Teaching Astronomy for Adult Education - Astronomy 101: Sun, Planets, and More!

I. Introduction

   A. Welcome / Names / Course Outline / Plan for Night Observing

   B. Disclaimers

      1. My interest, equipment, study

      2. What I do not know – no science degree, limitations of my equipment (not Hubble!)

      3. My estimations/sources, lots of numbers and pictures, few formulae

      4. I will focus on what, where, compare/contrast, viewing – less on cosmology, how, why.

      5. My faith

         i. Scripture references; no offense: science always has non-Biblical or Biblical foundations

         ii. Genesis 1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Then God made two

         great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made

         the stars also.

         iii. Psalm 8: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the

         stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of

         man that You visit him? (This passage greatly inspired my interest in astronomy!)

   C. Our Solar System in the Spring; Beyond Our Solar System in the Fall!

   D. Ask anything…I’ll try! What are your experiences, interests, and goals here?

II. Home Sweet Home – Earth

   A. Measurements/Other: images

      1. Diameter 8000 miles; circumference 25,000 miles; mass = 6.0 x 10^21 metric tons

      2. Sun is 93 million miles, or 1 AU, or 8 light minutes; Moon is 250,000 miles

      3. Rotation 1000 mph rotation at equator, 700 mph at 45 degrees north; slight bulge

      4. 23-degree axis tilt (seasons); elliptical orbit, at 65,000+ mph

   B. Moon: images

      1. Diameter 2000 miles, 1/80 mass Earth, other moons are < 1/1000 mass of their planets

      2. No atmosphere, no plate tectonics, no wind: the flag and footprints stay unless impacted!

      3. Rotation = orbit; eclipses; no humans since 1970s

      4. Viewing (note the downsides of a full or nearly full moon)

III. Inner Planets

   A. Mercury: images

      1. ~Moon in size and appearance; 5% mass of Earth

      2. 58-day rotation; 88-day orbit; 30-40 million miles from the Sun (very elliptical)

      3. Night -300 F; day 800 F; 0 moons

      4. Viewing

   B. Venus: images

      1. ~Earth in size and mass; Evening/Morning Star

      2. Atmosphere 96% CO2; 100x more pressure than Earth; 900 F

      3. 243-day rotation; 117-day orbit; 0 moons

      4. Viewing

   C. Mars: images

      1. Diameter 4000 miles; 10% mass of Earth; ~Earth in landscape; Martian Rovers

      2. -150 F to 50 F; 24.5-hour rotation; 687-day orbit

      3. Grand Canyon 3000 miles long; Olympus Mons 16 miles high; 2 small moons

      4. Viewing (never appears as big as our Moon!)

IV. Outer Planets

   A. Jupiter: images

      1. Diameter 11x Earth, 10% of the Sun; 300x mass of Earth (> all planets); 3-degree axis tilt

      2. 10-hour rotation (big bulge); 12-year orbit; 5.2 AU from the Sun; -230 F; rings

      3. 50+ moons; Ganymede (biggest in Solar System), Callisto, Io, Europa (< Moon)

      4. Viewing (Galilean moons, cloud belts)

   B. Saturn: PowerPoint Slide Show

   C. Uranus: images

      1. Diameter 4x Earth; 14x mass of Earth; 98-degree axis tilt; -350 F

      2. 17-hour rotation; 84-year orbit; 19 AU from the Sun

      3. 27 moons; methane absorbs red light from the Sun; rings

      4. Viewing; discovered by William Herschel in 1781

   D. Neptune: images

      1. Diameter 3.8x Earth; 17x mass of Earth; 1300 mph winds; -350 F

      2. 16-hour rotation; 165-year orbit, at 12,000 mph; rings

      3. 13 moons, Triton's orbit is opposite to that of the other 12 moons; 0-2 Great Dark Spots

