Sunday, November 28, 2010

How to find the Andromeda Galaxy ( 2 1/2 million light years away)

Use the star chart above and the link provided   ( how to find M31 ) to find the Andromeda Galaxy (also known as M-31) which is a large (200,000 light years across) spiral galaxy near our own.  That's if you consider ~ 2.5 million light-years away, close.  This is the most distant object you can see with a telescope. The link to identify satellites and the space station is located to the right of this page (heavens-above).

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Geology and Astronomy Internet Lab Activities (moon landing sims)

Lab activity site: :http://www.classzone.com   type in "keyword block" the activity number in the upper left of your worksheet.

VIRTUAL EARTHQUAKE ACTIVITY:  Calculate the epicenter and the magnitude of an earthquake in the United States.   http://www.sciencecourseware.org/virtualearthquake/VQuakeExecute.html?x=153&y=55 

MAKE A EARTHQUAKE  (simulation) : Questions in notebook:   1.What type of building construction is the best in a major earthquake?  2. Which type of ground is the worse even in a "minor" earthquake?  3. What type of construction is the worse, even in a minor quake?  http://tlc.discovery.com/convergence/quakes/interactives/makeaquake.html

Rock and Mineral Identification Activity:  Place all answers in your notebook.



LUNAR LANDER SIMULATIONS:
1) http://lander.dunnbypaul.net/
2) http://www.sebleedelisle.com/games/moonlander/

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Friday Night Observations on the Boardwalk

There will be a night observation session on the Lake Mohawk boardwalk this Friday, Nov. 12 (weather permitting) from 5:30-6:30. We will observe the planet Jupiter and it's 4 large "moons" along with the first quarter Moon through an 8 inch telescope.  Also at 6:28 there will be a pass of the International Space Station.