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10F Science

Exploring the Universe

Exploring the Universe

1

mrstorie.wikispaces.com

10F Science

Exploring the Universe

Unit D – Exploring the Universe Outcome Question S1-4-03: •

Why were the position and motion of visible celestial objects important to past cultures?

S1-4-04: •

How was the process of science important in showing the sun is the centre of our solar system?

S1-4-05: •

How does the position and motion of Earth produce day/night, the phases of the moon, and the seasons?

S1-4-08: •

What objects make up our solar system and Universe?

S1-4-06: •

How do astronomers measure the great distances in the universe?

Polaris Constellation

Retrograde Ptolemy Copernicus Galileo Kepler

Assessment Date

%

Date

%

Date

%

Date

%

Date

%

Date

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Constellation Webquest

Geocentric Heliocentric

p. 368-372 p. 376-378

Retrograde Motion Evidence for SunCentred

Solstice Equinox

Earth Orbit and Seasons Phases of the Moon

Core Fusion Nebula Black hole Supernova Galaxy Asteroid Belt

Kuiper Belt Moon Asteroid Meteoroid Meteor Meteorite Comet

p. 390-391 p. 400-406 p. 434 p. 444-449

Stars and Creating Energy Properties of Planets

D2 – EXTENSION OUTCOMES (70% + exam) Astronomical Units p. 436-437 Relative Distance Light-year in the Universe

Apparent magnitude Absolute magnitude What can an astronomer learn about Spectroscope Red-shift a star by looking at Big Bang Theory light?

S1-4-07: •

D1 – ESSENTIAL OUTCOMES (40% + exam) Vocabulary & Concepts Textbook Activities Star p. 352-355 “Let’s see what Planet p. 366-367 you know”

p. 356 p. 429-430

Analyzing Starlight

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mrstorie.wikispaces.com S1-4-09: •

What is the purpose of the various objects humans put in space?

10F Science Escape velocity Geosynchronous Satellites GPS Probes Rovers ISS

Exploring the Universe HubbleSite

p. 412-420 p. 456-463

Date

%

Great Astronomical Word Explosion

D3 – EXPLORATION OUTCOMES (80% + exam) S1-4-01: •

How can you measure the location of objects in the sky?

S1-4-02: •

How does the tracked location of visible celestial objects change over time?

S1-4-10: •

What are some current goals in Canadian and International space exploration?

S1-4-11: •

What risks/benefits exist with current space projects and what are the possible impacts for humans?

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mrstorie.wikispaces.com PART 1:

10F Science

Exploring the Universe

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE UNIVERSE?

1. Under What I Know consider all of the “space objects” that you have ever heard of and list the objects you think are found in that section of space.

2. Galaxy

2. Under Questions I Have write at least one question per section that you would like to know more about.

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mrstorie.wikispaces.com PART 2:

10F Science

Exploring the Universe

1. What is meant by a “day?” What is meant by a “year?” My answer:

My partner’s answer:

2. Why does the “north star,” Polaris, stay in one place while the other stars appear to move? My answer:

My partner’s answer:

3. How can the sun and moon appear to be about the same size in the sky? My answer:

My partner’s answer:

4. Why is it winter in Australia when it is summer in here? And vice versa. My answer:

My partner’s answer:

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mrstorie.wikispaces.com 10F Science Exploring the Universe S1-4-03: Why were the position and motion of visible celestial objects important to past cultures? Star

Planet

Polaris

Constellation

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mrstorie.wikispaces.com

10F Science

Exploring the Universe

CONSTELLATIONS WEBQUEST S1-4-03: Why were the position and motion of visible celestial objects important to past cultures?

http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations.html 1. In the boxes, sketch the following constellation and provide a brief description as well as a note to the constellation’s history. Description:

History:

URSA MAJOR Description:

History:

ORION Description:

History:

CASSIOPEIA

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10F Science Description:

Exploring the Universe

History:

TAURUS Description:

History:

