The space beyond the milky ways is very dark and cold beyond one's wildest dreams.
Summary
When we look at the night sky, we see stars and the nearby planets of our own solar system. Many of those stars are actually distant galaxies and glowing clouds of dust and gases called nebulae. The universe is an immense space with distances measured in light years. The more we learn about the universe beyond our solar system, the more we realize we do not know. Students are introduced to the basic known facts about the universe, and how engineers help us explore the many mysteries of space.
This engineering curriculum meets Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Engineering Connection
Engineers design tools that help us analyze the mysteries of the universe. They design instruments and spacecraft to explore and investigate our solar system and beyond, including black holes and other universe phenomena. The spacecraft Voyager 1, for example, is exploring space beyond the outer planets to the outer limits of the Sun's sphere of influence. The spacecraft is equipped with tools for measuring the solar winds and Sun's outermost magnetic fields. We are able to explore our solar system and the universe due to the creative work of thousands of engineers.
Learning Objectives
After this lesson, students should be able to:
Describe our solar system as just one tiny part of the Milky Way galaxy and the universe beyond.
List two tools that help in the exploration for other planets.
Explain several ways in which engineers help advance the exploration of the universe.
Introduction/Motivation
Ever since Galileo peered through one of the earliest telescopes and observed spots on the Sun, humans have been making observations and asking a lot of questions about the nature of the universe. When was the universe formed? How was it formed? How big is it? Are there other planets out there?
Our solar system, with planets that orbit the Sun, is just a tiny part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is just a tiny part of the entire universe. Until 1991, the eight planets in our solar system were the only ones that we knew existed. Well, we now know better! With engineers designing more advanced equipment, we have found more than 200 other planets orbiting around different stars in our galaxy! Some of these stars might even be bigger than our own Sun. It is difficult to know if other planets are out there because they are so far away. It is harder to find planets the size of Earth, because Earth is really a very small planet. Imagine trying to find another planet the size of Mercury!