Unit 5: Introduction to Astronomy

Introduction to Astronomy

  • The study of ______and all the ______within it.

Solar System: A group of ______that ______around the ______.

Everyone had a theory for how the solar system formed.

Ptolemy:

  • Said ______
  • Called a ______.

Earth

Copernicus:

  • Said ______
  • Called a ______.

Sun

Galileo:

  • Invented the ______.
  • Observed ______around the sun.
  • This supported the Heliocentric Solar System.

Kepler:

  • Studied the ______of the planets around the sun.
  • He explained that the plants revolve around the sun in the shape of an ellipse.

Newton:

  • Explained ______was the reason planets orbit the sun.
  • Gravity is the ______between two objects with mass.
  • The ______the mass of the objects, the ______the gravitational attraction.

The Sun

  • The sun is actually a ______(______) centered in our solar system.
  • THE SUN IS THE ONLY STAR IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM!!!
  • _____ made of ______
  • _____ made of ______

27 million °F

It’s light takes 8 minutes to reach earth.

It contains 99.8% of all gasses in the Solar System

1.3 MILLION EARTHS FIT INSIDE THE SUN

Fusion in the SUN

  • The sun is on fire.
  • Fusion creates the energy (heat) in the sun.
  • FUSION: Taking ______atoms and making ______.
  • Has been going on for 5 billion years… and 5 billion more.

Layers of the Sun

Photosphere:

  • The ______nearest to the sun’s “surface.” This layer makes the ______that ______.
  • Photo - “light”

Chromosphere:

  • This is the ______of the sun’s atmosphere Chromo - “color”
  • This layer is reddish orange in color.

Corona:

  • This is the ______of the sun that stretches to ______It looks like a ______
  • Corona means “crown” in Latin. It’s only visible during eclipses and through telescopes

The Core:

  • Just like earth, the sun has a core too
  • This is where the fusion reactions take place
  • It is the ______layer of the sun.

Other Random Stuff about the Sun

Sunspots:

  • ______of ______on the ______.
  • Dark because they are cool and ______.
  • Sunspots ______in ______.
  • Sunspots also move ______that the ______

Prominences:

  • Huge ______Blast of gas from sun’s surface to outer space
  • Not sure why they occur.

Solar Flares:

  • ______.
  • The gasses shot out like a flare.

The Inner Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
  • Closest planets to the sun.
  • They are called “______.”
  • Terra = “earthy or rocky” core.

/ Venus
  • Earth’s ______
  • Many craters but can’t be seen under ______.
  • One of the ______objects in the sky.
It’s rotation is funky…
-It takes ______to ______= ______days and nights!
-It takes ______to go ______= ______.
-It rotates ______after being hit long ago.
The Atmosphere:
-______
-______
-______
This thick atmosphere of greenhouse
gasses trap so much heat it is 870°


Mercury
  • It is the ______planet to the sun.
  • Same ______as our ______.
  • Lots of ______caused by early ______.
  • Hard to explore because it’s so close to the sun.
  • It is so small, it has almost ______.
  • Little gravity = ______.
  • It has the greatest temperature range of all planets.
  • The side ______the sun = ______
  • The side ______from sun = ______
  • The core has cooled causes the ______.

/
Mars
  • Called the ______.
  • Red because it ______. ( )
  • It is ½ the size of Earth.
  • Has 2 moons.
  • Polar ice caps of frozen water and carbon dioxide.
  • Evidence of ______.
  • Very cold ______.
  • Sand dunes: Indicate that there is ______.
  • If there is water and ice, could life possibly exist on Mars???
Volcano: ______(Highest mountain in the SS).
Canyon: ______

The Outer Planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (NOT PLUTO)
  • Furthest planets from the sun.
  • They are called “______.”
  • Named after Jupiter.
  • Very ______planets.
  • Made mostly of ______.

/ Saturn
  • 2nd ______.
  • VERY ______
  • Saturn can actually float in water, well, kind of.
  • Great White Spot: ______.
  • Amazing Rings:
    - Made of ______
    - Held by: ______

Uranus
  • Blue from ______.
  • High ______and ______
  • It may actually be raining diamonds!!!
  • Has ______.
  • Rotates ______Got hit long time ago!!!


Jupiter
  • The ______planet of them all! (2x’s Earth)
  • Has a faint dusty ______around it.
  • Takes 12 years to ______.
  • Atmosphere made of ______.
  • Great Red Spot: ______
  • Red and white clouds (H and L pressure systems)
  • It is so small, it has almost ______.
  • Little gravity = ______.
  • Has 61 moons !!!
  • Large = ______
  • Sucks in lots of moons.
  • Called a “______”
/
Neptune
  • Also ______.
  • And temperature and pressure may create“diamond rain”.
  • Great Dark Spot: ______

What about poor Pluto, yo :[ ?
- Pluto is the smallest “planet” discovered in 1930.
- It is SOLID made of rock and ice.
- It is not made of gas like the rest of the Jovian planets.
Actually a ______….
Or more accurately, a rocky body within the ______.

The Formation of the Solar System: “Solar Nebular Hypothesis”

The Nebula:

  • A long time ago there was a ______in space.
  • Cloud was called a “______.”
  • This nebula began to ______in on itself by its own ______.
  • A ______from a ______may have caused this.

Compression and Flattening:

  • The clouds ______and angular momentum caused the cloud to ______and faster.
  • Similar to an ice skater who compresses herself.
  • The cloud started to______out into a ______shape.
  • Like tossing a pizza.

Heating The Sun Forms:

  • The compression caused the cloud to ______a lot!
  • The middle gets so hot that ______begins and the ______starts to form.
  • This “early sun” was called the “______.”

The Planets Form:

  • Eventually chunks of gooey matter begin to ______to one another and
    come together like ______. This is called ______.
  • These chunks are called “______.”
  • Planetesimals are ______planets.
  • Planetesimals form by ______out of the nebula gas cloud as it ______.
  • The type of planets and what they are made of ______.

Comets

  • Comets are a mixture of ______, ______, and a small amount of ______in the form of a sphere.
  • Comets move around the ______.
  • Comets are invisible unless they are near the ______because…
  • As they approach the sun, the entire comet ______.
  • The temperature increases due to the ______.
  • The ______melts.
  • The gas and dust is ______.
  • Solar winds push the ______and ______.
  • Parts of a Comet:
  • Nucleus: ______of comet made of ice, gas, and dust.
  • Coma: thick ______of water, CO2, and dust that melts/sublimes out of the nucleus.
  • Dust Tail: ______particles being pushed by the solar wind.
  • Comets formed from leftover material during ______.
  • Most comets are found in the belt between ______and ______.
  • When Earth passes through the ______, this is when we see “shooting stars.”

Asteroids

  • Asteroids are small chunks of ______or ______that revolve around the sun.
  • They are called “______”.
  • Most of found between ______and ______.
  • The sun and Jupiter are keeping the asteroids in balance because both are pulling in opposite directions.
  • Often asteroids become ______because a planet’s gravity pulls them in.
  • In the year 2036, there is a slight chance that an asteroid might hit ______.

Meteoroids

  • A meteoroid is a chunk of rock that is smaller than an ______. Part of an asteroid or left over comet debris.

It revolves around the ______. It is not in Earth’s atmosphere.

Meteors

  • When a meteoroid comes into contact with the Earth’s atmosphere, it ______up due to the intense ______.

We see a ______in the sky.

Meteorites

  • This is a meteoroid that goes through the entire atmosphere without ______.
  • In other words, it’s a ______that makes it through the atmosphere.
  • It causes ______to Earth.