What is Astronomy??

Astronomy is the scientific study of

stars, planets and other things in
space.
 How did the universe
begin??
There are three main theories of the origin of the universe.

•Big Bang theory

•Steady State theory

•Creation theory
•The universe has always been as
it is today
•New matter is always being
produced
•The universe is continuously
contracting and expanding.
•Billions of years ago the universe was
packed in a small space-Primeval Atom
•It explodes and threw matter in all
directions
•The explosion caused the formation of the
galaxies.
•God created the Heavens and the
Earth.
•Adam and Eve
•Religion
The universe is made up of
millions of Galaxies.

A galaxy is a swarm of billions of

stars, clouds and dust rotating
around a central point.
 Our galaxy is called
the Milky Way

Our WHOLE solar

system is located right
about here

X
Stars go through four different stages in
their lifetime.

The four stages are:

•Yellow Star
•Red Giant
•White Dwarf
•Black Dwarf
•Medium-Hot star.
Nuclear reaction occurring
•Our “Star” (sun) is a yellow
star.
•As nuclear fuel is used up, star expands
and turns red
•Lasts for about 100 million years
•When our sun is a Red Giant, it will
expand and swallow up the inner
planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth &
Mars
•Most of the stars fuel in the
outer layers is used up
•Shrinks and collapses
(about the size of Earth but
heavier)
•Gives off a white light
•Remaining fuel
is used up
•Star is dead
Basic Sun Facts
•The Sun is 93 million
miles away from Earth.
(It takes sunlight 8.5
minutes to reach Earth.)
•Surface Temperature:
10,000 degrees (F)
•Core Temp: 22,000,000
degrees
HOT STUFF!!!
•Corona Temp: 2,000,000
degrees
How Big is the Sun???
The Sun is HUGE!!!
•Diameter of Sun: 865,000 miles across.
109 Earths would fit across the Sun!!!
•Circumference: 2,700,000 miles
around the Sun
*** 1,300,000 Earths would fit inside the
Sun! WOW!!
 The Sun actually moves!
Rotation: The Sun spins
around one time every 25 days.
Revolution: The Sun moves
around the center of our galaxy
one time every 200,000,000
years!
 Core
Convection Zone
Photosphere
Prominences
Sunspots
Solar Flares
Chromosphere
Corona
Core: Center of Sun, hottest part. Nuclear fusion takes
place
Convection Zone: Full of hot gases. Energy released
Photosphere: Source of sunlight. Visible part of Sun
Prominences: Flame-like gases that travel outward
Sunspots: Darker, cooler areas of Sun
Solar Flares: Streams of charges atoms
Corona: Outer atmosphere
Chromosphere: Gases above the photosphere. Seen only
during an eclipse
Chromosphere Prominences

Sun Spots
E
A
R
T
H
The Earth is tilted on it’s axis 23.5 degrees.
This is why we have seasons.
We have night and day because our
planet is rotating or spinning!
Illinois

X
SUN

This is showing daytime in Illinois

FYI: This is not to scale!!!
 We have night and day because our
planet is rotating or spinning!
Illinois

X
SUN

This is showing nighttime in Illinois

FYI: This is not to scale!!!
 This is a little more to
scale!!!

Sun
Earth
 The Background Info.
•The Moon is the Earths only natural
satellite.
•Ancient man feared the moon- Thought it
made a person crazy!
•Lunar- From the moon. Lunatic- Crazy
person.
•1609, Galileo was the 1st person to fully
examine the moon through a telescope.
•Distance from Earth: 250,000 miles
•Circumference: 7,000 miles
•Diameter: 2,000 miles
** The moon is about a ¼ of the size of Earth.
•Gravitational Pull: 1/6 that of the Earth. Ex)
If you weight 100 pounds on the Earth, you
would weigh about 16 .5 pounds on the
moon!
Effects of only a little gravity on the moon:
•No water
•No atmosphere
•No air
Effects of no air:
No sound
No wind to carry warmth to cold areas
Black skies, you see stars in the daytime.
Topography:
Craters, mountains, smooth plains, valleys
Temperature on the Moon

Bright Dark side

side is is –270
200- degrees!
300 Below
degree
Zero!
s!
Due to the extreme conditions on the
moon astronauts must were a suit like
this.
Phases of the Moon
Half of the Moon is ALWAYS
lit-up

Sunlight
The Moon appears to have phases because it is revolving around
us.

Quarter/Half Moon

New Moon
Full Moon

(sunlight)

Quarter/Half Moon
 Rotation: 27 1/3 days
Revolution: 27 1/3 days

We can only see one side of the moon from

the Earth. Astonaughts had to orbit the
moon in a rocket ship to see what was on
the other side. The reason why we can only
see one side of the moon is because the
rotation and revolution are the same.
ECLIPSES
SOLAR ECLIPSE

When the Moon gets between the

Sun and Earth. The Moon casts a
small shadow on the Earth.
LUNAR ECLIPSE

When the Earth gets between the

Sun and the Moon. The Earth
casts a shadow on the Moon.
This is how we knew the Earth
was round!
SOLAR ECLIPSE
LUNAR ECLIPSE
 This is a
picture of
the Earth
from the
moon.
This shows the craters and the smooth
areas on the moon.
This shows the surface of the
moon

Little Astronaut
And away we go!
My Very Enlarged
Mother Just
Served Us Nine
Pizzas
My
Very
Enlarged
mother
just
served
us
NIne
pizzas