www.homeschoolastronomy.com Scope and Sequence: Semester I A list of ideas, concepts and topics covered in the course in addition to recommendations on the order in which they are taught. Tour of the Solar System 3. Definition of a solar system 4. Overview of space program 5. Brief description of current spacecraft speed and life support capabilities 6. Description of our solar system and layout of planets 7. Brief overview of each of the 8 planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune 8. Planetary weather and atmospheres including storms, temperatures and wind patterns 9. Geologic activity 10. Orbital and rotational norms 11. Planet and moon sizes and numbers 12. Planet types including solid and gas and a discussion of density 13. Description of the asteroid belt 14. Comets 15. Observational astronomy 16. Planet name origins 17. Early misconceptions about the planets 18. Earth s uniqueness 19. The Sun and events on its surface including solar tornadoes 20. Test Questions 21. Cross Curricular Activities
Big 3. Explores the concept of size using the Earth, inner planets, outer planets, the Sun and other stars 4. The concept of relativism 5. What numbers really mean 6. The largest star in the galaxy 7. An overview of galaxy size and distance 8. Size, density and gravity 9. Test Questions 10. Cross Curricular Activities Far 3. Explores the concept of distance using various forms of travel and speed including cars, planes, the space shuttle and a beam of light 4. Overview of relativism 5. Overview of speed 6. Planet and moon distances and comparisons including Earth s moon and Pluto 7. Star distances and comparisons 8. Nebulae and galaxy distances 9. Connections between speed and distances 10. Discuss concepts of shape in regard to the earth and the universe 11. Discussion of speed and time 12. Test Questions 13. Cross Curricular Activities Pluto and the Edge of the Solar System 3. Description of a solar system and what defines its boundaries 4. Planet discovery methods and timings 5. In depth discussion of Pluto s discovery, naming and eventual classification as Dwarf Planet 6. Pluto s moons 7. Old and new definitions of a planet 8. The International Astronomical Union and its responsibilities 9. Planetary elliptical orbits 10. The Kuiper Belt 11. Moons of the outer solar system, especially Pluto s and Charon 12. Dwarf Planets including Eris and Ceres 13. Pluto s temperatures and surface features 14. New Horizon space probe s visit to Pluto
15. Test Questions 16. Cross Curricular Activities The Ice Giants: Uranus and Neptune 3. The planets Uranus and Neptune 4. Planet composition of rock and ice 5. The outer solar system 6. Uranus and Neptune s discovery 7. Planetary naming conventions 8. The concept of magnitude 9. Mass and its effect on weight 10. Planetary size and scale 11. Planetary rotational periods and orbits 12. Planet sizes 13. Planetary weather phenomena including cloud patters, temperatures and wind speeds 14. Uranus and Neptune s geological activity including geysers 15. Distance within the solar system especially as compared to the Earth and the Sun 16. Planet hunting and discovery methods as related to observation and mathematical calculations 17. Scientist William Herschel 18. Telescopes 19. Naked eye astronomy 20. Night and day cycles 21. Moons including geological activity 22. Infrared light and photography in exploring objects at a distance 23. Planetary rings and their composition 24. Planetary phases 25. Test Questions 26. Cross Curricular Activities Jupiter and Saturn: The Gas Giants 3. Planetary composition including discussions of Gas Planets, Ice Planets and Terrestrial Planets 4. Gas Giant planetary composition and similarities to stars 5. Location and discovery of Jupiter and Saturn Jupiter 6. Jupiter s rotation, day night cycles and orbit around the Sun 7. Jupiter s size and temperature with comparisons to Earth 8. Jupiter s weather including lightening and tornadoes and patters on the surface 9. The Great Red Spot 10. Mass and weight
11. Overviews of the four major moons of Jupiter: Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto 12. Scientist Galileo Galilee and the discovery of Jupiters moons in relation to our understanding of astronomical bodies and the orbits 13. Extreme volcanic activity on Jupiter s moon Io 14. Oceans under Callisto and Europa 15. Jupiter s rings 16. Voyager I and II space crafts 17. Elliptical orbits 18. Jupiter s collision with comets 19. Jupiter s effect on Earth Saturn 20. Saturn s rings: discovery, composition, gaps interaction with moons 21. Retrograde motions 22. Scientists Christiaan Huygens and Giovanni Cassini 23. Saturn s moons and their relationship to the rings 24. Wave maker moons 25. Saturn s size, distance, orbital and rotational information 26. Saturn s weather 27. Points of reference in space 28. Discussion of density 29. Saturn s moon Titan 30. Cassini space craft and mission 31. Test Questions 32. Cross Curricular Activities Mars: The Haunting Red Planet 3. Discovery and name origins 4. Observing Mars from Earth 5. Position in the solar system as compared to the Sun and the Earth 6. The origins of misconceptions about surface features spawning myths about life and canals on Mars 7. Mars surface features including coloring, ice caps, etches, craters, volcanoes and canyons 8. Mars in popular culture including Martians, movies and science fiction 9. Exploring Mars with a telescope, from orbit and from the surface 10. History of missions to Mars and current mission status including Odyssey, Spirit, Opportunity, Mars Express and Reconnaissance Orbiter 11. Discussion of humans visiting Mars 12. Mars landing methods including airbag crash landings 13. Cameras on Mars 14. Martian weather including sand storms, dust devils, temperatures and seasons 15. Similarities and differences between Mars and Earth 16. Introduction to occultations 17. Martian moons Phobos and Deimos
