Astronomy

1. Astronomy Mr. Riley

2. Warm Up Question Ex. Milky Way Candy Bar List as many astronomy terms that are in main stream society or culture .

3. Astronomy • What do you know? • Place the following terms in order from smallest to largest. • solar system • universe • Galaxy Answer: solar system, galaxy, universe

4. Place the following terms in order according to when they formed or occurred: • Formation of solar system • Formation of universe • Formation of the sun • Formation of the moon Answer: universe, the sun, solar system, moon

5. Before we go any further…. • You need to know what the difference is between Astrology and Astronomy. • After all this is NOT an astrology class… • Astronomy is simply the observation and measurement of celestial bodies, while Astrology is an attempt to find some sort of “meaning” or “influence” in planetary positions. • Astrology is not a science – not based upon collected data • Astrology led to the birth of astronomy

6. Earthrise – Apollo 8

7. Astronomy • Of all the scientific insights achieved to date by astronomers, there is one that stands out. • What do we know? (or what is the most obvious to us now?) Earth is neither central nor special. We inhabit no unique place in the universe. We live on an ordinary rocky planet that orbits an average middle-aged star near the edge of a huge collection of stars called the Milky Way Galaxy. This galaxy in which we call home, is one amongst countless billions of others throughout the universe. Eric Chaisson, Steve McMillian

8. Ancient Astronomy - The sun and the moon, the stars and planets are always with us. Wherever we live, wherever we travel, we can always call upon the companionship of these familiar things

9. The History of Astronomy • Long before recorded history(~500 yrs. ago) people were aware of the close relationship between the events on earth and the positions of “heavenly bodies”. • Most importantly the sun • Examples: astrology –zodiac signs, Mayan Calendar

10. Noted changes in seasons and floods of the great rivers ex.) The Nile in Egypt How did they use these “heavenly bodies?” • Believed when celestial bodies reached a particular place in the heavens changes would occur. • Why was this so important? • Weather – for farming • Early cultures, which were dependent on the weather, believed that if heavenly bodies controlled the seasons thenthey must also strongly influence all earthy events.

11. Who was the first? • The Chinese, Egyptians and Babylonians were the first to keep records of the celestial bodies and their positions.

12. You might be thinking.. Where in the world did the Babylonians live?...

13. Ptolemy • Greece (~600BC) • Considered the “Golden Age” of early astronomy Were criticized for using philosophical arguments to explain natural phenomenon. However, they also used observational data. • Background info.- The Greeks developed geometry and trigonometry • They later used these to measure the sizes and distances of the largest appearing celestial bodies. Ex. Sun/moon

15. Ptolemy • Who is Claudius Ptolemy? (tall-la-me) • So how did Ptolemy make it into the history books?.... • He was the first to present the geocentric view to Europe known as the: Ptolemaic System • The first to show or observe the movement of the planets What’s the geocentric view? Belief that the Earth was at the center of the universe Who could argue this….the Earth stayed motionless-exhibited no sense of movement

16. Claudius Ptolemy

17. The Renaissance • During the Renaissance literacy became more widespread and almanacs began publishing astrological information • Astrology began to lose popularity or credibility when predictions failed to “come true” • Marks the beginning of the end of astrology