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| Date | Topic(s) | Images/Resources | Reading |
| Introduction January 25 prompts |
Course
Logistics; getting to know one another |
Darby | Cool diagram of planetary missions |
|
Our Place in Space January 30 |
We'll take a whirlwind tour through the Universe and spend some time investigating how big space really is. |
Universe p. 8-29 Interactive Universe Atlas Wikipedia Universe (for reference purposes) Astronomy Picture of the Day |
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Science and the Media I February 1 |
This class will give a short introduction to different types of media that we experience in every day life that relate to representations of science. | ||
| History of the Universe prompts February 6 & 8 HW#1.5B due Feb. 6 |
A short historical perspective on pre-20th century views of the universe, including Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler (and his Laws) Indigo Girls Galileo |
History Channel Universe: Season 1, Beyond the Big Bang Kepler's Laws: 1, 2, 3, 4 |
Universe: 82-93 |
| Spectroscopy February 13 and 15 prompt3 prompt4 Quiz #1 Feb. 15 |
Some fundamental aspects of spectroscopy, including how we take the temperature of stars! Homework notes |
Intro to Waves Electromagnetic Waves Electromagnetic Waves UO applet |
Universe: 32-35 |
| Compositions of Stars February 20 prompt5 good website |
How do we use spectroscopy to tell us what stars are made of? Spectroscopy of stars Flame colors of different elements Spectral signatures Roy G Biv |
Origins Video: Back to the Beginning Ch. 1 Origins Video: Back to the Beginning Ch. 2 & 5 |
NOVA interactive |
| BANG! and the Origin of the Universe February 22 prompt6 HW #2 due Feb. 22 |
A short overview of the Big Bang and how our
universe was formed. We'll learn about Edwin Hubble, red shift and blue
shift, and how we know the universe is still expanding. |
Cosmic Mystery Tour Doppler Shift: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 song police radar |
Universe: 42-43, 44-51 Also read "The Great Debate" and "The Expanding Universe"on p.92-93 & the Big Bang section on p.96 History of the Universe PBS Origins Site Origins Exploratorium EM Spectrum and this link on spectroscopy Big Bang 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
Hubble's Constant: Quantifying the velocity and age of the universe |
We'll conclude our discussion of the expanding universe by using simple calculations to tell us how fast a start is moving and how old the universe is! |
Origins Video: Back to the Beginning, parts 6 and 7 Origins Video: Earth is Born |
Universe: p. 50-51 (Early Stars & Galax.) p. 230 (What is a Star? only) p. 246 (Main Seq. Stars), p. 31 (Fission & Fusion) p. 232-237, 250-251 (Life Cycle of Stars) Triggered Star Formation Ten-step Star Formation These Links on Galaxy, Star & Planet Formation |
| Planets March 5 |
Here we'll find out about the origin of our own Solar System. Key Concepts |
p. 116-117 (SS formation) Origin of the solar System Solar System Overview Origin of the Moon Planetary Orbits Earth's Weight |
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The Sun |
Lecture on the Structure & Compositon of the Sun - ever wonder why we see sunspots?? Key Concepts Why Does the Sun Shine? Why Does the Sun Really Shine? |
Solar forecast |
Prompt8 Universe: p. 120-123 SOHO site, including real-time images! Recent Article on Sunspots from NYTIMES SpaceWeather |
| The Dynamic Earth March 12 HW#3 due March 21 |
In honor of the recent tragedy in Japan, I will spend Monday's class talking about earthquakes and tsumanis. | plate tectonics and magnetic stripes | Water motion 1 |
The Dynamic Earth |
We will examine what gives a planet a magnetic field,
and draw comparisons between the Earth and other planets. Is Earth's magnetic
field in the process of reversing? What effects will this have on people
and other species? |
Magnetic
Storm (NOVA video) |
Universe: p. 138-147 |
Mercury and Venus |
In these lectures, we'll look at new data returned from recent missions. The MESSENGER orbiter just entered orbit on March 18. Venus Express is now in an extended mission, still returning data. In these lectures, we'll contrast what we know about Mercury with Venus, Earth's twin... | Mercury day/night |
Universe: p. 124-137, 160-161,162-175 Kepler's Laws Newton & Gravity NYTimes Article on Mercury (Oct. 30, 2008) Earth/Venus/Mars Comparison Runaway Greenhouse Effect Earth vs. Venus |
| Asteroids, Comets, & Meteorites April 2, 4, and 9 Quiz #4 April 4 prompt13 prompt14 |
Darby will bring meteorite samples to class, and talk about their origins and classification. Tim Spahr, director of the Minor Planet Center (data repository for the entire world's observations of asteroids, comets, & dwarf planets) will talk on April 6th about omets and asteroids. | 2009DD45 | NASA's Planetquest Universe: 290-291, 52-53 |
| Science Fact vs. Fantasy: Representations of Astronomy in Different Types of Media (Sarah Oelker) | |||
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Moon |
The moon is the closest extraterrestrial body to Earth. From it, we can learn about geologic time, rocks and minerals, and some basic geological principles, especially volcanism, that we can apply to understanding other bodies. We will hand out grade sheets on the 20th so you can check that I have all your scores entered correctly. | lunar eclipse lunar formation lunar phases tides |
Funny web site Moon song Animations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Universe: p. 148-159, 62-63 Formation of the Moon The Moon Connection |
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Mars |
Mars is my favorite planet at the moment... |
Universe: same as above NASA's Mars Exploration Programs Check out this article on the death of the Phoenix lander |
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The Outer Solar System |
We'll finish up the course by talking about the outer planets, which have much in common. Jupiter Saturn's Aurora Sounds of Saturn |
Universe: |
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| Bart's Comet April 30 |
Who knew, Bart Simpson is an astronomer!? Get back all papers, eat cookies, get grades... |
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