Transcript Day-4
Astronomy 1010-H
Planetary Astronomy
Fall_2015
Day-4
Cute and Science
Two-Minute Essay
My name is…
The scientist (living or dead, but real) I
would most like to meet is:
Course Announcements
•
•
Smartworks Chapter 1: Due Fri. (Sep. 4)
Read Chapter 2.1, 2.2
•
Next week:
•
•
•
•
•
Dark Night Observing on Tues. 9/8 & Thur. 9/10
Thurs. 9-3: D2Y Meeting; watch for signs.
Tues. 9-1: Volleyball 7pm
Thurs. 9-3: “1st Thursday Art Walk” downtown, 5pm
Sat. 9-5: Football vs Mercer, 4pm; Tailgate at 1pm
Definitions & Terms -1
•
Cosmology: The study of the Universe, its beginning and
ultimate fate.
•
Constellation: A grouping of stars and everything in
between. They have set boundaries (all N-S, E-W). There
are 88 modern constellations recognized by the IAU.
•
Scientific Method: A process for the methodical
investigation of science. To be valid, it MUST be testable,
and falsifiable. This separates science from pseudoscience (or non-science).
•
Scientific Notation: A convenient method for writing
large and small numbers.
Lecture-Tutorial:
Sun Size – p. 113
Work with a partner
Read the instructions and questions carefully
Talk to each other and discuss your answers with
each another
Come to a consensus answer you both agree on
If you get stuck or are not sure of your answer ask
another group
If you get really stuck or don’t understand what
the Lecture Tutorial is asking as one of us for help
Colored Card Question:
Where Are We?
The Sun is part of:
A.The Solar System.
B.The Milky Way Galaxy.
C.The universe.
D.All the above.
Science vs. Authority
Science is subversive.
Old ideas can be falsified and rejected.
New ideas must be supported by evidence.
Authority often works by suppressing
inquiry.
Scientific authority can be overthrown by
new or better evidence.
Nature is the arbiter of science. It decides
what ideas are good or bad.
Science Is Creative
Science is one of many creative human
activities.
It has its own rules for deciding what is right
and wrong.
It is an important way for achieving
knowledge and insight.
There are also other valuable ways to
achieve understanding.
Science Is an Exploration
Ideas can be tested by observation.
Telescopes, satellites, etc. extend our
observations to the very large or very distant.
Space exploration has expanded our view of
planets and the Solar System.
Astronomy is the science of the exploration of
the Universe and the matter and energy it
contains.
Science Is a Process
Science is a method for learning about
nature.
The scientific method works like this:
Ideas are tested against nature.
Tests come from observation or
calculation.
The tests falsify some ideas and support
others.
All scientific knowledge is provisional.
A Scientific Result:
We Are Stardust
Our bodies contain many types of atoms.
Except for the hydrogen in water (H2O), all
the atoms were made in stars.
Stars generate energy by making heavier
elements out of light ones.
They eject the material into space.
New stars and planets (and humans) form
out of the ejected material.
Hallmarks of Modern Science
1. Modern science seeks explanations for
observed phenomena that rely solely on
natural causes.
2. Science progresses through the creation
and testing of models of nature that explain
the observations as simply as possible.
3. A scientific model must make testable
predictions about natural phenomena that
would force us to revise or abandon the
model if the predictions do not agree with
observations.
Modern Science
The Scientific Method.
Observations
Question
Hypothesis
Prediction
Test
Revise/More
Predictions