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ASTRONOMY II

The Sun and Stars

In an effort to understand the Sun and stars, class work will start off with an in-depth investigation into the nature and properties of light.   Following the light investigations students will explore the history of nuclear reactions (fission and fusion) in an effort to understand the energy source for stars.     After examining the life of a stars,  students will explore a bit about star clusters, Galaxies and other objects in deep space.  

The Sun

The Sun- This video lesson discusses the formation, structure and characteristics of the Sun, our closest star.

Stars Part I

This video lesson describes information we can learn about stars.   Magnitude, size, mass, motion, composition and temperature.

Stars Part II - Distance

This video lesson describes various methods for determining stellar distances.  Including parallax, comparing magnitude and an introduction to Doppler shift. 

Stellar Evolution

This video lesson describes the evolution or the life cycle of a typical sun-sized star.

Star Clusters and Galaxies

This video lesson is an introduction to star clusters and galaxies.

Star Death

What happens to a star when it dies?  This video lesson describes Novas and Supernovae.

Neutron Stars and Black Holes

This video lesson describes the left-over remnants from violent supernova explosions.   

Additional Resources
sm spectrum.jpg
Light
Physcial Chemical Nuclear
Reactions

Parallax Animation

This is the brief video animation of how the 6 month parallax angle is determined. 

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