Monday, October 21, 2013

Unit 1 - The Universe - Stars

STARS



Remember, STARS are spheres with its own light and energy.

The energy is produced by NUCLEAR FUSION: At very high temperature, hydrogen joins to hydrogen and the reaction produces energy (lignt and heat) and Hellium:


There are different type of stars:

- with different Color, according to its temperature:


- with different Size, (Dwarfs, Medium, Giants and Supergiants)
Check the stars size comparison in this video:
- with different Bright, according to the distance, the size and the temperature.

LIFE OF THE STARS:


Our star, THE SUN:

This extraordinary video looks back on the 3rd year of operation of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Since its launch in 2010, SDO's data and imagery have exceeded everyone's hopes and expectations, providing stunningly detailed views of the sun. The observatory has continued to return breathtaking pictures and movies of eruptive events on the sun. These images are more than just pretty. By highlighting different wavelengths of light, scientists can track how material on the sun moves. Such movement, in turn, holds clues as to what causes these giant explosions.

SDO is the first mission in a NASA's Living With a Star program, the goal of which is to develop the scientific understanding necessary to address those aspects of the sun-Earth system that directly affect our lives and society.



Do you know that each constellation of zodiac has different stars? For example, in Capricorn the main star is called ALGEDI.

Which is your zodiacal sign and what is your main star?

Monday, October 14, 2013

Unit 1 - The Universe - The galaxies and our galaxy: the Milky Way


Hello space explorers!

 Galaxies are systems composed by stars, gases and dust. Examples of galaxies range from dwarfs gallaxies, with as few as ten million stars (10^7) to giants galaxies, with a hundred trillion stars (10^14).

NGC 4414, a typical spiral galaxy

They are normally spiral, eliptical or irregular. The only difference between the three is what shape they are. 

The Local Group
There are billions of galaxies in our Universe. Most of these are clumped together in small groups. Our own galaxy which is called The Milky Way Galaxy lies within a group of galaxies that we call The Local Group.
The Local Group consists of about 30 galaxies. The three largest are The Andromeda Galaxy, The Milky Way Galaxy, and Triangulum.

The Local Group of Galaxies

THE MILKY WAY: 


Our galaxy, the Milky Way:
- Diameter: 100 000 light years 
- Thickness: 1 light-yea
- Number of stars: 400 billion.


CHECK THIS AMAZING VIDEO!

Time-lapse captured in Dakota (USA). Ten seconds of the video is about 2 hours 20 minutes in real time. 

One question: if Milky Way is spiral, why do we see it lineal?

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

Unit 1- The Universe - Observing the universe

Hi dear space explorers!

I have found two interesting videos about Hubble Telescope (in spanish):



If we want to observe the universe from Earth, we have a big problem: the light polution.


Check the following links, they offer information about this problem:






What solutions do you propose?


Monday, September 30, 2013

Unit 1 . Universe . The geocentric and heliocentric models


I find those two videos quite interesting to understand the geocentric and heliocentric models:

VIDEO 1 : GEOCENTRIC AND HELIOCENTRIC MODELS (IN ENGLISH)
VIDEO 2: GEOCENTRISMO E HELIOCENTRISMO (IN SPANISH)

If you want to know more about Galileo's trial, read the following text (in spanish):



UNIT 1: UNIVERSE, STARS AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM - Interesting apps and software



How big is the Universe! In this unit, we will discover the exciting field of astronomy. Before getting into details (we will study details in the following sessions), I would like you to take a look to the following apps, and software:


  • ANDROID APPs (look for both in Google play)
    • mapa estelar
    • google sky map
  • SOFTWARE:
    • Space Engine, to download it (attention: 582 Mb) click here

Do you find them interesting? Thanks for your comments.

Bienvenue! Welcome! 歡迎! Willkommen! Benvenuto! 반갑습니다! Seja bem-vindos! Bienvenidos!


Welcome to MAD ABOUT SCIENCE blog!

Aquí encontrareis información interesante sobre la asignatura, explicaciones, enlaces de interés, actividades, y todo lo que pensemos que puede ser interesante compartir. Es muy importante vuestra participación, y por ello os pido que visiteis el blog con regularidad y que comentéis las entradas, incluyendo opiniones o información de utilidad. Así todos podremos descubrir el interesante mundo de las ciencias naturales, por cierto, ¿alguien sabe que significa Mad about science?




Aprovechamos esta bienvenida para recordarte los criterios de evaluación de la asignatura pinchando aquí.
Por último, recordad el horario de tutorías del profesor (por favor previo aviso):
- Miércoles de 13:00 a 14:00
- Lunes de 16:00 a 19:00      

Good luck and happy 2013-2014 Science course!!!