Fri., Jan. 21, 2011

Objectives: Finish poster project
Constellations using the planisphere
Some planet data/Questions
Announcements: All assignments in today
Some recent APOD postings
Get out your planispheres and constellation notes
Solar system data & questions:
1 In an sufficiently large "ocean" which planets
would float and which would sink? Explain.
2. Which planet is the best sphere and which is
the most "oblong"?
3. Which planet has the longest day? Year?
4. Which planet has the shortest year yet the longest day?
Put them into the same terms so that you can compare them.
5. Look on the internet how many moons does
Jupiter have? Which has the most after Jupiter?
6. Which planet has the most tilted orbit and which
has a tilt closest to ours?

Wed., Jan 19, 2011

Objectives: Learn facts about many
northern constellations
Announcements: All late assignments are due on Friday
Posters are due today
Tape yours up on the walls
Take notes on everyone else's poster
Show me your journal

Fri., Jan. 14, 2011

Objectives: Finish your constellation poster
Announcements: No school next Monday, 17th.
Finish your posters
Posters are due in class on Wednesday
No points for late posters

Wed., Jan. 12, 2011

Objectives: Create your constellation poster
Announcements: No school next Monday, 17th.
Complete your research
Get your poster paper
Create your poster

Mon., Jan. 10, 2011

Objectives: Create your constellation poster
Announcements: No school next Monday, 17th.
Finals are on...Thurs. 1/27 (period 6)
Fri. 1/28 (period 8)
Complete your research
Get your poster paper
Create your poster

Fri., Jan.7, 2011

Objectives: Become an expert on one
of the northern constellations
Announcements: End of semester is Jan. 31.
I will grade no work after Jan. 24
Final Exams: Period 6-Thurs., 1/27
Period 8-Fri., 1/28
Complete your research (show me 1-2 pages of notes)
Constellation Poster Project
Get your poster paper and begin designing

Wed., Jan. 5, 2011

Objectives: Become an expert on one
of the northern constellations
Announcements: End of semester is Jan. 31.
I will grade no work after Jan. 24
Final Exams: Period 6-Thurs., 1/27 Period 8-Fri., 1/28
Green Flash???
Rayleigh Scattering
Constellations & Asterisms
Begin your research (show me 1-2 pages of notes)
Constellation Poster Project
Assignment of constellations

Mon., Jan. 3, 2011

Welcome Back!
Objectives: Become an expert on one
of the northern constellations
Announcements: End of semester is Jan. 31.
I will grade no work after Jan. 24
Constellations & Asterisms
Constellation Poster Project
Assignment of constellations
Constellation research

Fri., Dec. 17, 2010

Objectives: Discover some new theories about
the structure and nature of the universe
Announcements: Merry Christmas!
Happy Hannuka
Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Gesëende Kersfees
Feliz Navidad
Joyeux Noel
Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay
Froehliche Weihnachten
Happy Festivus for the restuvus
Brian Greene & the nature of the universe(s)?
Video: The Elegant Universe

Weds., Dec.15, 2010

APOD
Objectives: Learn about meteors, asteroids & comets
What's up in our neighborhood right now?
Meteors, meteorites, meteoroids
Asteroids & comets
Best known meteor showers
2010 Meteor showers
2011 Meteor showers
Observing meteor showers

Mon., Dec. 13, 2010

Objectives: Extracting meaning from HR Diagrams
Complete your diagrams
Finish the questions
Get them graded

Fri., Dec. 10, 2010

Objectives: Interpret the HR diagram
and predict features of stars
Exoplanet Video
Complete your HR Diagram

What the HR Diagram means
How to interpret the diagram
Animation showing the aging of stars
Answer the HR Diagram Questions
Get those checked and graded

Wed., Dec. 8, 2010

Objectives: Exoplanets. Relating the class of stars
to color, temperature, luminosity, size and type.
Learning about how stars traverse the HR Diagram
as they age.
Announcements:
Update on exoplanets & Gliese 581g

Kepler Mission







Back to graphing the stellar classes
Here's what you need to add...
The HR Diagram & it's use
Another version
yet another
Interactive HR Diagram
The real specifics
Questions

Mon., Dec. 6, 2010

Objectives: Make connections between star
color, temperature, class, age, brightness & radius
Announcements: None

