ASTRONOMY WEBQUEST

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ASTRONOMY WEBQUEST
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Websters Dictionary defines Astronomy as the
study of objects and matter outside the earth's
atmosphere and of their physical and chemical
properties. Truthfully, though, you could say
that astronomy is the study of everything,
because everything is a part of the Universe.
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There are many fields within Astronomy.
Cosmologists study the Universe as a whole,
including its beginnings. Astrometrists measure
great distances. Planetologists study planets
within our own Solar System as well as those
orbiting distant stars. Radio Astronomers use
radio-telescopes to study the Universe.
Mathematical Astronomers use numbers,
calculations and statistics to explain the
universe.
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Astronomy is not a stand-alone science. It
combines areas from a number of other fields,
including mathematics, chemistry, geology,
biology and physics. In fact, physics is such an
integral part of the field that many astronomers
are also known as Astrophysicists.
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Why should we study the Universe? As we said
earlier, everything is part of the Universe, and
that includes us. That's right. YOU are part of
the Universe, everything is. We live on a
planet, Earth. The Earth circles the Sun, which
is a star called Sol, and just like all the other
stars it is part of Outer Space. Hopefully, as
you learn more about the subject, youll
appreciate just how much astronomy has affected
and continues to affect your life.
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• Your mission is to complete the following
  activities in this web quest as we explore the
  amazing frontier of astronomy. Remember things
  may seem unreal, but they are so very much real.
  The deeper you delve into this unit, the more
  astounded you will become. Enjoy your quest as
  you embark into the twilight zone!

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First you must review your voyage. You will be
traveling far from home on a journey that covers
the vast expanse of the universe. But just how
big is the Universe? Use the links below to find
out
Powers of Ten MovieTo view the movie click Watch
Powers of Ten and then registerPowers of Ten
Slide ShowA Question of Scale
In order to prepare for your first mission,
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MISSION 1
How long has the Universe been around?And when
did we get here?
Cosmic Calendar - InteractiveListen to what
astronomers say
Scale of the Universe Movie Clip Click Here to
find out what SPACE really means!
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Click to play movie
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MISSION 2
What type of tools will you useto learn about
the Universe?

• Click Here to find out why it takes more than one
  kind of telescope to see the light.
• Click Here to watch the Electromagnetic Spectrum
  movie (QuickTime format) and find out about space
  observatories in different regions of the
  Electromagnetic spectrum.

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MISSION 3
Your optical telescope is malfunctioning.You
need to build a new one so you canget back to
discovering the Universe!
How To Make a Simple Refracting Telescope
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MISSION 4

• Now that youve solved the problems with your
  telescope, you need to learn how to use your
  spectroscope and understand what information
  spectrographs will tell you about stars.Amazing
  SpaceSpectroscopy Virtual Lab
• Virtual Lab Worksheet

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MISSION 5

• How will you measure the vast distances in space?

Find out here Big Numbers Astronomical Units of
Measure
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MISSION 6

• There are stars everywhere! But how far away are
  they? Today you will use parallax to find out.
• What is Parallax
• Parallax Animation
• Stellar Parallax Diagram
• Pluto Blink Comparator

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MISSION 7
One of your main goals on your journey is to
study the life cycle of stars. These web sites
will help.

• Unsequenced Human Life Cycle
• Sequenced Human Life CycleA Stars Life
  MovieLife Cycle of a Star
• Unsequenced Star Life Cycle
• Sequenced Star Life Cycle

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MISSION 8
You have collected large amounts of data on
stars. How do scientists make sense of it all?
Today you will consult the famous astronomers
Hertzsprung Russell to find out .

• Hertzsprung and Russell Bios
• The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
• H-R Diagram Simulator

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MISSION 9
The sun is the biggest, brightest star in the
skyor is it?Relative Sizes of Stars Star Sizes
in Relation Sizes of Stars Activity Magnitude
Scale
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MISSION 10
What types of groups do stars exist in?

• Binary and Multiple Star Systems
• Binary Star System Video
• Triple Sunset
• The Closest Star SystemStar Clusters
• Star Cluster Video

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MISSION 11
The stars seem to create pictures in the night
sky, just as the clouds do during the day. In
order make yourself well-known in the world of
astronomy you must identify a pattern of your own
and convince the IAU to adopt it as an official
constellation.

• Constellations
• Pictures in the Sky

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MISSION 12
Youve collected hundreds of photos of galaxies.
Now you need to classify them!

• About GalaxiesClassifying Galaxies
• Galaxy Hunter Try to the galaxies in the Hubble
  Deep Field photo.

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MISSION 13

• Youre nearing the end of your journey, but
  youve yet to discover the most fascinating
  objects in our Universe - Black Holes
• Black Holes
• No EscapeAmazing Space
• Black Hole Quiz

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MISSION 14

• As you begin your trip back home you cant help
  but wonder how all the miraculous things youve
  seen got here.
• Big Bang Cosmology
• Watch these videos for further explanation
• Beyond the Milky Way and Back into Time
• The Universe is Expanding
• General Relativity
• Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

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Click to play movie
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Click to play movie
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Click to play movie
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MISSION 14

• As you begin your trip back home you cant help
  but wonder how all the miraculous things youve
  seen got here.
• Big Bang Cosmology
• Watch these videos for further explanation
• Beyond the Milky Way and Back into Time
• The Universe is Expanding
• General Relativity
• Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

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Click to play movie
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MISSION 15
Its time to share all of the knowledge youve
gained on your journey with the world!
Prepare for your presentation here Show what you
know One Two Four Five Seven Eight
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MISSION 16
What to do with all this knowledge youve gained?
Youre sitting on a goldmine! Now that youre an
expert on the Universe, you are going to become a
real estate broker of the stars. Stellar Real
Estate
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MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

• Congratulations youve completed the web quest
  and have secured the universe for further
  exploration. We would not have been able to do
  it without you
• Hold on, were receiving something from Arcebro.
• Its a radio signal..

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