Extra Credit!!!!

Here it is, my friends. Please try hard and help yourself out. You must answer 5 of the 10 questions for the extra credit!!!

Question #1: Which planet has the most moons?

Question #2: How hot is it on Venus?

Question #3: List two reasons why Pluto is no longer considered a planet.

Question #4: What's the difference between a meteor and a meteoroid?

Question #5: Where do we believe most comets originate?

Question #6: How old do we think the Sun is? How long before it dies?

Question #7: Does the Sun rotate? If so, how long does it take?

Question #8: What is the largest known asteroid called? Where is it located in our solar system?

Question #9: Is Saturn the only planet that has rings? If not, what others have rings around them?

Question #10: Name the order of the planets from closest to furthest from the Sun.

Good luck.

Extra credit before break

Please check out the moon phases each night. We've been logging the moon phases and the tides and I think it is important that you see the actual moon phase. It will help you put a face with a name. Watch how it changes over spring break and see if you can't get a grip on why it does. Also, extra credit questions will be posted tomorrow. Be sure to check them out and help your grade over break.

Question of the day: Is it possible for a planet to have a day that is longer than it's year? Explain.

Special Guests

I'd like to thanks James Stevens and Corey Stranick (former students) for presenting their research projects today in our classes. I hope you found their projects interesting and fun, much like I did.
Get some rest and mentally prepare yourself for the next (last) two days of DSTP testing.

Question of the day: If light travels 186,000 miles per second, how far is a light year?

Galactic Address

Most people can tell you there phyical address, such as 1314 Pine Ave, New York, NY. But what about Earth's address? Where do we fit in among the stars? Today we investigated this question. The purpose of this is to allow your brain to freely "zoom in" and "zoom out" to any object within our universe although you've never been there. It's a skill that taps into your spatial intelligence. To practice this skill try using Google Earth or the program Celestia (introduced in class- free download). Explore our Earth and beyond. Familiarize your brain with what surrounds it on Earth and in the universe.

Extra Credit can be found on www.nasa.gov

Question of the day: If the Sun sends white light to Earth, then how come it looks yellow?

DSTP Week

I know this week is tough on everyone. Our schedule's are upside down and the lack of continuity make for a tough learning environment. Please make sure you are well rested for the testing each day and that you eat a full breakfast. Lunches will be pushed back later in the day because of testing (approx 1:00pm each day).
As for science, keep checking out the website www.nasa.gov for current news and tutorials on what we discuss in class. There will be no homework this week, but class participation is expected from EVERYONE. If you are in need of extra credit, see me. I have some ideas.
Good luck on your tests!

Activity One

Today was spent learning what we did and did NOT know in Astronomy. The pre assessment was given on the 4th grade curriculum (True and false worksheet). Please keep that in your folders.
I have asked that your journals have a table of contents page and page one should have the following items:

1. List two things you already know about astronomy (stars, planets, sun, moon, etc...)

2. List two things you want to learn about astronomy in this unit. (keep in mind, you may ask these questions at our visual conference with the professors from Chico State.)