The Universe and Galaxies
Astronomy
The study of objects and matter outside
the Earth’s atmosphere and of their
physical and chemical properties.
I. What is the universe?
- universe - sum of all matter and energy that
ever has, does, and ever will exist
everything physical that exists in space and
time
- cosmology – the study of how the universe
began, what it is made of and how it
continues to evolve and change
Most things we see in space are
stars
- stars - huge
spheres of hot
gases that emits
light
- stars are grouped
together by the
millions and
billions into
galaxies
A. Astronomical distance
- measured in light years (ly)
a distance
measurement
- light year - the distance
light travels in one year
1 light year = 9.5x1015m
light travels at 3.0x108m/s
II. Galaxies
- galaxy - grouping of millions or billions of
stars, and dust and gas held together by
gravity
- there are an estimated 100 billion galaxies
in the universe
A. 3 Types of Galaxies - classified by shape
II. Galaxies
1. Spiral - disk shaped with spiral arms of
dust and gas
- dust and gas provide a place for new
stars to form
- young stars are
bluish in color
gives spiral
galaxies a blue tint
- looks like a pin wheel
Spiral Galaxies
II. Galaxies
2. Elliptical
most common type of galaxy
- spherical and egg shaped
NO spiral arms,
little dust and gas
- generally have older
stars (reddish in color)
Elliptical Galaxy
II. Galaxies
- Range of sizes
a. Giant - trillions of stars, millions of light
years in diameter
b. Dwarf - millions of stars, thousands of
light years in diameter
II. Galaxies
3. Irregular
least common type of galaxy
- NO well defined shape or structure
- some have little
dust or gas, some
have lots of dust
and gas
Irregular Galaxies
B. Milky Way galaxy
- the galaxy we live in
- consists of stars, and, clouds of dust and
gas between stars (interstellar matter)
- all the stars we see at night are in the Milky
Way galaxy (about 400 billion stars)
Milky Way Galaxy – side view
- a huge spiraling disk of stars and
interstellar matter
1000 l.y. thick
Milky Way Galaxy – overhead view
- A huge bulge in
the center
10,000 l.y. thick
Where Are
We In The
Galaxy?
- Our solar system
is about halfway
between the
center and the
edge of the
galaxy (26,000
light years from
the center)
B. Milky Way galaxy
- the nearest galaxy
to ours is the
Andromeda
galaxy 2.6
million l.y. away
C. Gravity holds galaxies together
- dust and gases and stars are attracted to
each other by gravity
- galaxies are grouped
into clusters group
of galaxies bound
together by gravity
C. Gravity holds galaxies together
- Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are in a
cluster of ~45 galaxies called the
“Local Group”
- Superclusters - have
thousands of galaxies
largest structure
in the universe
Let’s Try!
Textbook pg 219
ROCKS IN SPACE
Asteroids
Made from rocks that orbit the Sun
Size ranging from 2m to 975km across
Irregular shapes
Mostly orbit the sun between Mars and
Jupiter
This part is called asteroid belt
Asteroids
Asteroids
One of the smallest asteroid – Itokawa
About 530m long and 250m wide
Made from lumps of rocks
Rocks have come from other small planets
or moons which have been broken by
impacts
Small asteroid
Some asteroid are made from single
pieces of rock
They are small and spin quickly
Force of gravity is too weak to hold
separate pieces of rocks together
Asteroids and Earth
Scientists think that a large asteroid
impacts the Earth on average once every
130,000 years
Smaller asteroids impact the Earth more
frequently
Asteroids and Earth
The map shows where asteroid impacted
Earth between the years 1994 to 2013
Many asteroids break up in the Earth’s
atmosphere and never reach the surface
Asteroids and Earth
Reasons why asteroids impact with Earth:
The Earth exerts a strong force
Many asteroids have orbits that pass
relatively close to Earth
What Happens If
An Asteroid Hits Earth?
Let’s Try!
Textbook pg 225
