Online reading assignment: quantum leaps, sun's outer layers (SLO campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2020
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on quantum leaps, and the sun's outer layers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

I found it was interesting that there's a way to analyze and produce colors from hydrogen by a 'discharge tube': 'When we zap the hydrogen in this tube with just enough electricity (or with enough heat) energy we can pay for the electrons to move up to outer orbits... This is essentially a torture chamber for the hydrogen electrons, zapping them to get them to give off this color.' Thank you for the visuals, it made it understandable and memorable."

"I really enjoyed learning about how neon signs work. I've always liked neon signs and I knew how they worked had something to do with different kinds of gasses creating different colors. But learning that each color is made from a different gas (or combination of) that has energy given to it and then the color is visible due to the atoms emitting a photon causing the electron to drop a level was interesting."

"I found the electron rule interesting due to the nature of the electrons and their inability to cross these preconceived lines. I didn't know previously that these tiny particles were so strict in their distances from the nucleus and all followed the same structures, unable to orbit 'in-between.' Also that these set distances directly correlate to their energy. Super-precise and interesting to think about. I also found the reference to neon signs and the different gases contained in them interesting, I didn't know this before and had never really questioned what made the colors so distinct."

"I found the presentation with the neon lights very interesting. It is crazy to think that the light we are looking at are filled with gases and that those paired with electricty create the colored photons we see."

"The thing that I found most interesting in this reading was the part about identifying elements in gas in outer space by studying the wavelengths of light that are absorbed or emitted."

"The visible surface of the sun or photosphere is an interesting concept because the temperature of the sun effects what color the light is and what is visible."

"I found the section on convection currents to be interesting. I found this part interesting because the comparison to a lava lamp made it much easier to understand."

"I liked all the analogies that were used in the presentation. They really helped me understand the difference between sunspots and granules."

"I thought it was interesting how you could truly relate a lava lamp to sun and the convection currents."

"That the photosphere is dense enough to emit light, but not dense enough for light to be trapped. I also found the sunspot cycle interesting because it relates to both the number of sunspots and location they are at on the sun."

"That sunspots are like magnets."

"This section really wasn't interesting me to personally. That being said if I had to pick something it would be learning what the photosphere is and how its the source of sunlight."

"I was fascinated learning about the sun and the different layers. I found it super-cool that there is a spot on the sun where we could land and not die immediately. I also liked the connection made with the sun and miso soup."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"The part that was most confusing for me was when we went over how electrons jump between different orbits and what the cause/effect is."

"I didn't totally understand the photon and electron rules. I found this to be difficult because I haven't done chemistry before and so I was a bit lost while reading this section of the presentation."

"Electrons confuse me because I have a tough time understanding their properties and how they behave."

"Everything relating to atoms--I've always had a hard time with the concepts and terminology dating back to middle school and especially in high school chemistry."

"Differentiating between where an electron jumps to when it either emits or absorbs a photon. Just getting them mixed up."

"Granules are still confusing to me because the miso soup analogy kind of skipped me and now I can't quite grasp the full meaning of it compared to convection currents."

"All the diagrams in the presentation were a bit confusing. I would love to have these explained deeper in class."

"I found the explanation for sunspots confusing. I know they are created by magnetism, and I don't know much about magnets which could be why it's confusing. But I don't understand why they are cooler than the granules."

"I'm kind of lost on some of this material but I kind of get it at the same time."

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	***** [5]
higher; lower.	**************************** [28]
(Both of the above choices.)	[0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	***** [5]

An electron in an atom must absorb a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	*************************** [27]
higher; lower.	**** [4]
(Both of the above choices.)	[0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	******* [7]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)

inner: photosphere [76%]
middle: chromosphere [76%]
outer: corona [76%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.

Strongly dislike.	[0]
Dislike.	[0]
Neutral.	******* [7]
Like	****** [6]
Strongly like.	********************* [21]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)	**** [4]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"Photons and electrons really confuse me so can you possibly go over this in depth?" (We will.)

"I had to pause my reading due to laughing so hard at the comment of being able to 'hear the electrons screaming,' very funny, and also slightly disconcerting."

"Why do sunspots normally come in pairs?" (Essentially they're like a temporary magnet just under the surface of the sun, which means there must be a north pole and a south pole for each of these regions.)

"Why miso soup?" (See the answer to the next question below.)

"There are patches in the sun that are the size of Texas and only last about 10 to 20 seconds." (Just like miso soup.)

I love miso soup, and I have eaten enough of it that I found that analogy with granules super clear!" (Why is your miso soup super clear?)

