The Universe Visual Vocabulary Learning Objectives SC 912

The Universe Visual Vocabulary

Learning Objectives • SC. 912. E. 5. 1: Cite evidence used to develop and verify the scientific theory of the Big Bang (also known as the Big Bang Theory) of the origin of the universe • SC. 912. E. 5. 2: Identify patterns in the organization and distribution of matter in the universe and the forces that determine them

Big Bang Theory • The universe began as very hot, small, and dense, with no stars, atoms, form, or structure (called a "singularity") • 14 billion years ago space expanded very quickly (thus the name "Big Bang"), resulting in the formation of atoms, which eventually led to the creation of stars and galaxies

Universe • Is commonly defined as everything that exists • It includes all kinds of physical matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and all the contents of space.

Red Shift • How astronomers tell the distance of any object that is very far away in the Universe.

Cosmic Radiation • Also known as Cosmic Microwave Background • This is when radiation fills the universe and can be detected in every direction • Created shortly after the Big Bang, it is the earliest radiation that can be detected

Light Year • It’s the distance light travels in one year.

Galaxy • A collection of stars, gas, and dust bound together by gravity • The smallest galaxies may contain only a few hundred thousand stars, while the largest galaxies have thousands of billions of stars.

Local Group • The Milky Way is just one galaxy • It is located in a vast cluster of galaxies known as the Local Group • This group contains more than 50 galaxies (mostly dwarf galaxies) • The total size of the Local Group is 10 million light-years across, and it’s estimated to have a mass of 1. 29 billion solar masses

Galaxy Clusters • Consists of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity

Super Clusters • A group of neighboring clusters of galaxies or local galaxies • They are among the largest known structures in the cosmos

Galactic Cannibalism • The collision of two galaxies and the parts of one galaxy is absorbed into the other galaxy

Super Massive Black Holes • Largest type of black hole • It has hundreds of thousands to billions of solar bodies • It is found in the center of almost all currently known massive galaxies

Quasars • A massive and extremely remote celestial object • It emits very large amounts of energy • It has a star-like image in a telescope • Quasars may contain massive black holes and may represent a stage in the evolution of some galaxies

Nebula • A nebula is a cloud of gas and dust in space • Some nebulae (more than one nebula) are regions where new stars are being formed • Others are the remains of dead or dying stars

Star Clusters • A group of stars that share a common origin and are gravitationally bound for some length of time

Milky Way Galaxy • The galaxy that contains our Solar System • Its name "milky" is derived from its appearance as a dim glowing band arching across the night sky whose individual stars cannot be distinguished by the naked eye