URSA MINOR 2. What are the abbreviations for the following constellations? Constellations Orion Gemini Taurus Canis Major Ursa Major Ursa Minor Cepheus Auriga

Abbreviations

Brightest Star

3. During which months is Orion best seen?

4. Which constellations are best seen during the month of February?

5. In which constellation would we find the POLARIS, and what are 4 different names for this star?

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mrstorie.wikispaces.com 10F Science Exploring the Universe S1-4-04: How was the process of science important in showing the sun is the centre of our solar system? Retrograde

Ptolemy

Copernicus

Galileo

Kepler

Geocentric

Heliocentric

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10F Science

Exploring the Universe

RETROGRADE MOTION ACTIVITY S1-4-04: How was the process of science important in showing the sun is the centre of our solar system? "Backward" Motion of Planets Planets tend to move across the sky in an easterly direction. Occasionally, something strange occurs. A planet appears to slow down and begin moving backward toward the west. In this activity you are going to find out why this happens. The diagram below represents a part of our solar system. Earth and Mars are shown at several positions in their orbits around the sun. Each position is labelled with the name of the month when the planet will be located there. Procedure 1. Draw a line from each Earth position through the Mars position for the same month. Extend the line approximately 1 cm past the dashed line. Notice that the line for January is already drawn, but the dot is yet to be labelled. 2. Label the lines in order, with the dot on the January line being number 1, the dot on the February line being number 2, and so on. Note: If paths cross draw the lines slightly long and place the dots slightly farther away than you did for the other lines. The dots that you put at the ends of the lines represent the positions where an observer on Earth would see Mars for the month indicated on the diagram. Critical Thinking and Application 1. To an observer on Earth, what movement does Mars appear to experience over the course of a year?

2. During which months does Mars appear to be moving backward in its orbit?

3. Carefully observe what is happening to Earth and Mars in their orbits when Mars seems to loop "backward." What causes Mars to seem to move backward in its orbit?

4. Do you think that to an observer on Earth all the planets visible in the night sky would appear at some point to go backward?

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10F Science

Exploring the Universe

mrstorie.wikispaces.com

10F Science

Exploring the Universe

EVIDENCE FOR SUN-CENTRED S1-4-03: Why were the position and motion of visible celestial objects important to past cultures? S1-4-04: How was the process of science important in showing the sun is the centre of our solar system? 1. What to reasons prompted human beings to look at the Sun and stars more closely?

2. Place a word in the space provided to make the sentence true: a) Ptolemy: __________ centric, or model. Stated that the the . b) Copernicus: __________ centric, or the .

model. Stated that the

goes around

goes around

c) Galileo : first to use a __________ to discover that other planets had __________ and _________. d) Kepler: build on Brahe’s observations to describe the three __________________________________.

3. Explain the terms retrograde motion.

4. Why was Ptolemy's model accepted for so long?

5. Why was Copernicus' theory not readily accepted?

6. How did the telescope allow Galileo to demonstrate that celestial objects were not perfect?

7. If Tycho Brahe had lived longer, why would he be disappointed with Kepler?

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mrstorie.wikispaces.com 10F Science Exploring the Universe S1-4-05: How does the position / motion of Earth produce day/night, the phases of the moon, and the seasons? Solstice

Equinox

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10F Science

Exploring the Universe

EARTH ORBIT AND SEASONS S1-4-05: How does the position / motion of Earth produce day/night, the phases of the moon, and the seasons? 1. Label the Diagram: a) Based on your observations of Earth’s position relative to the Sun as well as the tilt of Earth’s axis, on the diagram label each Earth with the correct season. b) Label the date of the appropriate equinox/solstice for each season. c) Using the terms fastest and slowest, place the correct word that describes Earth’s orbital speed for Earths 1 and 3. d) Using the terms greatest and least, place the correct word that describes the gravitational attraction between the Earth and the Sun for positions 1 and 3. e) On each of the 4 Earth’s colour the area that would be in shade (not receiving the sun’s ray). Use a pencil or light colour to shade lightly so the equator and axis are still visible through your shading. f) Using a yellow coloured pencil, colour the portion of each of the 4 Earth’s that would be receiving the Sun’s rays. 2. Questions: a) What geometric shape is used to describe Earth’s Orbit?

