01:750:109 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Light-Year, Star System, Solar System
19 Oct 2018
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Document Summary
Our experience of the sky, models, theories about how we understand the sky, solar system as a whole. Phases of the moon, seasons of the planets, day + night, eclipses, constellations over the year. Can"t see constellations too well (too much light noise/pollution) Stars = mly (millions of light years) Stars further than planets, moon closer than planets. Didn"t know how far away things were until 1600, thought the universe was a small place, not infinite. Star: a large, glowing ball of gas (plasma) that generates heat and light through nuclear fusion. Moderately large, round object that orbits a star. May be rocky, icy, or gaseous in composition. Is large enough for its own gravity to make it round, has cleared most objects from its orbital path (discovered 10 years ago). Moon: object that orbits a planet (all our planets have moons). Asteroid: relatively small and rocky object that orbits a star.
