Essential Standard:
EEn.1.1 Explain the Earth’s role as a body in space.
Clarifying objective:
EEn.1.1.1 Explain the Earth’s motion through space, including precession, nutation, the barycenter, and its path about the galaxy.
EEn.1.1.2 Explain how the Earth’s rotation and revolution about the Sun affect its shape and is related to seasons and tides.
EEn.1.1.3 Explain how the sun produces energy which is transferred to the Earth by radiation.
EEn.1.1.4 Explain how incoming solar energy makes life possible on Earth.
EEn.1.1.1
• Explain the origin of the Earth’s motion based on the origin of the galaxy and its solar system.
• Recall Earth’s role in the hierarchy of organization within the universe and in the developmental continuum. (Universe is made of galaxies which are made of many stars. Some stars have planetary systems similar to our solar system. Earth is a satellite planet of one particular star.)
• Explain planetary orbits, especially that of the Earth, using Kepler’s laws.
• Explain relative motion of the Earth in the solar system, the solar system in the galaxy, and the galaxy in the universe—including the expanding nature of the universe; Orbital motion (Earth around the Sun- once/year, seasons depend upon an approximate 23.5 degree tilt); Rotation around our axis (day/night,)
• Explain Precession—change in direction of the axis, but without any change in tilt—this changes the stars near (or not near) the Pole, but does not affect the seasons (as long as the angle of 23.5 degrees stays the same)
• Explain nutation—wobbling around the precessional axis (This is a change in the angle—½ degree one way or the other. This occurs over an 18 year period and is due to the Moon exclusively. This would very slightly increase or decrease the amount of seasonal effects.)
• Explain barycenter—the point between two objects where they balance each other (For example, it is the center of mass where two or more celestial bodies orbit each other. When a moon orbits a planet, or a planet orbits a star, both bodies are actually orbiting around a point that lies outside the center of the primary (the larger body). For example, the moon does not orbit the exact center of the Earth,
but a point on a line between the Earth and the Moon approximately 1,710 km below the surface of the Earth, where their respective masses balance. This is the point about which the Earth and Moon orbit as they travel around the Sun.
• Summarize that the Sun is not stationary in our solar system. It actually moves as the planets tug on it, causing it to orbit the solar system's barycenter. The Sun never strays too far from the solar system barycenter.
EEn.1.1.2
• Describe daily changes due to rotation, seasonal changes due to the tilt and revolution of the Earth, and tidal impact due to the gravitational interaction between the Earth and moon.
• Develop a cause and effect model for the shape of the Earth explaining why the circumference around the equator is larger than that around the poles.
EEn.1.1.3
• Compare combustion and nuclear reactions (fusion and fission) on a conceptual level.
• Identify the forms of energy (electromagnetic waves) produced by the sun and how some are filtered by the atmosphere (X-rays, cosmic rays, etc.).
• Summarize how energy flows from the sun to the Earth through space.
EEn.1.1.4
• Explain how the tilt of the Earth’s axis results in seasons due to the amount of solar energy impacting the Earth’s surface.
• Explain how solar energy is transformed into chemical energy through photosynthesis.
• Explain how the earth’s magnetic field protects the planet from the harmful effects of radiation.
EEn.1.1 Explain the Earth’s role as a body in space.
Clarifying objective:
EEn.1.1.1 Explain the Earth’s motion through space, including precession, nutation, the barycenter, and its path about the galaxy.
EEn.1.1.2 Explain how the Earth’s rotation and revolution about the Sun affect its shape and is related to seasons and tides.
EEn.1.1.3 Explain how the sun produces energy which is transferred to the Earth by radiation.
EEn.1.1.4 Explain how incoming solar energy makes life possible on Earth.
EEn.1.1.1
• Explain the origin of the Earth’s motion based on the origin of the galaxy and its solar system.
• Recall Earth’s role in the hierarchy of organization within the universe and in the developmental continuum. (Universe is made of galaxies which are made of many stars. Some stars have planetary systems similar to our solar system. Earth is a satellite planet of one particular star.)
• Explain planetary orbits, especially that of the Earth, using Kepler’s laws.
