Final Blog Post

Why study Astronomy? There are many reasons to observe and study Astronomy. It effects our lives in many different ways. Such as the sun provides energy for us to live and the sun also provides radiation which powers our atmosphere and weather. The Earth's spin creates day and night for us to sleep and be active in our daily life. Also the Earth's axial tilt gives us seasons to enjoy the different temperatures and atmospheres surrounding us. Finally the Earth's orbit provides us with an annual calender. The sun and moon together cause tides and the moon alone causes eclipses. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences and throughout the past how many years scientists have came up with many observations and ideas on how our solar system effects our day to day lives.
Why separate science/religion? Religion is understanding the purpose and meaning of our own universe, including our own lives. Religion can be known as creationism, spoon bending, and ESP; whereas, science can be known as evolution, global, and climate change. Many factors fall between science and religion including astrology, tarotcards, and horoscopes. This is called pseudoscience, it falls between science and religion because they are interchangeable. Science is observing, collecting evidence, and drawing conclusions. It is actually when you perform experiments and collect date. Religion is more who and why. It goes more into detail of why things happen in our universe and who came up with these such ideas. In religion, people believe Earth was created by god. In science, people believe the Earth was created by circular planets blowing up and breaking apart creating new planets such as Earth
What are three things you will remember? There are many things I will remember form this class because I have learned many new things. One big thing I learned is that the solar system in our universe is huge! There are many things we have yet to find out in our solar system because it is so big. The second big thing I learned is the order of the planets. I had an idea where they were at based on each other, but never really knew exactly where they were at. Also I didn't know they were separated by gas and rocky planets. One last thing I learned was the plate tectonics and the sea floor spreading. It was cool to see why volcanoes and earth quakes happen in our oceans and what causes them to react. The three main ideas I learned were divergent, convergent, and transform.
I have learned many things and I'm glad I got to be part of this great class. I had a lot of fun and I will miss coming. Thanks Ma! :))

Hubble Galaxy/Deep Field

The Hubble Deep Field North is one of the deepest, sharpest, multi-color images of the faintest universe in visible light. The Hubble Space Telescope was pointed into an empty point in the Northern sky to observe about a thousand never-before-seen galaxies in the universe. The Hubble Deep Field South complements the original Hubble Deep Field.
The objects in the sky are about 2 to 10 billion light years away so when we view the galaxies they appeared 2 to 10 billion years ago in the early universe. The depth of the Hubble Deep Fields are equal to billions of light years.
By looking in the sky, you can tell there are many different galaxies amongst the universe. Some known as elliptical, spiral, and irregular. They also have different frequencies, which make them their own galaxy. Sometimes you may come across very faint and dull galaxies or you may come across very bright and distinguished galaxies. The size difference of galaxies can vary also.

Neutrinos

Neutrinos are one of the fundamental particles which make up the universe. Neutrinos do not carry an electric charge, so because of this, they are not affected by the electromagnetic forces which act on electrons. There are three different types of neutrinos known today and there is no further evidence of any additional neutrinos which exist. The neutrinos are able to pass through great distances in matter without being affected by it. Neutrinos are what give the sun it's power. The first experiment to detect electron neutrinos produced by the sun's burning reports that less than half the expected neutrinos are observed.
I would not be able to experiment with neutrinos as long as Dahcall and David did because I would not be able to handle people doubting my observations and experiments. Everybody's rude comments and joking remarks would throw me over the edge. They must of had a huge passion to research and study neutrinos because they stuck with it for so long. If I heard them calling my experiment crazy I would have stopped.
Neutrinos mass could account largely for what has come to be known as "dark matter". Neutrinos have such little mass that it is almost hard to measure it.

Will the world end in 2012?