"Will we be eating miso soup next class?" (No. That will be your homework assignment this weekend.)

"Do other stars have sunspots?" (Yes, they do, although those spots would be called "starspots.")

"What is the difference between nuclear fusion and fission?" (Fusion is when you put together smaller atoms to assemble them into a bigger atom; while fission is when an atom splits apart into smaller atoms. Both processes can release energy, but getting starting fusion is harder than starting fission.)

"Does daylight saving time change the way we identify moon rise/overhead/set times, etc.?" (Well yes, but the tilt of the moon's orbit has a much bigger effect.)

"Do you have your own lava lamp?" (Yes, I do.)

"I wish our evening class started with some pumped-up music!" (Then you should come to the Madonna Inn on Monday nights when I DJ swing dancing.)

"I am nervous about the midterm! I hope the study guide is very helpful!" (I hope too, too.)

Online reading assignment: quantum leaps, sun's outer layers (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2020
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on quantum leaps, and the sun's outer layers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"If light would not interact with matter I wouldn't be able to see what I am typing. I found this interesting because I would also not exist because of it."

"Seeing protons and electrons used outside of a science classroom is fun and interesting to see."

"Something I found interesting in this week's reading was that the top surface of the sun is called photosphere. I didn't know that the surface of the sun even had a name."

"I found the chromosphere to be really interesting. the fact that certain photons can cause a lavender color is pretty cool."

"I found discharge tubes interesting, neon lights are cool. It reminded me of an episode of How It's Made, or something similar that I watched. I didn't know they used different gases for different colors."

"It was interesting to read on the 'discharge tube' how the electricity turns on and changes the color of the gas."

"I found all the neon signs interesting just due to them all being cool looking and me wanting one. Plus we talked about them all the time my junior year of high school in chemistry."

"Something from the text that was really interesting for me that I didn't already know was that the sun dosen't have a real surface and it's not solid but is in a gaseous form all the way down to the core."

"Something I found interesting was that that yellow hot is hotter than red hot. I usually would think that red hot is hotter."

"I think it's crazy that we are even able to see the corona and chromosphere during a total solar eclipse, I myself have seen this once and it was a pretty cool view."

"I found interesting is the image of the total eclipse and how you can see the wing-like feature in the sun's corona."

"What was interesting was learning about sunspots because I've only ever heard the word before and didn't really understand what it was. I knew they were spots on the sun but I didn't know that they usually came in pairs or that they actually have an extremely faint glow to them."

"After reading the text, I thought it was interesting how when I put my hand near a candle flame that I'm feeling infrared photons or packets of energy. It's interesting to me because something as simple as putting my hand near a candle has meaning behind it. I am experiencing the transport of energy by radiation."

"Quantum mechanics. I always found them interesting and want to learn more about them. Its cool to learn about how the tiniest subatomic particles changing orbit and direction are actually responsible for running the universe."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"I want to learn more on the photons and their energy."

"I don't really understand the electrons moving."

"I'm not completely clear on what the proton and electron stuff is. Some I understand but most of it I don’t because chemistry just doesn’t click with me."

"I didn't know that there was so much chemistry involved with astronomy. It's surprising."

"Not so much confusing, but perhaps not the most interesting, was atoms, protons, and electrons. I personally found this not as interesting just because throughout life of taking science classes, I have already learned a lot about it, so it was sort of like review. Usually atoms are not the most interesting thing to learn about in science."

"The sunspots and granules had a lot of information and was described well, however I'm still a little confused about how they work. I'm not sure why it's confusing to me, but I read it over a bunch of times and I couldn't figure it out. The lava lamps and miso soup analogies helped me understand a little more, but I was wondering what makes that happen."

"I found granulation to be confusing. "

"Something I found confusing was the Doppler effect. I have never heard of this, but in the textbook it mentioned how this us used to measure velocities."

"Not really confused this week."

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	**** [4]
higher; lower.	***************** [17]
(Both of the above choices.)	** [2]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	***** [5]

An electron in an atom must absorb a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	****************** [18]
higher; lower.	**** [4]
(Both of the above choices.)	* [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	***** [5]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)

inner: photosphere [71%]
middle: chromosphere [75%]
outer: corona [71%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.

Strongly dislike.	[0]
Dislike.	** [2]
Neutral.	******** [8]
Like	***** [5]
Strongly like.	******** [8]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)	***** [5]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"Is every star structured the same as our sun?" (No, but we'll start with understanding how the sun works, and then extend this knowledge to understand how other stars work similarly or differently compared to the sun.)

