Week 7

Welcome to week seven and the introduction of earth science and astronomy. With the end of my physical science course approaching, we had to briefly go over earth science and astronomy.The reading for this week was about rocks and minerals (chapter 21), plate tectonics and Earth's interior (chapter 21), the oceans, atmosphere, and climatic effects (chapter 24), and the solar system (chapter 26). Since we covered two different subjects this week I will an earth science lesson as well as an astrology lesson.

One experience that I would like to have is to have seen the Northern Lights (I'm not interested in going to Antartica so the Southern Lights are not an option), or the auroras around Earth's magnetic poles. The Northern Lights are fiery lights that are best displayed during solar flares, so you have to wait for the best time to go and see them. The lights look so close to you, like you can reach out and touch them, but they are actually so far, far away. The atmosphere is composed of five different levels: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere. Within the top half of the mesosphere and the thermosphere is an ion-rich region called the ionosphere 80-170 km above the ground. The ionosphere is where the auroras occur when solar wind interact and energize the molecules of atmospheric gases. There are many beautiful pictures of this phenomenon but I am sure seeing the aurors in person would be breathtaking.

Many people believe that when they look at the Moon they only see one side of the Moon. Many people believe this thought because they have been told or lead to believe that the Moon does not spoin on its axis as it rotates around Earth. Contrary to popular belief, the Moon does spin on its axis as it is orbiting around Earth. Why then do people think that they only see the same side of the moon every night? Although the Moon does spin on its axis, it does so very, very slowly. It takes the Moon about a month (about 27 days) to completely spin around. In addition, it takes a month for the Moon to revolve around the Earth. So it takes one month for the Moon to spin on its axis and orbit around the Earth, which is why to many it appears as if they only ever see one side of the moon.