Structure of the Universe

Warm Up

Page 5

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Questions 1-3

K.I.M. Sheets

Fill out the vocab terms on your KIM Sheet

Objective:

I can describe the structure of the universe that surrounds me including the scale of distance in the universe.

Our Place in Space

What makes up the universe?

• Earth is one of eight planets that orbit the sun, which is a star.

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• Stars are grouped together in structures known as galaxies. Gravity keeps the stars in the galaxy from moving away from each other.

What makes up the universe?

• There are an estimated 100 billion galaxies in the universe.

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• This is the Triangulum Galaxy which is a spiral Galaxy

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The Universe

The universe is space and all the matter and energy in it.

Think Bubbles

Clusters contain several thousand galaxies. Superclusters can contain several clusters.

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We have begun to think of the universe as a bubble

So what's the story with Earth?

Earth is a special place because it has just the right combination of conditions to support life.

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The presence of air and water supports the growth and development of plants and animals.

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The atmosphere contains an ozone layer that absorbs harmful solar radiation and other gases that keep Earth warm enough for life to exist.

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What makes up the Universe?

The solar system is the collection of large and small bodies that orbit our central star, the sun.

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The solar system has eight bodies called planets, which are generally larger than the other bodies.

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A planet is a spherical body that orbits the sun. The sun is our central star.

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Our Planets

Terrestrial (Rocky) - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

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Gas Giants - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Our Sun

A star is a large celestial body that is composed of gas (helium and hydrogen) and emits light.

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Energy is produced by Nuclear Fusion in a star's core. Energy escapes as visible light, radiation, heat and even wind.

Galaxies

We live in the Milky Way Galaxy.

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A Galaxy is a large collection of stars, gas and dust, held together by gravity.

Size of Galaxies

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Dwarf Galaxies - contain 100 million stars

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Giant Galaxies - contain 100s billions stars

Types of Galaxies

Spiral Galaxies

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Elliptical Galaxies

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Irregular Galaxies

Time Out!

Turn to page 9

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“Visualize it!”

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Answer #10 - Describe in 1-2 full sentences.

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Once Finished READ page 10 and Explain #11

Universal Measurements

Distance between most objects in the universe are HUGE!

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We use light-years as a unit of measure

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A light-year is the distance that light travels through space in 1 year.

Time Out!

Turn to page 12

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“Visual Summary”

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Answer 14-17 in full and complete sentences.

The 2 Minute Review

Vocab:

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Highlights:

• Earth is special
• The Sun or Star is made up of Helium and Hydrogen and is constantly undergoing Nuclear Fusion
• 8 Planets in Solar System
• Everything is “spaced out” in the Universe

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Study Up!

With visual summary

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Page 12

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Numbers 14-17