Stars, Galaxies, Planets, and the Universe
As Taught In:
online
Level:
undergraduate
Course Features:
=> Power Point Slide
=> Simulations
=> Projects and Examples
Course Overview:
Observations by modern ground-based and space-based observatories have fueled significant changes in our understanding of the Universe. The Solar System contains only eight planets but has many thousands of Kuiper Belt Objects, including Pluto. Extensive area sky surveys have taken inventory of the stars in the Milky Way Galaxy and galaxies in the Universe and determined that only 4% of the mass of the Universe is found in luminous objects. Besides the mysterious dark matter, we now know that the energy budget of the Universe is dominated by dark energy, which is causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate. PSGU is explicitly designed for secondary science teachers who seek to enrich their knowledge and bring to their classrooms a contemporary understanding of Earth’s place in the Universe. PSGU: Planets, Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe will provide a strong foundation in astronomy, allowing educators and Learners to critically evaluate the evidence for the most recent advances in our understanding of the Solar System, our Galaxy, and the Universe.
Astronomers use light observations from distant sources to discover these objects’ nature and environment. PSGU will lead educators and Learners to understand light and the instruments for its detection. Educators and Learners will see how careful analysis of these observational data and theoretical models are used to solve the mysteries of the Universe.
PSGU will combine digital video, audio, simulation models, and the wealth of astronomical imagery from NASA’s Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer Great Observatories. Educators and Learners will use highly detailed planetarium software and simulated observing experiences to directly explore the night sky to make the same observations that research astronomers perform in their work.
Twelve lessons will be completed at approximately one week per lesson. PSGU will be conducted entirely on the World Wide Web. There will be no class meeting times, but students will be required to complete weekly assignments. Each lesson contains interactive exercises, links, animations, movies, and novel explanations of the fundamental scientific principles related to the objects in the Universe and their environments. Each lesson will conclude with an open book, online assessment, which will rely on various exercises. These exercises will include brief math problems and short essay questions, some of which will require additional Internet research to complete. Several simulated lab exercises will also be required, allowing the students to enrich their understanding of the concepts through inquiry-based, active learning. Each Learner will also complete a capstone project, where they will use content knowledge and skills to create material for their classrooms. PSGU students will be granted licenses to use the courseware developed for this course in their secondary classrooms.
Course Goal:
The overarching goal of this course is to provide secondary science educators with the necessary content background to convey the astronomy topics required by mandated state standards. Educators and Learners will be provided with materials for presenting the course content in educators’ and learners’ classrooms. They will be granted licenses to use the courseware developed for this course in the educator and learner’s secondary classroom.
Grading:
All instructional materials for this course are presented online — no textbook is required. Some learners do find a textbook an excellent resource, however. So if educators and learners would like to purchase one, contact me for recommendations. There is also a free online astronomy textbook that I refer to in the course lessons that educators and learners may wish to use; it is available at Astronomy Notes(the link is external). Two other general-purpose, free online texts for teaching astronomy are Teach Astronomy (link is external) and openstax Astronomy (link is external).
Course Materials Support:
In order to access the online course materials, you need to have an active Alberttls-edu Access Account user ID and password. If you have any questions about obtaining or activating your Alberttls-edu Access Account, please contact the us (the external link).
In addition, you will need to purchase the following software in order to complete special course assignments:
- Starry Night Enthusiast: This is available with an education discount through Starry Night‘s Education Office. Mike Goodman is the direct contact at the Starry Night store, and he has arranged for our class to order the software in the following way:
1. Students go to Starry Night Enthusiast. (link is external)
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Download as the Method of Delivery.
3. Press the Add to cart button.
4. Complete the billing address information.
5. Enter the coupon code and press Apply (this is actual, or the total price will be charged).
6. Price will adjust for the education discount and should be $49.95.
7. Complete the billing/credit card details.
8. Two emails will be sent to students: a receipt and a download link.
9. Click the link, and enter the user name and license key.
While Starry Night Enthusiast will suffice for this course, you might consider purchasing one of the following versions instead:
- Order one of the Starry Night for Educators versions (Elementary, Middle, or High) – See Starry Night Education(link is external)
Note:
Be sure to order Starry Night at the beginning of the course so you will have it in time for the first Starry Night activity.
Course-Level Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, successful students will be able to
- Critically think about principles of astronomy and astrophysics and apply them in real-time;
- Describe the Earth’s place in the Solar System, Galaxy, and Universe;
- Describe the scale of the Universe and the relative sizes of the different objects within the Universe;
- Explain how astronomers measure electromagnetic radiation from various sources and use that information to derive an understanding of astronomical objects and phenomena;
- Write reflectively about their learning.
Below are the summary of the learning for this course. This course have 12 units and one opening.
Unit 00 – Opening:
- Perform tasks outlined in course opening to become familiar with the course and the course environment.
- Post a self-introduction to the course discussion forum.
- Complete the course background survey. This is upgraded, and the point is to find out about learner and get an idea of learner comfort level with the various topics we’ll cover in the course.
- Take the course information challenge in order to gain access to the rest of the units and content in this course.
- Purchase, install, and test out Starry Night software.
Unit 01 – Motions in the Sky and the 3D Geometry of the Sun, Earth, Moon System:
- Read and use Starry Night and interactive tools to study the basic behavior of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics.
- Discuss the appearance of the Moon.
Unit 02 – Orbits and the Laws of Kepler and Newton:
- Perform practice problems using Kepler’s 3rd Law.
