Astronomy current events question: Hanny's Voorwerp

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "Hubble Zooms in on a Space Oddity," January 11, 2011
http://astronomy.com/en/News-Observing/News/2011/01/Hubble%20zooms%20in%20on%20a%20space%20oddity.aspx

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is observing Hanny's Voorwerp, which is thought to be a:
(A) rapidly shrinking black hole.
(B) giant gas filament illuminated by a quasar beam.
(C) potential source of intelligent radio signals.
(D) dwarf planet slightly larger than Pluto.
(E) comet or asteroid that may impact Earth in 2012.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 3 students
(B) : 13 students
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 1 student

Astronomy current events question: thunderstorm-generated antimatter beams

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Robert Naeye, "Thunderstorms That Shoot Antimatter," January 11, 2011
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/113274169.html

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope recently discovered that thunderstorms on Earth:
(A) produce antimatter beams that shoot into space.
(B) prevent runaway global warming.
(C) create temporary miniature black holes.
(D) could soon signal a magnetic pole reversal.
(E) may be caused by cosmic rays from space.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 24 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 8 students

Astronomy current events question: Spirit rover incommunicado?

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Guy Webster, "NASA Checking on Rover Spirit During Martian Spring," November 4, 2010
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/news/mer20110104.html

Why might the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit no longer be able to contact NASA mission controllers?
(A) Batteries damaged by cold.
(B) Too much solar power.
(C) A massive dust storm.
(D) Covered over with dry ice snow.
(E) A massive solar flare.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 9 students
(B) : 0 students
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 5 students

Astronomy current events question: planet Kepler 10b discovery

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Rachel Hoover and Trent J. Perrotto, "NASA'S Kepler Mission Discovers Its First Rocky Planet," January 10, 2011
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/rocky_planet.html

The smallest known rocky planet was discovered by NASA's Kepler Mission space-based telescope observing this planet __________ its star.
(A) reflecting light from.
(B) gravitationally wobbling.
(C) crossing in front of.
(D) swallowed up by.
(E) slowly melted by.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 8 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 7 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 0 students

Found physics: frozen treat arcade crane

20101223796
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/5384723889/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

20101223797
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/5384724079/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Frozen desert crane, Fun Factory arcade, Pearlridge Shopping Center, 'Aiea, HI. Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instructor Dr. Patrick M. Len.

Astronomy in-class activity: planet-hunting

Astronomy 210 In-class activity 6 v.11.01.04, spring semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students find their assigned groups of three to four students, and work cooperatively on an in-class activity worksheet to determine where in the sky each naked-eye planet will be observed on a given date (here, February 2, 2011).




Previous posts:

• Astronomy in-class activity: planet-hunting
  Fall Semester 2010 (September 2, 2010).
• Astronomy in-class activity: planet-hunting
  Spring Semester 2010 (February 4, 2010).

Found physics: International Space Station flyover

101222-1200710
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/5316794537/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

International Space Station passing over 'Aiea, HI, December 22, 2010, 5:23:45 PM, in evening twilight.

Found physics: joule thief

"101114-1200240"
Waifer X
flic.kr/p/8UVKH3

Joule thief (wki.pe/Joule_thief), built with Radio Shack parts and a mint tin, circuit diagram based on Make magazine's how-to tutorial (makezine.com/2007/11/02/make-a-joule-thief-weeken-1/).

Astronomy current events question: extra-galactic planet

Astronomy 210L, Fall Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Alan MacRobert, "Planet from Another Galaxy," November 18, 2010
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/108739724.html

Astronomers were able to determine that the star HIP 13044 and its orbiting planet may have come from beyond the Milky Way galaxy by analyzing their:
(A) trajectory.
(B) metallicity.
(C) gravitational wobbles.
(D) orbital motion.
(E) absorption and emission spectra.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 5 students
(B) : 10 students
(C) : 8 students
(D) : 4 students
(E) : 3 students

Astronomy current events question: Rhea's thin atmosphere

Astronomy 210L, Fall Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Jia-Rui C. Cook, "Thin Air--Cassini Finds Ethereal Atmosphere at Rhea," November 26, 2010
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/whycassini/cassini20101126.html

The NASA Cassini spacecraft has detected a thin atmosphere around Saturn's moon Rhea, containing oxygen that may be released from:
(A) pockets containing pristine solar nebula gas.
(B) high energy particles bombarding its icy surface.
(C) subsurface organisms capable of photosynthesis.
(D) chemical processes that may eventually evolve into life.
(E) radioactive decay processes.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 4 students
(B) : 22 students
(C) : 7 students
(D) : 14 students
(E) : 8 students