Astronomy Unit Reflection

Students will understand that scientists are using knowledge they have of Earth’s surface and atmosphere in search of extraterrestrial life. Explain what you learnt.

Scientists have found what is essential to our living on Earth. For example they have found that oxygen is fundamental to us, without it we would DIE; as well as oxygen we also need water. In case scientists would find another planet were the substances are similar to Earth’s that means that human kind could live on it, also it means that some other species (not animal species, but extraterrestrial life) could survive on it, so life is possible on the planet.

Students will understand that the International Space Station and space probes as well as satellites are excellent tools for further space study. Explain what you have learned.

Advanced technology could reach out and give us more information that if us humans do it with any help it would be very hard or even impossible. That’s why the I.S.S. and any other spaceships, satellites, telescope and other tools can help us a lot. An example is the mars Rover: its aim was to see previous evidence of water on Mars.

Mars Rover

What effects are caused by the motions of Earth and the Moon?

Mainly their motions together make the whole day: day and night. The moon, alone, causes the moon phases, tides and eclipses. Tides occur 4 times a day, there are low and high tides. Earth’s motion also causes seasons. They can also cause equinoxes and solstices. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere it is winter in the southern one; the seasons are inverted.

How has the development of technology and space flight helped astronomers learn more about the other parts of the solar system and the structure of the universe?

Technology surely made discovery easier and it helped them know more about different parts of our solar system. Since place is a massive place (we still don’t know whether it ends or not), humans can’t be taken so much away. That’s what space probes are for! If you think of it, the furthest humans could get until now is the moon, but other tools got further.

How are the conditions in space different from those on Earth? How has space technology benefitted modern society?

In space there’s no gravity, oxygen; and other crucial things for humans. The climate is also different, it could be freezing cold (if you are near Pluto) or super hot (near our sun). Space, is much, much, much bigger than Earth.

Space has benefitted us because it expanded our knowledge and we can know more about things which we can physically see.  

Did you enjoy this unit? Did you feel like this was something of importance to your life to learn about? Did you make any connections in your life while you were studying this unit? What are some things you liked and didn’t like? What are some ways for me to improve this unit, other than making it shorter? :)

I like this unit a lot I kind of knew about the planets, but I had no idea what tides were and I didn’t know anything about the moon phases. I think it is an important unit, it literally explains a lot of things. This unit was also very fun, I never got bored. We watched videos and I really like the project we are working on; also I think that the essay a good way to show what we knew.