Misc. Astronomy Notes

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Halley’s Comet

• In 1705 Edmond Halley predicted the return of Halley’s using Newton’s Laws of motion and therefore the comet was named after him after he died

• Comet Halley was last visible in 1986. Its next passage will be in early 2062

Halley’s Comet in 2024

Beginning of Universe

• BIG BANG THEORY:- universe began in an instant ~13.7 billion of years ago-Universe was very small, hot, dense, then a big explosion occurred-Universe expanded and cooled-atoms formed after a few hundred thousand years- Gravity caused first stars/ galaxies to form after 200 million years

End of Universe

• Many theories…. No proof• Most scientists theorize the universe will

continue to expand forever

Dark matter

• Matter that does not give off electromagnetic radiation

• Cannot be seen directly, is inferred by its gravitational effects on stars and light

• Astronomers do not know much about it, but it may make up 90% of universe!

Worm Holes

• Path between 2 points in curved space-time

• Short cut/ faster than the speed of life

• Introduced by Albert Einstein and colleagues

• Said to collapse if matter entered

• Time travel??• NO PROOF!

Aliens/ Life on other Planets?• Not that we know of… • But who knows???

• How many planets are in the universe?• so far, 9 in our solar system, and 185 orbiting other

stars .But the real number is astronomically huge. There are about 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone. If each of them have the same number of planets (on average) as our own sun, then that's about 4 trillion planets in our own galaxy alone. Multiply that by an estimated 125 billion galaxies in the universe ... that's a lot of planets.

NASA

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• Since 1958• Studies astronomy and physics to better

understand the universe• Is currently supporting the International Space

Station• www.Nasa.gov

International Space Station (ISS)

• space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada

• Been in orbit since 2000• Rotates crews• Over 200 people have visited• Orbits the Earth• http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogaller

y/index.html?media_id=97766082• http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogaller

y/index.html?media_id=97769982

Weekly Updates for ISS

• http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=143286291

Upgrading the ISS

Sightings the ISS in Ventura County• THE FOLLOWING ISS SIGHTINGS ARE POSSIBLE FROM FRI MAY 11 TO SAT MAY

26SATELLITE LOCAL DURATIONMAX ELEV APPROACH DEPARTURE

• DATE/TIME (MIN) (DEG)(DEG-DIR) (DEG-DIR)•• ISS Tue May 15/05:14 AM < 1 10 10 above SE 10 above ESE• ISS Thu May 17/05:00 AM 4 25 11 above S 19 above E• ISS Fri May 18/04:07 AM 2 11 10 above SE 10 above ESE• ISS Sat May 19/04:48 AM 3 70 21 above SW 38 above ENE• ISS Sun May 20/03:56 AM 2 28 28 above ESE 16 above E• ISS Mon May 21/04:37 AM 3 42 26 above W 22 above NNE• ISS Tue May 22/03:44 AM 1 53 53 above ENE 26 above NE• ISS Tue May 22/05:19 AM 2 12 10 above NW 10 above N• ISS Wed May 23/02:52 AM < 1 12 12 above ENE 10 above ENE• ISS Wed May 23/04:25 AM 3 20 15 above WNW 12 above N• ISS Thu May 24/03:33 AM < 1 29 29 above N 21 above NNE• ISS Fri May 25/02:41 AM < 1 14 14 above NE 14 above NE• ISS Fri May 25/04:14 AM 2 11 10 above NW 10 above N• ISS Sat May 26/03:22 AM 1 16 16 above NNW 12 above N•