SPACE: THE SUN, STARS, AND GALAXIESSpace Unit-Lesson 2

OBJECTIVES

• E.5.B.1-Understand that stars have different colors and brightness

• E.5.B.3-Understand the distance of stars and how they appear as point of light

• E.5.B.1-Understand that there are more stars than anyone can count and that each star is not on the same level

• E.5.B.1-Understand that the Milky Way contains billions of stars, compare types of galaxies

DID YOU KNOW?

• The sun is a star• The sun is 4.6 billion years old• One million Earths could fit inside of the sun• The sun generates solar wind• The sun has a strong magnetic field• The sun can sing

• C:\Users\JimandJaren\Desktop\all_modes_1_0_1_2_30s.au

DID YOU KNOW?• Galaxies often crash into one another. Even our own galaxy has had others pass right through it. Don't worry though, galaxies can pass through each other quite safely.  Stars are so far apart that the chances of two colliding is very unlikely

• If you look closely enough, you can see the Orion Nebula near Orion's belt. It looks like a tiny dot to the naked eye, even though it's sixty light-years across.

• Stars can be born inside nebulas, such as the Crab Pulsar which resides within the Crab Nebula. The Crab Pulsar is an extremely young, spinning star. Because of its unique nature, changes in the Crab Nebula can be seen in a matter of days.

• Small galaxies (dwarf galaxies) can have as few as 10 million stars, while larger ones (giants) can have up to 100 trillion.

THE SUN AND OTHER STARS

Color Approximate Surface Temperature

Average Mass (Sun=1)

Star Name

Blue 11,000-25,000 K 18 Rigel/Spica

Blue 7,500-11,000 K 3.2 Sirius/Vega

Blue to White 6,000-7,500 K 1.7 Canopus, Procyon

White to Yellow 5,000-6,000 K 1 Sun/Capella

Red Under 3,500 K 0.3 Betelgeuse

WHAT IS A STAR EXACTLY?

• A star is a huge sphere of very hot, glowing gas. Stars produce their own light and energy by a process called nuclear fusion. Fusion happens when lighter elements are forced to become heavier elements. When this happens, a tremendous amount of energy is created causing the star to heat up and shine.

WHERE ARE STARS MADE?

• Stars are made in nebulas. These are big areas that has more gas than normal space has. The gas in a nebula is attracted to all the other gas by gravity. This makes the gas in the nebula very thick. Stars form in these thick areas.

PICTURES OF NEBULAS

NEBULA CREATION ACTIVITY

• Follow the directions below to create a nebula replica. Please give your nebula a name. Be prepared to write about why you gave it that name and the meaning behind it.Gather a large amount of cotto

n balls.

Shred

the cotton

balls apart.

Glue cotton balls on

black construction paper in any design

you wish.

Using various colored spray paint

provided, lightly spray the

cotton. Avoid

spraying the black paper if possible.

Create a name for

your new

nebula based

on your design. Write a

description of the meaning

of the name.

GALAXIES

There are billions of Galaxies in the Universe. Some are very small with only a few million stars. While others could have as many as 400 billion stars, or even more. There are three kinds of Galaxies, Spiral, Elliptical, and Irregular. The only difference between the three is what shape they are.

WHAT IS A SPIRAL GALAXY?A spiral galaxy is a disk shaped with dusty curving arms. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy.

WHAT IS AN ELLIPTICAL GALAXY?

• Elliptical galaxies has an ellipse shaped light profile

WHAT IS AN IRREGULAR GALAXY?

• An irregular galaxy has an irregular or unusual shape and light profile.

• An irregular galaxy does not have a coherent structure.

PREPARE YOUR SCIENCE NOTEBOOK FOR THE UPCOMING SPACE FILM.

You will need to write down at least 10 interesting facts that you have learned during this film. Be prepared to discuss it afterward.

WHAT IS INSIDE OF A GALAXY OTHER THAN STARS?

• Planets (Even entire solar systems)• Star clusters• Black holes• Gas• Interstellar Clouds• Rocks• Ice

BASED ON WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN, ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN YOUR SCIENCE NOTEBOOK.

• Create a compare/contrast model of the various types of galaxies.

• What is a nebula made of?• What are some of the colors that stars can be?

• What do these colors represent?

• Discuss how many stars are in a galaxy….the universe.

• What questions do you have? What else would you like to learn about?