Yes, I believe the world will end in 2012. First, the Mayan calender gives a potential date for the world ending on December 21, 2012. On December 21, it's said there will be a mass destruction caused by a massive planet that will strike earth. This mass destruction will kill all living things on planet earth; causing nothing to survive. Also, others believe that the earth is slated for another ice storm which is another reason for nothing to survive.
Another reason I believe the world will end in 2012 is because Nasa has predicted many different observations about the sun. They predict there will be an increase of sunspots and sun flares in 2012. A polar reversal will cause the north to become the south and the sun to rise in the west. After this happens, earthquakes will shatter, massive tidal waves will occur, and volcanoes will erupt.
One last reason I believe the world could end is according to astronomers, billions of years from now, the sun will become a red giant, expanding to a size larger than the Earth's orbit and consuming Earth in the process. Even though this says it may happen in billions of years from now, you never know when it could happen. Even if the planet somehow survives, the sun will eventually shrink, becoming a white dwarf and gradually cooling off until it can no longer warm anything in the solar system.
Although scientists and astronomers predict bad things may happen, we could be able to stop this process because of all the observations and technology today. All scientists have many different observations about the world ending in 2012, but hopefully soon, somebody can come up with a way to save our earth.

Orion

A) Betelgeuse- Alpha
Rigel- Beta
Bellatrix- Gamma
Mintaka- Delta
Alnilam- Epsilon
B) Orion is one of the most recognizable patterns of stars in the northern sky. According to Greek mythology, Orion, the hunter, was in love with Merope.
C) Can be seen in Rome, Jerusalem, and Sydney.
D) Best viewed in January at 9:00 P.M.
E) Right Ascension: 5 hours
Declination: 5 degrees
F) Translation: The Great Hunter. Visible between latitudes 85 and -75 degrees.

Cassiopeia

A) Shedir-Alpha
Caph- Beta
Ruchbah- Delta
Segin- Epsilon
Achird- Eta
B) The asterism is a W. The daughter of Andromeda. As the sky appears to rotate, she can appear to be suffering as she is hanging upside down.
C) Can be seen in Chicago, San Diego, Rome, and Jerusalem.
D) Best viewed in November at 9:00 P.M.
E) Right Ascension: 1 hour
Declination: 60 degrees
F) Translation: Queen of Ethiopia or Andromeda's Mother. Visible between latitudes 90 and -20 degrees

Ursa Minor

A) Polaris- Alpha
Kocab- Beta
Pherkad- Gamma
Yildun- Delta
Pherkad Minor- 11
B) Also known as the Little Dipper. The handle of the dipper is the Little Bear's tail and the cup is the Bear's flank. The most famous star in the Ursa Minor is the Polaris, the North Star.

C) It can be seen in Chicago, San Diego, Rome, and Jerusalem.

D) Best seen in June at 9:00 P.M.

E) Right Ascension: 15 hours
Declination: 70 degrees
F)Translation: The Lesser Bear
Visible between latitudes 90 degrees to -10 degrees

Ursa Major

1) Dubhe- Alpha
2) Merak- Beta
3) Phecda- Gamma
4) Megrez- Delta
5) Alioth- Epsilon

b) History: It is commonly called the Big Dipper. The handle of the dipper is the Great Bear's tail and the Dipper's cup is the Bear's flank. According to some Native American legends, the bowl of the Big Dipper is a giant bear and the stars of the handle are three warriors chasing it.

c) Able to be seen in: Chicago, San Diego, Rome, Jerusalem, and Sydney.
d) Best seen in April
e) Right Acsension: 11 hours
Declination: 50 degrees
f) Important to the Underground Railroad which helped slaves escape from the South before the Civil War.

The Four Constellations- Title Page

1) Ursa Major
2) Ursa Minor
3) Cassiopeia
4) Orion



By Jenna Manternach & Megan Schulte

What Influences Astronomy

I think Astronomy is mostly influenced by Religion, Culture, and Science. Astronomy can be obtained by observations, evidence, and conclusions by scientists. There are many other ways Astronomy can be influenced by, but I think those three are the main influences.