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MIT AST 100 - COURSE INFORMATION

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Astronomy 100 Tuesday, Thursday 2:30 - 3:45 pm Tom Burbine [email protected] Material1st HW assignmentOWL website is now runningPRSTutorial (2nd HW assignment)3rd HW assignmentWhat did we learn last time?What causes seasons?SeasonsSolsticesEquinoxesReasons Why NotReasonsDefinitionsLong Term Changes PrecessionForcesBecause of precessionAnswerEclipsesAnimationWhy is the Earth Red?YESShould you look directly at a Solar Eclipse?No!!!!!!PlanetsPlanetsQuestions?Astronomy 100Tuesday, Thursday 2:30 - 3:45 pmTom [email protected] Material• Course Website: www.xanga.com/astronomy100• Textbook: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology, The Cosmic Perspective, 3rd Edition by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit•PRS:You need to have an InterWrite PRS transmitter.1stHW assignment• You need to find an article on astronomy (web, newspaper, magazine)• Print it, copy it, or cut it out• Read it• Write one paragraph on why it is important or why you found it interesting• Staple them together• Write your name and ID number on front page• Write the first three letters of your last name in big letters on front page• Hand it in during next class• You will then get 1 Homework credit!!OWL website is now running• http://owl.oit.umass.edu• Go to Astronomy• LOGIN: ID number• Password: Last Name• To register PRS: Go to Clicker registraion• If you were not originally registered for the course, you will have to go to follow instructions on the site to be able to log onPRS• You need to go OWL to activate PRS• We will start using Tuesday• Trying to get roster set before we use itTutorial (2ndHW assignment)• Tutorial to learn how to do HW in OWL• Needs to be done by 11:59 pm on Feb. 4• You need to get perfect score to get 1 HW credit!• No partial credit3rd HW assignment• I want you to find information on the constellation that represents your zodiacal sign• I want you to hand in a picture of the constellation (can be hand drawn) labeled with three star names and a short paragraph on what the constellation is named after• Write your name and ID number on front page• Write the first three letters of your last name in big letters on front page• Hand it in during next class• You will then get 1 Homework credit!!What did we learn last time?• Constellations are patterns of stars• Sun and Planets are in the ecliptic and travel through the zodiac• The sky we see is a function of where we are on the EarthWatch VideoWhat causes seasons?• The tilt of the Earth’s axis relative to the eclipticSeasonsSolstices• Summer Solstice –June 21 – Northern Hemisphere receives its most direct sunlight• Winter Solstice – December 21 – Northern Hemisphere receives its least direct sunlightEquinoxes• Sun shines equally on both hemispheres• Spring Equinox – March 21 – Northern Hemisphere goes from slightly tipped away from the Sun to slightly tipped towards• Fall Equinox – September 21 - Northern Hemisphere goes from slightly tipped toward from the Sun to slightly tipped awayImages of the Sun snapped at the same time and at the same place throughout the yearShouldn’t the Summer Solstice be the middle of Summer not the beginning?Reasons Why Not• It is much easier to identify the summer solstice by an ancient civilization• In the Northern Hemisphere, the hottest three months tend to be after the summer solsticeWhy does the orbital difference not matter?Reasons• There is only a 3% difference in the distance from the Earth to the Sun at its farthest and closest point• The Earth is actually closer to the Earth in the winter than in the summerDefinitions• Perihelion – a planet is closest to the Sun• Aphelion – a planet is farthest from the SunLong Term ChangesPrecession• Earth precesses like a top• Precession - phenomenon by which the axis of a spinning object (e.g. a part of a gyroscope) "wobbles" when a torque is applied to itForces• For a top, the force is gravity, which is trying to pull the top down• For the Earth, the forces are due to the pull of the Sun and Earth, which is trying to align the Earth’s axis with the eclipticBecause of precession• The position of a star that corresponds to the North Celestial Pole changesWhy do we see the Moon?Answer• It reflects light from the SunEclipses• Lunar Eclipse – Moon passes through Earth’s shadow• Solar Eclipse – Moon’s shadow falls on Earth• Umbra – light totally blocked• Penumbra – light partially blockedAnimationEllipsesLunar EclipsePassing through Earth’s shadowWhy is the Moon red?Shouldn’t it be totally dark?Why is the Earth Red?• Even though Earth blocks the moon from direct sunlight during an eclipse, some sunlight is refracted, or bent, by the Earth's atmosphere and illuminates the moon. • Most of this refracted light is orange or redShould you look directly at a Lunar Eclipse?YESShould you look directly at a Solar Eclipse?• Should youNo!!!!!!Total Solar EclipsecoronaPlanets• There are 5 planets observable without a telescopePlanetsPlanets is from a Greek word meaning “wanderer”Retrograde


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