1. Aim: Tools of Astronomy
Notepack 22
Aim: Tools of Astronomy
Do Now: List 4 tools that a chief may use
DO NOW: What is this picture showing you?

2. How do people study the Universe?
For thousands of years people have been looking up at the sky and making observations.
Observations allow scientists to study and make inferences on things and events that are in the sky.

3. TYPES OF CELESTIAL OBJECTS
Galaxies: a collection of stars that are tightly located in one area of the sky. These groups of stars are held together by the gravitational attraction that each star has on each other. Our Sun is part of the Milky Way galaxy
Star: A ball of gas that shines as the results of light being released from energy produced by a nuclear reaction at its core.
Nebula: is a huge, diffuse cloud of gas and dust in space
Planet: A celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star.
Comet: A small, frozen mass of dust and gas revolving around the sun.
Moon: small rocky bodies that orbit a planet
Asteroid: small rocky objects that do not orbit a planet
Black Hole: An area of enormous mass that creates a gravity well that is so strong that light cannot escape it.

4. Instruments that we use to observe the sky?
Sextant is a tool used to make detail measurements of a celestial body’s (planet or star) distance above the horizon. It uses degrees as a measurement.

5. Instruments that we use to observe the sky? (cont)
Telescopes are tools used to look at celestial bodies (planets, stars, galaxies).
With telescopes an observer can see details not normally seen from Earth.
Most telescopes use light that is emitted or reflected from the object they are observing.
In some instances, the image that is seen through the telescope may no longer exist because of lag in time the light took to reach the telescope.

6. Seen with binoculars Seen with a high quality telescope
Seen with the Hubble telescope

7. Instruments that we use to observe the sky? (cont)
Radio Telescope is a telescope that uses radio waves to look at celestial bodies.
These radio waves are than interrupted by a computer to produce an image.
Since radio telescopes uses a wide range of electromagnetic waves, computers can be adjusted to focus of a narrower portion of the wave to get different effects, such as, inferred or ultra violet.

8. Instruments that we use to observe the sky? (cont)
Using inferred and ultraviolet allows us to see things that the human eye cannot see.
This includes radiation, charged particles and temperature fluctuations.

17. Instruments that we use to observe the sky? (cont.)
Spectrograph is an instrument that takes a photographic record (color picture) of a celestial object.
Scientists use spectrograph to study the composition of the stars by color that it emits (lets off).
The theory is that the color of a star tells scientists what the star is made of; this leads to the temperature of the star.

18. Stars that emit blue light are said to be very hot.
Stars that emit red light are said to be very cool.
Yellow light (like our Sun) is medium in temperature.

20. Instruments that we use to observe the sky? (cont.)
Satellites are instruments that scientists send to celestial bodies that orbit them and collect information using a variety of tests.
Probes are instruments that physically make contact with an object (landing on or sampling) and collect data using a variety of tests.