f. Which is hotter, Mercury or Venus? Why? h. Explain why there are two general families of planets, rocky terrestrial and gaseous jovian. j. What knowledge do comets and asteroids provide to studies of the origin of the solar system?
How the age of rocks can be determined by radioactivity internal structure of the Earth
a. Explain how the age of rocks can be determined by radioactivity. Give an example. b. How can scientists determine the internal structure of the Earth, if the depth of the deepest well is only a tiny fraction of the earth's diameter?
What knowledge do comets and asteroids provide to studies of the origin of the solar system?
What knowledge do comets and asteroids provide to studies of the origin of the solar system?
1) Why are only radio and optic telescopes used on the earth's surface? 2) What is nuclear fusion and how does it work in the sun?
Light is one form of electromagnetic radiation...
a. Light is one form of electromagnetic radiation. What are electromagnetic waves and what other types are there besides light? Compare their wavelengths. b. How can the temperature, composition, and motion of an object be determined from its light spectrum? (Please explain in simple terms, if possible)
Why do astronomers infer that the Sun's energy comes from nuclear fusion reactions...
c. Why do astronomers infer that the Sun's energy comes from nuclear fusion reactions? How do we know it does not come from chemical burning? d. Explain how the Sun produces energy by nuclear fusion. e. When we look at stars in the sky we see a wide range of brightness. Explain the factors that would make one star appear bri ...continues
What is Hubble's Law and its significance?
What is Hubble's Law and its significance? Describe the large-scale structure of the universe. (Please reply in your own words, if possible)
Discussion questions - extraterrestrial intelligent civilization
d. Would it be possible to communicate with an extraterrestrial intelligent civilization? k. Compare the solar system with the Milky Way Galaxy. (They are very different, but the terms are often confused.) l. Describe the nature of the material between the stars, and how is it observed. (Please reply in your own words, ...continues
Astronomy: Sun formation, planet detection, galaxy history
n. Evidence is strong that the formation of the Sun (and its family of planets) happened by the same processes as the formation of stars. Explain. o. How are planets detected around other stars? p. Did the Sun and solar system form in the first half or last half of our galaxy's history? Explain.
Extraterrestrial life research
Explain how the science of astronomy is being validated, updated, and perfected by continuous astronomical research and how this is related to speculation about extraterrestrial life