_____________________

b) How long does it take for Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun? _______________ c) Make a general statement about Earth’s position relative to the Sun and Earth’s orbital speed.

d) Make a general statement about Earth’s position relative to the Sun and the gravitational attraction between the Earth and the Sun.

e) Make a general statement about a planets distance to its Sun with respects to the gravitational attraction between the two and the planet’s orbital speed.

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10F Science

Exploring the Universe

f) Consider where you labeled summer, what conclusions can you make concerning the effect of distance to the Sun and our yearly temperature variations?

g) There are 2 main factors that cause our seasons to occur on Earth. Explain them:

Season: _________ Date: __________ Orbital Speed:__________ Gravitational attraction: _________

Season: _________ Date: __________

4 1 Season: _________ Date: __________ Orbital Speed:__________ Gravitational attraction: _________

3

2

Season: _________ Date: __________

Mr. Storie

10F Science

Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe

PHASES OF THE MOON S1-4-05: How does the position / motion of Earth produce day/night, the phases of the moon, and the seasons? This site will allow you to interact and discover the positions of the Earth, Sun, and Moon and how they are related to each other: http://astro.unl.edu/naap/lps/animations/lps.swf 1. Working in pairs, find a computer go to the following website: 2. Spend some time getting familiar with the applet before answering specific questions. 3. Click on the “show angle” box, and the other tools. See what extra information they provide. 4. Using the applet demonstrate what the following moon phase looks like: (sketch what you see on the screen in the space provided) New moon

Waxing Crescent moon

Full moon

Waning Gibbous moon

First Quarter moon

Third Quarter moon

1. Do any of these results surprise you?

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Mr. Storie 10F Science Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe 2. What explains any trend you see when observing the moon in this simulation?

• •

Read the following questions and determine whether or not they are correct If they are incorrect, try your best to modify them so they are right (Use the simulation or search with Google if you are unsure) a) The moon rotates on its axis every 27.3 days.

b) A solar eclipse is when the sun is between the Earth and the moon.

c) When we see more than half of the moon lit, we call that a waning.

d) The moon is a very large star.

e) We see a full moon when it is closest to the sun.

f) The moon is said to be waxing when it is getting larger.

g) The moon is a natural satellite that orbits around Earth.

h) It is unsafe to look directly at a lunar eclipse.

i) When we see less than half of the moon lit, we call that a crescent.

j) The pull of the moon’s gravity on the oceans produces tides.

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Mr. Storie 10F Science Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe S1-4-08: What objects make up our solar system and Universe? Core Fusion Nebula Black hole Supernova Meteoroid Meteor Meteorite Comet

Galaxy

Asteroid Belt

Kuiper Belt

Moon

Asteroid

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Mr. Storie

10F Science

Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe

STARS AND CREATING ENERGY S1-4-08: What objects make up our solar system and Universe? 1. Where does a star (like the sun) produce its energy?

2. What is the difference between fusion and fission reactions?

3. Describe what happens in a fusion reaction.

4. Complete the flow chart to show the death of a small, medium, and large star when it runs out of hydrogen:

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Mr. Storie

10F Science

Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe

PROPERTIES OF PLANETS S1-4-08: What objects make up our solar system and Universe? Property

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

Avg. Distance from Sun (x 106 km)

57.9

108

150

228

778

1427

2870

4497

5900

Orbital Duration

88.0 d

224.7 d

365.26 d

687 d

11.9 yrs.

29.5 yrs.

84.1 yrs.

164.8 yrs.

247.7 yrs.

