Transcript Powerpoint Review

The early models of the solar system were based
on philosophy and religion. Philosophers spent
their time discussing and debating how the
universe looked. We must remember:
 Philosophers did not have the technology that we
have today.
 The origin and placement of the Earth were
deeply rooted in religion.


Recall, philosophy and religion fall under
pseudoscience. As you work through this lesson,
keep an eye out for views of the universe that are
considered pseudoscience.
 The
geocentric model is the theory that
states:
 The Earth is the center of the universe.
 All of the other objects in the universe go
around the Earth.
 All objects orbit the Earth in perfect
circles because all things in the heavens
are perfect.
 The
geocentric model was accepted until
the 16th century. The geocentric model
was based on philosophical views,
religious views, and two observations
that were thought to be true:
 Objects in the sky seemed to move
around the Earth each day.
 The Earth’s movement could not be felt.
 The
heliocentric model is a theory that
states:
 The sun is the center of the universe.
 All objects in the universe orbit around
the sun in perfect circles.
 The Heliocentric model was based on
Nicolas Copernicus’ use of mathematical
evidence to prove the planets and earth
revolve around the sun.

Heliocentric View:

Sun is the center of the universe.

Based on science.


Both:
Objects orbit in perfect circles.
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
Geocentric View:

Earth is the center of the universe.

Based on pseudoscience.

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The Sun
The sun is the star in our solar system that provides warmth
and light to the planets.
The Planets

Planets are objects that orbit a star. A planet is massive
enough to have gravity of its own but not massive enough to
ignite.
Moon


Moons are objects that orbit planets.
Comet

One of the small objects in our solar system that orbit the
sun.

 All
objects in our solar system orbit
around the sun or planets. It was once
thought that these orbits were a perfect
circle; However, it has since then been
shown that the orbit of these objects are
in the shape of an ellipse.
 Planets
revolve around the Sun.
 In
this type of orbit, the planets move
around the Sun in the shape of an ellipse.
 Gravity
is what causes the planets to
move around the Sun.
 Moons


revolve around planets.
This type of orbit is very similar to how
planets move around the sun. In this
case, the moon revolves around the
planet. The moon also moves around the
planet in the shape of an ellipse.
Again, gravity is what causes the moon to
move around planets.
 Comets


revolve around the Sun.
In this type of orbit, a comet revolves
around the sun in a long ellipse.
Once again, gravity is what causes
comets to move around the sun.
 Welcome
to your journey. We are going to
visit all of the objects in our solar system.
 The sun provides all heat and light for our
solar system. Some parts of the sun can get
to 15,000,000 °C.

Did you know that the sun makes up 99.8%
of the Solar System’s mass? Think of mass
as how much “stuff” there is in our solar
system.
 Mercury
is the smallest planet in the
solar system. It is also the closest planet
to the sun. Because Mercury is so close
to the sun, Mercury becomes very hot
during the day; however, it also becomes
very cold during the night.
 Mercury
has a similar appearance as our
moon; it is full of craters.
 Venus
is the second planet from the sun.
Other than the moon, Venus is the brightest
object in the night sky.


Venus is sometimes called Earth’s sister
planet because Earth and Venus have about
the same size and amount of gravity.
Venus is covered with a layer of clouds that
make it impossible to see its surface without
a special telescope.
Earth is the third planet from the sun. It is ideally
suited for life.
 Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, is a reddish
color which is a direct result of its iron content.

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
Mars is thought to possibly have water. Since
water is necessary for life, some scientists think
that Mars could possibly hold life.
We have sent many probes to Mars to obtain
samples and study the planet.
 Jupiter
is the fifth planet from the sun.
Jupiter is also the largest. If you were to add
up all of the other planet’s masses, Jupiter
would still be almost three times bigger!


Jupiter is the first of the gaseous planets.
That is it is made up mostly of gas.
Jupiter is mostly famous for its giant red
spot. Jupiter’s spot is caused by a huge
storm on the surface of the planet. This spot
is big enough for three Earths to fit inside.
 Saturn
is the sixth planet from the sun. It is
also the second largest planet.


Saturn is most famous for its rings. These
rings are made of dust and ice that orbits
the planet. Saturn’s rings can be seen with
an average telescope or a good pair of
binoculars.
Like Jupiter, Saturn is also a gaseous planet.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun.
Uranus is the farthest planet that we can see
without a telescope. If you look for Uranus on a
clear night, you may be able to see it without a
telescope. Uranus’s most distinct feature is it
rotates completely on its side.

Like Saturn, Uranus also contains rings, but they
are not at distinct as Saturn’s.

