the cosmic calendar Starter Quiz Questions Initial answer

the cosmic calendar

Starter: Quiz Questions Initial answer Q 1. What is the approximate age of the Universe? Q 2. The first humans appeared on Earth approximately. . . Q 3. Where did the Universe come from? Q 4. How do we know how old the Sun is? Q 5. What might we look like today if hominids on Earth had evolved a million years earlier? Q 6. has the Universe always been here? Q 7. Why is there a Universe? 2 Final answer

The Cosmic Calendar Activity Imagine. . . compressing the history of the Universe into 12 calendar months – take age of Universe to be 15 billion years for this activity Jan 1 Dec 31 Big Bang Today Then, each calendar month represents 3 ? billion years?

What to do. . . Cut and Paste the 12 -month Calendar onto poster paper to create one long TIME LINE Cut out the given 10 Events from the handout and decide on their probable order on the TIME LINE Place each Event under the month you predicted the Event occurred and say why you think it should go there Predict the day of the month that you think the Event occurred Now, check with the dates that scientists have worked out for these events. How did your predictions compare? 4

December Task Select 10 events from the list on the next slide and try to find out when these events occurred. Then draw up your own calendar on poster paper for the month of December - make the box for December 31 st extra large! Place these events on the appropriate days/hours/minutes/seconds of December – e. g. stone tools made their appearance on December 31 st at (approx) 23: 00 hrs! DECEMBER Sunday 5 7 14 21 28 Monday 1 8 15 22 29 Tuesday 2 9 16 23 30 Wednesday 3 10 17 24 31 Thursday 4 11 18 25 Friday 5 12 19 26 Saturday 6 13 20 27

Events for December (select 10) The appearance of Proconsul and 6 Ramapithecus – ancestors of apes and humans The first human beings appear Dinosaurs become extinct System of canals formed on Mars First trees appear The first worms Indian arithmetic and the invention of Zero and Decimals End of the last ice age The first flowers appear Use of Hubble telescope First primates appear Development of oxygen atmosphere on Earth The first amphibians appear Birth of Sir Isaac Newton The settling of Europeans into North America Discovery of agriculture First dinosaurs appear First cities of Neolithic Age Invention of computers The time of the astronomer Aristarchus Euclidean geometry Plankton first appears in oceans The Roman empire The Jurassic period Use of fire by Peking man First insects appear Paintings on cave walls in Europe The Bronze Age Extensive use of Stone tools Mayan civilization

Questions to ponder & investigate. . . How old is the sun compared to other stars? Why were calendars first used? Ø Why do we use calendars today? Ø What other calendars exist(ed)? How were they drawn up? Ø How have calendars changed over time? Why would some people disagree with the time- scale of the Cosmic Calendar? Why do we remember the past and not the future? 7

? w o n k u o y d Di of the 8 e m e e h g c a s r e e v th a n i n h a t i , r W a d n e s l i a s r C a c i e y 0 8 Cosm 0 7 of y l e e t f i l a n im x o r p huma p a o t t n e l ! a s v i d u n q o e c e s c i m s o c 6 1. 0

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Extra Activity Make your own Cosmic Spinner from instructions on the website: http: //www. astrosociety. org/education/astro/act 2/co smicprint. html 10

Cosmic calendar activity: suggested answers Jan 1 15 Billion years ago Feb 17 13 Billion years ago Mar 14 12 Billion years ago Sept 12 4. 5 Billion years ago Sept 24 4 Billion years ago The Big Bang The First Galaxies Formed Globular Clusters Formed The Sun and Solar System Formed The First Life on Earth Dec 18 560 Million years ago Dec 22 400 Million years ago Dec 25 248 Million years ago Dec 31 11: 53 pm 200, 000 yrs ago Dec 31 11: 59 pm 30, 000 yrs ago Marine Plant and Animal Life Formed First Amphibians Appeared The Earliest Dinosaurs Appeared Homo Sapiens First Human Appeared Hunter. Gatherer Societies 11