Cosmic Voyage Video

I have been using this video during the first class of the year as an introduction to the very large and very
small scales that will interest us in the course. The first half of the video uses “powers of ten” to describe
the universe. This relates to scientific notation. A value of 1 x 105 is ten times bigger than a value of 1 x
104.

You can watch the video again at home by clicking on the link below if you are connected to the
Internet or there is a VHS copy in the Learning Centre. You may have to bring your own mini‐jack
earphones.

Questions of the "Cosmic Voyage" video.

1. What is the city of Galileo where the video begins its expansion in steps that are powers of ten?

2. What important things did Galileo observe with his telescope? What was the most important
observation? Ask the teacher.

3. How many powers of ten from the one metre hoop until the moon in inside the circle?

4. What type of galaxy is the milky way – our galaxy? There are three words that mean roughly the same
that give a good description.

5. How many years would it take to reach the nearest star from our sun at the speed of current space
ships?

6. What does the Narrator say about the motion of the universe? (stable, shrinking or expanding?)

7. How many light years from earth is the edge of our visible universe when that light left its source?
Why is this the same quantity that represents the age of the universe? Would that be the same as the
current size of the universe?

8. In what country was the microscope invented?

9. Both the cells of organisms and atoms have nuclei (plural of nucleus). What structures are described
to be in the nucleus of a cell?

10. We travel through ____ rings, or powers of ten smaller, to get from the size of an atom to the size of
the nucleus of the atom. How much smaller is that? What is the analogy the narrator gives to describe
this? (the atom is the size of an IMAX theatre)
11. What are the particles mentioned in the video, that make up protons and neutrons – which are the
building blocks of the atomic nucleus?

12. What is the apparatus at the Fermi Lab depicted in the video?

13. How does the narrator describe the big bang? (what exploded?)

14. Why are supernovas important for the origin of life in the universe?

15. What are the basic ingredients for life, according to the video?

16. Was there oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere before there was life on earth?

17. What layer in the atmosphere was created by the release of oxygen by green algae?

18. What processes is occurring in the Eagle nebula? The picture was taken by the Hubble telescope.

19. How can black holes be detected? There are a number of ways. One is mentioned here.

20. What are scientists doing in regard to looking for extra‐terrestrial intelligence?