PCS 181 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Jupiter Moon, Pseudoscience, Local Group
Document Summary
We live in a big, mysterious universe. It can be described by a small set of rules. Humanity has found a way to figure out the rules: the scientific method. We want to describe the thigs we observe. We want to explain and understand those things. We must appreciate our place in the universe, and our ability to discover, explore and learn. Nebulae: gas clouds, where stars are born, where they die. 8 planets dwarf planets: pluto (first dwarf planet, ceres (the largest dwarf planet) They melt as they get closer to the sun. The solar system > the milky way galaxy > the local group > the universe. Galaxy: made up of billions of stars, there is no actual picture of it. The local group: made up of a few galaxies: andromeda is bigger than the milky way but not very bright, we will be colliding with it in 40 billion years.
