Chapter 2

(Stats and Light)

Grade 7
 Objectives
By the end of this lesson students will be able to :

1) Understand how the Universe was formed

2) Identify the different parts of the Universe. And the role of gravity in its
formation and galaxies’ formation
3) Understand the meaning of galaxy.
4) Differentiate between The Milky Way and The Milky Way Galaxy.
5) Know the meaning of Saros cycle.
6) Identify between proper and apparent motion of stars
7) Know constellations, asterism, circumpolar stars
8) Know how scientists used patterns to discover different objects in the sky and
predict future events.
 How the universe was formed :
• The broadly accepted theory is the Big Bang model, which states that
the universe was born as a very hot, very dense, single point in space.
• The universe was expanding, and as it expanded, it got cooler, less dense and matter
formed.
• Then the very first stars and galaxies were formed through the idea that the young
universe contained many small "lumps" of matter, which clumped together to form
galaxies.
• Then happened the birth of our Solar System.
• the sun is one of more than 100 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy alone.
 How were galaxies formed?
• In the early universe, there was gas and very little structure. There were
no stars or planets.
• Small disturbances in the gas interrupted this uniformity.
• Because of gravity, matter attracted other nearby matter which resulted
in “clumps” of matter throughout the universe.
• Stars formed within these clumps.
• Through the force of gravity, these clusters of stars pulled on other
clusters. The clusters merged, forming galaxies.
 What is the difference between the Milky Way
and the Milky Way galaxy?
• Our Sun (a star) and all the planets around it are part of a galaxy known as the
Milky Way Galaxy.
• A galaxy is a large collection of stars, gas, and dust and the remnants
of stars that bound together by gravity.
• The Milky Way is a large barred spiral galaxy that contains our Milky Way Galaxy.
• All the stars we see in the night sky are in our own Milky Way Galaxy.
• Did you know : (book page 46) Though there are many stars in the Milky Way (as
many as 300 billion), there are fewer stars in our galaxy than there are trees on
Earth.
The Milky Way
 What is the fate of our galaxy after 4 billion
years ?
• Its closest neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, is moving
even closer. In approximately 4 billion years, the two
galaxies will collide forming one larger galaxy
 Structure of the universe:
• Stars orbit around a central point in the galaxy, planets orbit stars and Moons orbit
planets.
• Earth formed as gravity pulled together elements including planets and other
objects) orbiting the Sun when the solar system was young.
• Gravity holds Earth in orbit around the Sun.
• Gravity holds all the stars together in the Milky Way galaxy.
• Gravity is the force all objects with mass exert on other objects with mass.
• The greater the mass, the greater the effect of gravity.
• Our solar system is just one such system in a large collection of stars called a galaxy.
 Structure of the universe:

• Gravity affects the orbits of human-made satellites in the same way it affects the
orbit of Earth’s Moon. That’s why the human-made satellite orbits in a certain orbit
in space not randomly.
• Earth, the Moon, the Sun, and seven other planets make up our solar system.
• You live on planet Earth, our planet, which has one moon and orbits the Sun.
• An eclipse is an astronomical event. It is when one object in the sky moves into the
shadow of another such object.
 Home work
• Today Monday 11th of Nov. 2019, a unique event will occur which is that the
Planet Mercury will move close in front of Earth that it could be seen using
telescopes , summarize the event and what will happen to represent it to your
friends .Illustrate your summary with images, play dough model or what’s
available.
A solar eclipse:
when the Moon
moves between
Earth and the Sun.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
An easy way for remembering the order is
“My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles.”
 The Universe

