Current event # 9

NASA's WISE Mission Offers a Taste of Galaxies to Come

Author: Whitney Clavin

Date: 25 May 2011

Due date: 30 May 2011

This article talks about 9 new galaxies. These new galaxies are near to our galaxy. THE MILKY WAY). These galaxies are different than ours, they have a different color and different size and shape. As we can't see them with our eyes, thanks to the infrared light we can see them. If  we see dusty yellow in the sky that means that a new star or galaxy is forming and if it is blue, it means that is an old population of stars. Wise (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission,) found out about these galaxies. It was launched in 2009.

In my opinion, this article was pretty interesting and it was kind of exciting for me and our planet because now we have other 9 new galaxies. And also, it is pretty cool how a robot found out about them and not a human. I wonder if it is near the milky way  humans could go and see it. 

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/news/wise20110525.html

what i want to know and what iknow

SO i know: that astronomy is the study of the stars and the universe and i know that Neil Armstrong was the first human to go on the moon and we have 9 planets in are solar system.

What i want to know: if there are other planets of course there are but other one that i know and will it really be the end of the world in the year 2011. and will there be another planet like earth.

SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES

What are eclipses?: 

There are two types of eclipses solar eclipses and lunar eclipses.solar eclipses are events where the moon travels between the earth and sun, lunar eclipses are when the sun and the moon are on the opposite sides of the earth.

Why do they occur?: 

They occur because the Earth and the Moon change positions.

When will the next lunar eclipse occur?: 

The next lunar eclipse will be on June 15.

How often they occur? 

The lunar eclipses are more frequent then the solar ones.

How do we view an eclipse?

We can see the solar eclipse with special glasses.

Does everyone get to see it? 

No.

What are the dangers of viewing an eclipse?

Blindness and damage eyeball.

 

When is the next eclipse?

The next total solar eclipse will occur on November 13th 2012.

What did ancient people used to think the eclipse was?

The ancient people used to think that the eclipse was a bad sign. Usually they were afraid of it. In Ancient Greece, they thought that if they were in a war that something bad would happen if they saw an eclipse. The Chinese had two guesses. The first guess was that the snake attacked the sun and they would make a lot of noise in order to make it go away. And the second guess was that the eclipse were three flames eating the sun.

Moon Phases Lab

For helping us to understand the phases we did labs, we drew and we made blog post on moon phases. Well, I noticed on the animated thing of the moon that it showed when it was day and when it was the night and how much time it took and at what time it was midnight and when the sun raised and when it was noon and when it was time for the sunset. Because the moon goes around the earth and it depends where we live in the world in what part. Well, making the model didn't really help me, but the two things that help me a lot were the video and the simulation. The disadvanteges of making a model and using it are that it can break and we are all using the flash light at the same time and the reflections of the other flash lights confused me. If I needed to make a model, I would draw it just like this:

lab

When it is winter in the northern hemisphere which areas on earth get the most concentrated light? Which areas get the most concentrated light when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere?

When it is winter in the northern hemisphere the southern hemisphere gets more light and when it is summer in the northern hemisphere the northern hemisphere gets more light. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, the northern hemisphere gets more light.

COMPERE YOUR OBSERVATIONS OF HOW LIGHT HITS THE AREA HALFWAY BETWEEN THE EQUATOR AND THE NORTH POLE DURING WINTER AND DURING SUMMER?

When it is winter in a area it is halfway between of the north pole and the equator it is dark  and  there is a little light on it. 

If the squares projected on the ball from the acetate become larger, what can you infer about the amount of heat disturbed in each square?

There would be more heat in every square.

According to your observations, which areas on Earth are consistently coolest? Which areas are consistently warmest? Why?
The coolest areas are the ones that are south like the north pole and the warmest are the ones that are on the equator. 

What time of year will the toothpick's shadow be the longest?when will be the shadow the shortest?
The shadow will be the longest in fall and spring and the shortest in summer and winter.

How are the amounts of heat and light received in a square related to the angle of the sun's rays? 
The more directly the light hits the Earth the more rays it will receive and there will be more heat.


Use your observations of an Earth-sun model to write an explanation of what causes seasons?

The seasons are caused by the tilt of the earth and the rotational axis.

Conclusion: 
First my partner and I did not get the lab and had problems with it. We weren't the only ones to have problems; other groups too. So the seasons are caused by the earth tilt and the rotational axis and they depend from the position of the earth.