18. Introduction to the concept of escape velocity 19. Martian meteorites on Earth 20. Colonization of Mars 21. Test Questions 22. Cross Curricular Activities The Mighty Sun and the Cooking of Mercury 3. Size of the Sun as compared to the Earth and other planets 4. Nuclear fusion the Sun s energy 5. The Sun s gravity and its effect on the solar system 6. Temperature variations 7. Sun spots 8. Magnetic storms 9. Sun s rotation on its axis and orbit around the center of the galaxy 10. Surface Features: Solar tornadoes, Spicules, Solar prominences, Coronel Loops, 11. The solar activity cycle: Solar minimum and maximums 12. Solar Atmospheres: Photosphere, Chromosphere and Corona 13. Concept of Transits: Transits of Mercury, Venus and artificial satellites 14. Solar Eclipses 15. The Sun s storms, Earth s magnetic fields and the Aurora 16. Overview of Mercury s surface and atmosphere 17. Mercury s proximity to the Sun and temperature variations 18. Water on Mercury 19. Observing Mercury from Earth 20. Mercury s orbital period, rotation and day/night cycle 21. Exploring Mercury with the Mariner and Messenger probes 22. Discussion of Gravity Assists 23. Test Questions 24. Cross Curricular Activities So you Think you Know the Moon 1. The moon s effect on people, the Earth and its oceans 2. Overview of atmospheres 3. Craters 4. The moon s size as compared to the Earth s 5. Manned missions to the moon: dangers, political implications, preparations, the flight and the aftermath 6. Moon weather 7. What we left on the moon 8. Who will go to the moon next? 9. Lunar effects: large harvest moons, moon halos, moon dogs, Earthshine 10. Lunar eclipses
11. Overview of Transits 12. Overview of Occultations 13. Moon phases and orbit 14. Our future on the moon Manned Space Exploration 3. Humanity s next steps in space 4. The Apollo moon landings including the political climate that let up to them 5. Exploration and the human spirit 6. The Space Shuttle program and reusability 7. Achievements and components of the Space Shuttle Program 8. Failures of the shuttle program: The Challenger and Columbia disasters 9. The dangers of space flight 10. The International Space Station 11. Preparing for Mars: Equipment and people 12. The effects of weightlessness on the human body 13. Living in space longer term 14. The Space Shuttle s replacements: US private industry and the Russian Soyuz crafts 15. The X Prize and private industry in space 16. Test Questions 17. Cross Curricular Activities Extreme Phenomena 3. Supernovae 4. Brief discussion of Black Holes 5. General discussion of density 6. General discussion of different types of light like X rays 7. Life Cycle of a Star 8. Death of a star 9. Composition of a star 10. Similarities and differences between stars and large gas planets 11. Brief discussion and definition of nebulae 12. Star temperature 13. The Sun as a star 14. Red Giants 15. Quasars 16. Pulsars 17. White Dwarfs 18. Neutron Stars 19. Extended discussion of Black Holes
20. Test Questions 21. Cross Curricular Activities The Milky Way and other Galaxies 2. Warm up Activities 3. Perspective 4. Definition and characteristics of a galaxy 5. Description and location of the Milky Way 6. Galaxy clusters and number of galaxies and stars in the universe 7. The local group of galaxies 8. Dwarf galaxies and Magellanic Clouds 9. Hemispheres 10. Seasons and Earth s axis 11. Types of galaxies: Spiral Irregular elliptical 12. Logarithmic spirals and universal recurring patters 13. Types of galaxies: Barred Spiral Lenticular 14. Causes of galactic shapes 15. Black Holes and Supermassive Black Holes 16. Observing galaxies in different light such as infrared 17. Scientist Edwin Hubble 18. Cepheid Variable stars 19. Dark Matter and Dark Energy 20. Star clusters 21. Nebulae: Emission Planetary and Reflection 22. Naming conventions 23. Test Questions 24. Cross Curricular Activities Constellations and Planets: The Story of the Night Sky 3. Our ancestors and the night sky stories 4. Strategies for always knowing where the planets are in the sky 5. The Big Dipper and Orion 6. The constellations and why they change seasonally 7. The celestial sphere 8. Perspective 9. Cassiopeia 10. Star movements 11. Longitude and Latitude 12. Light pollution 13. Plane of the ecliptic 14. Star patterns and constellations compared
15. Pointer stars 16. The pole star (North Star) 17. Finding the Andromeda galaxy using pointer stars 18. Pleiades 19. Memorizing the constellations using stories 20. The Milky Way galaxy in the sky 21. Finding the planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in the sky 22. Retrograde motion 23. Test Questions 24. Cross Curricular Activities