Astronomy 1010Fall_2015

Day-4Planetary Astronomy

Cute and ScienceCute and Science

Course Announcements• Smartworks Chapter 1: Due Fri. (Sep. 4)• Read Chapter 2.1, 2.2

• Next week: • Dark Night Observing on Tues. 9/8 & Thur. 9/10

• Thurs. 9-3: Meeting; watch for signs.• Tues. 9-1: Volleyball 7pm• Thurs. 9-3: “1st Thursday Art Walk” downtown,

5pm• Sat. 9-5: Football vs Mercer, 4pm; Tailgate at

1pm

Two-Minute Essay My name is…

The scientist (living or dead, but real) I would most like to meet is:

Definitions & Terms -1• Cosmology: The study of the Universe, its

beginning and ultimate fate.

• Constellation: A grouping of stars and everything in between. They have set boundaries (all N-S, E-W). There are 88 modern constellations recognized by the IAU.

• Scientific Method: A process for the methodical investigation of science. To be valid, it MUST be testable, and falsifiable. This separates science from pseudo-science (or non-science).

• Scientific Notation: A convenient method for writing large and small numbers.

Lecture-Tutorial:Sun Size – p. 113

Work with a partnerRead the instructions and questions carefullyTalk to each other and discuss your answers

with each anotherCome to a consensus answer you both agree

onIf you get stuck or are not sure of your

answer ask another groupIf you get really stuck or don’t understand

what the Lecture Tutorial is asking as one of us for help

Colored Card Question:Where Are We?

The Sun is part of:

A.The Solar System.B.The Milky Way Galaxy.C.The universe.D.All the above.

Useful Information for Next LabBasic Coordinates and Seasons Lab

ClassAction Web Site (Link from apsu.edu/astronomy)

Print the instructions BEFORE you come to class!

Sexagesimal NotationWhat is sexagesimal notation?

Expressing a coordinate as DD:MM:SS or HH:MM:SS

As opposed to decimal degrees: DD.ddddd

Used for coordinates on Earth and in space.Useful for map reading (after your GPS

dies).

Sexagesimal NotationConvert from sexigesimal to decimal degrees:

87:20:30.426 W longitudeThe proper way:87° + (20m/60m/°) + (30.426s/3600s/°)= 87 + 0.3333 + 0.00845= 87°.34175 W

Sexagesimal NotationConvert from decimal degrees to

sexigesimal :

36°.56174 N latitude36° + (0.56174° x 60m/°) = 33m.704133m + (0.7041m x 60s/m) = 42s.2460

= 36:33:42.2460 N latitude

Science vs. AuthorityScience is subversive.Old ideas can be falsified and rejected.New ideas must be supported by

evidence.Authority often works by suppressing

inquiry.Scientific authority can be overthrown

by new or better evidence.Nature is the arbiter of science. It

decides what ideas are good or bad.

Science Is CreativeScience is one of many creative

human activities.It has its own rules for deciding

what is right and wrong.It is an important way for achieving

knowledge and insight.There are also other valuable ways

to achieve understanding.

Science Is an ExplorationIdeas can be tested by observation.Telescopes, satellites, etc. extend our

observations to the very large or very distant.

Space exploration has expanded our view of planets and the Solar System.

Astronomy is the science of the exploration of the Universe and the matter and energy it contains.

Science Is a ProcessScience is a method for learning about

nature.The scientific method works like this:

Ideas are tested against nature.Tests come from observation or calculation.

The tests falsify some ideas and support others.

All scientific knowledge is provisional.

A Scientific Result: We Are Stardust

Our bodies contain many types of atoms.Except for the hydrogen in water (H2O),

all the atoms were made in stars.Stars generate energy by making

heavier elements out of light ones.They eject the material into space.New stars and planets (and humans)

form out of the ejected material.

Hallmarks of Modern Science1. Modern science seeks explanations for

observed phenomena that rely solely on natural causes.

2. Science progresses through the creation and testing of models of nature that explain the observations as simply as possible.

3. A scientific model must make testable predictions about natural phenomena that would force us to revise or abandon the model if the predictions do not agree with observations.

Modern ScienceThe Scientific

Method.ObservationsQuestionHypothesisPredictionTestRevise/More Predictions