Celestial Wanderers/Teacher's Notes: Difference between revisions
From OER in Education
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
== Teacher's Notes == | == Teacher's Notes == | ||
'''Session 3 | '''Session 3''' | ||
Having looked at the | Having looked at the Moon last session we turn our attention to the rest of the solar system – specifically focusing on the geology and evolution of these rocky bodies.<br /> | ||
* The voyager probes were the first close up look at the outer solar system – taking advantage of a rare “lining up” of the gas giants allowing one probe to flyby them all | * The voyager probes were the first close up look at the outer solar system – taking advantage of a rare “lining up” of the gas giants allowing one probe to flyby them all: video – The story of Voyager 2.<br /> | ||
:- http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/index.html<br /> | :- http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/index.html<br /> | ||
:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_2<br /> | :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_2<br /> | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
:- Manicouagan is clearly visible to astronauts<br /> | :- Manicouagan is clearly visible to astronauts<br /> | ||
:- http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3325<br /> | :- http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3325<br /> | ||
* The | * The Moon also has many craters – although lava flows in the “seas” have covered over many of them.<br /> | ||
:- Image taken by Apollo 8<br /> | :- Image taken by Apollo 8<br /> | ||
:- Dating surfaces possible by looking at crater counts. No craters = young surface<br /> | :- Dating surfaces possible by looking at crater counts. No craters = young surface<br /> | ||
* Tycho crater can be seen unaided from the earth. The lines of ejecta cover ¼ of the near side of the | * Tycho crater can be seen unaided from the earth. The lines of ejecta cover <big>¼</big> of the near side of the Moon.<br /> | ||
:- Craters can be dated by the layering of the ejecta’s over older craters.<br /> | :- Craters can be dated by the layering of the ejecta’s over older craters.<br /> | ||
:- Possible that the asteroid that formed tycho was linked to the asteroid that caused the K-T boundary extinction.<br /> | :- Possible that the asteroid that formed tycho was linked to the asteroid that caused the K-T boundary extinction.<br /> | ||
Latest revision as of 11:24, 4 October 2012
Teacher's Notes
Session 3
Having looked at the Moon last session we turn our attention to the rest of the solar system – specifically focusing on the geology and evolution of these rocky bodies.
- The voyager probes were the first close up look at the outer solar system – taking advantage of a rare “lining up” of the gas giants allowing one probe to flyby them all: video – The story of Voyager 2.
- Feb 14th 1991 Voyager took a departing valentine of the solar system – 6 of the 8 planets would prove visible in its final image before its cameras were shut down.
- The outer planets
- - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter
- - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn
- - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus
- - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune
- Rocky bodies more interesting as we can see their surfaces.
- Mimas has a Massive Crater http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimas_(moon)
- Such craters also exist on Earth
- - Manicouagan is clearly visible to astronauts
- - http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3325
- The Moon also has many craters – although lava flows in the “seas” have covered over many of them.
- - Image taken by Apollo 8
- - Dating surfaces possible by looking at crater counts. No craters = young surface
- Tycho crater can be seen unaided from the earth. The lines of ejecta cover ¼ of the near side of the Moon.
- - Craters can be dated by the layering of the ejecta’s over older craters.
- - Possible that the asteroid that formed tycho was linked to the asteroid that caused the K-T boundary extinction.
- - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tycho_(crater)
- - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptistina_family
- Olympus Mons – Not a crater but the biggest volcano in the solar system.
- The moons of the gas giants are also rich with surface geology
- Io – Jovian System – extremely volcanically active (notice no craters) due to extreme tidal heating from its close orbit with Jupiter
- Europa – Jovian System – Surface also new – but made of water Ice. Theorised to be an ocean of liquid water beneath – kept liquid by the heat generated from radioactivity and tidal energies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(moon)
- Titan is the biggest moon in the solar system – all 3 phases of Methane appear to be present on Titan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)
- The two stacked images are taken from Mars (top) and from Earth (bottom) only noticeable difference is the more red coloration in the sky.
- Venus – covered in cloud – need Radar (next image) to see the surface
- Mercury – a planet smaller than titan...
- - No atmosphere as it has been lost due to excessive heat, lack of a magnetic field and low gravity.
- - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_planet
- The final image is one of the surface Mars showing evidence of the Martian Past.
- - There are plenty of craters however also evidence of water flowing over this surface.
- - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_on_Mars
Useful cloudy weather applications
• Build a model space probe to carry a delicate payload into orbit.
- Instrumentation simulated by an egg
- Launch simulated by a large plastic box which you shake around for 10 seconds...
