The Great Pumpkin

In honor of Halloween being last night we have a little mixture of science and Halloween!
Check out the following video!


Leave your thoughts!


Pumpkin Physics

End of the 1st Quarter!

It's hard to believe we have already completed the first quarter!
What has been your favorite part of your science class this year?  What was your favorite activity we have done?   What is something you wish we could have done in our space unit that we did not?  Is there anything you would have changed or done differently?  Leave your thoughts.


Thanks for your input!

Constellations

Check  out the following link.  It provides an alphabetical list of the many constellations we will find in the night sky.  Pick a constellation and give me some information about it.  Tell me it's abbreviation, it's translation, it's position in the night sky, and provide some history about the constellation for me by reading the paragraph at the bottom of the page.


constellations

The evening sky

What happens in our evening sky .. check out the following link!   Leave your thoughts.

What's in the sky?

Dark Matter

Have you ever wondered what holds the universe together?  Have you ever heard the term dark matter before?  Have you wondered what it is all about?  Watch this short video and see a short explanation about dark matter and tell me what you think.


What is dark matter?

Super Nova

What can happen at the end of a star's life cycle?  What do you think will happen to our Sun at the end of its life?  Watch this video clip and tell me what you think.  Will our sun end up this way?  It make take a moment for the video clip to play so be patient.


Super Nova

Sun Spots

Have you ever wondered what a sunspot looks like?  How do they form.  Do they effect Earth?  How long have people known about them?  Watch the video about sun spots and tell me what you think about them.


Sun Spots

Black Holes

Black holes are places where ordinary gravity has become so extreme that it overwhelms all other forces in the Universe. Once inside, nothing can escape a black hole's gravity — not even light.

Yet we know that black holes exist. We know how they are born, where they occur, and why they exist in different sizes. We even know what would happen if you fell into one. Our discoveries have revealed one of the strangest objects in the Universe, and there's still much we don't know.  Click on the link below and follow Hubble into a black hole.  Once on the website click on replay intro to listen about black holes.

Hubble Black Holes

Meteor Shower

What is this expected event?  When is it going to occur?  How often does this occur?  What is the problem that could cause trouble viewing this year?
Read the following link and let me know what else you learned.

Meteor Shower

Once in a Blue Moon ....

Many of you have asked "what is a blue moon?"  Check out the following link!

what is a blue moon

Did you know what a blue moon is?  Did you learn anything new?

What's really burning?

Do you like to burn candles.  I think everyone is fascinated with flame.  Listen to this article and watch the video.  When a candle burns, what really is burning?  Tell me what you learned about flames.  Why would someone study flames?  Is there heat all through the flame?  What is soot? 


mapping flames

Planning Ahead

Now that they have finished all of the Apollo missions, what do they have in store next?  Listen to the following link and leave some notes about what their next steps are in outer space?

What's To Come

Follow Up to the Satellite which fell to Earth

Check out the following link and read the article.

Where did it fall?

What new information did you learn about this satellite and where it fell?

Chinese Enter the Space Age

China launched an experimental spacecraft from the Gobi desert this week. The unmanned Tiangong-1 (which means "Heavenly Palace-1") is expected to orbit Earth for two years. Journalist Miles O’Brien discusses planned docking missions for the craft and China’s space program.  Listen to the article and tell me what you think.  How do you feel about China becoming a space power?  Why do you think the Chinese want to accomplish with their space program?


http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201109304

What are Pterosaurs?

Do you like dinosaurs?  What about the flying pterosaurs?  What do you know about them? David Attenborough has produced dozens of shows and books about how plants and animals live. But his latest, Flying Monsters 3D, takes a look at creatures that have been extinct for around 65 million years--pterosaurs, or flying reptiles--and examines why they may have evolved to fly. Listen to this article and let me know if this is a movie that you would like to see? 


http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201109301