"This chapter was confusing! Please go over a lot of the main points!"

"Can and will the sun ever go out?" (Yes. The sun's about five billion years old, and has about five billion more years to go.)

"Are all of the pictures from the presentation from San Luis Obispo? I only recognized the Madonna inn sign because it's right off the highway. (From all around San Luis Obispo county; some signs are no longer up today.)

"How many photons are there?" (As many photons as there are electrons that are about to jump down to lower energy states.)

"If layers like the chromosphere have such low density, how do they remain around a star? Is it just the pull of its gravity keeping it there? Do less massive stars have smaller chromospheres?" (Yes, and probably yes, although chromospheres around stars (specifically superflare activity) can only be observed indirectly.)

"I can't get the concept of the photosphere! How can light be emitted but not escape until it gets up to the photosphere?" (The interior of the sun is pretty much a mosh pit, so if you're a photon, there isn't a lot of space between stuff to get a clear path out, and you can just as easily get deflected randomly back down compared to being deflected outwards towards the surface.)

"Why does the moon's gravity cause tides on Earth but the sun's gravity doesn't?" (The sun does create tides, it contributes about half as much tides as the moon.)

"What do redshifts and blueshifts actually look like if they don't actually make their stars appear red or blue?" (It's a very subtle effect that makes all the wavelengths of light from a star slightly "stretch out" or "scrunch together" when you compare them to light from a non-moving star.)

"I read in the book that sunspots can somehow affect Earth's climate. I don't believe I heard anything else about this in the book. Do we have an explanation?" (Consensus is that there is a weak correlation between sunspot activity and Earth's climate in the past, but this effect is very small compared to other stronger factors such as man-made contributions to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.)

"Does the sun have gases that are electrically charged like in discharge (neon) tubes?" (Well, electrically zapping electrons is one way to give them enough energy to jump up to higher energy levels (so they can jump back down to emit photons), but the sun's temperatures are high enough to give thermal energy to the electrons to do this as well.)

Something I found a bit confusing came from the textbook: it states that the sun will eventually, like other stars lose mass rapidly. What does this mean? Does this mean it will eventually lose all of its mass?" (Right now the sun is losing a very tiny fraction of mass as it converts it into energy (this is Albert Einstein's E = mc² mass-energy equation) via fusion, but the vast amount of mass is still there. However at the end of its lifetime, the sun will expand and shed much of its outer layers, but the core will remain intact, and the portion that remains will eventually become a white dwarf after the sun finishes "dying.")

"How strongly do astronomers need to know about science to do their job?" (About as much training as any person needs to know to do their jobs properly. Disclaimer: I'm not an astronomer; my training is in condensed matter physics and astronomy education research.)

"Pictures help me learn something best. (Me too.)

"Why is there miso soup question?" (It's important!)

Online reading assignment: quantum leaps, sun's outer layers (SLO campus)

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on quantum leaps, and the sun's outer layers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"I thought it was super-cool how the Egyptian symbol of the sun really corresponded to real-life photos of the sun."

"How the Egyptians looked at the sun as having fire-spitting cobras. This was interesting to me because of how the Egyptians could visualize something like that to describe the corona and chromosphere."

"I like the Egyptian representation of the sun as having wings and snakes with hats. Their observations were accurate, within context."

"I find the sun super-interesting to learn about! Its just a big ball of gas, its pretty cool!!!"

"Quantum leaps--even though learning about it is confusing. I didn't know that colors of neon lights are produced by the excitation of electrons with electricity, thus creating different colored photons."

"It's interesting to me how the hydrogen tube works. Just because if you have enough energy or enough heat to zap the hydrogen it will give off different colors but its cool how our eyes only see lavender when really its either violet blue or red."

"When I read how the discharge tube is practically a torture chamber for hydrogen electrons, it actually made me audibly laugh! I don't know why the idea of screaming electrons is so funny, but it is... Muwahaha science is fun!"

"The sun has such high pressure that it would destroy itself if it didn't have its own gravity. I never knew this about the sun, it stood out to me out of the other facts I wrote down."

"I really enjoy the visual comparison of granules to lava lamps and miso soup. I can imagine the light of the lava lamp as the sun's core and the blobs of wax changing in density. Cooling as they rise and dropping to be heated up again. I also enjoyed the visual of an above perspective from a bowl of miso soup. Both of these visual depictions of granules is very helpful in understanding how the convection currents work and behave."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"At first, it was difficult for me to understand the whole 'quantum leaps' thing. But I did some more reading and watched some videos then I understood it."

