Astronomy

Proficiency 1: I can analyze galaxies and the differences between galaxies. I will compare the Milky Way Galaxy to other types of galaxies.

Author's Note: While writing this, I had troubles finding how the Milky Way was formed to compare it with the other two types of galaxies. Also, both Elliptical and Irregular galaxies were formed by collision. This causes a disagreement with my earlier statement that Irregular Galaxies are usually small. Since they were formed by collision, the merging of two galaxies, I don't quite understand how the Irregular galaxies wouldn't become large galaxies.

Throughout the universe, there are many different types of galaxies. The three best known are spiral, elliptical, and irregular. The galaxy our solar system is located in, the Milky Way, is a spiral galaxy. These three galaxies have similarities and differences.

Spiral galaxies, such as the Milky Way, get their name from their shape. Irregular galaxies don't have a distinctive shape, but are more of an abstract arrangement of stars. Irregular galaxies vary in size. Elliptical galaxies are round or have an oval shape. The largest known galaxies are elliptical galaxies.

The Milky Way and irregular galaxies are both made up of gas and dust, the perfect material to create new stars. Elliptical galaxies, however, have hardly any gas or dust in them. Elliptical galaxies have a kind of redish glow to them. This is because of the old, red stars that make up elliptical galaxies.

When two or more galaxies merge or collide, either an elliptical or irregular galaxy is formed. Depending on the galaxies and the size of the collision, one of these galaxies will be formed. To form an irregular galaxy, the galaxies merge and just form a larger galaxy, losing the shape it had before. If an elliptical galaxy is formed, the galaxies collide and become one galaxy full of stars.

Some types of galaxies share similiarities, yet they all differ in many ways. Galaxies, just because they are catagorized as the same type of galaxy can be completely different in many ways. Just take irregular galaxies as one example. Their shape is irregular, making each and every irregular galaxy unique and different. The universe is full of galaxies, no two exactly the same.

Citations:

"NASA - Galaxy." NASA - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2010. <http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/galaxy_worldbook.html>.

"Elliptical Galaxy." Universe Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2011. <http://www.universetoday.com/30311/elliptical-galaxy/>.

Proficiency 2: I can identify key technological advancements that helped in making our knowledge of space expand. My research will show the past, but I will also predict what future advancements may stretch our limits even more.

Author's Note: For me, this proficiency was hard to start. Once I had learned about the Space Race, I had a lot more success with my research and I had an idea of what to research. 










Citations:
"Alan Shepard - Project Mercury Freedom 7 history - Alan Shepard spaceflight." Space history, education, space collectibles, astronaut autographs, space memorabilia, NASA spinoffs, astronaut autographed collectibles. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. .

"Alan Shepard - The 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011.

"Alexei Leonov." NNDB: Tracking the entire world. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. . 


"Astroprof’s Page » Sputnik 1." Astroprof’s Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. . 

"Clean and Sober Recovery Hero Buzz Aldrin Celebrity AA 12 Step." Clean and Sober 12 Steps Alcoholics Anonymous Step Recovery News AA Meetings Forums Alcoholism Addicition Information Gifts Drug Rehab. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. .  

"HubbleSite - Hubble Essentials - Light Path through Hubble." HubbleSite - Out of the ordinary...out of this world.. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. .

" HubbleSite - The Telescope - Hubble Essentials ." HubbleSite - Out of the ordinary...out of this world.. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. .

"Mars." Personal Web Sites.... N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. . 

"NASA - Flashback: America's First Spacewalk." NASA - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. .

"NASA - International Cooperation." NASA - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. .

"Quote of the moment: John F. Kennedy, “We choose to go to the Moon” « Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub." Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. . 

"Saturn Then and Now: 30 Years Since Voyager Visit - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory." Space, Stars, Mars, Earth, Planets and More - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2011. .

"The Celestia Motherlode: Satellites." The Celestia Motherlode: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. . 

"The Repair and Improvements to the Hubble Telescope | Astronomy." Astronomy, Astronomer, Constellations, Telescope Huble.. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. .  

"Timeline of the ISS missions." RussianSpaceWeb.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. . 

"Voyager 1 Has Outdistanced the Solar Wind." Universe Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. . 

"Voyager - The Interstellar Mission." Voyager - The Interstellar Mission. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. .

"White." Encyclopedia Astronautica. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. .  

"Yuri Gagarin - first man in outer space." Outer space travel feelings and facts guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. . 