Uranus contains a large amount of ice; however,
Uranus is also considered a gaseous planet.

Neptune is the eighth and last planet from the
sun.
Neptune has a similar composition to Uranus
because it contains a large amount of ice.
Neptune is also considered a gas planet.
 Pluto was recently downgraded from a planet to
a dwarf planet. Dwarf planets are planets that do
not have enough gravity to clear everything in
their path.


Pluto is so far away that it is hard to get a clear
image of what it actually looks like.
 What
Causes the Seasons?
The seasons are caused by:
 the position of the Sun
 the position of the Earth
 the tilt of the Earth on its axis

Notice how the top part of the earth is
leaning toward the sun, which means it
receives more of the sun’s energy.
Here, the top part of the earth is leaning
away form the sun, meaning it receives
less energy from the sunlight.
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Phases of the Moon Misconceptions
Remember how there were some common
misconceptions for what caused the seasons.
There are just as many misconceptions about
what causes the phases of the Moon.
Many people mistakenly think that the phases of
the Moon are caused by the Earth casting a
shadow on the moon. This is not true. Although
the Earth does cast a shadow on the moon during
a lunar eclipse, the phases of the Moon have
nothing to do with shadows.

What causes the phases of the Moon?
There are a few items that you should know before
you can understand what causes the phases of the
Moon:
 The Moon revolves around the Earth.
 Only half of the Moon is lit by the Sun.
 On Earth, we can only see the lit part of the Moon.
 Only half of the Moon faces the Earth at one time.


As the moon revolves around the Earth, the side of
the moon that faces the Earth is always is changing.
There are eight different Moons phases. Every
month, the moon will cycle through all eight types.
 Types
of Eclipse
 A lunar eclipse is when the Earth blocks the
Sun’s light from shining on the Moon. This
blockage casts a shadow on the Moon.
Lunar eclipses usually make the Moon an
orange color as seen in this picture.

A lunar eclipse will cast a shadow that
totally covers the whole Moon because the
earth is bigger than the Moon.
A
solar eclipse is when the Moon blocks
the Sun’s light from shining on the Earth.
This casts a shadow on the Earth.

A solar eclipse will cast a shadow that
only covers a portion of the Earth
because the Moon is smaller than the
Earth.
 What
 Lunar
Causes an Eclipse?
and solar eclipses are caused by
the motion and positions of the Moon,
Earth and Sun.

It's all about gravity!
Let’s look at some interesting facts about gravity.
Gravity keeps us from floating into outer space.
Gravity keeps the Earth on its orbit around the
Sun.
 Gravity helps to drive the fusion reactions that
give the Sun its energy.
 Gravity is what makes a black hole black.
 Finally, gravity also helps to create the tides! In
this case, it is the gravity of the Moon and the Sun
that cause the tides.
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 As
the Moon revolves around the Earth,
the Moon’s gravity pulls on the Earth. The
parts of the Earth that are most affected
by this pull are the oceans and large
lakes. The Moon’s pull causes the water in
the oceans and large lakes to move
towards the Moon.
 The
Sun also has an effect on tides, but not
as much as the Moon. Since the Moon is a
lot closer to the Earth, the moon affects the
tides about twice as much as the sun.

When the Sun and the Moon line up, their
effects work together and cause extreme
high and low tides. When the Sun and the
Moon do not line up the high tide and low
tides are not as extreme.

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The Bay of Fundy in Canada has tides that are so
extreme that the difference between high tide
and low tide is 53 feet! That is a big tide! If you
would like to see pictures of this phenomenon,
go back to the introduction tab.
High tide and low tide happen one hour later
each day. This happens because the moon moves
east in its orbit each day making the moon rise
an hour later each day. Since the moon’s pull
creates our tides, this delay causes our tides to
happen an hour later each day.

Types of Tides

There are two types of tides.
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
Spring Tide – A spring tide is when the effects of
the Sun and Moon work together to bring
extreme tides. A spring tide happens during a
full and new moon.
Neap Tide – A neap tide is when the effects of
the Sun and Moon partially cancel each other out.
This happens during a first quarter and third
quarter moon.
 The
Beginning of Space Exploration
 On October 4, 1957, the Sputnik satellite
was successfully launched into Earth's
orbit by the Soviet Union. This event
shocked the world and gave the Soviet
Union the distinction of putting the first
human-made object into space. This first
step for the Soviets put the United States
a step behind in the space race.
 Then, a
few months before the fourth
anniversary of Sputnik's launch, on May 25,
1961, President John F. Kennedy made a
speech to Congress that announced his plan
to send an American to the Moon. He
wanted to send a man to the Moon so that he
would beat the Soviet Union in the space
race. Because of strong political reasons, it
was very important that the United States
beat the Soviet Union to the Moon.
This was the official beginning of the United
States space exploration. On that day, President
Kennedy had no idea how important the space
race would be to the United States. Because of
space exploration we have:
 invented new technology
 helped our economy
 changed our culture


These were unexpected outcomes due to the
space race; we could say that they were a
pleasant surprise.
 Inventions
 Thousands
Because of Space Exploration
of inventions were created for
space exploration. Many of these
inventions were adapted for use in our
everyday lives.

