Mid-term Earth and Space Science

Scientific Method

Scientific Method

It is a series of steps used to help solve a problem.

Steps of the Scientific Method

1. Define the problem.

2. Research the problem.

3. Develop a hypothesis

4. Develop a controlled experiment.

5. Collect data from the experiment.

6. Conclusion

Control Group

Used as a comparison, nothing is done to this group.

Experimental Group

The group which is being tested.

Independent Variable

The one thing you are testing in an experiment. What you change in the experiment.

Dependent Variable

The changes which occur as a result of the independent variable.

Controlled Variables

Things which are not changed in the experiment. (Temperature, light, etc.)

The Big Bang

Theory which states that the Universe Started from a single dense point which expanded

Evidence for the Big Bang

1. The universe is expanding

2. Cosmic Background Radiation

Big Crunch

The universe will slow in it’s expansion and gravity will pull all matter back into a single point.

REFRACTING TELESCOPE

USES GLASS LENSES TO GATHER LIGHT.

REFLECTING TELESCOPE

USES A LARGE MIRROR TO GATHER LIGHT.

RADIO TELESCOPE

GATHERS RADIO WAVES, COMPUTERS PRODUCE AN IMAGE .

Spectroscope

Separate light into its rainbow of colors.

ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

ALL ENERGY WHICH TRAVELS AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT.

Continuous Spectrum

An un-broken rainbow of color.

Bright Line Spectrum

Un-evenly spaced lines of different colors which are unique to each element.

The Doppler Shift

A change in wavelength of light or sound from moving objects.

Red Shift

Moving away from Earth.

Blue Shift

Moving towards Earth.

Parallax

The use of Geometry (triangulation) to determine distances to nearby stars

Inverse square law of light

The use of Absolute Magnitude to determine distances to stars. Dimmer = More Distant

RADIO GALAXIES

ACTIVE GALAXIES WITH SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN THEM.

STARS

LARGE HOT SPHERES OF GAS

APPARENT MAGNITUDE

HOW BRIGHT A STAR APPEARS AS VIEWED FROM EARTH.

ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE

THE TRUE BRIGHTNESS OF A STAR .

MAIN SEQUENCE STARS

STABLE MID -LIFE STARS SIMILAR TO OUR SUN .

RED GIANTS

LARGE COOL STARS, OLDER STARS.

SUPERGIANTS

VERY LARGE COOLER STARS,

NEUTRON STARS

Made of neutrons, a super nova

PULSARS

SPINNING NEUTRON STARS

WHITE DWARFS

SMALL, DENSE, AND DIM STARS

BLACK HOLES

LARGE NEUTRON STARS (INFINITLY SMALL, DENSE POI NT )

NEBULA

Cloud of dust and gas in space. Stars form from nebulae.

Life cycle of our sun

NEBULA > MAIN SEQUE NCE > RED GIANT > WHITE DWARF > DARK STAR

Life cycle for big stars

NEBULA > LARGE MAIN SEQUENCE > SUPER GIANT > SUPERNOVA > NEUTRON STAR OR BLACK HOLE

Covalent Bond

Sharing of electrons between atoms.

Atom

smallest building block of matter.

Elements

Matter composed of the same type of atoms

Compounds

Matter composed of 2 or more elements chemically combined.

Ion

An atom which has gained or lost electrons

V2 ROCKET

USED TO BOMB LONDON, Advanced rocket, GERMANY

WERNHER VON BRAUN

Made the V2 rocket

Sputnik 1

THE FIRST MAN-MADE OBJECT TO ORBIT THE EARTH

LAIKA THE DOG

THE FIRST ANIMAL INTO ORBIT,

LUNA 1

THE FIRST SATELLITE TO FLY TO THE MOON.

LUNA 2

THE FIRST OBJECT ON THE MOON.

LUNA 3

THE FIRST TO PHOTOGRAPH THE MOON’S FAR SIDE

YURI GAGARIN

1 ST MAN IN SPACE, MADE 1 ORBIT.

ALAN SHEPARD

1ST AMERICAN IN SPACE .

JOHN GLENN

1 ST AMERICAN TO ORBIT THE EARTH.

VALENTINA TERESHKOVA

1 ST WOMAN IN SPACE

PROJECT MERCURY

SMALL 1 MAN CAPSULE, TO LEARN THE BASICS OF SPACE FLIGHT.

PROJECT GEMINI

SPACE FOR MORE THAN 10 DAYS (docking)

PROJECT APOLLO

1969 FIRST MOON LANDING.

NEIL ARMSTRONG

THE FIRST PERSON ON THE MOON.

Skylab

Americas first space station

Planets in order

MERCURY, VENUS, EARTH, MARS, JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS, NEPTUNE, PLUTO

Mercury

Closest to the sun, looks like moon, old surface (lots of craters)

Venus

Dense Co2, hottest planet, and intense Greenhouse effect

Mars

Most Earth-like and once had water

Jupiter

Largest planet, small rings, 3 moons: Io-Volcanoes Europa- Smooth and icy, Ganymede- Largest moon

Saturn

Largest ring system, largest moon Titan has a thick atmosphere

Uranus

Rotates on its side

Neptune

13 moons, largest moon Triton orbits clockwise

Pluto

Smaller then planets, made of ice, largest moon Charon, most inclined orbit

meteoroids

Rock fragments in space

Meteorites

Rock fragments that hit Earth

Meteors

Rock fragments which burn up in earths atmosphere

Asteroids

Located in the Asteroid Belt larger rock fragments

comets

“Dirty Snowball in space”, left over maternal from planets

Ceres

The largest asteroid

Moon origin Theory

Large mars-sized object hit Earth, The material that blasted off formed the moon

Craters

Impact of meteorites

Maria

Dark regions of moon, lava flow

Highlands

Light areas of moon, light colored rocks

Rays

Bright streaks of ejected material

Central Peaks

Mountains in middle of large crators

Lunar soil

Mixture of dust and small rocks

Near Side

Side of moon that faces us

Far side

Side of moon we never see

Effects the moon has on Earth

Moonlight, tides

Mass and velocity in relation to crater sizes

The heavier and greater the velocity the bigger the crater.

Nuclear Fusion

Hydrogen atoms fuse together forming Helium atoms. How stars are made

The core

The center of the sun (Nuclear Fusion Occurs)

Photosphere

The visable surface of the sun

Sun spots

Cool spot of magnetic activity on the photosphere

Prominence

An arc-shaped material from the sun

Solar Flare

Violent outbursts near sunspots

Solar wind

Stream of particles from the sun.

METEOROLOGY

THE STUDY OF EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

AIR

A MIXTURE OF 78% NITROGEN, 21% OXYGEN, < 1%ARGON, .03% CARBON DIOXIDE, TRACE AMOUNTS OF WATER

TROPOSPHERE

THE LOWEST LAYER OF THE ATMOSPHERE, WHERE WE LIVE, AND WHERE OUR WEATHER OCCURS.

STRATOSPHERE

COLD, CLEAR, AND DRY. WHERE JETS FLY.

Jet streams

Bands of high speed wind belts which circle the Earth.

Ozone Layer

Located at the top of the stratosphere, protects Earth from UV radition.

Weather

The state of the atmosphere at a given place or time

Radiation

The movement of energy through space, forms of waves

Convection

The movement of energy through gases, or liquids

Conduction

the movement of energy through contact