Scientists Discover
Black Hole
P1 /
RANDOM FACT 1
P2 /
RANDOM FACT 2
P3 /
P4 /
RANDOM FACT 3
RANDOM FACT 4
Saturn would float if you
If you would place a pinhead
Space is not a complete
The odds of being killed by
would put it in water.
sized piece of the Sun on the
vacuum, there are about 3
falling space debris is 1 in 5
Earth you would die from
atoms per cubic meter of
billion.
standing within 145 km (90
space.
FEB. 26th 2015 - Researchers in China discovered a 900
miles) from it.
million year old black hole, 12 billion times bigger than the
sun. "The existence of such black holes when the Universe was
less than one billion years old presents substantial challenges to
theories of the formation and growth of black holes and the
co-evolution of black holes and galaxies," said teams from
China’s Peking University and the University of Arizona. They
also said the black hole -- named SDSS J010013.02 -- was six
times larger than its biggest known contemporaries. Researcher
Xue-Bing Wu of Peking University and his colleagues first
sighted the black hole using a telescope in Yunnan, China, and
used additional telescopes around the world to examine it.
In a media release, the University of Arizona said that the black
hole powered "the brightest quasar of the early universe." Team
member Fuyun Bian, from the Australian National University,
said that the light from a quasar was thought to push back material behind it and limit the
Uni- Matter Daily
MHS
growth of black holes. "This quasar is very unique," the University of Arizona quoted lead
MARCH 2015
researcher Wu as saying. "Just like the brightest lighthouse in the distant universe, its
glowing light will help us to probe more about the early Universe."
-Article by Anthony .V
Sources
Articles:
Jacob D.
http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/science-dark-matter-earths-cataclysms-mass-extinctions-02522.html
Anthony V.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/26/intl_world/space-black-hole/
Celestial Events:
Kylie T.
http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-current.html
Astronomy Activity:
Joanna L.
Dark Matter- Why the Dinosaurs Died
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/starwheel+disk.pdf
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/starwheel+sleeve.pdf
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/video-using-star-charts-and-star-wheels/
Dark matter, we know next to nothing about
dinosaurs so many years ago. Studies have
every 30 million. Through further analysis,
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/make-a-star-wheel/
it, other than the fact that it makes up
shown one full rotation around the Milky
Professor Michael Rampino, of New York
approximately 27% of the universe,
Way Galaxy takes about 250 million years,
University has found that these times have
according to NASA’s current model of the
and that it goes through the Galaxy’s disc
also correlated to times of
Newsletter Design:
universe. The matter we know of, stand on,
Robert K.
and see every day takes up only 5% of the
universe, with dark energy taking up the
MHS
SCIENCE DEPT.
remaining 68%- all of these figures coming
from Albert Einstein’s gravity theory. But the
focus of this article is the 27%, and why it
170 RIDGEDALE AVENUE, MADISON, NJ 07940
could have possibly led to the end of the
>> CONT. PAGE TWO
“ Dark matter, we know next to nothing about it...”
ASTRONOMY ACTIVITY - MAKING A STAR WHEEL
Dark
Matter
-by Joanna L.
Purpose:
>> CONT. FROM PAGE ONE
Making a Star Wheel which will allow people the ability to find and observe the stars and constellations of the sky.
comet impacts as well as mass extinctions of
life. Professor Rampino has noted that while
Hand- made tool indicating the different stars in the constellations and the constellations themselves!
going through the disc, the dark matter heavily
concentrated there disturbs pathways of
Materials:
comets- who usually don’t even come close to
our Solar System- pushing them in our general
Scissors
Stapler
Computer and Printer
direction and potentially coming into contact
with Earth.
Even more remarkably, he says, is that this
dark matter can also build up within the earth’s
core with every dip through the Galactic Disc.
This buildup of dark matter particles could be
Rampino has noted that while going
“ Professor
through the disc, the dark matter heavily
annihilating other dark matter particles in the
core, causing heat and in turn, increase
volcanic eruptions, mountain building,
magnetic field reversals, and changes in sea
level, which as Professor Rampino has found,
are at their peak every 30 million years- the
same time at which Earth passes through the
”
concentrated there disturbs pathways of comets.
unknown. It could mean that dark matter not only
holds the key to the answer to these events, such as
the extinction of the dinosaurs, but it could also
mean dark matter itself has a direct influence on
life on Earth.
Instructions:
Print out the two parts of the Star Wheel that are found on this link
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/starwheel+disk.pdf
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/starwheel+sleeve.pdf
Both links are cut-outs of the Star Wheel. Once both parts are printed out, cut out the “Sky Map”
by trimming away the gray corners so that you’re left with a circle 8 inches across. Then, cut out
the “outer sleeve” but make sure you keep the large white rectangle at the bottom; also, cut out the
white oval in the middle.
-Article by Jacob D.
Galactic Disc. Earth’s history, all throughout it
To make the Star Wheel, fold the white rectangle at the bottom of the outer sleeve so it’s
underneath the front. Then staple the rectangle to the front at the locations marked by short white
lines to either side of the oval. Now slip in the circular sky map so it shows through the oval.
has these marks of large scale events of death
and destruction- many of which the cause are
Using the Star Wheel:
Celestial Events in March
Pick the date and hour you want to observe, and set the Star Wheel that the date matches the
time indicated along the edge of the outer sleeve. Using white hours when standard time is in
effect and orange hours when clocks are set for daylight-saving (summer) time.
MARCH 5
Full Moon
MARCH 6
The NASA Dawn spacecraft will encounter the dwarf planet Ceres.
MARCH 20
New Moon
MARCH 20
Total Solar Eclipse will been seen in the North Atlantic & Arctic Oceans between Greenland & Northern Russia.
MARCH 20
March Equinox - will occur around 6pm EST.
Total Solar Eclipse
The Star Wheel’s large oval shows the whole sky and the oval’s curved edge represents the
horizon you’re facing. Once outside, hold the Star Wheel out in front of you and look at the
yellow "Facing" labels around the oval. Turn the entire wheel so that the yellow label for the
direction you're facing is on the bottom, with the lettering right-side up. If you're unsure of your
directions, just remember where the Sun sets; that’s the west.
Now the stars above the map's horizon should match the real stars in front of you. Remember
that star patterns will look much larger in the sky than they do on the map. The farther up from
the edge of the oval the stars appear, the higher up they'll be shining in your sky. Stars in the
center of the oval will appear directly overhead.
Once you've set the date and time, turn the Star Wheel so the
'Facing' label at the bottom of the oval matches the direction in
the sky you're looking.