The Astronomical Search for Origins

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EM Spectrum and Multiwavelenth Astronomy Pamela
Harman NASA SOFIA EPO SETI Institute Mountain
View, CA pharman_at_seti.org
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Agenda

• EM Spectrum Review
• NASA Astrophysics Observatories, techniques,
  images
• Visible Spectra, IR demo, UV beads
• Resources
• PPT and Resource Word doc
• http//www.sofia.usra.edu/Edu/materials/presentati
  ons.html

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Visible Light and Beyond
White light is made up of a rainbow of colors,
each with a different wavelength.
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Our eyes see only part of the electromagnetic
spectrum
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Invisible Light in Society

• Each part of the spectrum impacts our daily
  lives

UV Sunscreen
Communications
Microwave ovens
Remote controls
X-rays
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NASA SMD Astrophysics Discover the origin,
structure, evolution, and destiny of the
universe, and search for Earth-like planets
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The Tools of Our Search
We collect light from distant objects, and bring
together researchers from many disciplines.
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Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy
(SOFIA)
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Chandra X-ray telescope

• http//chandra.harvard.edu/photo/

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NASA Resources
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Representative Color
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Invisible Light in Astronomy
Each part of the spectrum provides a piece of the
puzzle in understanding our universe.
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The Pinwheel Galaxy
http//hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/
2009/07
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Galaxies How Do They Form and Evolve?
Ellipticals
Spirals
Huge collections of stars, gas, and dust held
together by gravity
Irregulars
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M82 A Burst of Star Formation
Infrared
Visible
X-Ray
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Centaurus A
Infrared
Visible
X-Ray
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Looking Back in Time
To find the earliest galaxies, we will need to
explore the universe in the infrared.
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The Lives of Stars
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The Orion Nebula
Infrared
Visible
X-Ray
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Our Place in the Universe
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Spectra Signatures
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Active Astronomy Lessons

• Compare and contrast visible infrared light
• 1. Overview and pre-test
• 2. Whats getting through to you?
• gel filters
• 3. Seeing the Invisible
• detector circuits
• 4. Reflection of Visible and Invisible
• mirrors and detector circuits
• 5. Listening to Light
• detector and transmitter circuits

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Visible vs Infrared Images
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Resources

• SOFIA Active Astronomy
• http//www.sofia.usra.edu/Edu/materials/activeAstr
  onomy/activeAstronomy.html
• SEEK and FLIR smart phone IR cameras
• ASP AstroShop
• Noel EncarnacionInventory and Customer
  Service Managerservice_at_astrosociety.org
• PPT and Resource Word doc
• http//www.sofia.usra.edu/Edu/materials/presentati
  ons.html

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Resources

• Stanford Solar Center Spectrascopes and Colors of
  the Sun video (high school for power supply and
  gas tubes)
• http//solar-center.stanford.edu/
• Project Spectra
• http//lasp.colorado.edu/home/education/k-12/proje
  ct-spectra/
• NASA Tour of the EM Spectrum
• http//missionscience.nasa.gov/ems/index.html

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Sponsors for todays talk

• NASAs SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for
  Infrared Astronomy) Mission
• SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA