Astronomy Class Notes
Unit 1: Ancient Astronomy & The Night Sky
Level 1 - Describe how Astronomy was used by ancient civilizations.
Level 2 - Describe 4 ways that the sky changes over time.
Level 3 - Form Submission
Level 4 - Investigate Milankovitch Cycles and how they change Earth's climate. 1/2 page or 3-5 minute video.
Unit 2: Light and Telescopes
Level 1 - What are the 2 main components of light?
Level 2 - What IS light LAB.
Level 3 - Lens and Telescope LAB
Level 4 - Research one space-based telescope besides the Hubble telescope and write a 1/2 page or 3-5 minute video about how it works and what it studies.
Unit 3: Gravity and Orbits
Level 1 - What are the 2 main factors that influence the gravitational force between two objects?
Level 2 - Rank the various gravitational forces between objects.
Level 3 - Compare the gravitational force on you on various objects in our solar system. ONLINE FORM
Level 4 - Research one of the following terms: "Free Return Trajectory", "Gravity Assist", or "Gravitational Slingshot". Write a 1/2 page or 3 minute video describe what it means and where it IS/HAS been used in space exploration.
Unit 4: Human Spaceflight and NASA's past and future
Level 1 - What was the main goal of the Mercury space missions?
Level 2 - What was the main goal of the Gemini space missions? AND Name 2 astronauts who took part in the missions.
Level 3 - Complete ALL video questions handed out in class. (See links at right)
Level 4 - Research one private space company. Some examples include, "Space X", "Boeing", "Virgin Galactic". Write a 1/2 page or 3-5 minute summary of where they are currently at in terms of completing their goal and who is in charge.
Unit 5: Our Sun and Stellar Formation
Level 1 - Describe the basic process that is creating energy inside the Sun. Include the name of this process and what is specifically happening to produce the energy.
Level 2 - Track groups of sunspots on the Sun over successive days and use the data to predict the rotation rate of the Sun.
Level 3 - Use sunspot data collected from our Sun over the past hundred years and plot a graph displaying the patterns that emerge.
Level 4 - Research the "Maunder Minimum" and write a 1/2 page summary of what/when it was and the impact it had on Earth.
Unit 6: Stellar Properties
Level 1 - Define Magnitude and Luminosity. Explain specifically how they are different.
Level 2 - Plot stars on the HR diagram from the Jewelbox Cluster and determine the relative age of the cluster using the graph you create.
Level 3 - Determine the distance to various stars by comparing their Magnitude to their Luminosity. WORKSHEET HANDED OUT IN CLASS "Spectroscopic Parallax"
Level 4 - Compare various stars by using the HR diagram. Investigate different properties of stars that can be learned by where they reside on the HR diagram. WORKSHEET HANDED OUT IN CLASS "HR Diagrams"
Unit 7: Death of Stars
Level 1 - Describe one relevant similarity and one relevant difference between white dwarf stars and neutron star.
Level 2 - "Monster of the Milky Way" Video Questions
Level 3 - Create a rough draft concept map connecting over 20 terms that we have covered so far. Examples will be provided.
Level 4 - Create a final poster from your rough draft concept map that is neatly done and colored for full points.
Unit 8: Galaxies and Galactic Structures
Level 1 - What are the main three galaxy types.
Level 2 - "Coma Cluster" Lab
Level 3 - "Inside the Milky Way" Questions
Level 4 - Cepheid Variable Star Lab - Online and Worksheet
Unit 9: Relativity & Quantum Mechanics
Unit 10: Astrobiology - Life in the Universe
Level 1: Describe the Drake Equation and what each variable stands for.
Level 2: Describe the two main ways that we detect extra solar planets.
Level 3: What are the 3 key ingredients of life as we know it and where can we find these ingredients in our solar system besides Earth?
Level 4: Cosmos: The things that molecules do." Video Questions