"The things about the electrons and atoms and photons were confusing to me. In my mind its hard for me to apply chemistry to astronomy."

"I need a refresher on chemistry. The book and presentation make sense but I feel uneasy about my background knowledge of the other subjects."

"I found the parts of the sun slightly confusing, and I mainly kept wondering about the inner core of the sun. I've always thought of the sun of this giant, lava-like star, but the material made me curious about why the sun is dang hot and bright! However, I saw that we'll be covering the sun's innards another time."

"For the lava lamp example about the convection currents, I think I need some more examples on how it still works besides the miso soup example. Maybe some clarification about it."

"I was still a little confused as to how sunspots are made."

"I don't understand how magnetism effects the temperature of sunspots."

"Nothing was confusing."

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	******** [8]
higher; lower.	******************** [20]
(Both of the above choices.)	[0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

An electron in an atom must absorb a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	********************* [21]
higher; lower.	****** [6]
(Both of the above choices.)	* [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)

inner: photosphere [70%]
middle: chromosphere [78%]
outer: corona [82%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.

Strongly dislike.	* [1]
Dislike.	*** [3]
Neutral.	**** [4]
Like	******** [8]
Strongly like.	********** [10]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)	* [1]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"The material reminded me of the chemistry class I took back in high school (and per the stereotype...no, I didn't learn much). Plants and animals need the sun too!"

"Would like some more lecture on quantum leaps."

"I would like if you could explain the electron and protons; more about their energy levels and what is needed to emit and absorb a photon."

"Why does the sun only have wings in two directions during a solar eclipse? In the photo there were longer sections to the left and right. Why isn't it the same in all directions?" (The extent of the corona depends on how strong the solar wind and solar flares are at that time, which can vary.)

"The sun is hot and that makes it cool."

"The core of my sun knowledge is not the hottest."

"I thought the lava lamp was pretty cool on how you applied it to convection currents."

"I love miso soup so much!! Especially with tofu."

"I actually subsist mostly on miso soup (with noodles, seaweed, tofu and vegetables). Sooo good."

"I don't trust a person who doesn't like miso soup."

"If there were a movie about your life, which actor do you think would best portray you (doesn't need to look like you)." (Can I pick Brad Pitt? We're nearly the same age.)

"How long will it be until Earth becomes uninhabitable due to the sun's heat?" (We have about five billion more years until the sun begins to die, expanding gradually outwards to swallow up the inner planets.) "

Online reading assignment: quantum leaps, sun's outer layers (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on quantum leaps, and the sun's outer layers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"The examples of miso soup and lava lamp ways how the sun works."

"I found the sun's outer layers interesting, quite fascinating how we found out about this information in order to better understand the sun itself."

"I had heard the term 'quantum leap' before, but I didn't know what it actually was until now. I had assumed it was something much more complicated."

"Quantum leaps--it has an intimidating name, but it's stuff that will (1) make you sound like you know what you are saying; (2) add important foundation knowledge for the future."

"Blackbody radiation. This was interesting to me because it talked about how a higher speed in motion with particles is heat. The electrons would move so much, and this would cause blackbody radiation. With these higher temperatures, there would be a visible glow."

"It is very interesting that when a discharge tube is zapped with a little electricity, it can give off certain photons that create awesome colors. Very vibrant colors as well."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"Quantum leaps. I'm lost there."

"The photon rule. I get that you need energy to move an electron from one orbit to another but I need a more detailed explanation on how this works."

"Atoms emitting and absorbing photons."

"I am confused on the difference between sunspots and granulation, they seem very similar."

"Sunspots: are they are caused by some sort of magnetic pull?"

"Interesting, and also a bit confusing, is how sunspots are actually less hot than the sun. When I think sunspot, I typically think hot instantly."

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	******* [7]
higher; lower.	******* [7]
(Both of the above choices.)	* [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	* [1]

An electron in an atom must absorb a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	********* [9]
higher; lower.	***** [6]
(Both of the above choices.)	[0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	* [1]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)

inner: photosphere [56%]
middle: chromosphere [69%]
outer: corona [75%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.

Strongly dislike.	* [1]
Dislike.	[0]
Neutral.	**** [4]
Like	** [2]
Strongly like.	***** [5]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)	***** [5]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"Do we know an exact temperature of the sun? What's the sun's temperature in Fahrenheit?" (The surface of the sun is about 10,000° F, but the core is much, much hotter.)