Satellite Dish

NASA developed a way to communicate with spacecrafts. Because of this we now have
satellite TV.

Cordless Screwdriver

Cordless tools were first developed to help astronauts drill for soil samples on the moon.
This same technology helped us develop the cordless power tools that we use today.

Smile

NASA's attempts to develop a new material for spacecrafts produced a hard, see through
material. This material is now used in invisible braces. You can thank space exploration
for your straight smile!

Firefighters

The flame retardant clothing that fire fighters wear were developed for space suits.

Video Game Controller

Joysticks were invented to control the Apollo Lunar Rover. These are the ancestors of the
controllers that you use for your computer and video games today.
 Space
Exploration has Changed our Culture
and Economy
 Have
you ever used Velcro? If it were not for
space exploration, you might not have.
Velcro was used by the astronauts to help
them get out of the bulky space suits.
 Today
the Velcro industry makes over $100
million. Many other industries are the result
of space exploration.


Cell Phone Industry
I bet you don’t know too many people who do not have a cell phone. The
cell phone has greatly changed our culture; how people do work and how
people communicate. Portable communication has its roots grounded in
space exploration.


Airline Industry
Today, travel around the world is relatively easy. Much of the technology
that airplanes use was developed as a result of space exploration.


Medical Industry
Much of the technology that is used today to help diagnose patients was
first developed for space exploration.

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Tourist industry
Many places around the world have museums and parks about space.
Millions of people visit these destinations every year. These parks and
museums bring in large amounts of money for the surrounding areas.
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Space travel is the best way to explore space. The reason for this
is space travel allows us to gather samples and see the objects up
close.
Space travel does have its limitations.
Time – it would take too long to send a person to the far places in
our solar system or the universe.
Energy source – because of our energy source, we travel way too
slowly to make it that far into space. We would have to travel faster
than light to go to some places in the universe.
Supplies – a trip far into space would require so many supplies
they would not fit on the space shuttle.
We do not have the ability to send people much farther than the
moon. Because of this, we have developed technology to help us
reach far into space.
 Optical
telescopes magnify and focus
visible light. Any object that lets off light
can be seen through an optical telescope.
These telescopes make objects seem
bigger and closer than they are.
 Optical telescopes can use lenses,
mirrors, or a combination of both. The
Hubble Telescope is a famous optical
telescope. The Hubble was put into orbit
outside the Earth’s atmosphere. This
reduces the interference the telescope
receives and it can see farther into space.
 Radio
telescopes are telescopes that
pick up on microwaves and radio waves
that are emitted by objects in space.
These telescopes are used when visible
light is not present or blocked.
 X-ray
telescope are a type of telescope that
can see x-rays. X-ray telescopes are usually
telescopes that are put into orbit to reduce
the interference of the atmosphere.
 Remember that stars and many other space
object emit x-rays. These telescopes help
us to see aspects of objects that we could
not see with visible light. X-ray telescopes
are the primary tool that scientists use to
study black holes.

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
Mathematics
Many times, it is impossible to observe a part of the Universe. When this is the case,
scientists use math to help.
In 1846, Neptune was discovered. The interesting thing about Neptune was that it was
discovered without ever having been seen! Neptune was proven by math to exist. After,
the math proved that Neptune existed, scientists know where in the sky to look for it and
was later seen through a telescope.
Albert Einstein also used math to help come up with his general formula E=mc2. This
theory of relativity has since been used to help prove the existence of black holes. In
fact, much of what we know about black holes has been proven by math.
Math is also used to help us determine the size of objects in space and how far away
these objects are. Listening to Space
Many people spend time listening to space. Some feel that there may be life in outer
space and that that life form is most likely to attempt to communicate with sound. This
practice is showcased in many Hollywood films.
Telescopes focus light so we can see objects off
in space.
 Mathematics can be used to prove theories about
space.
 People listen to space in the hope that aliens are
trying to communicate with us.
 Mathematics can be used to prove black holes
exist.
 Telescopes are used to see radio waves and
microwaves emitted by space objects.
 Space travel is used to study the moon.
 Telescopes are used to see x-rays emitted by
space objects.
