The Sun

A) There are many different patterns in solar activities. These solar activities include the sunspot cycle, solar flares, and solar wind. Sunspots are the result of shifting magnetic field inside the sun. The sunspot cycle fluctuates with the number of sunspots and peaks every 11 years. During this period the sunspots "migrate from about 35 degrees north and south latitude toward the sun's equator." If the sunspots are plotted on a map during this 11 year period they make the shape of a butterfly's wings. Solar flares are "a sudden, rapid, and intense variation of brightness." A pattern of a solar flare includes a disruption of the sun's internal magnetic field. This is caused by a "magnetic twisting" that keeps building until the breaking point then burns into a solar flare. Solar wind is a "stream of energized, charged particles, primarily protons and electrons, flowing outward from the sun." A pattern for solar wind is the expanding and contracting of sun's internal magnetic field.

B) Most of the solar activities have an effect on Earth. One of these effects on Earth is auroras. Auroras are natural light displays in the sky that are also known as the Northern lights because they usually occur at high latitudes. The causes for auroras are solar winds on the sun. As solar winds travel to Earth, they interact with the Earth's magnetic field and create auroras. Also solar activities such as solar flares can disrupt radio and satellite communications. Solar flares can disrupt radio and satellite communications and power grids because they are high energy particles and release radiation that act as an electromagnetic pulse. Theses solar flares never reach the Earth's surface because we are protected by the Earth's magnetic field.

C) Nuclear fusion and other processes in stars have led to the formation of all other chemical elements because of the high temperatures and pressures in the cores of the stars. In order for two nuclei to fuse it takes a large amount of energy to do so even if the element is small like hydrogen.       


Bibliography
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/n/nuclear_fusion.htm. Science Daily. Nuclear Fusion. 2013.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind. Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Solar Wind. 23 May 2013.


 
http://www.noaa.gov/features/monitoring_0209/images/aurora7.jpg



http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/images/solar_flares_h-3.jpg



http://www.klimadebat.dk/forum/vedhaeftninger/butterfly2.jpg

The Earth in Space

A) Earth's solar system is located in the Milky Way Galaxy. Our solar system in the Milky Way galaxy is located on the outer edge of the galaxy. The size of our galaxy is about 80,000-120,000 light years across but only 7,000 light years thick. For our solar system to complete one cycle/orbit around the Milky Way it takes about 200-250 million years while we are moving about 155 miles per second. "The universe is made up of voids and filaments, which can be broken down into super clusters, clusters, galaxy groups, and subsequently into galaxies." The age of the universe is about 13.7 billion years ago. The way we know that the universe was formed about 13.7 billion years ago was because of background radiation.

B) The definition of the Big Bang Theory is a theory that the universe originated sometime between 10 and 20 billion years ago from the cataclysmic explosion of a small volume of matter at an extremely high density and temperature. It is said that the universe was "significantly smaller than a pore on your skin" and has been increasingly expanding. As the universe expanded, clumps of matter would come together due to gravitaional attraction to form stars and galaxies.

C) The way we can tell the age of the universe is by cosmic microwave background. Cosmic microwave background is photons that have cooled as the universe has expanded and have stopped interacting. The Doppler Effect tells us that when sound moves it makes a different frequency when it's moving toward us and away from us. This has the same effect on light. By determining different frequencies on the cosmic microwave background we are able to tell if an object is moving toward us or moving away from us. The way we determine the different frequencies of light is because they show up as different colors.

Bibliography
http://www.learner.org/courses/physics/glossary/definition.html?invariant=cmb. Learner. Cosmic Microwave Background. 2010.
http://lcogt.net/education/article/milky-way-galaxy. Las Cumbres Observatory. The Milky Way Galaxy. 2012.




http://mail.colonial.net/~hkaiter/astronomyimagesB/milky_way.jpg



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/CMB_Timeline300_no_WMAP.jpg/600px-CMB_Timeline300_no_WMAP.jpg



http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/media/ContentMedia/990015b.jpg

Waste Water Treatment

Two things I learned from the from the trip to the water treatment plant was that it was designed to treat a daily flow of 1.1 million gallons of waste water and it was constructed in 1954. Before we went to the wastewater treatment plant I thought it would be boring and would smell really bad. I learned that it didn't smell as bad as I thought it would be, gravity is used to help them flow the water throughout the plant, and they use microorganisms to help clean the water of bacteria and wastes. My overall reaction on going to the wastewater treatment plant was that it was pretty interesting and it put it into perspective of how much water a day comes through the plant since no one really realizes where the water goes down the sink or toilet.

The Grand River

Two things I learned while reading the links were that the Grand River is about 5,660 square miles and it is significantly cleaner today than it was 30 years ago. Before we went to the Grand River to run our water test I thought it would be simple and fun. While at the river I learned some new animals that lived in the river, the river isn't very clean compared to the fecal coliform count, and the river isn't as deep as I thought it'd be. Working with the kids was definitely a good thing because it was fun teaching them how to do the tests and show them the animals. My overall reaction the field trip was a positive one because we got to help kids learn and get some fresh air.

