Transcript Astronomy Today

Space Exploration &
Astronomy Today
These careers are just…
out of this world!
Activity Time!
• Think about what
astronomers do
• Draw a picture or two of
an astronomer at work
on a typical work day /
night
• Be sure to include a
short caption!
• Be prepared to share
your work with others
What Did You Draw?
What ClipArt Had to Draw
Is That Drawing Accurate?
• Astronomers spend only a few night per year
observing
– Typically, less than 5
– Many astronomers don’t even use telescopes
• Astronomers never look through telescopes
– Eyes aren’t sensitive or objective enough for
astronomy
– Eyes don’t create a permanent, reproducible copy of
what they see
– No research observatory in the world has a telescope
with an eyepiece
Can Astronomers…
• Take a star into a lab and dissect it?
• Make a solar system by combining
chemicals in test tubes?
• Send instruments to the inside of the Sun
or planets?
• Watch a star like the Sun evolve over its
10,000,000,000 year lifetime?
The Six Tools of Astronomers
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
???????
Computers
Spectrometers
Spacecraft
Space Telescopes
Earth-bound
telescopes
The Six Tools of Astronomers
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
???????
Computers
Spectrometers
Spacecraft
Space Telescopes
6)Earth-bound
Telescopes
Earth-Based Telescopes
• Use mirrors, not lenses
– Why not lenses?
• Collect light for a CCD
(digital camera)
• Often located on remote
mountaintops close to the
ocean
– Why might locations like
that be preferable?
Earth-Based Telescopes Cont.
• Not all Earth-based
telescopes are
designed to study
visible light
– But only radio, visible,
and some infrared can
be seen through the
atmosphere
The Six Tools of Astronomers
1)
2)
3)
4)
???????
Computers
Spectrometers
Spacecraft
5)Space
Telescopes
6) Earth-bound
telescopes
Space Telescopes
• Costs $50,000/lb. to
launch into space
• Why would
astronomers pay so
much just to put a
scope into space?
– No cloudy weather
– Can observe waves
normally blocked by
the atmosphere
– No turbulent air; high
resolution
The Six Tools of Astronomers
1) ???????
2) Computers
3) Spectrometers
4)Spacecraft
5) Space Telescopes
6) Earth-bound
telescopes
Spacecraft
• Cost $50,000/lb. to launch into space
• Extremely close-up views
• Can analyze rocks on the surface of objects
Spacecraft Limitations
• At 38,000 mph, how long would it take to
go to the Moon? (238,000 miles)
• How long to Venus? (25,000,000 miles)
• How long to Pluto? (3,000,000,000 miles)
• How long to the nearest star?
(25,500,000,000,000 miles)
• Obviously, spacecraft are limited to
studying Solar System objects
The Six Tools of Astronomers
1) ???????
2) Computers
3)Spectrometers
4) Spacecraft
5) Space Telescopes
6) Earth-bound Telescopes
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Consists of all electromagnetic waves
• Only some waves are visible to human eyes
• Detectors of other waves have been invented
Spectral Lines
• Each element
emits/absorbs light
at specific
wavelengths
• Can use these lines
to determine which
elements are
present
• Can also be used to
measure the
Doppler effect
Spectroscopes
• Use prism or diffraction grating to separate EM waves
by wavelength
• Can then measure position, width, and intensity of
spectral lines
– Lots can be figured out from spectral line measurements
Which Element is in the Tube?
Hydrogen
Helium
Carbon
The Six Tools of Astronomers
1) ???????
2)Computers
3)
4)
5)
6)
Spectrometers
Spacecraft
Space Telescopes
Earth-bound
telescopes
Computers
• Can simulate various
processes
– Long time frames
– Huge scales
– Interior of stars / planets
• Can make predictions
based on models
• Can perform numerous &
complex calculations
• Can procrastinate via AIM,
Facebook, MySpace…
The Six Tools of Astronomers
1)???????
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Computers
Spectrometers
Spacecraft
Space Telescopes
Earth-bound
telescopes
A Science Education!!!
• Most astronomy is done
by analyzing the physics
and chemistry involved
• Math and computer skills
are also frequently used
frequently
– What examples from this
unit can you see physics
used?
– Chemistry?
– Math?
– Any other sciences?
Astronomy Major at VU
• 24 credits Physics
– including 4 credits labs
• 16 credits Math
• 8 credits Chemistry
– including 2 credits labs
• 7 credits Astronomy
– including 4 credits labs
• 8 credits Computer
Language
(recommended)