• Explain relative motion of the Earth in the solar system, the solar system in the galaxy, and the galaxy in the universe—including the expanding nature of the universe; Orbital motion (Earth around the Sun- once/year, seasons depend upon an approximate 23.5 degree tilt); Rotation around our axis (day/night,)
• Explain Precession—change in direction of the axis, but without any change in tilt—this changes the stars near (or not near) the Pole, but does not affect the seasons (as long as the angle of 23.5 degrees stays the same)
• Explain nutation—wobbling around the precessional axis (This is a change in the angle—½ degree one way or the other. This occurs over an 18 year period and is due to the Moon exclusively. This would very slightly increase or decrease the amount of seasonal effects.)
• Explain barycenter—the point between two objects where they balance each other (For example, it is the center of mass where two or more celestial bodies orbit each other. When a moon orbits a planet, or a planet orbits a star, both bodies are actually orbiting around a point that lies outside the center of the primary (the larger body). For example, the moon does not orbit the exact center of the Earth,
but a point on a line between the Earth and the Moon approximately 1,710 km below the surface of the Earth, where their respective masses balance. This is the point about which the Earth and Moon orbit as they travel around the Sun.
• Summarize that the Sun is not stationary in our solar system. It actually moves as the planets tug on it, causing it to orbit the solar system's barycenter. The Sun never strays too far from the solar system barycenter.
EEn.1.1.2
• Describe daily changes due to rotation, seasonal changes due to the tilt and revolution of the Earth, and tidal impact due to the gravitational interaction between the Earth and moon.
• Develop a cause and effect model for the shape of the Earth explaining why the circumference around the equator is larger than that around the poles.
EEn.1.1.3
• Compare combustion and nuclear reactions (fusion and fission) on a conceptual level.
• Identify the forms of energy (electromagnetic waves) produced by the sun and how some are filtered by the atmosphere (X-rays, cosmic rays, etc.).
• Summarize how energy flows from the sun to the Earth through space.
EEn.1.1.4
• Explain how the tilt of the Earth’s axis results in seasons due to the amount of solar energy impacting the Earth’s surface.
• Explain how solar energy is transformed into chemical energy through photosynthesis.
• Explain how the earth’s magnetic field protects the planet from the harmful effects of radiation.
Key Questions
1. What is the difference between precession and nutation?
2. Does the sun move? How? 3. Why is the Earth larger around the equator than the poles? 4. What is the difference between a planet and a star? A galaxy and a solar system? A galaxy and the universe? 5. How did the solar system form? 6. How does the Earth move? 7. What causes the seasons? 8. Why does the sun shine? 9. How can we learn about places that are farther away than humans have ever traveled? |
Criteria for Success: “I will”-Demonstrate the difference between precession and nutation.
-Model the sun’s motion within the solar system and the galaxy. -Model equatorial spreading. -Put the following objects in order from largest to smallest: universe, galaxy, solar system, planets, moons. -Construct a flow chart that explains the formation of the solar system. -Describe Kepler’s Law qualitatively. -Demonstrate the difference between rotation and revolution. -Use observations about seasons to evaluate competing hypotheses. -Compare and contrast fusion and fission. -Link types of electromagnetic radiation to their significance to humans and astronomers. -Use a spectrum to determine if a galaxy is moving towards or away from Earth. |
Performance Task
Writing Prompt
- Research the effect of sunspots on climate by using articles on www.sciencedaily.com reading chapter 24.5, finding information from www.nasa.gov and using your own sources. Write a short essay that discusses the impact sunspots have on climate. Analyze whether or not changes in solar activity are an important cause of climate change. Be sure to support your position with evidence from your research and differentiate between long and short term climate change.
- Using the data from the graph above, defend the claim that the universe is expanding.
Astronomy Material
PowerPoints
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Notes
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Assignments
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Barycenter
Two bodies with the same mass orbiting a common barycenter (similar to the 90 Antiope system)
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Two bodies with the same mass orbiting a common barycenter, external to both bodies, with eccentric elliptic orbits (a common situation for binary stars)
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