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Exploring the Universe: From Our Solar System to Galaxies

Discover the wonders of the universe, from the birth of the Solar System to the vast galaxies and clusters of stars. Learn about planetary motion, stellar distances, parallax, constellations, and more in this fascinating journey through space.

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Exploring the Universe: From Our Solar System to Galaxies

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  1. AstronomyContents of the universe We live in the solar system. Earth orbits the sun every yr in elliptical orbit. Distance Earth to sun 1 AU

  2. Birth of the Solar SystemSolar system born ~4.5 BYA2 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfdDWdZcpOw

  3. Our Solar Systemplanets/moons/asteriods

  4. Asteroid Belt mars-Jupiter

  5. Icy Comets-All orbit the sun -very elliptical orbits

  6. Solar system is part of the milky way galaxy. Orion Arm. The galaxy revolves around black hole. Sun revolution ~ 250 million y.

  7. Galaxies –large aggregates of stars, gas, & dust containing ~ 100 billion (1011) stars ranging in diameter from 1,500 to 300,000 light-years across. Orbit central point. Av distance btw stars 10 ly.

  8. Stars can form stellarclusters w/i galaxies – smaller groups of stars held by gravity. ~ 1000’s of stars.

  9. Constellations – star groups not necessarily near each other.

  10. Galaxies form groups too.Galactic Clusters • Nearest cluster = Virgo cluster

  11. Open Cluster • also galactic cluster- a group of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud and have roughly the same age. Contain gas and dust

  12. Globular Cluster - older • Generally outside Milky Way in Halo.

  13. Nebulae • Gas clouds – Star nurseries • Formed after Big Bang • from supernova

  14. It’s a long way btw stars.Use Light Years LY The d light travels in 1 yr. • 1 LY = 9.46 x 10 15 m. • 1 AU = 1.5 x 10 11m • 1 pc parsec = 3.09 x 1016 m

  15. Powers of 10 Film 6:30 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnhken4_-A0

  16. Earth’s Rotation makes stars appear to rotate on fixed sphere.Rotation is around Polaris on 24 h cycle.Sun/planets wander through stellar backdrop.

  17. From Earth Stars Appear to be embedded in sphere.

  18. Stars rotate around Polaris24 hr cycle rise east set westStars appear fixed on sphere relative to each other. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCr_Pz4h2Bw

  19. Planetary Motion Wanderer & Retrograde

  20. Know the planets in order, their relative sizes, the asteroids, Kuiper belt. • Clusters, galaxies, nebula

  21. Measuring Stellar Distances • Stellar Parallax few hundred pc • Absolute & Apparent Magnitudes distance • Spectroscopic Parallax • Cepheid variables

  22. Stellar Parallax • Hold up pencil • Blink eyes • Pencil moves against backdrop. • Look at post. • Blink eyes.

  23. Earth’s motion in orbit causes parallax. 1 AU Sun

  24. Measure Parallax Angle • Angles are very small – measured in arc seconds.

  25. Angular Measurements • expressed in degrees, arc-minutes or arc-seconds. • 360o in circle • 1° = 60 arc minutes. • 1 arcminute = 60 arc sec. • 1 pc= distance where an object has a parallax angle (p) of one arc second.

  26. Stellar Parallaxd = 1/p p = 1/dd (dist) – #parsecs p (parallax angle) – #arc-seconds.

  27. Ex 1: The nearest star to Earth is Alpha Centauri, which is at a distance of 4.37 ly. Calculate the parallax angle that was measured to obtain that distance. • 4.37 LY / 3.26 = 1.34 pc. • p = 1/d 1/1.34 pc • 0.746 arc-sec

  28. Ex 2: A star has a parallax of 0.66 arc sec. A. What is this in parsecs? B. Meters? • d = 1/p • d = 1/ 0.66 = 1.5 pc. • 4.63 x 1016 m.

  29. Why can’t stellar parallax be used to measure very distant stars? • Angle gets too small. Few hundred pc upper limit.

  30. Parallax Method Clip 11 min • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUQAIldqPww

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