Unit 7 (Astrophysics: Parts 1 & 2) Teleclass Recording
Lesson 1: Particle Physics
Download the Unit 7: Astrophysics (Part 1) file here.
Lesson 2: Astronomy (Planetarium Star Show)
You’ll also be watching a slide show on the computer while on the call. Download the Unit 7: Astrophysics (Part 2) MP3 file here and download the PDF slideshow here.
NOTE: You’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view the PDF slideshow. Once you’ve got the slideshow up and running, select VIEW–>ROTATE to get the images in the right direction, and you can also use VIEW–>FULL SCREEN to make it big. (Use ESC to go back to your normal computer screen.)
I thought you’d like to see a sampling of the emails fired in during the teleclass… maybe you had the same question?
**********************************************
Q: My little brother Collin is wondering “Is Uranus 11 times bigger than earth?”
Holly Thomson (Collin Thomson age
A:Uranus is about 4 times the size of the earth, and called an ice giant.
*********************************************
Q: Are there any astronauts in space right now? How many earth years are in a light year? Just wondering.
Holly Thomson age 11 -HAT
PS. Thank you for answering everybody’s questions!
A: Sure there are – just visit the ISS website to find out the latest mission news:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
And a light-year is a measure of DISTANCE, not time. It’s how far light goes in one year. A light year is 5,865,696,000,000 miles (5.8 trillion miles).
***************************************************************
Q: On the planet Iapetus, is the ridge that goes all the way around it the same “makeup” as Iapetus?
A: That’s one of the questions scientists have – we currently don’t know – but that would certainly settle the question, wouldn’t it? There aren’t any current missions planned to Saturn once Cassini is done, though, so it may be awhile until we figure this one out!
***************************************************************
Q: Does Neptune really smell like farts? also On nebulas, are those explosions “frozen” like that?
Clay, age 11
A: Neptune is blue because of the thick methane (fart) atmosphere. And the explosions are so massive that they ‘look’ frozen, but are actually expanding and fading away.
****************************************************************
THANK YOU for this teleconference! Our family is having so much fun and learning SO much! This was so nice of you to do this for all of us. THANKS, AURORA! -Steffit
****************************************************************
Aurora,
Thank you for the class! This was the first time we have participated in anything like this and it was very interesting. I was concerned about being able to hear you during the conference, and concerned also about being able to make the call, but both worries were unmerited. Your muting the call made it very easy to hear you and logging in was a breeze! Thank you for your time and effort in making science fun for all of us.
From Alaska,
Samantha Sampson