Avg. Diameter (km)

4880

12100

12750

6790

142800

120700

50800

48600

2300

Rotational Duration

59 d

243 d

24 h

24 h 39 min

9 h 50 min

10 h 39 min

17 h 18min

15 h 40 min

153 h 18 min

Main Atmosphere Components

None

CO2, nitrogen

nitrogen, oxygen

CO2, nitrogen

hydrogen, helium, methane (CH4)

hydrogen, helium, CH4

hydrogen, helium, CH4

hydrogen, helium, CH4

None

Avg. surface temp. (°C)

–180 to 426

470

–85 to 58

–120 to 30

–160

–180

–210

–220

–220

Density (g/cm3)

5.44

5.25

5.52

3.95

1.31

0.70

1.18

1.66

1.1

Surface gravity

0.39

0.90

1.0

0.38

2.58

1.11

1.07

1.4

0.08

(compared to Earth)

Note that numbers for Pluto are estimates, since little is known about this planet. Pluto rotates in the opposite direction to that of other planets.

1. Why do you suppose Mercury and Pluto lack an atmosphere? Explain.

2. Which planets are most like Earth? Which planets are least like Earth? Explain why.

Mr. Storie 10F Science 3. Which planet seems to fit in a category all by itself?

Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe

4. Which planets have very low densities? What can you conclude about these planets?

5. Would the atmospheres of the four largest planets support Earth-like life forms? Why or why not?

6. Where do asteroids and comets come from?

7. Describe with the right terms what could happen when a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere.

8. Label the following diagram:

Mr. Storie

10F Science

Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe

RELATIVE DISTANCE IN THE UNIVERSE S1-4-06: How do astronomers measure the great distances in the universe? The distance between the Earth and the Sun is 149,597,870 km. As distances in space are so immense, we tend to measure them in a larger scale to avoid the extremely long numbers that would be encountered if we simply expressed them in kilometers. One astronomical unit (AU) is equal to the distance from the Earth to the Sun. 1AU = 149,570,000 km or 1.50 x 108 km

This is a handy way to compare distances without using huge numbers. It is also more meaningful than a huge number as we can compare how far something is from Earth. (Venus can be as close as 0.3 AU) For our representation, we will use the additional scale 10 cm = 1 AU Convert the needed values to create a scale solar system:

Diameter (km)

Body Sun

Orbit Radius (km)

Orbit Radius (AU)

Scale Orbit Radius (cm)

4866

57950000

0.39

3.9 cm

12106

108110000

12742

149570000

1.0

10 cm

6760

227840000

139516

778140000

116438

1427000000

46940

2870300000

45432

4499900000

3400

5913000000

1391900

Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto

Mercury calculations: 57950000 km

x

_1 AU_ 1.5 x 10 8 km

0.39 AU x _10 cm_ 1 AU

= 0.39 AU

= 3.9 cm (scale)

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Mr. Storie

10F Science

Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe

Questions: 1. How has your impressions of the solar system changed after creating a scale radius for each planet?

2. What are the advantages of using astronomical units instead of kilometres?

3. Describe what you notice about the size and distance of the inner planets compared with the outer planets.

4. Now that we know the distances of each planet from the Sun, let’s work backwards and determine some of the planet’s distances from Earth: a) Using the information in the chart, calculate the average distance from Neptune to Earth Hint: use the distances of Neptune and Earth from the Sun. In km:

In AU:

b) If I were in a spaceship travelling 876km/h, how many hours would it take me to get from Earth to Neptune?

5. What is the value for the speed of light and what does it mean to say that an object is 5 light-years away?

6. Calculate the distance (in AU and light-years) to Proxima Centauri (the nearest star to the Sun). The real distance from the Sun to Proxima Centauri is 39,900,000,000,000 (3.99 x 1013) km.

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Mr. Storie 10F Science Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe S1-4-07: What can an astronomer learn about a star by looking at its light? Apparent magnitude

Absolute magnitude

Spectroscope

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Mr. Storie

10F Science

Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe

ANALYZING STAR LIGHT S1-4-07: What can an astronomer learn about a star by looking at its light? 1. One night, you observe two stars that have the same apparent magnitude. Could these two stars be giving off different amounts of light? Explain.

