Course Information
Registration period
Year-round Recruitment
Course Level
Study Mode
Duration
1 Hour(s) 58 Minute(s)
Language
English
Taught by
Tony Ceraso
Rating
Course Overview
The Sun's Largest Planets have their own mini-solar systems
These two planets are busy. Find out how these planets save the Earth from being hit by comets and asteroids AND maintain their own mysterious mini-solar systems.
This Course includes the following great BONUS LESSONS:
What on Earth is Astronomy?
Mini-Lesson: Eclipses
Mini-Lesson: Meteor Showers
Mini-Lesson: Aurora
Project Artemis: America Returns to the Moon
1. Objective
2. Warm-up activity
3. Planetary composition, including discussions of gas planets, ice planets and terrestrial planets
4. Gas giants: planetary composition and similarities to stars
5. Location and discovery of Jupiter and Saturn
6. Jupiter’s rotation, day-night cycles and orbit around the Sun
7. Jupiter’s size and temperature in comparison to Earth
8. Jupiter’s weather, including lightening and tornadoes, and patterns on the surface
9. The Great Red Spot
10. Mass and weight
11. Overviews of the four major moons of Jupiter: Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto
12. Scientist Galileo Galilee and the discovery of Jupiter’s moons in relation to our understanding of astronomical bodies and their orbits
13. Extreme volcanic activity on Jupiter’s moon Io
14. Oceans under Callisto and Europa
15. Jupiter’s rings
16. Voyager I and II spacecrafts
17. Elliptical orbits
18. Comets’ collisions with Jupiter
19. Jupiter’s effect on Earth
20. Saturn’s rings: discovery, composition, gaps and interaction with moons
21. Retrograde motions
22. Scientists Christiaan Huygens and Giovanni Cassini
23. Saturn’s moons and their relationship to the rings
24. Wavemaker moons
25. Saturn’s size, distance, and orbital and rotational information
26. Saturn’s weather
27. Points of reference in space
28. Discussion of density
29. Saturn’s moon Titan
30. Cassini spacecraft and mission
31. Test questions
32. Cross-curricular activities
My name is Tony Ceraso and I will be your instructor. I sometimes run the planetarium and have written curriculum for the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. I have also written curriculum for NASA’s school visitation program and teach on the college level in NJ.
My goal is for you to thoroughly enjoy this lesson. I love astronomy and I want nothing more out of our time together than for you to have a greater appreciation for the universe through the understanding of this material. Besides the lesson I’m going to preview for you now, the course includes warm up activities, test questions, and cross-curricular activities for you to download as a supplement.
Course Content
- 10 section(s)
- 10 lecture(s)
- Section 1 Introduction
- Section 2 Main Lesson: Gas Giants
- Section 3 Testing and Answer Key
- Section 4 Activities and Resources
- Section 5 State Curriculum Standards and Dedications
- Section 6 Bonus Lesson: What on Earth is Astronomy
- Section 7 Bonus Mini Lesson - Eclipse
- Section 8 Bonus Mini Lesson - Meteor Showers
- Section 9 Bonus Mini Lesson - Aurora
- Section 10 Bonus Mini Lesson: Project Artemis: America Returns to the Moon
What You’ll Learn
- These two planets are busy. Find out how these planets save the Earth from being hit by comets and asteroids AND maintain their own mysterious mini-solar systems., Planetary composition, including discussions of gas planets, ice planets and terrestrial planets, Gas giants: planetary composition and similarities to stars, Location and discovery of Jupiter and Saturn in the solar system and in the night sky, Jupiter’s rotation, day-night cycles and orbit around the Sun, Jupiter’s size and temperature in comparison to Earth, Jupiter’s weather, including lightening and tornadoes, and patterns on the surface, The Great Red Spot, Mass and weight, Overviews of the four major moons of Jupiter: Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto, Extreme volcanic activity on Jupiter’s moon Io, Oceans under Callisto and Europa, Jupiter’s rings, Voyager I and II spacecrafts, Saturn’s rings: discovery, composition, gaps and interaction with moons, Retrograde motions, Scientists Christiaan Huygens and Giovanni Cassini, Saturn’s moons and their relationship to the rings, Wavemaker moons, Saturn’s size, distance, and orbital and rotational information, Saturn’s weather, Points of reference in space, Discussion of density, Saturn’s moon Titan, Cassini spacecraft and mission, Test questions and Cross-curricular activities
