Astronomy Pt 2

Eclipse

Eclipse

when something in space is getting darkened

Lineup of solar eclipse

SUN-MOON-EARTH

Lineup of lunar eclipse

SUN-EARTH-MOON

Solar Eclipse

The Sun is being blocked by the Moon

Lunar eclipse

The Moon turns a bright red because Earth is blocking the light from Sun.

Umbra

Total darkness when something is blocking light from the sun, usually during an eclipse

penumbra

Partial darkness from an eclipse, when an object is blocking the suns light

When can a solar eclipse happen?

Only during the day

When can a lunar eclipse happen?

Only during the night

Why don’t eclipses happen every moon cycle?

because moon orbit is tilted like a sash, at a five degree tilt

What are tides?

Tides are caused by the Moon’s gravitational pull on the Earth’s oceans. (The Sun has some influence on the tides also, but since the Moon is closer, it is the major player involved in this interaction.

What is the basic tide schedule?

While some places have unusual tides, the general pattern is that in most places there are 2 high tides and 2 low tides every 24 hours. There is an approximate time difference of 6 hours between one tide and the next. That means that to go from one high tide to the next high tide- approximately 12 hours need to pass.

How many stars are in the solar system?

Only 1- The sun

What are the two characteristics of planets

Terrestrial- Rocky. Jovian- Gassy

What are the patterns of the solar system? (Only need to name three)

There are 4 terrestrial planets and four Jovian planets.

Generally the planets go from smaller—-->bigger as you move outwards (Jupiter is the largest planet and Mercury is the smallest planet). The planets go from having one to no moons to having a lot of moons.

The Jovian planets rotate more quickly than the terrestrial planets, but revolve around the Sun slower (cause they have much more distance to travel)

The terrestrial planets rotate more slowly than the Jovian, but revolve around the Sun faster (cause they have less distance to travel)

The planets go from having no rings—-> to all having rings

Why is pluto not a planet?

Pluto is not a planet because Pluto has a few objects around it that act like moons, but other objects do not. Some astronomers might think Pluto itself might orbit around another object.

What is the Kuiper belt?

The Kuiper Belt is a region of space. The inner edge begins at the orbit of Neptune, at about 30 AU from the Sun. The outer edge continues a very far distance outward with some bodies on orbits that go even further beyond.

What is a Comet?

A space object made out of ice and dust. You can identify them right away by their long tails- which are trails of ice and dust being left behind.

What is a meteor?

The rock tries to enter the atmosphere of a planet and is burnt up.

What is a meteorite?

Very rare. An asteroid is so big…It makes it through the atmosphere and lands on our planet.

What is an asteroid?

A rock floating in space

Who was

Nicolaus Copernicus?

Famous Astronomer- He said-

The center of the Earth is not the center of the Universe, only of Earth’s gravity and of the lunar sphere.

The Sun is fixed in place and all other spheres revolve around the Sun in perfect circle shapes. He called this the Heliocentric Theory (means Sun or Helio, in the center)

Earth has more than one motion, turning on its axis (rotation) and moving in a spherical orbit around the sun (revolution)

The stars are fixed but appear to move because of the Earth’s motion

Who was

Galileo Galilei?

Famous astronomer-

That the writings of Copernicus were true and he agreed with the Heliocentric Theory and said the “heavens were not perfect.”

He studied the phases of Venus

He discovered and studied sun spots

He discovered the 4 largest Moons of Jupiter (known now as the Galilean Moons)

Who was Johannes Kepler?

Famous astronomer- He said each planet's orbit about the Sun is an ellipse and not a perfect circle. An ellipse is like the shape of an oval or egg.

He also said the farther you are as a planet, the the slower you revolve, and the closer you are, the quicker you revolve.

The speed of a planet's orbit depends on how close it is to the Sun. Mercury orbits the Sun in only 88 days. Whereas a planet that is further away, like Saturn, takes 10,759 days to do the same.

Who was Edwin Hubble?

Studied many different types of nebulae and galaxies.

Came up with evidence to support the idea that the Universe is constantly expanding outwards and away from us.

What is the Oort Cloud?

Even further beyond the Kuiper Belt is another region of space. It surrounds our Solar System like a sphere. It is called the Oort Cloud. The Oort Cloud is made up of millions and millions of chunks of ice. Sometimes ice leaves this cloud and travels through our Solar System as a comet.

What was the space race?

The Space Race is a term historians use to explain a period of time when the United States and the Soviet Union were in competition with each other to try and show which country had the superior technology and science. Both countries spend many resources trying to be the first country to get into space and the first country to land on the moon. The Russians were the first to put a man in space- Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin in 1961 The United States were the first to bring people to the Moon’s surface- Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin All part of the first successful NASA mission to bring people to the moon called- The Apollo 11 mission.

What are Similarities and Differences between Solar and Lunar Eclipses?

Cant look at without goggles: Can look at without goggles

Only happens during the new moon phase: Only happens during the full moon phase

One celestial body creates a shadow on another.