Online reading assignment question: interesting Midterm 1 astronomy topics

Astronomy 210 Reading Assignment 7, Fall Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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Wordle.net tag cloud for interesting topics covered in Midterm 1, generated by responses from Astronomy 210 students at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA (http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2547634/Untitled).

Students have a weekly online reading assignment (hosted by SurveyMonkey.com), where they answer questions based on reading their textbook, material covered in previous lectures, opinion questions, and/or asking (anonymous) questions or making (anonymous) comments. Full credit is given for completing the online reading assignment before next week's lecture, regardless if whether their answers are correct/incorrect. Selected results/questions/comments are addressed by the instructor at the start of the following lecture.

List at least three words describing interesting subjects covered in class (up through this midterm). (Graded for completion.)

[Responses have been edited to consolidate related common subjects.]

Student responses
Sections 70158, 70160

hard, stars, moonphases, orbits, telescopes
eclipses
stars, eclipses, Moon
Stefan-Boltzmannlaw, Kirchhoff'slaw, electromagneticradiation
stars, precession, Moon, planets
starwheels, astronomers, moonphases
moonphases, constellations
eclipses, retrograde, electromagneticradiation
moonphases, telescopes, moonset, moonrise
moonphases, astronomers, telescopes
stars, blueshift, cheese
heat, energy, hydrostaticequilibrium
Bears, beets, BattlestarGalactica, moonrise, moonset, Sun, spectra
starmasses, eclipses, spectra
fusion, stars, constellations
Moon, eclipses, starwheels
awesome, majestic, infinite
Wien'slaw, telescopes
Moon, planets, stars
moonphases, telescopes, constellations
Moon, telescopes, zodiac
moonphases, chromosphere, corona
gibbous, corona, P-dog
Wien'slaw, resolvingpower, lightgatheringpower
moonphases, retrograde, telescopes
astronomers, moonphases, starpositions
Moon, eclipses, Sun
moonphases, microscopes, stars
constellations, moonphases, zodiac
eclipses, moonphases
Earth, Sun, Moon
moonphases, planetfinding, electromagneticradiation
astronomers, moonphases, constellations
telescopes, stars, moonphases, constellations
Sun, Moon, rotation
telescopes, twilight, Sun
telescopes, Moon, P-dog
astronomers, telescopes, planets
constellations, electromagneticradiation, moonphases
moonphases, sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset
history, electromagneticradiation, retrograde
retrograde, history, electromagneticradiation
moonphases, astronomers
starwheels
moonhases, atoms, electromagneticradiation
astronomers, moonphases, eclipses
Moon, telescopes, stars
eclipses, astronomers, celestialsphere
astronomers, moonphases, telescopes
constellations, telescopes, mooncycles
Wien'slaw, temperature, spectra
zodiac, motions, cycles, telescopes
parallax, sunposition, constellations
sunspots, retrograde, electromagneticradiation, eclipses
mooncycles, electromagneticradiation, eclipses
eclipses, spectra, Aristotle
interesting, hard, confusing
Sun, electromagneticradiation, moonphases
moonphases, retrograde, absolutemagnitude, luminosity
moonphases
moonphases, electromagneticradiation, Sun
fun, woah, interesting
electromagneticradiation, astronomers, Sun
heat, entertaining, absorbing
telescopes, moonphases, eclipses
astounding, amazing, intriguing, cool
eclipses, electromagneticradiation, photosphere

Describe your most interesting subject, and briefly explain why this subject interested you. (Graded for completion.)

The following are all of the student responses to this question, verbatim and unedited.

"I think learning about the various telescopes was the most interesting subject, because they can help see unknown objects that the human eye can't see"

"I found the telescopes section to be interesting simply because of the distances we can 'see.' It's interesting to learn how/why we can get information of things so far away."

"I guess it would be learning about moon phases and solar/lunar eclipses because we can use that knowledge everyday when looking at the moon and seeing what phase its in or trying to predict when the next eclipse will be."

"I think the most interesting topic was The Stefan-Boltzman Law. I liked it because I understood it , but also because it's interesting how luminosity depends on the size and temperature of tghe star."

"i liked learning about the earth's precession because it's interesting knowing the zodiac appears to move over time."

"The starwheel because now I can find the constellations"

"Constellations and starwheels--I like the idea of being able to locate stars/constellations at any given time."

"Ch.3 learning about the astronomers/scientists and how they had different ideas based on what time period they were studying the astronomy. It is interesting how different their opinions were simply because they lived in different time periods."

"I think the moon positions was the most interesting to me because now i can show off my skills in front of everyone"

"Moon Phases because it is interesting to observe the moon and know what phase it is in."