Proficiency 3: I can analyze the origins of our solar system. Starting with the sun, my research will emphasize how our solar system formed, the differences between inner planets and outer planets, and analyze the future of our sun and the solar system

Solar System on Prezi

Proficiency 4: I can effectively explain the different theories of the universe. I will discuss theories starting from Ancient Greece through the theories discussed in present day. I will analyze all theories and make a judgment based on my research on which is most valid.
 Author's Note: This proficiency was pretty easy for me to complete. Most of my information could be found from visiting only a few websites and was pretty straight forward. Since most of my notes were already in sentences, putting them into paragraphs for my essay was quite simple.

One of the controversial subjects of Astronomy is the idea of how the universe was created. From Ancient Greece to present day, the theories have been flying to try and figure out just what exactly the universe is, and how did it get here. The universe has been a largely discussed topic throughout history, with theories coming from both beliefs and scientific reasoning. 

One of the earliest known theories of how the universe was created is the story of Creation. In this story, God creates the universe and everything in it. This was written in the Bible in the book of Genesis around the year 1400 BC.

Other early theories were made by Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle. Plato's theory stated that the Earth was the center of the universe. Plato's theory brought the idea that everything rotated in 2-D circles around the Earth. Aristotle, Plato's apprentice, came up with a theory that consisted of the thought that everything rotated in 3-D circles around the Earth. These philosophers lived around 400 BC.

The most accepted theory throughout the scientific world explaining the creation of the universe is the Big Bang Theory. This theory states that the universe started out as a singularity, an area of space with infinite density, 13.7 billion years ago. After it exploded, the universe started inflating faster than the speed of light as particles interacted with each other. This process took billions of years to evolve into the universe we have today. 

As the Big Bang Theory tries to explain the creation of the universe, there is another theory that says that there was something before the Big Bang. The Big Bounce Theory suggests that another universe went through a crunch and created our universe. This theory takes away the idea of the universe starting out as a singularity, which goes against all mathematical knowledge. 

However, the Big Bang Theory is not the only theory or theory basis around. The Cyclic Theory is an alternative to the Big Bang. This theory could explain why the cosmological constant is accelerating, which the Big Bang theory could not explain. The cosmological constant is a concept introduced by Albert Einstein as a modification of his original theory of general relativity to achieve a stationary universe, where space is neither expanding nor contracting.

Developed in 1949 by Fred Hoyle and Thomas Gold, another theory of the universe, called the Steady State Theory, came alone to try to explain the creation of the universe. The Steady State Theory claims that there was no beginning to the universe. It created new matter as older galaxies moved apart. However, the discovery of CMB, the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation, created a downfall for the Steady State Theory and supporting the theory of the Big Bang. 

All these theories try to explain what we will never know, using science, faith, and common knowledge. I think that the story of Creation is most valid because of what we already know. We know that the universe is big, so big that no matter how far we travel, the universe goes on forever, therefore, how are we to know how it was created when we barely even know the smallest fraction of what it is? The best way to study the universe is to go with what we believe in.


Sources:
"Cosmic microwave background radiation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.

"Cosmological Constant." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. . 


"Origins of the Universe: Theories of How the Cosmos Began." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. . 

Proficiency 5:I can analyze the differences between comets, asteroids, meteors and moons. I will research orbits and discuss differences of what we see from the Earth’s surface (phases). I will analyze the effect the moon’s orbit has on our planet. I will predict what would happen if Earth had a 2nd moon or the distance to the moon was increased or decreased.

Author's Note: This proficiancy was pretty easy to complete since most of it was comparing facts and making predictions. Information was very easy to find for this proficiancy.


Sources:
" APOD: August 26, 1995 - Two Tails of Comet West ." Astronomy Picture of the Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. .

"Asteroid Mining." Welcome to Nova.Org [Nova.Org]. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. . '

"Curious About Astronomy: What would happen if Earth had more than one moon?." Curious About Astronomy? Ask an Astronomer. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. .

"HowStuffWorks "How the Moon Works"." HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. .

MADELEY, GAVIN. "Scientists discover biggest meteorite ever to hit Britain | Mail Online." Home | Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. .

"Moon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. .

"Moon Phases / Lunar Phases Explained." Moon Information Resource And Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. .

Proficiency 6: I can research black holes. What are they? How do scientists find black holes? What are some theories regarding black holes? What is the line of singularity? What are some theories of what’s at the bottom of a black hole? Which theory do you think is most probable? Why?

Author's Note: For this proficiancy, I had trouble finding theories of what was at the bottom of a black hole. Most of the websites I saw said the same thing, or nothing useful at all. Since black holes in general are a theory, this proficiancy was a hard one to research for.

Black Holes on Prezi