Instrumentation
(Gray 25%) / Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.
Emotions
/ Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.Amateur
(Teal) / Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.Teaching & Learning
(Green) / Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.Selection Effects
(Aqua) / Pre-interview: Nothing discussed.Scientific
/ Pre-interview:JW: Okay. “Write a definition for a scientific astronomical observation.” You’ve already just told me a few minutes ago what wasn’t an scientific way at looking. “Scientific observation is the observing of astronomical phenomena discovered during a scientific inquiry.”
SL: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying, if you are looking for an answer to a question and you find some astronomical..
JW: must be.. looking to answer a question?
SL: Yeah. Because it’s funny, because now I read this, and I’m not sure I would agree with what I say.
JW: that’s okay, we’ll get to that in another interview, because there is gonna be a second one?
SL: Yeah, I don’t know.
JW: And at that point I’m gonna send you these questions, so you can do it at your own time. This was just the initial. Anyway. “Give an example of something you have done or heard about in astronomy that illustrates you definition.” You said, “see a comet across the night sky while stargazing.”
SL: Yeah, that goes along more with what I would say now. A scientific astronomical observation would be observing something that has to do with astronomy.
JW: Describe what a comet looks like.
SL: A comet?
JW: Yeah, in the sky, what does a comet look like.
SL: I guess, something going quickly across the sky that looks like something is trailing it.
JW: Okay.
SL: And then it kinds disappears.
JW: So, it lasts for a few seconds, a few minutes..
SL: Yeah, seconds.
JW: Seconds, okay.
SL: Yeah, and the bottom part, I guess I was interpreting this as when in my science class he said “Go out and look at the stars.”
JW: Uh-huh.
SL: Like, observation of the universe I saw during a scientific assignment. During, like Dr. W, telling me to go out and look at the sky.
JW: Okay, so if I were to tell you to go out and find Orion, the constellation Orion, would that make it a scientific observation? Because you were assigned to go do it?
SL: That’s a tough one, because it’s definately an astronomical observation.
JW: Yes, it is an astronomical observation.
SL: Whether it is a scientific astronomical observation. I would say no. When I’m reading this now.
JW: But did you think that then? Could I say that student D, or what ever name you are going to have, thought that if you were assigned to go out and make an observation, such as finding a constellation, that that was constituting scientific ob..
SL: Yes, yes.
JW: Okay, so, finding a constellation is a scientific astronomical observation. That’s fair to say?
SL: Yeah, yeah.
Experiments and
Observations
/ Pre-interview:JW: Okay. Number 4, “Does the development of scientific knowledge, including astronomy, require experiments. “ You said, “Yes, in a general manner, it doesn’t always require experiments using scales, test tubes, telescopes. Sometimes it involves numerous calculations and manipulations of other’s data and conclusions.”
SL: okay.
JW: Can you give me an example of an astronomical experiement?
SL: an astronomical experiment? Uhhmm.. <pause> Okay. That’s why was kind of yes, and kind of no,
JW: So ,this was a yes with a question mark behind it?
SL: Yes. It depends if you call an experiment something which you have to take calculations and measure something, versus an experiment that you take what somebody else did and manipulate the data. You know, it’s not an experiment, it’s maybe a mathematical experiment. You know?
JW: Okay, a methodic experiment.
SL: Yeah, it depends what you cal an experiment. If I were a chemistry major, an experiment to me is mixing chemicles and seeing what happens, it’s physically doing something. Whereas in astronomy, and experiment could manipulating people’s data and coming up with a new way of doing something. So, you are not necessarily doing your own initial measuremnt, your…
JW: Manipulating some one else’s data?
SL: Yeah. So that’s what I’m saying, so to me, If you have something that required experiments , and you look at the term experiments like I am, I don’t look at the term experiment as you having to mix two things or , you know?
JW: Would you call going out and looking through a telescope at the sky to observe, binary stars, an experiment?
SL: No. I think an experiment is something that you are looking for a way to find an answer to something Going out with a different.. If I wasn’t just going out to look, if I was going out to look and decide if that star looks like it’s in a different part of the sky today than it was yesterday, to me that would be an experiment, because I’m trying to find an answer to something.