"So if the sun is losing mass, though it is so large, eventually what will happen to our solar system?" (The current amount of mass the sun is losing (due to fusion in its core, and the solar wind) is a lot, but relatively speaking is minuscule compared to its total mass. So overall, not much.)

"I'm going to be sad if you don't plan on feeding us some time because you keep making us hungry during class."

"Never tried miso soup before but I would be happy to try it. "

"I don't have any questions yet... I am still letting all of the information sink in. I may have a question in class, however."

"Can we have a small review for the midterm?" (We'll have two classes of review for the upcoming midterm, and also extra-credit on both days. #makingitrain)

Online reading assignment: quantum leaps, sun's outer layers (SLO campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on quantum leaps, and the sun's outer layers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"I honestly didn't know that there were gas atoms inside of the neon signs... I feel like I should have known that."

"One thing I found interesting was how signs are made: 'Tubes with different types of gas atoms inside--exciting the electrons of these atoms with electricity produces photons of different colors.' I always wondered how that worked, but now I know."

"That an excited atom can illuminate neon signs."

"How we have never been to the sun yet we know that it has layers and other components that make it up."

"I found the sun section most interesting because it's interesting to learn how much is known about the sun without even being able to touch it."

"Sunspots. The fact that we can see anything on the sun is so interesting to me, since it's so incredibly bright."

"The explanation of sunspots was interesting although a bit confusing. I have successfully avoided taking a chemistry class for my whole life until now."

"I never knew sunspots came in pairs, and had no idea that they were basically like both north and south poles. I never knew it was even possible for any single planet to have a kind of micro-poles. I find it really interesting because it totally changes how I see the sun, and really every other astronomical body. I thought the sunspots were weather patterns like Jupiter's Great Red Spot. If I understand it right, it's not that the sunspots are actually empty or discolored, it's just because it's (seemingly intuitively) not as bright or hot as the rest of the sun, and so it looks black in comparison. I think I have a lot more to learn about the sun... "

"I thought it was interesting to learn about sunspots! I love the idea of a place on the sun that is just slightly less hot than everywhere else, even if you would still die upon contact."

"How you compared a lava lamp to the cross-section of the sun. The analogies really help to make things easier to understand, especially since I don't have first hand experience on any of the things I am learning. Bringing familiar things into it sends the idea home :)"

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"Electrons and atoms."

"The whole 'electron-photon jumping' concept really confuses me. I think it's because it's hard for me to conceptualize."

"Electrons and photons! they confused me in middle school and they're confusing me now."

"The photon rule, because I don't understand how it connects to astronomy."

"I did not find the chemistry portion to be confusing, but if it gets any more chemistry-ish I will be confused for sure."

"I see the wings on the sun, but not the fire-spitting cobras."

"Where does the sun get sunspots?"

"I didn't find anything particularly confusing."

"Honestly, I feel like this is the first chapter that I understand."

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	*** [3]
higher; lower.	**************************** [28]
(Both of the above choices.)	* [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	** [2]

An electron in an atom must absorb a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	**************************** [28]
higher; lower.	** [2]
(Both of the above choices.)	* [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	*** [3]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)

inner: photosphere [74%]
middle: chromosphere [68%]
outer: corona [65%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.

Strongly dislike.	* [1]
Dislike.	*** [3]
Neutral.	***** [5]
Like	***** [5]
Strongly like.	**************** [16]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)	**** [4]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"Why is it that the corona is hotter than the surface of the sun itself?" (Short answer: no one really knows. Longer answer: the corona is very sparse compared to the sun itself, and it is thought that the sun's powerful magnetic fields and solar flares transfer a lot of energy to the few particles out in the surrounding corona, energizing them to make each of those particles very hot.)

"How were the layers of the sun determined if the sun is so hot? How was this data recorded?" (The sun jiggles like jello, and these vibrations show up on the surface. These vibrations can be analyzed to deduce what is going on inside of the sun; much like how earthquakes on the surface of Earth can be used to deduce what is going on inside of it.)

"Even with all these chapters on the sun and its activities, I've always found the sun to be extremely amazing. It's the most powerful & long-lasting energy source in our solar system (that I know of). This might be too sci-fi but I've imagined that if someday in the distant future we could truly harness that energy could we have an all powerful energy source?" (Well, we can harness the energy of the sun right now, using solar panels. However, there is serious research being done on fusing hydrogen here on Earth, like the core of the sun does, and the hope is that it would be much more efficient at harnessing the energy released from controlled fusion reactions in magnetic chambers than in harnessing the energy released from the fusion reactions in the sun.)