The Milky Way

The Milky Way Galaxy

Our Solar System

Planets Th e
(Earth)
Moon Sun
 Saros cycle
• A Saros cycle is a series of eclipses that occur in an identical period
of time. This period of time lasts approximately 18 years, 10 days, and 8 hours.
• After this period, the cycle repeats and identical eclipses occur.
• Because of Earth’s rotation( every 24 hours), the 8-hour variation means the
location of the eclipse changes each cycle.
 Earth has two patterns of motion.
• One occurs daily around its axis
which takes 24 hours (day and night
).
• The other happens each year as
Earth orbits the Sun (the 4 seasons)
which takes 365 days.
 The results of Earth’s motion
1. Its position relative to the Sun and the background of stars
changes.
2. you see different parts of the sky which means that from
your point of view, the stars appear to move across the night
sky. (Apparent motion of the starts)
3. different parts of the night sky are visible at different parts
of the year.(each season)
 Moving Lights in the Sky
• Bright objects moving in the night sky might be :
1) On rare occasions these include comets and meteors.
2) More commonly, these visible objects are nearby planets, the Moon, and
stars.
• You can see some planets at night with the human eye. They look like bright
stars.
• You need telescopes to see other planets.
 Discovery of planet Uranus.
• In 1781 British astronomer Sir William Herschel used a telescope to make
observations of stars too faint to be seen with the human eye.
• March 17, he noted something that appeared to be a star but moved too
quickly that he at first thought it was a comet.
• He and other astronomers followed its movement through the sky then they
used their calculations of its orbit around the sun. They discovered that it
could not be a comet.
• William Herschel had discovered a new planet: Uranus.
 How can scientists identify planets in other
solar systems?
• Patterns of motion are repeated throughout the universe so
astronomers believe that many planets form in the clouds of dust
surrounding any stars, just like around the Sun.
• Because planets in other solar systems are so far away, scientists cannot
observe them directly.
• So scientists have found planets orbiting other stars by looking at the
patterns of light from the stars.
• When a planet passes between Earth and far away star, it blocks some
of the star’s light.
• This causes constant rate of light from the star to change.
• A graph can be made that shows these changes in light called light
curves. (Graph B here represents a planet)
 Constellations
• a group of stars in the sky that people agree to form some shape or pattern.
• The ancient Greeks named constellations based on stories from their
mythology. To them, the stars took on shapes of characters and objects from
these stories.
• Scientists still use the names the Greeks gave to constellations.
• The International Astronomical Union recognizes 88 constellations that
cover the whole celestial sphere.
• Scientists use these constellations as a way to map the sky and identify stars
An asterism:
is a smaller, recognizable
pattern within a constellation.
• A common example is the “Big
Dipper.”
• The Big Dipper looks like a
large spoon in the sky. These
stars are a small part of the
larger constellation Ursa Major.
 Changing Seasons, Changing Stars
• Different constellations are visible at different times of year (Give
reason)
Answer : Constellations along Earth’s plane of orbit change with
the seasons. The section of the sky you see in the summer is
different from the section of the sky you see in the winter.
For example : the constellation Orion is only visible in the
winter in the Northern Hemisphere
 Changing Seasons, Changing Stars
• Not all constellations or stars are affected by this pattern of motion. They
are visible all year round. (Give reason)
Answer: Some stars and constellations are “above” or “below” Earth’s plane
of orbit in space and they move in close circles around the North Star and
never set and they are called (circumpolar stars)
• For example :Ursa Major is one constellation in the Northern Hemisphere
that can be seen in the summer and the winter.
Circumpolar stars: are starts move in close circles around the North Star and
never set
 Stars That Rise and Set

• Stars rise about four minutes earlier every night. ( Give reason )
Answer: due to Earth’s orbiting around the Sun along with Earth’s rotation around its axis
both at the same time.
• This also means the sky at night during the summer looks very different from the sky at
night during the winter.
• Each star traces a circle centered about the North Star.
• The North Star, or Polaris, sits directly above Earth’s axis and does not move in the sky.
• Stars close to the North Star are always visible. Stars farther away rise and set and are only
visible for short periods.
 Motion of stars
Proper motion Apparent motion
• is the apparent motion of nearer stars • looks like the stars are moving due
across the sky against the background of to Earth’s rotation around its axis
more distant stars. and around the sun.
• It’s the actual motion of the stars and • It’s not the actual motion
how you see the stars’ true motion.
• Proper motion occurs on large timescales
because stars are very far away.
• accounts for the shifting of stars in a
constellation over 50,000 years.
 Future Night Sky
• All the stars in the Milky Way, including the Sun, orbit around the center of the galaxy.
• Each star in this constellation has a different direction of proper motion.
These changes occur over very long periods of time so in 50,000 years
from now, the constellation will begin to appear different.
• Currently, Earth’s axis in the Northern Hemisphere points toward
The star Polaris, the North Star but far in the future, Polaris will no
longer be the North Star. (Give reason)
Answer: Due to that The orientation of Earth’s axis slowly shifts a little.
This process takes approximately 26,000 years.