Astro Biology 1 (Astronomy)

• 8/13/2013: Receive "Course Syllabus", lecture and reading on "A Modern View of the Universe"

Here's a cool interactive website where you can zoom in and out to see the size and scale of the universe: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/525347

Another website that explains not only scale, but time as well: http://www.krysstal.com/scale.html

Another good one, with lots of explanatory text: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/

Here's a video that's part of a series called "Journey to the Edge of the Universe" (there's also a lot of good related videos to check out): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr7wNQw12l8&feature=related

And a host of photos of the famous "pale blue dot" that inspired Carl Sagan:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&q=pale+blue+dot&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=hp52TNSdHIa4sAOjnbygDQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=8&ved=0CFgQsAQwBw&biw=1440&bih=708&tbm=isch#q=pale+blue+dot&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=1&biw=1269&bih=702

• 8/16: Finish "A Modern View of the Universe", lecture and reading on "Spaceship Earth", Does it Make Sense? HW I (Handed out in class, DUE Tues. 8/20)
• 8/20: Guest Speaker Presentation- Joe Frennea from International Dark Sky Association, Guest Speaker Reflection (DUE Thurs. 8/22)
• 8/22: Watch "IMAX: Cosmic Voyage", begin lecture and reading on "Ancient Astronomy"
• 8/27: Finish "Ancient Astronomy", Archaeoastronomy Group Research Project (Research materials DUE Fri. 8/30)
• 8/30: Prepare Archaeoastronomy presentations (Be ready to present on Tuesday, 9/3!)
• 9/3: Archaeoastronomy presentations
• 9/6: Finish Archaeoastronomy presentations, lecture and reading on "Early Astronomers"
• 9/10: Finish "Early Astronomers", lecture and reading on "Matter and Energy in Everyday Life", Early Astronomers HW (DUE Fri. 9/13):

List and describe the major contributions that each of the following individuals made to the science of astronomy, and state why each was significant:

1. Ptolemy

2. Copernicus

3. Galileo

4. Kepler

5. Newton

6. Arrange each astronomer and the important dates from this handout in a timeline

7. Pick one person from the above list and describe how their discoveries transformed their society and/ or culture, or describe how their discoveries were hindered by their society/ culture, and why. Cite your sources (2 PTS.)

• 9/13: Unit Quiz One and Binder Check, "Matter and Energy in Everyday Life" continued
• 9/17: Finish "Matter and Energy in Everyday Life", begin lecture and reading on "Describing Motion", Does it Make Sense? HW II (DUE Fri. 9/20)

Good PBS video on "amazing atoms": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqNSQ3OQMGI

Cool video on "Quarks: Inside the Atom": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMgi2j9Ks9k&feature=related

Nice website with videos on how atoms work: http://science.howstuffworks.com/atom.htm

Good Discovery Channel video on energy and the 4 phases of matter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88tK5c0wgH4

• 9/20: Finish "Describing Motion", Does it Make Sense? HW III (DUE Tues. 9/24)

Video on motion and force from NASA, with good explanations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54fAE2iN2II

Painful demonstrations of Newton's 3 Laws of Motion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWOv7NyOnhY

Good video on the Inverse Square Law using sandwiches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW3tT0L2gpc

• 9/24: Motion and Force Lab I: Ball Drop (DUE Fri. 9/27)
• 9/27: Motion and Force Lab II: Rocket Launch
• 10/1: Midterm Exam and Binder Check, begin lecture and reading on "Light in Everyday Life"
• 10/4: No Class: Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
• 10/7-10/11: No School- Fall Break
• 10/15: "Light in Everyday Life" continued
• 10/18: Finish "Light in Everyday Life", Light in Everyday Life HW (DUE Tues. 10/22):

1. Define each of the 4 ways that light interacts with matter, and give examples of each

2. What's the difference between "transparent" and "opaque"?

3. Explain how light can be made of both particles and waves

4. Between gamma rays and radio waves, which type of light has more energy, and why?

5. What happens to the electrons of atoms when light energy passes through them?

6. What do line spectra tell us about things like stars, gas, and planets? How?

7. Why is it more difficult for opaque objects to emit thermal radiation? What are the 2 rules of thermal radiation?

8. What is the Doppler Shift? How does the extreme redshift of distant galaxies provide evidence for the expansion of the universe?

• 10/22: Lecture and reading on "The Big Bang and the Evolution of the Universe"
• 10/25: Finish "The Big Bang and the Evolution of the Universe", begin lecture and reading on "Running the Expansion Backward", Big Bang Theory HW (DUE Tues. 10/29):

1. List and describe the 3 main lines of evidence for the Big Bang theory

2. What is "inflation theory"? What evidence exists to support it?

3. What is "funny energy" (AKA dark energy)? What is it doing to the universe, and what evidence supports its existence?

4. What does the Cosmic Microwave Background prove about the structure of the universe? How?

Having trouble visualizing all this stuff? Check out this awesome video: http://www.dvice.com/archives/2009/08/big-bang-animat.php

Good video from the History Channel on the cosmic microwave background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q7DbUCl6QU

Another good (and very British) Big Bang video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iqW7YS1Y7Y&feature=related

This is an EXCELLENT interactive website on the different eras of time in the universe's history (useful for upcoming projects): http://www.pbs.org/deepspace/timeline/

• 10/29: Finish "Running the Expansion Backward", begin Timeline of the Universe Group Poster Projects
• 11/1: Timeline of the Universe Group Poster Projects continued
• 11/5: Timeline of the Universe Group Poster Projects continued
• 11/8: Unit Quiz 2 and Binder Check, Timeline of the Universe Group Poster Projects continued
• 11/12: Timeline of the Universe Group Poster Projects continued
• 11/15: Timeline of the Universe Group Poster Projects continued
• 11/19: Timeline of the Universe Group Poster Projects continued (DUE Fri. 11/22), Does it Make Sense? HW IV (DUE Fri. 11/22)
• 11/22: Begin lecture and reading on "A New View of Gravity"
• 11/26: Watch "The Elegant Universe: Einstein's Dream", begin watching "The Elegant Universe: String's the Thing"
• 11/29: No School- Thanksgiving Break
• 12/3: Finish "A New View of Gravity", finish watching "The Elegant Universe: String's the Thing", A New View of Gravity HW (DUE Fri. 12/6):

1. What creates gravity? How does the amount of an object's mass affect the strength of gravity?

2. What role does density play in the strength of gravity?

3. How did we discover the existence of dark matter?

4. Describe what MACHOs are, and why they are potential candidates for dark matter. How can we detect them?

5. Describe what WIMPs are, and why they are potential candidates for dark matter

6. Why are nonbaryonic particles so difficult to detect?

7. What is the critical density, and why is it important to understanding the universe's fate?

8. What role does dark matter play in the fate of the universe?

9. Describe the 4 possible fates of the universe

10. State which fate we currently believe is the most likely, and explain why

• 12/6: Watch "The Elegant Universe: Welcome to the 11th Dimension"
• 12/10: Lecture and reading on "Star Death"
• 12/13: Final Exam and Binder Check, Class Evaluations (DUE Tues. 12/17)
• 12/17: Watch "The Universe: End of the Earth"
• 12/20: No School- Winter Break