"Is physics or chemistry used more in the study of astronomy?" (Physics, in my opinion, especially when discussing how stars work.)

"In your presentation it states that electrons can jump from one orbit to another but not remain 'in-between,' why not?" (The "permitted orbits only" rule for electrons is somewhat like notes on different guitar strings. Each string (when plucked) only makes a certain tone. In this (admittedly very crude) analogy the electron exists as an "excitation" (pluck) on an orbit (string).)

"What type of atom has the most orbits, or do all atoms have the same amount of orbits?" (All atoms have an infinite amount of orbits (although only the innermost ones are important). However, different atoms have different orbit spacings, and so there will be different ways to jump down (or up), and so different atoms will emit (or absorb) different colored photons. This is why different atoms in "gas discharge tubes" (such as neon) will emit different colors; and also why different atoms will absorb only certain colors, which is how we can deduce what types of atoms are in a sample. More on this topic after the midterm!)

How does the orbit of an electron depend on the amount of energy it has? Aren't things either negatively charged and positively charged? How does whatever energy that's there tie it to the atom? Is that what electromagnetic force is? How do we know there's a limit? Literally every part makes new questions that makes me just confused." (Since the electron and proton are oppositely charged, the electron is always attracted to the proton--that's why it orbits the proton. However, if you try to pull them apart (and remember, they want to be close together) that will require energy; and if you let them "go," the the electron will move closer to the proton, as long as it releases energy. So the outer orbits for the electron are higher energy, and the lower orbits are lower energy. If you think about the orbits as rungs on an "energy ladder," then climbing higher up the ladder requires energy, while falling down the ladder releases energy.)

"What's the hottest star?" (Blue hypergiants, like Eta Carinae. We'll discuss how star colors relate to temperatures later this semester.)

"Do you take all of the photos in your presentations yourself? I love them, and they illustrate your points and descriptions wonderfully." (Only some of the photos, the rest are creative-commons or fair-use, with links to the originals if you want to see more from those photographers and artists.)

"Can we go over the exam and important topics for quizzes/exams in class?" (We will do exactly that for the upcoming midterm.)

"Where can I look to see what grade I have in the class?" (All of the points for this class will be added up after each midterm, so you can see your cumulative grade standing.)

I used to love miso soup but then I found out it has fish stock in it sometimes and I am vegan. But my favorite food in general is soups especially udon, ramen, and phở. Phở is my favorite food ever." (Just be aware that all those soups could be made with fish or meat stock.)

"Who do you think will take the Iron Throne in the season finale of Game of Thrones?" (No one. Everyone dies. #valarmoghulis)

Online reading assignment: quantum leaps, sun's outer layers (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on quantum leaps, and the sun's outer layers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"That an atom will only absorb a photon only if that photon has the correct amount of energy."

"I liked how the neon signs from around San Luis Obispo were connected to this class and the gas atoms and electrons inside."

"I found the quick bit on the gases interacting with heat to be interesting because they are all referred to as 'neon' signs, and it got me thinking if that's because neon was the only gas they had usage of when first inventing that type of signage."

"Reading about the sun's heat and its sunspots. I thought it was interesting that the sunspots have intense magnetic fields."

"I thought that how the suns outer most layer is called the 'corona' meaning 'crown' was interesting, it's like the sun is royalty."

"The fact that every square millimeter of the sun is radiating a temperature of 5,800 K, is such an astonishing fact and incredible to think about. It's certainly hotter than any temperature you could come CLOSE to on Earth, on the surface at least."

"Something I found super-interesting about the presentation slides was how granules on the sun are actually due to convection whereas sunspots are due to magnetic poles."

"To me, looking at how the sun appeared to have wings was extremely interesting just because it looked so artistic and pretty!"

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"The quantum leaps was a bit confusing for me, not too bad but I just need some clarification because I am not fully remembering how it works!"

"What was confusing to me was the permitted orbits of atoms. This was confusing because the book did not word the descriptions very clearly."

"It is hard to keep straight the electron rule and the photon rule and know which definition is which."

"I kind of got the chromosphere and the photosphere mixed up a couple of times since they're both on the surface of the sun and they sound a little alike."

"I just don't know how granules form, because I just have no idea how they're created."

"The granules were kinda confusing but the analogies with the lava lamp and miso soup helped."

"The 'Winged sun of Thebes' slide confused me because the fire-spitting cobras wearing hats continually got mentioned and yet in either diagram I failed to identify them. Maybe if we point them out next class I'll see them better?"

