Science In Action Unit E Topic 1 & 2 Quiz Flashcards
Solstice
It comes from the Latin words sol meaning sun and stice
meaning stop
June 21: Summer solstice, the longest day of the year
December 21: winter solstice, the shortest day of the year
Ability to predict the beginning of summer and winter
Huge monuments built to honour these changes
They used only their naked eye to make these predictions but were highly
accurate
Equinox
Comes from the Latin eqi meaning equal, and nox
meaning night
Day and night are equal
March 21: Spring equinox
September 22: Fall equinox
Stonehedge
Southern England
Arranged in concentric circles
Enormous stones mark summer and winter solstices
Placed to line up with the movements of the sun
Different Astronomical Devices
Sundial:
A stick in the ground
Used for over 7000 years
Where the shadow is pointing can help us tell time
Merkhet: Egyptians invented this device to predict the movements of the stars
Quadrant: Egyptians also invented this to measure a star’s height above the horizon
Astrolabe: Arabians used this tool to make accurate charts of the stars
Crodd-Staff: 14th-century astronomers used it to measure the angle between the moon and any stars
Telescope
Revolutionized astronomy
More of the night sky was visible than ever before Learn about our neighbours in the solar system
History:
Over 500 years after the invention of the first telescope
We have optic and radio telescopes, as well as space
based telescopes
Can see much farther and see more objects
Units of Distance
Astronomical Units (AU):
Used for measuring distances within our solar system
Equal to the average distance between the centre of
the earth to the centre of the sun (149 599 000 km)
Describe planets in relation to the sun
Light-Years:
Astronomical units are too small if we’re talking about objects outside of our solar system
The distance that light travels in one year
Approximately 9.5 TRILLION km
The next closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri, 4 light-years away
Star Temperatures
Blue Colour = Hottest
Red Colour = Coolest
Life Cycles of “Sun-like Stars”
Nebula< SUN- LIKE STARS< Red giant< White Dwarf< Black Dwarf
Life Cycles of “Massive Star”
Nebula< MASSIVE STARS< Red supergiant< Supernova< Neutron Star or Black Hole
Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R diagram)
Compared surface temperature of stars to how bright they are (luminosity)
Stars fall into distinct groupings
Our sun belongs to the middle grouping in the diagram called the main sequence
90% of all stars fit in this group
Constellations vs. Asterism
Groupings of stars, and patterns in the night sky
88 constellations recognized by the International
Astronomical Union
Asterisms: unofficial groupings of stars
Ex. Ursa major= constellation, Big Dipper = asterism
Elliptical
Flattened “oval”
Is the shape of the predictable pathway that celestial bodies orbit on.
A type of galaxy including irregular + elliptical
Blackhole
Highly dense remnant of a star
Super strong gravity
No light can escape from inside the black hole
Invisible to telescopes
Material near a black hole becomes hot and bright
Astronomers know of blackholes because of that
Neutron Star
Rapidly spinning object
About 30km in diameter
A teaspoon of neutron star is so dense it would weight 100 000 t
Nebula (Singular)
Vast clouds of gas (mostly hydrogen) and dust in space, where stars form
More than 1 nebula is called “nebulae”
Celestial Sphere
Large imaginary sphere of sky around the earth
Solar Wind
Charged particles released by the sun
Earth is protected by it’s magnetic field
Protoplanet Hypothesis- Forming a
Solar System
A cloud of dust and gas in space begins swirling
Most of the material accumulates in the center- forms the sun (OVER 90%)
The remaining material accumulates in smaller clumps forming the planets
Planets
Each planet has its unique features
Divided into two planet groups: inner planets and outer planets
Technology has allowed us to learn about our nearest neighbors in space
Names
Mercury My
Venus Very
Earth Educated
Mars Mother
Jupiter Just
Saturn Served
Uranus Us
Neptune Noodles
Inner Planet
Also known as terrestrial planets:
Earth-like
Smaller
Rocky
No rings
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Outer Planet
Also known as Jovian planets:
Jupiter-like
Gas giants
Have rings
Jupiter, Saturn Uranus, Neptune
Mercury
Telescopes and satellite data
Surface similar to the moon
No atmosphere- no protection
Temperatures vary greatly 400oC on the sunny side -180C on the dark side
Venus
Earth’s twin: similar in diameter mass and gravity
Surface temperature is hot due to the greenhouse effect
Cannot see the surface of Venus via telescope- too cloudy
Rains sulfuric acid
1991 Magellan (a probe) mapped Venus using radio waves
Earth
The only planet in our solar system where water exists in all three phases
The only planet in our solar system that can support life
Atmosphere protects from cosmic rays, ultraviolet rays
Mars
Studied by telescope for centuries
Multiple robotic missions have landed on Mars, most recently Curiosity Rover
Red planet: due to iron oxide in the surface
Two small moons Phobos and Deimos
Jupiter
Observed through telescopes since the 1600s
Observed by Voyager(1979) and Galileo(1990’s) probes
Juno(2016) currently orbiting to measure gravity, composition and magnetic field
Largest of all planets
Great Red Spot is a huge storm
Has thin rings, 16 moons
Made of hydrogen and helium
Saturn
Large visible rings
Made of ice and dust
Observed by Voyager I and II (1980 & 1981) and Cassini (2004)
Has 19 moons
Made of hydrogen and helium
Uranus
Voyager II has given most of our info
The Axis of rotation is on its side
Hydrogen & Helium
Methane in its atmosphere makes it appear blue
Large ring system
17 moons
Neptune
Voyager II relayed info
Made of hydrogen and helium
