Blog Post Week 7, Earth, Sun, and Moon

 

1. The big question addressed in lab, and a description of what you did.

The question that was addressed in lab was, how big is the solar system? We physically built a scale model of the solar system that included the sun, the earth, and the four inner planets. We started by figuring out our scale, which we had used 375 mm for our scale. We started by creating the sun, and then going off of the math website created our earth and planets out of play do. Using the measuring tape we spaced them out to scale as well. This showed us how big the sun truly was compared to every other planet in our solar system. We also watched a video comparing all the planet sizes to see how truly large our solar system is, and how big the sun is. 

2. A description of what you learned in Thursday's lecture.

One thing that I learned in lecture was that some scientists believe that the moon could have possibly been formed somewhere else. However once it was formed near another planet it got pulled by Earth's gravitational force. Another theory about the moon that I learned about in lecture was the co-formation, which was that the moon formed alongside earth. It came from gas and dust in the same part of our solar system.

2. Answer questions about the weekly textbook reading:

1. What did you learn?

I learned that in 2006 pluto was actually not classified as a planet anymore. The reason that pluto is not classified as a planet anymore is because it doesn't meet the requirement of "clearing the neighborhood." This means that it does not clear their way as it is orbiting, and doesn't attach or eject smaller objects through its course. I also learned that the four inner planets are rocky planets and have a solid surface. While the four outer planets are gaseous planets.

1. What was most helpful?

One thing that I had found most helpful was the specific acronym they created "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nutella." This was helpful to me because I always get confused when trying to remember and recall the order of the planets, so it helps to have something different to remember them by. Another thing that was helpful was the picture with the sun the size of a volleyball and the comparison with all the other planets. This helps me to visualize with physical objects how truly big the sun is.

1. What do you need more information on?

One thing I might need more information on is the specifics of each planets. In this section I had learned the basics about each of the planets but would like more specific information about each of them.

1. What questions/concerns/comments do you have?

I need more explanation on the different tropic lines and the moon phases and shadowing with these. I am still a little confused on these and would like a further explanation.