One of the cutting edge areas of astronomy has to do with the where our solar system ends and where interstellar space begins. The Sun’s influence extends much further than we previously thought and we have just started to explore the outer edges of our home solar system with space probes launched in the 1970’s. What kind of objects are out that far from the Sun?
This Course includes the following great BONUS LESSONS:
The Edge of Interstellar Space
1. Objective
2. Warm-up activity
3. Overview of our Solar System
4. Perspectives on size and distance
5. Brief discussion of the Sun
6. The boundaries of the Solar System
7. Astronomical units of measurement
8. Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs)
9. Scattered-disk objects (SDOs)
10. Dwarf Planets
11. The Kuiper Belt
12. The definition of a planet
13. The dwarf planet Sedna
14. Eccentric orbits and the plane of the Solar System
15. The dwarf planet Pluto
16. The New Horizons mission to Pluto
17. The Asteroid Belt
18. The dwarf planet Ceres
19. Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs)
20. Dwarf planet Haumea
21. Dwarf planet Eris
22. Moons of the outer Solar System
23. The Oort Cloud
24. Short- and long-period comets
25. Absolute zero
26. The interstellar medium
27. The Solar System’s place in the Milky Way Galaxy
28. Bow shock and bow waves
29. The heliopause
30. Termination shock
31. The Voyager and Pioneer missions
32. Test questions
33. Cross-curricular activities
My name is Tony Ceraso and I will be your instructor. I sometimes run the planetarium and have written curriculum for the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. I have also written curriculum for NASA’s school visitation program and teach on the college level in NJ.
My goal is for you to thoroughly enjoy this lesson. I love astronomy and I want nothing more out of our time together than for you to have a greater appreciation for the universe through the understanding of this material. Besides the lesson I’m going to preview for you now, the course includes warm up activities, test questions, and cross-curricular activities for you to download as a supplement.
