Deep Space and Solar System
New Test/New Quiz
Universe
Biggest
Oldest
Planet
Galaxy
Milky Way
Moon
Smallest
Youngest
Solar
System
Star
Sun
The Universe is
• Everything: all space, matter, and energy that
is in existence.
• More than 10 billion years old
Distances in space
• The speed of light is used for measurements
of distances in the universe
• One light year is how far light travels in one
year (based on distance NOT time)
• We see all night stars as they were when the
light we see left each star
The Milky Way and other Galaxies
• Our solar system is located on a spiral arm of
the Milky Way Galaxy
• The Sun is one of Billions of stars orbiting
within the Milky Way Galaxy
Origin of the universe and solar system: Big Bang
Theory
• The universe was created from an explosion
that took place 10 – 20 billion years ago
• The universe started out with all its matter in
a small volume and then expanded outward in
all directions
“Spect” words
• The spectrum is the band of colors that
composes of white light, in the order of the
rainbow (from Long to short wavelength)
• A spectroscope is a scientific instrument that
breaks up the light from a star into its
component colors in order to identify which
elements are present in that star
• A spectral line is a bright or dark line found in
the spectrum of some radiant sources
• A dark line spectrum from a star
– Is like a fingerprint or a bar code
– Gives information about composition,
temperature, and motion of a celestial object
Evidence of the Big Bang Theory
• Comic background radiation
– Sensitive radio receivers pick up radiation from all
directions
– This is the “noise” of the explosive birth of the
universe
• Doppler Effect
Red Shift is a shift in wavelength of a
spectrum line away from its normal wavelength
If the source is moving away from the
observer, there is a red shift toward longer
wavelengths
Blue Shift is a shift in wavelength of a spectrum
line toward its normal wavelength
If the source is moving toward the
observer, there is a blue shift toward shorter
wavelengths
• Why do we think the universe is expanding?
Light reaching us from distant galaxies has
a lower frequency then expected
Therefore, the universe is expanding
Stars form when
• Gravity causes clouds of molecules to contract
until NUCLEAR FUSION “Lighter elements” to
“Heavier” ones
H
H
H = hydrogen
He = Helium
He
Fusion releases great amounts of energy of
millions of years
The Stars
• Differ from each other in size, temperature, &
age
• Our Sun is a medium size star
Life cycle of a star
High Mass stars
Super
Giants
Nebula
Protostar
Super
Nova
Black
Hole
Neutron
star
Main
Sequence
90% of all
stars
(SUN)
(Red)
Giants
White
Dwarf
Low Mass stars
Black
Dwarf