2. What is Electromagnetic energy and what types do stars usually produce?

3. What is a spectrum and how is it unique?

4. How does a spectroscope work and what information does it provide an astronomer?

5. List three things an astronomer can learn by analyzing starlight?

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Mr. Storie

10F Science

Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe

THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE S1-4-07: What is the evidence for the Big Bang Theory? 1. What does “red shift” mean?

2. How can “red shift” be explained using real world sound examples?

3. If an astronomer saw ‘blue shift” in a star, what could she conclude?

4. How does the Big Bang theory explain the expanding universe?

5. How does a theory differ from a belief?

6. Based on what we’ve learned to date in this unit, do you think that other life exists in our solar system? In the universe?

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Mr. Storie 10F Science Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe S1-4-09: What is the purpose of the various objects humans put in space? Escape velocity

Geosynchronous

Satellites

GPS

Probes

Rovers

ISS

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Mr. Storie

10F Science

Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe

THE GREAT ASTRONOMICAL FILL-IN-THE-BLANK Instructions: Complete each statement using the words and phrases below. This should be a useful review of many of the terms you have encountered in your introduction to astronomy. Some of the words can be used more than once. The numbers are used only once.

Halley Apparent Hydrogen The Sun Comet Suns Contraction Supernovas Nine Hubble Mass Sirius Pressure Years Radio waves Light-year Nebulae

Cultures and religions The Earth Pluto Expansion Nuclear fusion Moons Alpha Centauri Black hole 150 million Aurora Borealis Geocentric Neptune Cloud of gas and dust 10-15 billion years ago 100-400 billion Galaxies

Minerals Star 1000 Solar Instabilities Gravity Light Ellipse One year Dispersed Four to five Ray of light Red Neutrons Ring Yellow-orange

White dwarf Galaxies Jupiter Verification One million Galaxy Heliocentric Planet 63,000 Light spectrum Blue Asteroids Uranus Helium Astronomical Saturn

1. A _________________ is a celestial body that has an orbit around a central _________________. Our solar system has _________________ of them, and some astronomers speculate that the belt of _________________ between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter was once a tenth planet that has been destroyed. 2. It is the force of _________________ that holds the planets in orbit around the _________________, and also causes the entire solar system to orbit around the _________________. 3. _________________ are natural satellites of planets. The large number of small bodies between Mars and Jupiter are called the _________________, which means “star-like.” Certain planets also have a _________________ system that encircles them, comprised of thousands of small, rocky and icy pieces of material left over from the disintegration of a once-large satellite. 4. Certain asteroids, called the Trojans, cross the orbit of Mars and make close approaches to the Earth. Their maximum size is about _________________ kilometres across. Due to the fact that asteroids and moons are composed of rocky material, some people would like to exploit them as sources of _________________. 5. The largest planet in the solar system is _________________, and the smallest is _________________. The “third rock” from the Sun is _________________.

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Mr. Storie 10F Science Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe 6. The four giant gas planets, listed in order of increasing distance from the Sun are_________________, _________________, _________________, and _________________. They all have large families of _________________ orbiting them.

