Kick off Questions
1. Discuss at your table and be ready to defend your
answer --which is larger the Solar System or an Oort
Cloud? Then on a piece of paper draw out the Solar
System thinking about relative sizes and placement of
objects.
Agenda
1. Learning Target: To understand relative sizes in the
Solar System
2. Four best reasons to take Astronomy for college
credit last date to sign up is Feb 29
3. Complete Sunsize tutorial
4. Discussion of the make-up of the Solar System
5. Temperature and the formation of the Solar System
tutorial
6. Terrestrial vs. Jovian planets
Some fields of study that needs or can use
an Astronomy course:
Astronomer
Astrophysics
Geophysics
Science Education
Elementary School teacher
Physicist
Engineering
Rocketry
Mechanical Engineering
Computers
Technology
Mathematics
Cool news

Published on Feb 12, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MImmQvqCSg

The sun is always changing and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is always watching. Launched on
Feb. 11, 2010, SDO keeps a 24-hour eye on the entire disk of the sun, with a prime view of the graceful
dance of solar material coursing through the sun's atmosphere, the corona. SDO's sixth year in orbit was
no exception. This video shows that entire sixth year -- from Jan. 1, 2015, to Jan. 28, 2016, as one timelapse sequence. At full quality on YouTube, this video is ultra-high definition 3840x2160 and 29.97 frames
per second. Each frame represents 2 hours. A downloadable version has a frame rate of 59.94 with each
frame representing 1 hour. See below for the link.
SDO's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) captures a shot of the sun every 12 seconds in 10 different
wavelengths. The images shown here are based on a wavelength of 171 angstroms, which is in the
extreme ultraviolet range and shows solar material at around 600,000 kelvins (about 1,079,540 degrees
F). In this wavelength it is easy to see the sun's 25-day rotation.
During the course of the video, the sun subtly increases and decreases in apparent size. This is because
the distance between the SDO spacecraft and the sun varies over time. The image is, however,
remarkably consistent and stable despite the fact that SDO orbits Earth at 6,876 mph, and Earth orbits the
sun at 67,062 mph.
Scientists study these images to better understand the complex electromagnetic system causing the
constant movement on the sun, which can ultimately have an effect closer to Earth, too: Flares and
another type of solar explosion called coronal mass ejections can sometimes disrupt technology in space.
Moreover, studying our closest star is one way of learning about other stars in the galaxy. NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, built, operates and manages the SDO spacecraft
for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C.
4 best Reasons to take Astronomy
150 for college credit:
1. You love Astronomy and want to pursue Astronomy as your field of study
2. You love science and would love to start out your college career at a higher
level of science
3. You are a non-science major who needs to get a science credit out of the way
so you can concentrate on your area of interest.
4. You want to save money on college tuition by getting some of your college
credits early