Welcome to Astronomy with Mrs. Brandt Complete Information Card Course Expectations, Policies, and Grading (handout) Introductions

Your name, how long you have been in WSD,

1 fun activity you did this summer

Textbooks: Seeds, Horizons- Exploring the Universe 8e. KEEP HOME (sign out a book when you have study hall for HW)

Pre-Astronomy Quiz (NOT graded- revisit at END of course) Around the World in 90 Minutes

Why study astronomy?What would you like to learn about or what do you expect to learn?

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130815.html

The Magellanic Stream Explanation: In an astronomical version of the search for the source of the

Nile, astronomers now have strong evidence for the origin of the Magellanic Stream. This composite image shows the long ribbon of gas, discovered at radio wavelengths in the 1970s, in pinkish hues against an optical all-sky view across the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Both Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, dwarf satellite galaxies of the the Milky Way, are seen near the head of the stream at the right. Data from Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph were used to explore abundances of elements along sightlines to quasars that intersect the stream. The results indicate that most of the stream's material comes from the Small Magellanic Cloud. The Magellanic Stream is likely the result of gravitational tidal interactions between the two dwarf galaxies some 2 billion years ago, the Small Magellanic Cloud losing more material in the encounter because of its lower mass.

Around the World in 90 minuteshttp://vimeo.com/32001208

Around the World in 90 Minutes

http://vimeo.com/32001208

Explanation: What is it like to circle the Earth? Every 90 minutes, astronauts aboard the International Space Station experience just that. Recently, crew members took a series of light-sensitive videos looking down at night that have been digitally fused to produce the above time-lapse video. Many wonders of the land and sky are visible in the eighteen sequences, including red aurora above green aurora, lights from many major cities, and stars in the background. Looming at the top of the frame is usually part of the space station itself, sometimes seen re-orienting solar panels. Please help create a useful companion guide for this moving video by identifying landmarks, cities, countries, weather phenomena, and even background constellations that appear.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111121.html