7. An _________________ unit (AU) is the average distance between _________________ and the _________________. It is equivalent to about _________________ kilometres. A _________________ is a much larger distance unit used by astronomers, and is the distance that a _________________ traverses in _________________. A light-year is equivalent to about _________________ AU’s. 8. A _________________ is a solar system object that can have a gas and dust tail exceeding millions of kilometres in length. These celestial wonders of ice, rock, and organic compounds travel around the Sun in elongated orbits called an _________________. In 1997, Hale-Bopp was one of the most brilliant to recently enter the inner solar system, and was visible to the unaided eye for months. However, it is _________________ that is the most celebrated _________________, returning to put on a show with a period of about 76 years. 9. The Sun is a _________________, an enormous sphere of gas that emits its energy through the process of _________________. The temperatures in the extreme outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, the “solar corona,” can reach _________________ degrees Celsius. Every 10 years or so, _________________ flares erupt from the Sun’s surface layers, eventually disturbing communication systems on Earth. The beautiful _________________ near the North Pole is caused by streams of charged particles which are emitted by the Sun and interact with the magnetic field of the Earth high in the atmosphere. 10. The nearest star to the Earth is the _________________. The next nearest star system to ours is _________________, which is a triple-star system approximately _________________ light-years from Earth. The colour of its three stars, indicating that they are Sun-like, is _________________. The hottest stars are _________________ in colour, and the coolest stars are _________________. 11. The _________________ magnitude (brightness as seen from the Earth) of a star differs from its absolute magnitude (a truer measure of a star’s brightness) because of the great distance between the star and the Earth. This affects the quantity of _________________ that is observed in the night sky. The brightest star in the sky from our point of view is _________________ in the constellation Canis Major (the Great Dog), but it is actually much less luminous than the nearby red giant, Betelgeuse, in the constellation Orion. Very often, stars appear bright simply because they are close to us. 12. A _________________ is the remains of a supermassive star that is apparently invisible due to the fact that tremendous _________________ forces do not permit its visible _________________ to escape and be seen. 13. Neither the _________________ model of the universe (with Earth at the centre) nor the _________________ model (with Sun at the centre) represents the actual conceptions of the cosmos accepted by astronomers today. The solar system is just on small fraction of the galaxy called _________________. The universe is comprised of perhaps hundreds of billions of _________________ like the nearest great spiral galaxy to ours, the Andromeda Galaxy.

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Mr. Storie 10F Science Exploring the Universe – D2 Origin of Universe 14. A _________________ is actually an enormous collection of stars, dust, and various gases, all bound together by gravitational attraction. The Milky Way contains somewhere in the neighbourhood of _________________ stars. Some galaxies have a pinwheel-like appearance, and are called _________________ galaxies (like the Milky Way). Still others are irregular in form (like the Large Magellanic Cloud, for instance). Quasars (which is a loose acronym for “quasi-stellar objects”) are strange sources of _________________, and can emit as much energy as an entire galaxy of stars. 15. A large cloud of gas and dust called a _________________ is often called the “birthplace of stars.” These clouds of gases, mostly _________________ and _________________, contract under the influence of _________________. A star is born when its _________________ furnace inside ignites as temperatures rise to millions of degrees Celsius. 16. Depending on the initial _________________ of the material from the nebula that coalesces to form a star, the resulting star can end its life span as a small_________________, or as a spectacular _________________ explosion that leaves behind a super-dense remnant called a _________________ star. The most massive stars, those about 25 times heavier than our Sun, have the potential to become a _________________, from which time and space cannot escape. All of the chemical elements that make up other stars, planets, and matter (including living beings like you) are made from the exploding stars. 17. By analyzing the rainbow-like colours of a _________________ from a celestial body (for example, a star beyond our Sun), it is possible to detect planets around it by looking for small _________________ in the motions of the central star. The _________________ Space Telescope has already confirmed the existence of a number of planetary systems around stars other than our Sun. 18. According to cosmologist (scientists studying the ultimate fate of the cosmos), it is thought that after the universe’s initial period of _________________, a period of _________________ will result in what has been called the “Big Crunch.” After that, another _________________ could give rise to a whole new universe. 19. The _________________ Theory also proposes that all the material that now comprises the universe was originally concentrated in an exceedingly small volume of space-infinitely small. This mass was under great _________________, and upon exploding rapidly outward, _________________ the enormous mass of material that ultimately gave rise to stars, galaxies, and a host of other celestial bodies. 20. A diversity of peoples, _________________ have proposed their own particular explanation for the origins of the universe, but these perspectives have not utilized the methods and habits of mind traditionally use in the scientific _________________ of ideas.

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