Our Place in the Universe Really just our

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Our Place in the Universe Really just our place in our galaxy.

Our Place in the Universe Really just our place in our galaxy.

Ancient Astronomers • The earth is the center of the universe. • The universe

Ancient Astronomers • The earth is the center of the universe. • The universe consists of the solar system.

The Copernican Revolution • The sun is the center of the universe. • The

The Copernican Revolution • The sun is the center of the universe. • The universe consists of the solar system and surrounding stars. Creative Commons

1800’s: Herschel and Kapteyn • The solar system is the center of the universe.

1800’s: Herschel and Kapteyn • The solar system is the center of the universe. • The universe consists of the Milky Way galaxy. Sun at center All images

Our galaxy so far… Our galaxy is a disk shape with the sun at

Our galaxy so far… Our galaxy is a disk shape with the sun at the center. Sun

Harlow Shapley • Used the distribution of and distance to globular clusters to determine

Harlow Shapley • Used the distribution of and distance to globular clusters to determine the shape of the galaxy Sun is off-center • Globular clusters: gravitationally bound group of tens of thousands of very old stars

Our galaxy so far… Our galaxy is a disk shape, with the sun off-center,

Our galaxy so far… Our galaxy is a disk shape, with the sun off-center, surrounded by a halo of globular clusters. Sun

Central Bulge • When observed using infrared light, there is a bright area of

Central Bulge • When observed using infrared light, there is a bright area of the sky in the direction of the center of our galaxy. • Infrared light can travel past the dust in the disk. • Central bulges are found in most other diskshaped galaxies. Above: Atlas Image courtesy of 2 MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STSc. I/AURA)ESA/Hubble Collaboration

Our galaxy so far… Our galaxy is a disk shape, with the sun off-center,

Our galaxy so far… Our galaxy is a disk shape, with the sun off-center, a central bulge and is surrounded by a halo of globular clusters. Sun

Spiral Arms Using radio waves (a type of EM radiation), clouds of hydrogen can

Spiral Arms Using radio waves (a type of EM radiation), clouds of hydrogen can be found to lie along bands or arms in our galaxy. Creative Commons

Our Place in the Universe Activity

Our Place in the Universe Activity