Introduction to Star Plotting assignment
Basic Data (handout)
White Dwarf Data

Fri., Dec. 3, 2010

Objectives: Relate star class, luminosity,
temperature and color of stars
Announcements:
Black Hole intro video

Star life cycle fill-in reading
Star life cycle learning module

Wed., Dec. 1, 2010

Objectives: Relate star class, luminosity,
temperature and color of stars
Brightness of stars
Apparent vs. Absolute magnitude
Stellar class & color
Star life cycle learning module
Star life cycle fill-in reading

Mon., Nov. 29, 2010

Welcome back!
Objectives: Understand that we classify stars
based upon their temperature, color & luminosity
as well as their chemical composition
Star Classification/lifecycles
Other Star lifecycle stuff

Mon.-Fri., Nov. 22-26, 2010

Thanksgiving break - No school!

Fri., Nov. 19, 2010

Objectives: Notebook evaluation
Radioastronomy
Superluminal travel
Announcement: Give me your notebook for evaluation
Continue viewing movie "Contact"

Wed., Nov. 17, 2010

Objectives: Notebook evaluation
Radioastronomy
Superluminal travel
Announcement: Give me your notebook for evaluation
Continue viewing movie "Contact"

Mon., Nov. 15, 2010

Objectives: Notebook evaluation
Radioastronomy
Superluminal travel
Announcement: Give me your notebook for evaluation
View movie "Contact"

Wed., Nov.10, 2010

Objectives: Notebook evaluation
Radioastronomy
Superluminal travel
Announcement: No school tomorrow (Friday is an odd day)
Organize your notebooks
Complete "Bohr Model of the Atom" as a group
Movie: "Contact"

Mon., Nov. 8, 2010

Objectives: Discover how scientists can determine
composition of stars and rate of expansion of the
universe
Announcements: No school this Thursday
Starter: Draw and label your understanding of an atom
Spectra of the elements - Lab
Finish--show me your work & answers
correction: first URL doesn't work...replacement
is tinyurl.com/shafferspectra
Bohr model of the atom - Computer-based activity

Fri., Nov. 5, 2010

Objectives: Discover how scientists can determine
composition of stars and rate of expansion of the
universe
Announcements: No school next Thursday
So Monday is an even day
Spectra of the elements - Lab
correction: first URL doesn't work...replacement
is tinyurl.com/shafferspectra
Bohr model of the atom - Computer-based activity

Wed., Nov. 3, 2010

Objectives: Describe electromagnetic spectrum in terms of
the varied types, how they differ, the nature of the spectrum
how it EM waves are created and how they are used in
astronomy
Announcements: Notebook TOC
Starter: Observe spectra patterns for elements
EM Spectrum notes from videos
Create your own
Leave your notebook in the cupboard

Mon., Nov.1, 2010

Objectives: Describe the electromagnetic spectrum
and 3 ways the different types are different.
Announcements: I will collect notebooks
on Wednesday
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Easier Version?

Fri., Oct. 29, 2010

Objectives: Formation of the Earth & Moon
Announcements: I will collect notebooks
on Wednesday
Video: Origins series "Earth is Formed"

Wed., Oct. 27, 2010

Objectives: Describe the structure and
anatomy of the Milky Way Galaxy
Announcements: I will collect notebooks
on Wednesday
News on Gliese 581g
Our home galaxy...
Milky Way 3D
Portrait of Milky Way
Labelled View
More Detailed Views
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Easier Version?

Mon., Oct. 24, 2010

Stellar Evolution
Milky Way...

a

Fri., Oct. 22, 2010

Objectives: Understand how stars produce energy
and evolve during their "lifetimes"
What's a star? How does it shine?
Nuclear fusion in stars

Is a star forever?
Stellar Evolution - Video (Universe: 0107-0111)
Discussion
2nd viewing - take notes
Life cycle of a star (coloring)

Wed., Oct. 20, 2010

Objective: Finish all active assignments
Solar Prominence/Flare video from STEREO
Solar Prominences & Solar Filaments
FINISH:
Apollo 13 Knowledge Level Questions
Cosmic Timeline
Starry Night Scavenger Hunt
Apollo 13 Follow-up Questions

Mon., Oct. 18, 2010

Objectives: Explain solar prominences & cylcles
Apod: Solar Prominence

Sunspots & Sunspot Cycle
Solar Flares & Classification
Solar Prominences & Solar Filaments
f