      4. Viewing; discovered by two English and French astronomers in 1846

   E. Pluto: images

      1. Planet? (doesn’t “clear” its orbit); New Horizons in July; 5 moons; Charon and its eclipses

      2. Diameter 1600 miles; .2% mass of Earth; 120-degree axis tilt; 30-50 AU from the Sun

      3. 6-day rotation; 248-year orbit; -370 F; 100 lbs on Earth weighs 7 lbs on Pluto

      4. Viewing; discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930

V. Sun: images

   A. Diameter 110x Earth; 330,000x mass of Earth (99.8% of Solar System); 1.3 million x

   volume of Earth; 28x gravity of Earth; Surface 10,000 F; Core 27 million F

   B. 92% H, 8% He – 27-day rotation at equator, 36-day rotation at poles; 1 light year ~ 6 trillion

   miles; 26,000 light years from Milky Way center; 230 million year-orbit, at 500,000 mph

   C. Burns 600 million tons of H into He every second, producing the energy of 100 billion

   nuclear bombs per second, or one nuclear bomb per aspirin tablet size of solar mass per second

   D. Viewing; solar cycle on average 11 years: sunspots, solar flares, solar prominences, aurora

VI. Other

   A. Solar System scale (Bode’s Law: each planet is ~2x farther; Jupiter is 3.5x beyond Mars)

      Sun                              Basketball                               Center (SGHS)

      Mercury                       Pinhead                                   36 feet

      Venus                          Small Pebble                           Pitcher to home plate

      Earth                           Small Pebble                           1^st base to 2^nd base

      Moon                           Pinhead                                   3” from Earth

      Mars                            Pinhead                                   .5 football field

      Jupiter                         Golf Ball                                  1.5 football fields

      Saturn                          < Golf Ball/Rings: > GB          3 football fields

      Uranus                         Shooter Marble                       Town Pump

      Neptune                       Shooter Marble                       The Grand

      Pluto                            Small Pinhead                         BT Meats/Conoco

      Nearest Star                Basketball                                England

   B. Viewing the night sky – planets, stars, deep sky objects, seasons, tips; Star of Bethlehem

   C. What we are doing in space: ISS, Hubble (25 years), James Webb, other telescopes (plus

   huge ground telescopes); visiting Sun, Planets, Moon; civilian efforts; better science, weather,

   telecommunications, military, and even economics and medicine. Also, plainly, discovery!

VII. Solar System 2.0

   A. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Asteroids

   B. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Meteors

   C. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Dwarf

   D. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Comets

   E. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=KBOs

VIII. Conclusion

   A. Joshua 10: Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the

   Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over

   Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till

   the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun

   stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And

   there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for

   the Lord fought for Israel.

   B. History vs. Science: Scientifically impossible, and here’s why. But what if He did do it?

   The miracle would be all the greater! Moreover, He had a purpose in doing it, and it was for

   the good of His people (like other miracles). God is both mighty and good – that’s why I love

   Him and His creation so much!

Teaching Astronomy for Sunday School (God Knows!)

College? Harvard?

God’s Control

Isa 40 – “To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.

Josh 10 – Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.

Man’s Ignorance

Ancients couldn't see what we can see, but God could, and He knew everything about everything – just as He does now!

Modern debates over Messier objects (Show Pictures, Ask Questions!):

M32; E2/D; 2.5M/5500 LY; 0 GB/OC/GAS/DUST?; LG

M31; ANDROMEDA; SAB/O; 2.5M/130K LY; 300 GB; 25+ SAT GX; LG

M77; CETUS A; SAB/FO; 45M/90K LY; YELLOW */* FORMATION IN NUCLEUS

M45; PLEIADES/7 SISTERS/SUBARU/SORAYA; 400/13 LY; 500~1000 *

M79; V; 40K/100 LY; 40 BSS; FROM CMA DWF GX?

M42; ORION; 1300~1600/25~30 LY; BH?/2000 *?/13 III?