Bluish in colour from methane
Ring system
Eight moons
Pluto
No longer a planet
Now known as a minor planet
Orbit crosses paths with Neptune
Asteroids
Asteroid belt: between Mars and Jupiter
Small metallic or rocky bodies travelling in space
Could be a few meters to several hundred kilometres
Comets
“dirty snowballs”
Made of dust and ice, travels through space
Long tails and bright glow only appear when they are close to the sun
Gas released by the sun heating them
Mostly spend their time on the edge of the solar system
Haley’s Comet
Sometimes comets can end up in the regular orbit of the sun
Will predictably show up because their paths are large ellipses
Halley’s Comet is an example: seen every 76 years
Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites
Meteroids: Small pieces of rock flying through space with no particular
path
Meteor: Pulled into Earth’s gravity, heat of the atmosphere causes it to
give off light. “shooting stars”
Meteorite: If it hits earth’s surface
Archytas
An ancient Greek
The origin of rockets comes from him
Used escaping steam to propel a model pidgeon along wires
The major physics principle behind making a rocket move
Newtons 3rd Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
Think of a balloon, that will travel in the direction opposite where the air is being released
Rockets work in a similar way
How do rockets work
Gas under pressure confined in a chamber
Opening allows the gas to be released
Thrust (push) causes the rocket to be pushed into the
opposite direction
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Let’s you know exactly where you are
Signals received from satellites are converted by a computer to a digital display
74 satellites have been launched, only need 24 for GPS to work correctly
Must have sightlines to 4 satellites to find your position
Launching into Space
Space: Outside Earth’s atmosphere
To escape Earth’s gravity & leave the atmosphere the object needs to have a speed of 28,000 km/h
Artificial Satellites
Small body that orbits a larger body
There are 2 Types: Natural & Artificial
Artificial:
Built and sent into orbit by humans
Small structures loaded with electronic equipment
Transmit information to ground stations via radio waves
Sputnik was the first and was used as a communications satellite
Used to observe or transmit information around the earth
Natural:
Moon
First animal launches into orbit
A month later they launched another capsule, with a dog named
Laika
The first time any living creature orbited the Earth
Started the path for human space travel
3 main parts of a rocket
Structural and Mechanical Elements:
Rockets, engines, storage tanks, fins etc.
Fuel:
Could be liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, or gasoline. Lit in exhaust chamber to cause propulsion
Payload:
Materials needed for flight ex. Crew cabins, food, water, air, people
Types of Space Craft
Shuttles: Carry people and equipment to orbiting spacecraft
Probes: Contain instrumentation to carry out robotic exploration of space
Space station: Orbiting spacecraft with living quarters, work areas and supports to allow people to live and work in space for long periods
Ion Drives
Engines that use xenon gas (A noble gas)
▪ Electrically charge then accelerate the xenon
▪ Causes exhaust and propulsion opposite to the emission
▪ Not as strong as chemically fueled rockets, but can last a longer time
▪ BepiColombo- October 2018 to launch Mercury orbiters
Xenon is the least reactive elements & rarely react with other elements
Solar Sails
Similar idea to sails on a boat
Harness the sun’s light
Uses the electromagnetic energy of photons to move
IKAROS: In May 2010 was the first craft to use a solar sail
Categories of Space Hazards
Environmental:
Space is a vacuum = no air, no water
Cosmic rays and solar radiation
Possibility of being hit by meteoroids
Temperatures can range from really hot to cold
No pressure to help regulate the heartbeat
Psychological:
Cramped quarters
Stuck with the same people for months at a time
You can’t just go take a walk…
Physiological:
Microgravity: When little or no gravity is acting on a body.
A person in space is almost completely weightless
How does weightlessness affect our body?
Bones:
Have less pressure so they expand
Begin to deteriorate and release minerals (calcium) into the bloodstream
Heart: Doesn’t have to pump as hard to circulate blood
Muscles: Lifting & walking muscles aren’t used much, they weaken and shrink
Kidneys: Form stones from increased calcium
Eyes: Depth perception is affected
Space Suit
Must dress appropriately for the conditions
When leaving the space craft astronauts need to bring everything with them air, water, heating cooling and washroom.
Must be flexible enough to do work
Custom designed for the astronauts wearing it
Spin-off Technology:
Items that were created for a space environment are
now commonplace on earth
Categories:
Computer technology:
Space Use:
Structural analysis of spacecraft
Monitoring air quality
Simulation of the space environment for training
Earth Use
▪ Microelectronics in appliances
▪ Structural analysis of buildings and bridges
▪ Virtual reality
Categories of Spin-off Technology
Computer technology:
Space Use:
Structural analysis of spacecraft
Monitoring air quality
Simulation of the space environment for training
Earth Use
▪ Microelectronics in appliances
▪ Structural analysis of buildings and bridges
▪ Virtual reality
Consumer technology:
Space
▪ Space food
▪ Study aerodynamics & insulation
Earth
▪ Baby food & freeze-dried food
▪ Improved helmets, balls, shoes, ski goggles
Medical & Health technology:
Space
▪ Electronics from the Hubble Space Telescope
▪ Slow-release medication for motion sickness
▪ Microcircuits
▪ Communications and robotics
Earth
▪ Digital imaging
▪ Motion sickness medication
▪ Voice-controlled wheelchairs
