Big Idea:

The sun is one of billions of stars in

one of billions of galaxies in the
universe.

Unit 1 The Universe

Mrs. Williams
8th Grade

Big Idea:

Unit 1 Lesson 1 Structure of the Universe

Our Place in Space

Universe-space & all the

matter & energy in it.
Galaxy- a large collection
of stars, gas, & dust
There are an estimated 100 billion galaxies in
the universe.
Milky way galaxy
Earth
Universe
Solar system

Unit 1 Lesson 1 Structure of the Universe

Types of Galaxies
Spiral galaxies are shaped like
pinwheels. They have a central bulge
from which two or more spiral arms
extend.
Elliptical galaxies look like spheres or
ovals and do not have spiral arms.
Irregular galaxies appear as splotchy,
irregularly shaped blobs. They are
very active areas of star formation.
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0110277/images/galaxies.gif

Unit 1 Lesson 1 Structure of the Universe

What Makes Up the Universe?

Solar system- the collection of large &

small bodies that orbit our central star,
the sun.
Planet-spherical body that orbits the sun.

Unit 1 Lesson 1 Structure of the Universe

Terrestrial Planets
Terrestrial Planets- rocky, dense,
and relatively small.
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars

http://ut-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/mercurycomparison.jpg

Unit 1 Lesson 1 Structure of the Universe

Gas giant planets - have thick,

gaseous atmospheres; small, rocky
cores; and ring systems of ice, rock,
and dust.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Unit 1 Lesson 1 Structure of the Universe

Small Bodies in the Universe

Moons- orbit most of the planets.
Earth has only one moon, but Jupiter has
more than 60.
The solar system has other small bodies,
including

Dwarf planets
Comets
Asteroids
Meteoroids

http://home.earthlink.net/~meshellwg/w/www/images/comet.jpg

Unit 1 Lesson 1 Structure of the Universe

Measuring the Universe

Distances between most objects in the universe are so
large that astronomers measure distances using the
speed of light.

Light-year -the distance that light

travels through space in one year.
Light travels through space at about
300,000 km/s, or about 9.5 trillion kilometers in one year.

Unit 1 Lesson 1 Structure of the Universe

Reach For The Stars!

Star - large celestial body that is
composed of gas & emits light.

Most stars are composed almost entirely of

hydrogen and helium.
Stars emit light and vary in brightness, size
and temperatures.

http://www.le.ac.uk/ph/faulkes/web/images/stars.jpg

Unit 1 Lesson 2 Stars

Youre a Shining Star

How is star brightness measured?

Apparent magnitude -measure of a stars

brightness as seen from Earth.
Luminosity- actual brightness of a star.
Absolute magnitude -measure of how bright a
star would be if the star were located at a
standard distance.

Unit 1 Lesson 2 Stars

Too HOT to Handle

Surface temperatures of Stars
are measured by their COLOR
COLOR

SURFACE
TEMPERATURE (C)

Blue

Above 25,000

Blue-white

10,000-25,000

White

7,500-10,000

Yellow-white

6,000-7,500

Yellow

5,000-6,000

Orange

3,500-5,000

Red

Below 3,500

Unit 1 Lesson 2 Stars

Stars differ greatly in size

White dwarfs - Very small stars
have about the same radius as Earth,
which is approximately 0.01 solar
radius.
Giant stars - Very large stars,
typically have sizes between 10 and
100 times the suns radius.
Supergiants - Some rare, extremely
large stars have sizes of up to 1,000
solar radii.

Unit 1 Lesson 3 The Life Cycle of Stars

A Star Is Born
What is the life cycle of a star?

Stars form in nebulae.

Nebula -large cloud of gas and dust. It is
composed mainly of hydrogen and helium,
with small amounts of heavier elements.

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/hubble/hits/gallery/garden4_lrg.jpg

Unit 1 Lesson 3 The Life Cycle of Stars

Birth of a Star
Nuclear fusion high temp & pressure

cause two or more low-mass atomic nuclei

to form a heavier nucleus. Gives off light.
Occurs for most of the stars life.

Unit 1 Lesson 3 The Life Cycle of Stars

The Lightweights

Low-mass stars- The sun is a low mass,

medium size star.
Giants-large red stars due to stars outer
atmosphere expanding after active fusion
ends.
White dwarf -hot, dense core of matter
that remains from the collapse of a lowmass star. It is about the size of Earth.

Unit 1 Lesson 3 The Life Cycle of Stars

The Heavyweights
High mass stars

Supergiant-produces heavier elements like

carbon
Supernova -gigantic explosion in which a
high-mass star collapses, throwing its outer
layers into space. But its core remains.
Neutron star -small, incredibly dense ball
of closely packed neutrons.
Black hole -invisible object with gravity so
great that nothing, not even light, can
escape it.

Unit 1 Lesson 3 The Life Cycle of Stars

A Graphic Display

H-R diagram graph that shows the

relationship between the stars
surface temperature & absolute
magnitude (brightness/luminosity)
Main sequence -region of the diagram where stars
spend most of their lives. (actively fusing hydrogen)