M35; III3R; 3000/25 LY; 200~2500 *

M81; BODE'S; SAA/FO; 12M/90K LY; -30V; 200 GB; < DM; 2M-M82/1M-3077

M82; CIGAR; I0/EO; 13M/40K LY; 200V; 100 GB, FROM M81 FLYBY?; 2M-M81/3077

M65; SAA/O; 40M/120K LY; NOT DEFORMED; LEO1G

M66; SAB/O; 30M/75K LY; DEFORMED; LEO1G

M40; 2 * 9 MAG; 500~2000 LY; F~G/G~K *; 500 LY GAP?/X-NEB?

M87; VIR A; E1P; 55M/110K LY; 12K GB; BH GAS JETS 5000+ LY; VIRGO

M13; V; HERCULES; 25K/120 LY; 100K~1M *; EARLY 1974 ET TARGET

M80; II; 30K/75 LY; 300K *, > B~F; > * COLLISIONS?

M10; VII; 14K/60 LY; 50K *, > CORE BINARY *, SO NO BH CAUSING CORE DENSITY

M27; DUMBBELL; 500-3500 LY

But God knows all about all of these!

God’s Focus on Us…and His Timing

Psa 139 – O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether…Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.

Matt 10 – And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Heb 11 – And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

100% Confidence

Phil 1 – He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

1 Cor 10 – God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Matt 11 – Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Acts 16 – Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

Teaching Astronomy for Sunday School (The Star of Bethlehem)

When did Jesus die?

26 – 33 A.D.

Must fit with the timelines of Pilate, Tiberius, Caiaphas, Herod (Jr.)

He rose again and was seen by more than 500 people (1 Corinthians 15)

When did Herod die?

5 – 1 B.C.

Passover, eclipse, accurate dates, after Jesus’ birth

When was Jesus born?

7 – 1 B.C.

Star, Caesar, before Herod’s death

What was the Star of Bethlehem?

[Matthew 2] Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him…” ⁷ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” ⁹ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

Jerusalem and Bethlehem are just a few miles apart. Also, the Star must have appeared in the evening (in the western sky), and it must not have appeared in the morning, so it must have risen during the morning or afternoon daylight hours.

Planetary conjunctions – Jupiter and Saturn (3x in 7 B.C.); Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars; Jupiter and Venus (very close in 2 B.C.); Jupiter and Regulus (king planet and king star)

Miracle – [Job 38] “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

God could have used natural or supernatural phenomena…

When did the Star appear?

7 B.C. – 1 B.C.

Jesus the baby or Jesus the child; before Herod’s death; beware astrology; we’ll get final answers in Heaven; Jesus' birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection are far more important!

Teaching Astronomy for Sunday School (Basketballs and Toilet Paper)

[Gen 1] Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. [He made] the stars also.

[Gen 15] Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

[Deu 4] “And [take heed], lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and [when] you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.

[Psa 8] When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?

[Psa 147] He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.

[Psa 148] Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!

[Mat 24] “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

If the Sun were a basketball in the Big Timber Evangelical Church, what would the sizes and distances of the planets be?

Sun                             Basketball                                Center (Church)

Mercury                      Pinhead                                   36 feet

Venus                         Pebble                                      Pitcher to home plate

Earth                           Pebble                                     1^st base to 2^nd base

Moon                          Pinhead                                    3” from Earth

Mars                            Pinhead                                   .5 football field

Jupiter                         Golf Ball                                 1.5 football fields

Saturn                          < Golf Ball / Rings: .5 cd       3 football fields

Uranus                         Shooter Marble                       The Fort

Neptune                       Shooter Marble                       High School

Pluto                            Pinhead                                   RR overpass

Nearest Star                 Basketball                               England

Rough relative distances from the Sun to the Planets – in Toilet Paper Squares:

Sun 0               Mercury 2        Venus 4           Earth 5            Mars 8

Jupiter 26        Saturn 48         Uranus 97        Neptune 152   Pluto 200