Geology 8 - Earth Science
California State University, Sacramento

Unit 1 - Cosmology, Stars and Galaxies

Review of instructions for completing the Activities (see the syllabus for more details): Surfing Sites: You must visit all of the surfing sites and write a description of the content of each one. Please note that a web site may consist of many web pages and you should visit enough of these to be able to describe what the entire site is about, not just the home page. Your descriptions should be brief - perhaps a paragraph for each site - but must include 1) a general description of the web site and 2) at least one example of something you learned from the Web site. Web Exercise: You must 1) describe in detail what you did in the Web Exercise and 2) report to me your results. Be sure to include in your report the answers to any questions which are asked on the web site, copies of any forms which you filled out and any certificates of completion which you receive.

Activity #1 Surfing Site The Doppler Effect Web Exercise Go to Astronomical Distances. Click on HELP and follow the instructions. Report your results.

Activity #2 Surfing Site Misconceptions Involving Astronomy Astronomy Dictionary Web Exercise Go to Astronomy Vocabulary Game. Select the three boxes under Astronomy. Click on "I'm ready! Let's Start" and play the game. Try at least five words. Report what the answers were.

Activity #3 Surfing Sites Constellations Constellations and Their Stars Web Exercise Go to StarGazer. 1. Locate the following constellations. Hint: you may have to pretend it is another season of the year or another time of the day in order to find some of these. If you don't know what these constellations look like, find out by using the surfing sites. a. Big Dipper (Ursa Major) b. Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) c. Cassiopeia d. Cygnus e. Orion 2. For each constellation, select its brightest star (biggest dot) and find out its name. Report your results.

Activity #4 Surfing Sites: Astronomy Picture of the Day Hubble Space Telescope Archives Web Exercise Go to Star Light, Star Bright. Begin by clicking on "Catch the Waves." Then follow the link titled "Next" until you have gone through all four activities. As you go through the web pages, you will find a number of questions. For example, on the web page http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/light/makewaves-frames.html, there is a question at the bottom of the page that says "What happens to the wavelength when the energy is increased?" Report your answers to these questions.

Activity #5 Surfing Sites Galaxies Galaxy Catalog Images from the Anglo-Australian Observatory Web Exercise Go to Stellar Evolution and Death. Click on "Begin." Read the tutorial all the way to the end (by clicking on "next" at the bottom of each page). When you reach it, click on the link for the Stellar Evolution and Death Quiz and report your answers to the questions which are asked.

Activity #6 Surfing Sites Planetary Nebulae Web Nebulae SEDS Messier Database Web Exercise Go to The Life of a Star. Follow the instructions on the Web page. Compare your sequence to the correct answer and report how well you did.

Activity #7 Web Exercise Go to Make a Globular Cluster. Click on Examples and select "M13 - Globular Cluster..." Click on "start applet." Enter (in the white space) the number of stars you would like to have in your globular cluster; then click on "start graph." Repeat several times using very different numbers of stars. Report your results.

Activity #8 Web Exercise Go to Your Sky. 1. Complete the Sky Map and Horizon View exercises for your location. Include copies of these completed exercises in your report. 2. Use the Virtual Telescope to find a planet. Report which planet you found and which constellation you would look in to view it tonight.

Activity #9 Web Exercise Go to Space Sense. Play the game. Describe what happened and how well you did.