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	****** [6]
higher; lower.	***************** [17]
(Both of the above choices.)	** [2]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

An electron in an atom must absorb a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	******************* [19]
higher; lower.	***** [5]
(Both of the above choices.)	* [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)

inner: photosphere [68%]
middle: chromosphere [64%]
outer: corona [68%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.

Strongly dislike.	[0]
Dislike.	[0]
Neutral.	********* [9]
Like	*** [3]
Strongly like.	********* [9]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)	**** [4]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"Quantum mechanics are confusing as heck!"

"Why do sunspots follow an 11-year cycle, and how were these cycles calculated? I can imagine that sun observations have only existed for a few decades, so is there any chance these 11-year cycles change over time?" (Sunspots have been noted in naked-eye(!) observations from thousands of years ago; but reliable, safe projected images of sunspots have been recorded since the 1600s; so the 11-year cycle seems to be consistent at least for the past 400+ years, except for a exceptionally quiet, sunspot-free period during the second half of the 1600s.)

"We zap electrons to push them up an energy level, but what draws them back down so they can emit radiation? Do they always give radiation on their way back down?" (The negative charge electron attracted to the positive charge proton, so it will always want to "fall back down" to a smaller orbit around the proton, giving off energy (in the form of a photon) as it does so.)

"Does using a magnet on a cathode ray TV permanently damage it?" (It will magnetize the metal shadow mask "screen" behind the glass, unless a repairman "de-gausses" it to un-magnetize it. Some TVs and computer monitors have a built-in degaussing feature just in case their shadow masks get accidentally magnetized.)

"Do you know where the light come from when you see the northern lights in the sky?" (The aurora is caused by electrons streaming from the sun's solar wind are trapped by Earth's magnetic poles, where they'll collide with the atoms in Earth's upper atmosphere. These cause the atoms' electrons to jump up to higher orbitals, and when those electrons jump down to lower orbitals, photons (typically green) are emitted. So the Earth's upper atmosphere, especially near the north and south poles, behaves like a big neon sign.)

"In the presentation preview, you mentioned that if we haven't had miso soup to make sure we order it, which restaurant would you recommend?"

"MISO SOUP IS SO GOOD anyone who thinks otherwise has whack taste buds."

"Know of any good places to get miso soup around here?"

"Favorite type of swing dance?" (Both balboa and lindy hop.)

"I honestly always have no idea what to say when I get to this question--I always feel a small amount of pressure to either make a funny comment or ask a in-depth question that I don't have."

Online reading assignment: quantum leaps, sun's outer layers (SLO campus)

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2018
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on quantum leaps, and the sun's outer layers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"Something I find cool is that electrons literally emit light, heat, energy when they jump down a level on their energy orbitals, and that literally is how light is made from bioluminescence to chemical reactions we've done in a science class to a light bulb, that is how light literally is made."

"I found the electron and photon rules interesting because it was something new to me and made me even more curious about chemistry."

"When an element is given the right amount of energy, it can move the electrons to the outer circles."

"I find the method in which the color of the chromosphere is made interesting. The fact that the lavender color of the chromosphere is made by essentially torturing hydrogen atoms is peculiar."

"The corona is by far the most beautiful thing that I wish to witness during a solar eclipse. It is something I've always wanted to see."

"That sunspots are several thousand degrees cooler then other parts of the sun. This was interesting because I never really thought of the Sun having spots that are far cooler then others"

"I found the granulation on the sun to be very interesting because I have always associated things in space to take a long time to occur but the book said they only last about 10-20 minutes and that they are about the size of Texas."

"I found the part about the sun not being solid interesting. I guess I assumed there was a solid core so to hear it is gaseous all the way to the core is interesting."

"I think the similarities between food and phenomenon make them easier to relate to."

"I really like your lava lamp and miso sound references because it gives a visual representation of how the sun works! i'm a visual learner and this is great for me to learn it. I also love miso soup!"

"'If light did not interact with matter, you would not be able to see these words. In fact, you would not exist, because, among other problems, photosynthesis would be impossible, and there would be no grass, wheat, bread, beef, cheeseburgers, or any other kind of food' (ASTRO3, page 85). This is interesting because it shows that if light did not interact with matter, cheeseburgers would not exist."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"Something that I found a bit confusing was the energy levels with atoms, I could use a brief explanation on when an atom absorbs a photon or not."

"Quantum leaps. How do you know that you are seeing an electron quantum leaping?"

"The electron orbits and how exactly you get different colors from neon tubes. I am still a little confused on that."

"Atoms, electrons, protons, etc. were all a bit confusing in general given how they were explained in a way that just didn't connect completely with me."

