S8 - GU1L1- Structures of the Universe

Structures of the Universe

S8 - GU1L1

What is the universe? 

• The universe is space and all the matter and energy in it.

• It includes planets, stars, solar systems, galaxies, gas, and dust. 

Extend and reflect

If you could go 1 kilometer per second, how far would you go in an hour? 

• This is a speed of 3600 kilometers per hour,

• so you would travel 3600 kilometers. 

What is in our solar system? 

• The solar system contains the sun and planets — including Earth and our moon.

• It also contains gas, dust, asteroids, and meteoroids. 

Open Ended

How is the sun different from a planet?

How is the sun different from a planet? 

• The sun is a star, emitting light, and radiation.

• A planet is a relatively large spherical body that orbits a star. 

How do we know about other galaxies? Have we traveled there?

• No, other galaxies are too far away for us to have traveled there.

• But we know about them from the detection of light and radiation across great distances. 

Why don't we know how many galaxies there are in the universe? 

• The distances are too great for us to detect all of them. 

Open Ended

What is the difference between a galaxy and a universe?

What is the difference between a galaxy and a universe? 

• A galaxy is a collection of stars, solar systems, asteroids, meteoroids, gas, and dust.

• The universe contains billions of galaxies. 

Why do our sun and other stars seem so small?

• They seem small because they are so far away. 

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Open Ended

With the sun, eight regular planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, gas, dust, and other material in our solar system, would it be considered crowded?

With the sun, eight regular planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, gas, dust, and other material in our solar system, would it be considered crowded? 

• No, there are large distances between the sun and each of the planets. 

Open Ended

What do you think the vast distances of the universe suggest about television and movies about space travel?

What do you think the vast distances of the universe suggest about television and movies about space travel? 

• The distances to objects beyond our solar system are so vast that intergalactic travel must remain in the realm of fiction and fantasy.

• At least for now.

Are all planets composed of the same type of materials? 

• No, terrestrial planets have rocky crusts and dense mantles and cores.

• Gas giant planets are gaseous, larger, and generally less dense than the terrestrial planets.

Open Ended

What is a solar system?

A solar system is a star or stars and the material such as planets, moons, asteroids, and dusts, orbiting around the star(s). 

Multiple Choice

How far into the universe have we traveled with spacecraft?

• around the universe

• within the galaxy

• around the solar system

• through space and beyond

How far into the universe have we traveled with spacecraft? 

• So far, spacecraft have traveled only within our own solar system. Voyager I, launched in 1977, has gone further than any other space probe.

• It has traveled over 16 trillion kilometers or 0.0018 light-years. 

What problems do the distances of space pose for human travel?

What problems do the distances of space pose for human travel? 

• The primary problems are time and speed.

• With current rates of travel, the distances far exceed the life span of any human on such a voyage.

• Even at the speed of light, which is not physically possible, the time is just too great. 

How do we know about the universe?

• We use space telescopes, optical telescopes, radio telescopes, X-ray telescopes, gamma-ray telescopes, and other tools to collect data that is processed by a computer.

• This information can be mathematically modeled to determine aspects of the universe. 

Open Ended

Consider what you have learned about the structure of the universe.

Describe what kinds of things are in the universe.

Synthesis

Where could you find out more about stars, planets, and galaxies? 

There are many excellent web sites. The United States space agency NASA maintains an excellent one, for example. 

website: www.nasa.gov

End of presentation