- Begin data collection using Moons of Jupiter simulation.
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics.
Unit 03 – Electromagnetic Radiation and Astronomical Observations:
- Complete your equation written analysis on these topics.
- Participate in a discussion about the nature of astronomical experiments.
- Submit your Moons of Jupiter lab report.
Unit 04 – The Properties of Stars and Stellar Classification:
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics
- Perform practice problem-solving to find distance and velocity of stars.
Unit 05 – The Early Stages of Stellar Evolution:
- Begin HR diagram lab exercise.
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics.
- Participate in a discussion about binary star evolution.
Unit 06 – The Late Stages of Stellar Evolution:
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics.
- Participate in a discussion about black holes.
Unit 07 – Star Clusters:
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics
- Submit your HR diagram lab report.
Unit 08 – The Milky Way Galaxy:
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics.
- Begin Capstone Project.
Unit 09 – Galaxies in the Universe:
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics.
- Begin Galaxy Lab exercise
Unit 10 – Cosmology:
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics.
- Participate in a discussion about the Big Bang.
- Submit Galaxy lab report.
Unit 11 – The Solar System:
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics.
- Begin Extrasolar planets lab.
Unit 12 – Life in the Universe:
- Complete a short questionnaire on these topics.
- Submit Extrasolar planets lab report.
- Participate in a discussion about near Earth objects.
- Submit Capstone Project.
By the end of each Week, learners will be able to:
Unit 1 – 3: Naked Eye Astronomy and the Foundational Physics of Astronomy
- Identify the objects visible in the night sky to the unaided eye.
- Describe the three dimensional geometry of the Earth and describe the various motions in the sky that result from Earth’s rotation and orbit.
- Explain the reason that the Earth experiences seasons.
- Describe the process and appearance of eclipses and the phases of the Moon.
- Interpret the observational evidence for a heliocentric Solar System.
- Quantitatively compare and contrast the shape of the planetary orbits and the relationship between their distance from the Sun and their orbital period.
- Explain why gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun and describe how the orbital properties of an object can be used to determine the mass of the system.
- Describe the different types of electromagnetic radiation, from radio waves to gamma-rays.
- Explain the relationship between the temperature of an ideal radiator and the amount and type of electromagnetic radiation that it will emit.
- Identify the instruments that astronomers use to detect the light from an astronomical object, and explain how to interpret the various methods for displaying a spectrum of light from an object.
Unit 4-7: Stars
- Classify stars into spectral types and describe the temperatures and luminosities of stars of each type.
- Use the method of trigonometric parallax to measure the distance to a star.
- Construct a temperature-luminosity diagram for stars and explain how stars of different masses, ages, and sizes are represented in the diagram.
- Describe how the Doppler Effect is used to calculate the velocity of a star from its spectrum.
- Describe the process by which stars generate energy in their cores.
- Describe the forces that keep stars in a stable equilibrium.
- Qualitatively describe the process of star formation.
- Qualitatively describe the process of evolution for both low mass and high mass stars.
- Compare and contrast the stellar remnants of high and low mass stars.
- Identify the different types of star clusters stars inhabit.
- Compare and contrast the appearance of the temperature luminosity diagrams for different star clusters.
- Describe the process by which astronomers can estimate the age of a star cluster.
Unit 8 – 10: Galaxies & Cosmology
- Explain the geometry of the Milky Way and why it appears as a band in the sky as seen from Earth.
- Identify the different stellar populations present in the Milky Way and their distribution within the Galaxy.
- Describe the evidence for a supermassive blackhole in the center of the Galaxy.
- Compare and contrast the other galaxies in the Universe using the traditional tuning fork model.
- Qualitatively describe the process by which galaxies evolve.
- Compare and contrast a normal galaxy and an active galaxy.
- Describe the spatial distribution galaxies within the Universe and the environments in which galaxies reside.
- Quantitatively relate the velocity of a galaxy and its distance using Hubble’s Law.
- Describe how Hubble’s Law implies an expanding Universe.
- Describe the evidence for the Big Bang as the origin of the Universe and the methods for estimating the age of the Universe.
- Describe the evidence for substantial amounts of dark matter in the Universe.
- Explain how observations of distant objects reveal the Universe is accelerating as it expands.
Unit 11 – 12: Planets & Life in the Universe
- Compare and contrast the interior structure and atmospheres of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
- Qualitatively describe the process of tidal locking and relate this phenomenon to Mercury’s orbit around the Sun and the Moon’s orbit around the Earth.
- Describe the role impacts and collisions had on the evolution of the Inner Solar System planets and the Moon.
- Compare and contrast the Terrestrial planets and the Jovian planets.
- Describe the Processes for the formation and evolution of ring systems around giant planets.
- Compare and contrast the Moons of the Jovian planets.
- Relate the appearance of the Jovian planets to atmospheric processes.
- Describe the relationship between Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.
- Explain the origin of comets and their distribution in the Solar System.
- Describe the process by which a “Shooting Star” appears in the night sky.
- Qualitatively describe the process of planet formation.
- Describe the habitable zone and the likelihood for life to appear on various objects in the Solar System and in other systems.
- Describe how astronomers are searching for signals from other civilizations in the Galaxy.
The course “Stars, Galaxies, Planets, and the Universe” is an online course. All course materials are available online. Learning methods include lecture notes, asynchronous threaded discussions, weekly assignments, an online portfolio at the end of each chapter, and links to additional material.