"I'm not exactly sure how sunspots manifest. The sun cools down somehow?"

"Everything was a little confusing to me. I've always struggled with chemistry."

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	******** [8]
higher; lower.	**************** [16]
(Both of the above choices.)	* [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	** [2]

An electron in an atom must absorb a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	****************** [18]
higher; lower.	***** [5]
(Both of the above choices.)	** [2]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	** [2]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)

inner: photosphere [70%]
middle: chromosphere [67%]
outer: corona [65%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.

Strongly dislike.	** [2]
Dislike.	[0]
Neutral.	*** [3]
Like	******** [8]
Strongly like.	************** [14]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)	[0]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"Name your favorite dwarf planet." (Ceres, because it was discovered first.)

"Do you enjoy miso soup?"

"Miso soup is really good, just saying."

"Why misosoup?"

"How far down into the sun does the cooling gas need to go before it warms and rises again?"

"How many questions are on the midterm?" (We'll go over the format and the study guide for the midterm in class tonight.)

"Can we spend some time discussing the Doppler effect?" (After the midterm.)

Online reading assignment: quantum leaps, sun's outer layers (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2018
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on quantum leaps, and the sun's outer layers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"The sunspots on the sun's surface."

"Something I found interesting about the reading was quantum mechanics."

"Over all the years of seeing neon signs and having them draw me in, never once did I look and actually ask myself, How do these colors come about? I always thought it was the tubing that gave it off. It never occurred to me that it might be a reaction of energy and gas happening in there."

"The movement of heat energy in the different parts of the sun."

"During a total solar eclipse you can see the lavender color in the chromosphere."

"One of the things that I found interesting was the Egyptians way to represent the sun. I found it cool how they compared it to fire-spitting cobras"

"I thought that the different atmospheres were interesting because it kind of reminded me of the different zones in the ocean."

"I'm kind of surprised and at the same time fascinated at this section. I thought astronomy only related to things seen in the sky. But I never thought we'd be getting so deep into the atomic makeup of differing objects. I didn't even know temperature had such a complex yet simple explanation! I'm just interested with how complex the things are that we perceive as so simple at first glance."

"The slide showing the magnetic poles was interesting. It reminded me of the Magnetic Drawboard that is made for kids to draw on."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"If it's dangerous to look at the sun through a telescope, how do they make observations of the sun?"

"Nothing yet."

"But just as confusing is quantum mechanics, I'm actually really into this stuff even if I have a hard time understanding sometimes. I've looked into the particle accelerator in Europe and it’s caught my eye on trying to understand the way atoms work"

"I found the layers of the sun to be a little confusing."

"The chromosphere and the corona"

"How are sunspots magnetic regions?"

"The parts about the atoms seemed to be confusing. Was not sure about how photons move. "

"What was confusing for me was that why are sun spots only are temporary."

"Everything atom-related just have never made sense to me even when I took chemistry in high school, it was a scary topic."

"I think I found the section discussing it in the textbook, but i think i need more clarification as to how the election energy orbitals work. And what they do with photons during their different states."

"Chemistry. I am terrible at everything that has to do with chemistry. So I was pretty lost on that presentation."

An electron in an atom must emit a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	******* [7]
higher; lower.	******* [7]
(Both of the above choices.)	[0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

An electron in an atom must absorb a photon when it jumps from a __________ energy orbital to a __________ energy orbital.

lower; higher.	******** [8]
higher; lower.	***** [5]
(Both of the above choices.)	* [1]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

The exterior of the sun, from inner to outermost layers, are the:
(Only correct responses shown.)

inner: photosphere [64%]
middle: chromosphere [64%]
outer: corona [71%]

State your preference regarding miso soup.

Strongly dislike.	* [1]
Dislike.	*** [3]
Neutral.	*** [3]
Like	*** [3]
Strongly like.	*** [3]
(I don't know what miso soup is.)	* [1]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"I enjoyed reading about the atoms and particles it was good review and it was cool to re learn things from middle school."

"There is just something about the texture of chunks of tofu and the seaweed going down my throat that I do not enjoy."

"I've had good and bad miso soup but mostly good."

"What does miso soup taste like? Do you like it? I've never tried it (thus explaining my neutral stand on the previous question)."

""Miso soup is amazing you throw some chili oil up in there for a twist and ooh wee, sensational. I hope this is on here because you're considering treating us today, Dr. Len."

" this class is starting to get hard."

"I would really like to do more example questions that we will be seeing on the midterm!"

"I have no questions at this time."