Space Science Unit Quick overview

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Space Science UnitQuick overview

• Galaxies
• Multiple Star Systems
• Constellations
• Spectroscope Lab
• Toilet Paper Solar System Lab
• Characteristics of Stars
• H-R Diagram
• Measuring Star distances (parallax)
• The Sun Our special Star
• Activities of the Sun

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Introduction Activity

• You are stranded on the Moon and you have 15
  items to choose from. You must decided which ones
  are most important to take with you. Rank these
  items in order from 1-15, 1 being most important
  and 15 being the least important.

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Stranded on the Moon

• Box of Matches
• Food Concentrate
• 50 feet nylon rope
• Parachute silk
• Solar Powered Heating Unit
• Two .45 Caliber Pistols Ammunition
• One case- Evaporated Milk
• Solar Powered FM receiver-transmitter

• Two 100-lb. tanks of oxygen
• Stellar Map (constellations as they appear from
  the moon)
• Self-Inflatable Life Raft
• Magnetic Compass
• 5 gallons of water
• Signal Flares
• First Aid Kit- Containing Injection Needles

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Space Science Unit

• Mini-lesson
• Introducing the H-R Diagram

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What is the H-R Diagram?
Look at page 34 in your text
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What does it do?

• This chart uses surface temperature of the star
  and the absolute magnitude (brightness) of the
  star to help astronomers decide which phase of
  the stars life cycle the star is in and other
  important information about the star.
• Most stars are what we consider main sequence
  (including our sun). They make up 90 of the
  stars in our sky. These stars are the diagonal
  strip running through the middle of the chart.
  

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Why is it so important?

• This diagram is the single most important that
  astronomers use today.
• In the early 1900s Ejnar Hertzsprung (Danish)
  and Henry Norris Russell (American) found a
  relationship between the absolute magnitude and
  the surface temperature. The men were working
  independently.

• Hertzsprung presented his information in 1905 in
  the form of tables, while Russell presented his
  observations in table form in 1913.
• Today the diagram is named for both mens work in
  correlating a stars brightness and surface
  temperature.

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Absolute Magnitude

• Absolute Magnitude is the stars actual
  brightness. Apparent Magnitude is how bright a
  star appears from Earth. The H-R Diagram is based
  on the actual brightness of a star.
• If we place two stars were the same distance from
  the Earth, and measured their brightness, this
  would be their absolute magnitude.
• Demo Compare a flashlight and a pen light.

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Surface Temperature

• Astronomers use color as a guide to determine the
  temperature.
• The hottest star is 50,000 C
• The coolest star is around 3,000 C
• Remember heating the metal rod in lab? The colors
  changed as the metal became hotter.
• Remember the Surface Temperature is less here
  than the core of the star. We will look at this
  concept in depth when we study the sun and its
  layers.

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So now what?

• The stars are plotted on the diagram according to
  their surface temperature and absolute magnitude.
• Once the stars are placed on the diagram,
  astronomers have noticed clustering of the
  plotted stars.
• These clusters are grouped together into the
  various stages of a stars life cycle.
• Lets look at those briefly.

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Main Sequence Stars

• Make up 90 of the stars
• These are medium sized stars
• Our sun is a main sequence star
• Sizes vary from 1/10 that of our Sun to 10 times
  that of our Sun
• Stars stay in this part of their life cycle for a
  long time most of their lives

The Sun
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Giant Stars

• These stars are the next size up from the Main
  Sequence stars
• They are 10-100 times as large as our Sun

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Super Giants

• The largest stars, larger than the giant stars
• Their diameters are 1,000 times that of our Sun
• A star this size would extend past Mars from
  where our Sun is now if compared to our Suns
  current size
• Due to their size, they are the shortest lived
  stars and die off quickly

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White Dwarfs

• These are smaller than the sun and even the Earth
• The smallest know white dwarf has a diameter that
  is less then the distance across Asia

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Neutron Stars

• These are the smallest stars
• A typical neutron star is 16 km in diameter

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Heres what NASA thinks

• http//cawg.cap.gov/html/AE/AE_Activities/200020J
  uly(a).htm
• If we have time

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For Russ, Phil, Eric Kate ?

• O

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Parallax

• Now using the previous slide we will demonstrate
  the concept of parallax, which is the apparent
  change of a stars position in the sky.
• The stars are not really moving, rather the Earth
  is and therefore we see different constellations
  during different seasons.
• This is used to measure a stars distance from
  Earth as well.

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