Thurs., Oct. 14, 2010

Objectives: Finish off all current assignments
Catch up on missing work
Announcements: Last call for all assignments if you
want them counted on the 6 wks grade report
Get yourself all caught up: Notebooks/Assignments
Fnish Apollo 13 follow-up Questions
Answer Apollo13 Knowledge Level Questions (Pink Sheet)
Complete scavenger hunt and cosmic timeline
Show me assignments as you finish them

Mon., Oct. 11, 2010

Notebooks & Grades
Answer Apollo 13 follow-up Questions
Continue/complete scavenger hunt and cosmic timeline

Wed., Oct. 6, 2010

Objectives:

• Learn about exoplanets, the missions
  to find them & the possibility of life.
• Finish Apollo 13 movie content/concepts
• complete previous assignments

Gliess 581g
Possibility of Life?
Kepler mission and methods 2
Exoplanets List
Planet Quest
Answer Apollo 13 follow-up Questions
Continue/complete scavenger hunt and cosmic timeline
Leave your notebooks with me

Mon., Oct. 4, 2010

Finish Apollo 13 Movie
Work on follow-up questions

Fri., Oct. 1, 2010

No star party
Apollo 13 video questions
Watch Apollo 13

Wed., Sept. 29, 2010

Objectives: Learn how to finish up the cosmological timeline
Announcements: Notebooks will be collected soon
Star party review & looking forward
Current Moon Stats

Finishing off the timeline...

• cash register tape (2 m)
• every event must be placed & labelled
• to scale (billions & millions)

Back to work (timeline & scavenger hunt)

Mon., Sept. 27, 2010

APOD
Objectives: Continue previous activities (switch)
South: Starry Night Scavenger Hunt
North: Create a cosmic timeline

Fri., Sept. 24, 2010

Starter: APOD
Objectives: To learn about the structure of the sun
Learn about when key things happened
Learn to use Starry Night Pro
Star Party?
Let's check!
Sun's Layers
Sun Facts & Fun

• Photosphere - Visible outer layer of the sun
  
• Chromosphere - Only visible in a total eclipse
  
• Corona - Cannot be seen in visible light (X-ray)

South: Create a cosmic timeline
North: Starry Night Scavenger Hunt

Tues., Sept. 21, 2010

Objectives: Learn to create and use mathematical scales
Learn about when key things happened
Learn to use Starry Night Pro
Weather Check
Starter: Can you find the height of the tree?
How do you set up the math?

South: Galactic time scales...
groups: Create a cosmic timeline
North: Starry Night Scavenger Hunt

Mon., Sept. 20, 2010

Continue research
OR
work on pedigree

Fri., Sept. 17, 2010

Objectives: Learn how to find specific stars,
constellations & planets in the night sky.
Star Party?/Weather Check
Starter: Sizes of Stuff out there...



Stars & Patterns: Keys to the sky
Orienting yourself and getting around
Ecliptic

Finding the planets

Wed., Sept. 15, 2010

Objectives: To learn how & why the moon
appears differently in the sky, predict how
it will look in the future and how we determine
what a month actually is.
Announcements: Star Party this Friday if the
weather is conducive...9 pm outside our classroom
Weather Check
Starter: Astronomy magazine site
Timezones

GMT/UTC
moon phases & facts

Period is called the Synodic Month = 29.53 days
eclipses
perigee & apogee (nearest & farthest)

Mon., Sept. 13, 2010

What's in the sky (copy URL)
Using your planisphere

Fri., Sept. 10, 2010

OMSI/RCA star party this weekend
Star Party Equipment/Tips & Etiquette
Tonight's Sky (Copy this URL)
Brightest Northern Stars
Star Maps & Planispheres
Using your planisphere

Wed. , Sept. 8, 2010

Welcome to Astronomy!
My Name is Mr. Shaffer
Take a card, any card: What's the most amazing, cool,
unusual or best thing you've ever done? OR What's
something about you that you're proud of that most
people don't know?

Goals: Why is astronomy important to the average person?
What are some key constellations?
What are some of the brightest stars?
Why study astronomy?
Star Parties
Circumpolar Constellations
Brightest Northern Stars
Star Maps & Planispheres