Red Planet

The five things that I saw in the movie and that he talked about were the probes sent to Mars with algae, nuclear weapons were detonated on the north pole, the astronauts don't need their suits, artificial gravity, and the HAB module.

Algae probes: In the movie we never saw it but we were told that it had already been done. I thought it was an interesting way to produce an atmosphere. Dr. Plait believes that this idea could be realistic.
Nuclear weapons: Like the algae we never got to see this happen in the movie. I thought it is completely realistic since we have nuclear weapons today. He thought the idea was completely plausible.
Astronauts suits: The astronauts were about to die of no oxygen until Gallagher takes his helmet off and can breathe. I thought that it was sort of fake because it was a big coincidence. Dr. Plait thought the same as I did.
Artificial gravity: In the movie the astronauts can walk around on the ship instead of floating. I thought it was cool but I don't think it's really possible. However, Dr. Plait thought it was cool and how it turned on and off on them.
HAB module: This is the structure that is on Mars and where the astronauts will be staying. I thought the module being destroyed randomly didn't make any sense and was a turning point in the plot. Dr. Plait said that it was destroyed somehow and I think it was the bugs that ate the module.

Watching this movie relates to what we are doing in our bio-bottles because we're trying to grow plants in them. In the movie they are trying to produce oxygen by using algae and create an atmosphere to live in. On Mars the astronauts come in to contact with a blizzard that is 50 degrees below 0. I believe this is because that Mars is colder since it is farther away from the Sun than Earth is. There were also many similarities in that Mars has about the same number of hours of daylight as Earth.

On Earth day I helped out one of our group's projects with cleaning up the courtyards. I did this because it is important to help keep the Earth clean. At school and home I could use less energy by turning of the lights more often. I could get my friends and I to help clean up trash in town as a way to clean up the community.

1. My footprint from the calculator is 69.
2. Three ways I could improve my footprint would be eating more organic foods, car pooling, and recycle more.
3. Three things that can be changed in our community are using less electricity, more car pooling, and producing more organic foods.

Project Responsibilities

My responsibilities for our Do Something project is to find ten facts on one of the sources that we used. My group is doing the project on solar panels. Another responsibility for me to do in our group is to help with the research and the typing.

Planet Walk

Today in Global Science we went on a planet walk. The planet I chose was Uranus and my partner was Wyatt. While doing the planet walk, I realized how big our galaxy was to scale. Being Uranus we had one of the longest walks to go on. It really put into perspective for me on how large our galaxy is and how even larger the universe is.

Bad Astronomy

1. Sun: Under visible light the sun looks as it does everyday, yellow orangish. The sun under x-rays you're able to see the sun spots and the sun is more red than in visible light. You can also see the heat radiation the sun gives off. Under the radio waves the sun is mainly blue colored and has different colored spots almost like a doppler radar.
2. Saturn: Under visible light Saturn is gray and you're able to see the planet's rings. Saturn under x-rays is light in the middle then a lot of different colors that are blurred. Under the radio waves scope Saturn is red in the planet and the rings are blue.
3. Cygnus A: Cygnus A under visible light is a small sphere that is orange and yellow. Under x-rays it is about 5 times bigger than visible light and the center is yellow while the outer layer is red. And under the radio waves scope Cygnus A is faded red and has two yellow spheres in the middle.
4. Betelgeuse: Betelgeuse under visible light is a small sphere that is also orange and yellow. Under x-rays Betelgeuse is not visible. Under the radio waves scope it is large and blue except the middle where it looks like different colors on a doppler radar.
5. NGC 7027: NGC 7027 under visible light looks almost like butterfly wings and is reddish purple. Under x-rays it is red and yellow with no clear shape. And under the radio waves scope NGC 7027 is mainly yellow with a thin outer blue layer.


1. Bad Moon Rising
Before I believed that we have set foot on the moon and it wasn't faked. I learned that it is possible to pass through the Van Allen belt and not be exposed to dangerous doses of radiation.

2. The Sky At Night
Before I thought that stars were either white or a couple different colors like red,blue, and yellow. I learned that stars can be any one of the colors of the rainbow.

3. A Step Farther Out
Before I thought that there was a possibility of there being a Planet X, but now I learned that there is no such planet anywhere.

This trimester in Global Science I would like to learn about the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. I would also like to learn more about how these spheres interact everyday. Another subject in Global Science that I would like to learn about is the number of hours in a day and how they change constantly. And I'd like to learn about how these spheres have changed over time. I think that taking obsevations of these processes from each sphere can be exciting and fun.

I know a little about computers and technology but this is my first time blogging. I have had experience with blogs before in the first and second trimesters for Mr. Beals class. He would use his blog to post our homework and other assignments. Also I have had experience in researching topics on the internet. I now know how to create my own blog and I would like to learn how to start blogging.