Astronomy 1010-HFall_2015Day-24

Planetary Astronomy

Course Announcements• How is the sunset/sunrise observing going?

• SW-chapter 6 posted: due Fri. Oct. 23• SW-chapter 7 posted: due Fri. Oct. 30

• PRS proposal writing workshop: • Thur, 10/22/2015 - 1 – 2 p.m.• Location: MUC 303

Airborne observatories: raise the telescope above clouds and water vapor (infrared astronomy).

Satellites in orbit: detect wavelengths that the atmosphere blocks (ultraviolet and X-rays).

Can produce very sharp images (e.g., the Hubble Space Telescope).

Astronomers use different instruments to look at light of different wavelengths - sometimes, we even have to go

above Earth’s atmosphere.

Lecture Tutorial: Telescopes & Earth’s Atmosphere: pg. 51

• Work with a partner!• Read the instructions and questions

carefully.• Discuss the concepts and your

answers with one another. Take time to understand it now!!!!

• Come to a consensus answer you both agree on.

• If you get stuck or are not sure of your answer, ask another group.

Concept Quiz—Mountain Telescopes

Why do astronomers build telescopes on mountains?

A. to be closer to the objects they are observingB. to minimize the effects of the atmosphereC. to observe wavelengths such as X-rays or ultraviolet

light

Concept Quiz—Telescopes

Pick the incorrect answer: Why build telescopes onthe ground when we can launch them into space?

A. Ground-based telescopes are useful for studying visible and infrared light.

B. Ground-based telescopes get much higher resolution.C. They are far cheaper to build and fix than space-based

telescopes.

Spacecraft have visited or flown by all the classical planets.

Flybys and orbiters observe from afar. Landers, rovers, and atmospheric probes

are more direct, and some can return samples.

Particle colliders probe physics of protons, neutrons, neutrinos, and atomic nuclei.

Can help astronomers understand the early universe and structure formation.

In a few cases, astronomers capture things other than light:• Neutrinos—light subatomic particles that are

extremely difficult to detect.• Gravitational waves—distortions in

spacetime predicted by relativity.

Computers are essential for astronomy. Help in data analysis. Simulations and models help to investigate

complex situations.

A microwave telescope provided more evidence for the Big Bang, revealing the presence of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB).

Technology and science are symbiotic.

New technological advances lead to new methods of scientific observation and experimentation.

New scientific discoveries spur improvements in instrumentation.

PROCESS OF SCIENCEPROCESS OF SCIENCE