In
this individual, self-paced lab, you will explore internet
resources that will be useful for you this semester in your ASTR129
Introductory Astronomy course. You will study several particularly interesting
or useful "sites", and you will be asked a few questions along the
way.
· Explore the
following sites, starting
with #1 through #4 in order (the others you can do in any order).
· Read the
questions carefully; some of them have several parts to them.
· EXPLORE the websites
in detail; don't just look at the home page!
· Then, write a
brief description (a paragraph or so) of what each site contains and how it
might be helpful for Introductory Astronomy.
· I recommend
that you type your report (e.g. a word document) as you go along.
· It will take
you at least 2 hours and at least 2 typed pages (probably more; make sure you
follow the directions completely).
2.
Your lecture
course does not have a home page, but you can learn more about your instructor
at his personal web page located at https://lindnerb.people.cofc.edu/.
3.
Next, visit my
home page ( https://neffj.people.cofc.edu/
).
You will links to the courses I am teaching and other fun stuff. Feel free to
explore the links and offer suggestions on what else should be there. Snooping
around there for a few minutes will give you a pretty good idea of the sorts of
basic things that professors often include in a web site. Find the link (next
to my portrait) that says "My other
links". In the "Astronomy" section, you will find many
useful sites for observatories, publications, and organizations.
4.
There is a
"home page" for your textbook.
You can find it at https://www.whfreeman.com/universe9e/.
You can download movies and pictures and run java "applets". Try one
of these "Active Integrated Media Modules" for one of the Chapters
you've studied. Tell me what you learned. Try the on-line quiz for the chapter
you've most recently read. How'd you do? You should be spending at least an
hour each week using this web site to support what you are doing in lecture and
lab.
5.
Now return to the
home page for this lab course (https://neffj.people.cofc.edu/ASTR129L/).
From the Links to Other
Interesting Sites page, explore and describe EACH of the 4 sites listed
under Tours
of the Solar System. Compare them and describe how they might be useful
this semester.
6.
Pick 3 other
links on the Links
to Other Interesting Astronomical Sites page that look interesting to you.
Spend at least 5 minutes exploring each site. Describe which sites you looked
at, what they include, and how you might use them in the course (at least few
sentences for each site). Note that some of the links on this page quickly get
out of date; I'd appreciate any suggestions you have for new links.
7.
The Space
Telescope Science Institute: https://www.stsci.edu/
This is a great source of the latest pictures and
press releases from the Hubble Space Telescope. But you've got to EXPLORE the
site, not just glance at it. Find
an example of how HST can be used to study the solar system.
8.
The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration: https://www.nasa.gov/home/
NASA has "billions and billions" of internet
sites. You can explore all night if you want. Many of them are pretty mundane,
though. You can get anywhere in the NASA domain (eventually) by starting with
the main home page. From there,
select the "Missions" page (from the bar along the very top of the
page) and then select "current missions". This is a good place to find
links to planetary missions (past, current, and future). To get an idea for
what "space science" means and how/why NASA is involved, go to https://science.nasa.gov/. Read one of the
features under each of the "planets" category. Don't forget to record your thoughts as
you go along.
9.
The Planetary
Society: https://www.planetary.org/
This organization is "dedicated to the
exploration of the Solar system and the search for extraterrestrial life".
It is a highly regarded group (i.e. not a bunch of whackos) that publishes a
magazine and funnels contributions to what it considers to be worthy causes
(e.g. the SETI institute).
10. This is a
treat just for working so hard.
Everyone's favorite website seems to be https://apod.nasa.gov/
(also known as APOD, you can also subscribe on Twitter and Facebook).
We'll explore this site in the internet lab
next semester. For now, just use the
"index" and "search" links at the bottom of today's page to
find something interesting about one of the planets you will be studying this
semester.
Here's tonight's quiz: Now that are experts at this
"surfing" business, use what you've learned to answer the following
questions. Write down the answers AND include a citation to the web site where you
found the information...
2.
We have never had
an up-close look at Pluto, but a spacecraft is on the way.
o What spacecraft will give us our first look at Pluto?
o When will it arrive?
o Will it be a fly-by, an orbiter, a lander,
or some combination of these? Explain.
o What are the main science instruments, and who is
responsible for building them and analyzing the data returned from them?