Bigger Than Big

Light year

the distance light travels in one year

galaxy

a giant group of dust, gas, and stars held together by gravity

universe

space and all matter in it

Solar System

a system made up of the Sun, the eight planets and their moons, dwarf planets, and smaller objects

gravity

a force that pulls two objects toward each other

Star

large hot spheres of hydrogen gas powered by nuclear fusion reactions in the core

Asteroid belt

an area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids are located

planet

A large body in space that orbits a star and does not produce light of its own

Moon

an object that orbits a planet or a dwarf planet

outer planet

a planet made up mostly of gases and is called a gas giant

atmosphere

a collection of gases that surround a planet

inner planet

a planet made up of rocks or metals with a solid surface

Galaxy (more detailed)

a system of millions or billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.

Astronomical Unit

The average distance between Earth and the sun, about 150 million kilometers

neutron star

a star that has collapsed under gravity to the point that the electrons and protons have smashed together to form neutrons

Black hole

An object whose gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape

White Dwarf

A small, hot, dim star that is the leftover center of an old star

red giant

A star that expands and cools once it runs out of hydrogen fuel

supernova

A gigantic explosion in which a massive star collapses and throws its outer layers into space

Parallax method

A method for measuring the distances to nearby stars that relies on the fact that a star appears displaced relative to the background of distant stars when viewed from two different positions in space. Satellites orbit outside the Earth's atmosphere can measure distances up to almost 1000 pc in this way.

Edwin Hubble

research proved universe still expanding;

proved galaxies exist outside of the milky way;

classification system for galaxies;

hubble telescope named after him

radio telescope

a telescope that picks up sound waves from very distant stars

space telescope

Telescopes in orbit above Earth's atmosphere.

telescope

A device built to observe distant objects by making them appear closer

Infra-red

This has wavelengths that are longer than visible light, and can be felt as heat.

infrared telescope

Telescope designed to detect infrared radiation

Big Bang Theory

Cosmological model that explains the sudden development of the universe through expansion from a hot, dense state.

Steady State Theory

a theory which states that there was no beginning to the universe and that the universe does not change in appearance.

Life cycle of a star

the series of events that occurs in the life of any star

Hertzsprung-Russell diagram

organizes the family of stars into a diagram; across bottom is star's temperature and side is star's absolute magnitude; a star's temperature and color depend on how big the star is

cosmic radiation

Naturally occurring background radiation from outer space. \n Evidence for Big Bang Theory

greenhouse effect

warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere

climate change (global warming)

A rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans. It is caused by increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, resulting from human activities such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuels.

ozone layer depletion

loss of ozone molecules in atmosphere resulting in increase in harmful solar radiation reaching ground level

loss of biodiversity

declining number and variety of the species in an area

rising sea levels

(n) the increased height of the level of seas and oceans

red shift

the phenomenon where light from a distant object appears to have longer wavelengths, indicating that the object is moving away from the observer and the colour appears redder. This is a key piece of evidence for the expanding universe theory.

blue shift

The phenomenon where light waves are compressed as the object moves closer, causing an increase in frequency and energy, resulting in a shift towards the blue end of the spectrum.

main sequence

The stage in a star's life cycle where it fuses hydrogen into helium in its core, providing energy to maintain its size and temperature. Therefore, it is in a stable state. Stars spend most of their existence in the main sequence

apparent magnitude

The measure of the brightness of a celestial object as seen from Earth, taking into account its distance from us. It is based on a logarithmic scale, where each increase of 1 magnitude represents a decrease in brightness by a factor of 2.5.

star-forming nebulae

Giant clouds of gas and dust in space where new stars are born. The gas and dust in these nebulae can become dense enough to trigger the formation of protostars, which eventually evolve into fully-formed stars.

fusion reaction

Process in which two atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy in the process. In a star, it converts hydrogen to helium.

Brief outline of how a star becomes a white dwarf

When a small star runs out of fuel, it will start to cool and shrink. Its core will become denser and hotter, eventually leading to helium fusion. The star will then expand into a red giant when the leftover hydrogen creates a shell before shedding its outer layer and collapsing into a white dwarf.

Georges Lemaitre and Vesto Silpher

Lemaitre first proposed that all matter was in one spot and Silpher collected evidence supporting it. Silpher observed red shift in many galaxies indicating that they are moving away from us a increasingly higher speeds.

George Gamow

Scientist who developed the Big Bang theory. Gamow's model suggested that the explosion at the birth of the universe was created by all hydrogen and some helium

Spiral Galax

A galaxy with a flat, rotating disk containing stars, gas, and dust, and a central bulge of older stars. Spiral arms extend from the bulge, containing young stars, gas, and dust. Our Milky Way is a spiral galaxy.

Irregular galaxies

Galaxies with no defined shape or structure. They lack a central bulge and spiral arms, and their stars are scattered randomly. They are often smaller and less massive than other types of galaxies.

Planetary nebula

A nebula formed from a red giant star

Planetary nebulas form from red giants that have expanded until their outer gas layers drift out into space.

plasma

A state of matter consisting of positive ions and free electrons

Plasma is found in the cores of stars, where nuclear fusion occurs.

protostar

A dense ball of gas that hasn't yet developed into a star

Protostars form in nebulas. Once they start to fuse hydrogen, they become main sequence stars.

red supergiant

A large star that fuses helium, causing its outer layers to expand

Red supergiants eject most of their mass in catastrophic explosions, known as supernovas.

Curiosity Rover description and cost

889kg- made of aluminium, cleats for traction, titanium springs.

Rock-vaporizing laser

17 Cameras

Cost $3.72 billion AUD

Curiosity rover impact

* Found that Mars in ancient time had the chemistry to support living microbes
* Fund necessary ingredients for life (sulfur, oxygen, phosphorus, carbon)
* acquires samples for analysis
* captured images of drifting moons and shining clouds
* showed it is **possible** to land a very, large, and heavy rover to the surface of Mars
* showed the ability of long-range mobility on Mars to study samples and environments