"constilations because there cool"

"I like learning about the light spectrum. I thought it was interesting."

"I was very interested by retrograde motion. It was cool to see how it occurs through different orbits and speeds."

"The different types of radiation and how only certain ones can reach the earths service."

"The moon and it's phases has been one of the more interesting subjects to me. I really don't know why except that it seems to be something that we see everyday and affects our lives but I have never known the basic information about it."

"The moon phases is a subject that i was already familiar with, but we went further in depth. I love the night sky, espcailly the beauty of the moon. I practically worship the moon, it's literally a spritual thing for me."

"The moon phases because I apply it every night when looking at the moon."

"The solar and Lunar eclipses. I have wanted to understand what happens during these for many years, but never really researched it, I now know what happens during an eclipse."

"Quantum leaps"

"I think the most interesting subject is the moon phases. I liked learning about the moon phases and how to find out what phase the moon is when it is rising, directly overhead, or setting, because i think you can help tell time without a clock, and its just plain cool."

"Moon Phases. It is interesting to know the Moon's dynamics."

"Moon Phases"

"Moon Phases, these are most interesting to me because it is something that I can observe on a daily basis."

"All of astronomy is interesting, too hard to choose one thing. Space is so alien and foreign, which makes it interesting."

"the moon stuff"

"mine is figuring out which stars are where so you can use them as a map"

"Eclipses, there are multiple kinds and they are very cool to look at."

"Moon phases because I always wanted to know what they were called and learning about them and finding out where the sun is and all that stuff was interesting."

"Personally I enjoyed the work with the constellations and the moon phases just because those are things we see on a nightly basis. Ive always wanted to be able to identify more constellations."

"The sun, and all it's layers. It's interesting to know a little bit more about the sun, besides the fact that it's the large glowing orb in the sky."

"Star shapes/sizes/temps/distances"

"I found the electromagnetic emisions to be very interesting because of all the information you can find out about stars just from looking at that."

"The Astronomers. I find it interesting how each atsronomer learned from the previous one and how they all play an important part in what we learn about astronomy today."

"My most interesting subject covered was the Moon Cycles because i didn't really know the cycles of the moon were. I think it is really cool that i can go out and look up at the moon and be able to tell what phase it is in."

"the sun"

"telescopes-before i had no knowledge of telescopes"

"The moon, I just think its really cool to look at at night"

"Astronomers. because it is interesting to learn about the history of astronomy and how our ideas about space have progressed."

"The radiation subject has interested me most because it explains how we are able to recieve and transmit the different wavelengths."

"I thought the most interesting subject was light pollution.This interested me not what it has to do with telescopes but about where i live. And i'm glad i live at a dark sky location."

"retrograde motion--how we can explain planets moving in the opposite direction"

"retrograde motion--because we discovered why planets seem to go backwards"

"I like studying moon phases. It's interesting because now whenever I look at the moon, I like that I know what phase it is in :)"

"I was interested in the origins of astronomy and learning how they made discoveries through trial and error."

"The different moon phases, because its awesome to know that something is orbiting aroud the earth."

"Eclipses are my most interesting subject covered on the midterm because I get to experience them and explain them to my friends."

"Learning about the telescopes was the most interesting because i had absolutely no previous knowledge on them."

"Eclipses: fairly simple to understand, but a marvel and beauty to observe from Earth.
phases because its weird to think about how the moon orbits the earth and the sun only hits part of it."

"the seasons and why they exist because of the revolution of our planet"

"The most interesting part is learning about the stars. I had no idea there was so much to know."

"Zodiac Signs, because i love to learn about them?"

"the most interesting subject for me is the parallax because its a very complex way of figuring out the distance something is by the position of your finger and its actually relatively simple."

"Phases of the moon. I didn't know that the moon was that easy to predict when it rises or sets or is directly overhead."

"The moon was the most interesting because I enjoy learning about specific objects in space."

"i really like stars because they are my favorite"

"I liked talking about stars. Interesting understanding how different and complex they can be"

"i liked learning about the phases of the moon because i can actually use that knowledge on a regular basis"

"the moon phases are the most interesting because its cool to see when the moon sets and rises"

"Sun, it's cool to lean about all that energy"

"Kepler's Laws I used to compete in figure skating and know exactly the far out-slower and close-faster"

"The astronomers I like a little history"

"The sun; the identifications of the suns layers were unknown to me before I entered the class."

"Using the starwheels, I love camping and I've always wanted to know more about the sky I look at every day."

"Planetary motion is the most interesting to me. Imagining the planets of are solar system as organized wanderes is intriguing."

"I liked the sun. Miso soup is good!"

"moon phases, because im not sure about all of them."