The One with the Second Astronomy Class 🌙🌎💫☄️

● Starting unit 1
● 1.1
● Astronomy is defined as the study of the objects that lie beyond our planet Earth
and the processes by which these objects interact with one another.
● attempts to build history of how everything came to be
● helps predict future events ideas
● constantly evolving as equipment, tech & theories improve
● Read section 1.2 on ur own
● 1.3
● Various scientific laws exist from countless observations, hypotheses, and
experiments
● Laws of Nature that apply on Earth are the same laws that apply everywhere in
the universe
● 1.4
● In astronomy, we deal with distances on an extremely large scale
● We traditionally work on a scale called Astronomical Units
● Astronomical Units measures the average distance between the earth and the
sun
● Earth is 1 AU from the sun, Jupiter’s orbit is 5.2 AU from the sun
● For much larger distances, astronomers use light years to measure
● Light Year: the distance light travels in a year
● Measures distance not speed
● Distance = speed x time
● A particle of light is called a photon
● A photon can reach the sun in 8.5 minutes
● 1.5
● Info about the universe comes to us almost exclusively through various forms of
light
● All light travels at the speed of light- 1 light year every year
● This sets a limit on how quickly we can learn about events in the universe
● Sky is a time machine ex. Cassiopeia (sun-like star, 15.4 ly away)
● 1.6
● !(download lecture slideshows before each class)!
● Galaxies are all grouped together in Superclusters
● Diameter of the sun- 1.5 million km
● If the sun was the size of a basketball, the earth would be a small apple seed
about 30 meters from the ball
● It would take 1 year to orbit the sun travelling at 110,000 km per hour
● Our sun is somewhat less than 30,000 light years from the centre of the galaxy
● The solar system orbits around the milky way at 828,000 km per hour
● 230 million years to complete one orbit
● 1.7
● Galaxies, galaxy clusters, galaxy superclusters
● Read section 1.7 on ur own
● 1.8
● Our universe is mainly made up of Atomic Hydrogen and Helium, and 2% other
elements
● First stars were made of hydrogen and helium
● When they died, they produced those elements back into the universe
● The Cosmic Calendar is a scale in which the 13.7 billion year lifespan of our
universe is mapped onto a single year
● Galaxy was produced in the month of May of big bang was on January 1st
● Solar system came into existence in September
● 2.1
● At any point on earth, you can see about 2-3 thousand stars in the night sky
● Constellation stars can be huge differences away from each other, even if it looks
like they are all very close
● Continuing unit 1 on Thursday