I have always been struck by the beauty and mystery of the …
I have always been struck by the beauty and mystery of the astronomical universe. Recently I decided that it might be good to evoke these qualities in some way that might reach our students. And then I remembered that, many years ago, I had heard a piece of music that effected me in the same way. So I put them together. You can see the result at
This video segment describes how the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton known as Lucy …
This video segment describes how the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton known as Lucy could have been fossilized. Footage courtesy of NOVA: "In Search of Human Origins."
When we look at the night sky, we see stars and the …
When we look at the night sky, we see stars and the nearby planets of our own solar system. Many of those stars are actually distant galaxies and glowing clouds of dust and gases called nebulae. The universe is an immense space with distances measured in light years. The more we learn about the universe beyond our solar system, the more we realize we do not know. Students are introduced to the basic known facts about the universe, and how engineers help us explore the many mysteries of space.
Thanks to observations of galaxy redshifts, we can tell that the universe …
Thanks to observations of galaxy redshifts, we can tell that the universe is EXPANDING! Knowing that the universe is expanding and how quickly it's expanding also allows us to run the clock backward 14 billion years to the way the universe began - with a bang.
Chapters: Introduction: The Origins of the Universe Distant Galaxies Show a Redshift in Their Spectra The Universe is Expanding The Big Bang Lookback Time The Cosmic Microwave Background What is the Universe Expanding Into? Review
Double stars are stars that appear to be near each other in …
Double stars are stars that appear to be near each other in the sky, but if they’re gravitationally bound together we call them binary stars. Many stars are actually part of binary or multiple systems. If they are close enough together they can actually touch other, merging into one peanut-shaped star. In some close binaries, matter can flow from one star to the other, changing the way it ages. If one star is a white dwarf, this can cause periodic explosions, and possibly even lead to blowing up the entire star.
Chapters: Introduction: Binary & Multiple Stars Visual Binary Stars Spectroscopic Binaries Multiple Star Systems Eclipsing Binaries Contact Binaries Stellar Novae Review
We’ve covered a lot of incredible stuff, but this week we’re talking …
We’ve covered a lot of incredible stuff, but this week we’re talking about the weirdest objects in space: BLACK HOLES. Stellar-mass black holes form when a very massive star dies, and its core collapses. The core has to be more than about 2.8 times the Sun’s mass to form a black hole. Black holes come in different sizes, but for all of them, the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light, so nothing can escape, not matter or light. They don’t wander the Universe gobbling everything down around them; their gravity is only really intense very close to them. Tides near a stellar mass black hole will spaghettify you, and time slows down when you get near a black hole — not that this helps much if you’re falling in.
Chapters: Introduction How Black Holes Are Formed Misconceptions About Black Holes Stellar Mass Black Holes Spaghettification Black Holes Warp Space-Time Review
This focused resource guide, "Black Lives in Astronomy," includes specific written and …
This focused resource guide, "Black Lives in Astronomy," includes specific written and video resources about and by 25 black astronomers, as well as general materials to examine the history and issues facing black members of the astronomical community. It includes both older, established scientists and people early in their careers. It is aimed at the Astro 101 and amateur astronomer level, and thus does not include any technical materials. I hope this resource will give instructors and students examples of authentic black voices that can be shown in class or used in assignments.
Students are introduced to our Sun as they explore its composition, what …
Students are introduced to our Sun as they explore its composition, what is happening inside it, its relationship to our planet (our energy source), and the ways engineers help us learn about it.
Overview: Blue Coral Guide to the Solar System is an interactive 3D …
Overview: Blue Coral Guide to the Solar System is an interactive 3D model of the solar system. Freely browse by selecting, dragging, and zooming or step through the grand tour. Each stop along the way contains an optional profile for more detail.
Included in the model is the sun, all 8 planets, Earth's moon, 3 dwarf planets, the asteroid belt, the kuiper belt, the oort cloud, and Haley's comet.
Blue Coral Guide to the Solar System is fully responsive in the web browser for large and small devices in both horizontal and vertical orientations.
Using photographs and models, students are taken on a virtual journey to …
Using photographs and models, students are taken on a virtual journey to outer space. They can look back at the Earth as they travel further away and see it growing increasingly smaller, giving the experience that we live on a tiny planet that floats in a vast and empty space.
Thanks to the wonders of physics, astronomers can map a timeline of …
Thanks to the wonders of physics, astronomers can map a timeline of the universe’s history. Today, Phil’s going to give you an overview of those first few minutes (yes, MINUTES) of the universe’s life. It started with the Big Bang when the Universe was incredibly dense and hot. It expanded and cooled, going through multiple stages where different kinds of matter could form. It underwent a phenomenally rapid expansion called inflation, which smoothed out much of the lumpiness in the matter. Normal matter formed atoms between 3 and 20 minutes after the bang, and the lumps left over from inflation formed the galaxies and larger structures we see today.
Chapters: Introduction: The History of the Universe Giant Particle Colliders Phase Changes After the Big Bang: The First Minutes Recombination Inflation Unanswered Questions in Astronomy Review
While Jupiter is nowhere near massive enough to initiate fusion in its …
While Jupiter is nowhere near massive enough to initiate fusion in its core, there are even more massive objects out there that fall just short of that achievement called brown dwarfs. Brown dwarfs have a mass between giant planets and small stars. They were only recently discovered in the 1990s, but thousands are now known. More massive ones can fuse deuterium, and even lithium, but not hydrogen, distinguishing them from “normal” stars. Sort of.
Correction: In the illustration at , the numbers listed after the star names are the year of discovery, not distance.
Chapters: Introduction: Brown Dwarfs L Stars & The Lithium Test Discovering the First Brown Dwarfs What Color Are Brown Dwarfs? Physical Characteristics of Brown Dwarfs Small Stars vs. Big Planets Review
It is very dangerous to look directly at the Sun, even briefly. …
It is very dangerous to look directly at the Sun, even briefly. In this craft activity, you will create a safe viewer so you can look at the Sun without damaging your eyes.
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