Week 1: Earth’s place in the Universe

Objectives:
At the end of this activity, you should be able to:
1. differentiate universe, galaxies, solar systems
2. describe stars and constellations
3. explain the accepted theories on the origin of the universe and the solar system

Activity 1:
What do you think are in this field of view?

I see a bunch of stars forming a constellation.

Define the following terms:
Universe  The universe is everything. It includes all of space, and all the
matter and energy that space contains.

Galaxy  A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas,

dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity.

Solar system  A star with the group of heavenly bodies that revolve around it.
Especially : the sun with the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets
that orbit it.

Stars  A star is a luminous ball of gas, mostly hydrogen and helium,

held together by its own gravity.

Constellations  A group of stars

forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its
apparent form or identified with a mythological figure.

Open Cluster  Open clusters are loosely bound groups of a few tens to a few
hundred stars. They are found in spiral and irregular galaxies.

Globular  Globular clusters are stable, tightly bound clusters of tens of

Cluster thousands to millions of stars. They are associated with all types
of galaxies. Globular clusters are typically much larger than open
clusters and are tightly gravitationally bound.

Nebula  A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space. Some nebulae
(more than one nebula) come from the gas and dust thrown out by
the explosion of a dying star, such as a supernova. Other nebulae
are regions where new stars are beginning to form.

Planets  A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b)
has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body
forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round)
shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

Activity 2: Constellations
ADAPTED FROM: HOWSON, E. (2001). CONSTELLATION DETECTIVE. ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF
THE PACIFIC.
HTTPS://ASTROSOCIETY.ORG/EDUCATION-OUTREACH/EDUCATION-ACTIVITIES/GRADES-K-12.HTML

Can you find Orion in the field of view below?

Can you find Ursa Minor and Cassiopeia in the field of view below?
Activity 3: Watch the following videos
[Naked Science]. (2018, May 10). Naked Science – Birth of the Universe. [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OpbdMjvni0
1. What was Edwin Hubble’s idea about the universe?
  In 1920s Hubble discovered that the more distant a galaxy is from us, the faster it
appears to be receding into space.

2. A theory of the origin of the universe is known as the Big Bang Theory. Does it mean
that the universe started from an explosion?

 The “Big Bang theory,” describes how the universe progressed from an early hot,
dense state to today’s cold, sparse state. It specifically does not say the universe
“came from nothing;” in fact, it does not go all the way back to the very beginning
and makes no statements at all about where the universe came from.

3. What happened after 1 picosecond after the big bang?

 A picosecond after the Big Bang. Our newborn universe was still expanding but it
didn’t contain matter it was pure energy. According to Einstein famous equation
“E=mc²” showed that mass and energy are interchangeable, it gave us the knowledge
to build weapons of mass destruction. When a nuclear bomb explodesa a tiny amount
of matter is annihilated and converted into energy but in the baby universe is the
exact opposite because the pure energy will be converted into particles of matter.
4. When did the universe started forming true elements?

 The first millionth of a second the universe wasnow relatively calmover the next three
minutes theexpanding cosmos cooled sufficiently forprotons and neutrons to bind
together and form the first atomic nuclei hydrogen and helium these were not yet
proper atoms they were missing a vital ingredient the electron in the hot babyuniverse
there were plenty of electrons around but there was still so much heat and energy the
electrons were moving too fast to form bonds and it would stay that way for over
three hundred thousand years 380,000 years after the Big Bang the universe had
expanded to the size of the Milky Way it had cooled fromnbillions of degrees
Fahrenheit to a few thousand as it cooled the electrons slowed down the universe was
now ready To make its first true elements.
5. How did the universe create elements heavier than hydrogen and helium?

 Some of the heavier elements in the periodic table are created when pairs of neutron
stars collide cataclysmically and explode, researchers have shown for the first time.

6. What paved the way to the production of the elements heavier than iron?

 Elements heavier than iron are z mainly by neutron-capture inside stars, or during
neutron star mergers (see below, although there are other more minor contributors
cosmic ray spallation, radioactive decay).

7. What are the possibilities of the future of the universe?

 In the future galaxies will pull apart the universe will be made up of isolated stars
which are running out of energy some will become white or brown dwarfs others will
collapse into neutron stars or black holes then thousands of trillions of years after the
 Big Bang even the black holes will evaporate an all matter will decay to its basic
ingredients atoms will fall apart and even protons the building blocks of atoms will
decay most likely future is perhaps the most dismal one where the universe becomes
cold and dark and empty as the universe continues to expand and the galaxies speed
apart from each other space willbecome empty and dead our own cluster of galaxies
will be moving away from us faster than the speed of light and will disappear from
the night skies eventually everything will just sort of wind down them and that’s the
end of things finally the universe will die and all that will be left is a cold dark and
lifeless space.

[Launch Pad Astronomy]. (2018, April 13). Origin of the Solar System. [Video]. YouTube.
1. What are the characteristics of the solar system?

 Large bodies in the solar system have orderly motions and are isolated from each
other. All planets and most moons have nearly circular orbits going in the same
direction in nearly the same plane. The Sun and most of the planets rotate in this same
direction as well, and most moons orbit their planet in the direction it rotates.

Planets fall into two main categories:

 Small, rocky terrestrial planets near the Sun
 Large, hydrogen-rich jovian planets farther out
 The jovian planets have many moons and rings made of rock and ice

Swarms of asteroids and comets populate the solar system:

•Asteroids are concentrated in the asteroid belt
•Comets populate the regions known as the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud

2. What led to the classifications of planets?

  Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars — are the terrestrial planets. They have rocky
surfaces enclosed by relatively shallow atmospheres. The gas and ice giants —
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — are outliers. They are much larger than the
terrestrial planets, but their cores are small and icy. Most of their size is formed by a
combination of gases that become denser and hotter as you get closer to the core.

3. Create a flow chart below on how the solar system formed.

Activity 4:
Identify and take pictures of objects in your home that can represent elements that were formed
after the Big Bang, inside stars and during supernova explosions.

Elements formed after the Big Bang

 Water = H2O

Elements formed inside the stars

 Pencil = Carbon

Elements formed during supernova explosions

 Gold Necklace= Gold

References:

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/7131/what-is-the-origin-of-elements-heavier-than-
iron

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/big-history-project/solar-system-and-earth/earth-and-
form-solar-system/a/how-our-solar-system-formed

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_of_an_expanding_universe