My favorite thing we did in Earth & Space this year were the 2 field trips we took. I thought they were really fun. I also learned a lot on them. I love your class in general so this was just an added bonus I guess. I liked leaning about outer space as well. The quarterly projects were also fun. I just didn't enjoy presenting them because I have a fear of speaking in front of people. But other than that, I loved it! The lab activities were also fun. I liked playing with the sand and water. Over all, there wasn't anything I'd change structurally about the class. Considering it was the first year of Earth and Space as an elective, it was pretty fun!

Nebulae

A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases. It is formed when portions of the interstellar medium collapse and clump together due to the gravitational attraction of the particles that comprise them. It falls underneath itself and a huge laser beam of UV radiation goes through the center forming a large star there causing the newly formed nebula to light up! Thus, being the starting point for stellar evolution. There are 4 different types of nebulae: Emission nebulae, Dark Nebulae, Reflection Nebulae, and Planetary Nebulae. Emission nebulae are clouds of high temperature gas. The atoms in the cloud are energized by ultraviolet light from a nearby star and emit radiation as they fall back into lower energy states (in much the same way as a neon light). These nebulae are usually red because the predominant emission line of hydrogen happens to be red (other colors are produced by other atoms, but hydrogen is by far the most abundant). Emission nebulae are usually the sites of recent and ongoing star formation. Reflection nebulae are clouds of dust which are simply reflecting the light of a nearby star or stars. Reflection nebulae are also usually sites of star formation. They are usually blue because the scattering is more efficient for blue light. Reflection nebulae and emission nebulae are often seen together and are sometimes both referred to as diffuse nebulae. Planetary nebulae are shells of gas thrown out by some stars near the end of their lives. Our Sun will probably produce a planetary nebula in about 5 billion years. They have nothing at all to do with planets; the terminology was invented because they often look a little like planets in small telescopes. A typical planetary nebula is less than one light-year across. Dark nebulae are clouds of dust which are simply blocking the light from whatever is behind. They are physically very similar to reflection nebulae; they look different only because of the geometry of the light source, the cloud and the Earth. Dark nebulae are also often seen in conjunction with reflection and emission nebulae. A typical diffuse nebula is a few hundred light-years across.

NASA Missions

The NASA missions are pretty incredible if you think about it. Without them, who knows where we would be on the astronomical and technological scale. The NASA missions has inspired tons of people to go out and follow their dreams and do the impossible! For many many years, people thought that it was impossible for humans to go to outer space, let alone walk on the moon. NASA made those dreams a reality. My favorite NASA mission was when man first walked on the moon (as seen in the picture above). On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon. In that spacecraft was Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. They made a huge leap for mankind. They were the first human to ever walk on the Moon. To me, this is pretty amazing. Without them, where would we be in terms of technological advancement and space travel?

Global Warming

    Climate change is changing the world around us and how we are living. Everything is effected by Global Warming. Global Warming is an increase in the overall temperature in the Earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increasing levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.  
    Sea levels are rising. The number of large wildfires is growing. The planet's temperature is increasing. Large ice masses, such as glaciers and ice sheets, are melting. More and more species of animals are becoming extinct. The air is becoming increasingly more polluted day by day. We are the cause of all of this.
    We continuously keep chopping down forests and burning fossil fuels. Deforestation is a serious problem. If we keep cutting down trees and wiping out forests, there won't be any left. In order for us to survive we need the trees and plants. This is because they supply us with the air we breathe as a result of photosynthesis. So if there was no plants to do photosynthesis, there would be no more oxygen, which means no more us. 

    We have the ability to slow down the pace of global warming. We can reduce our carbon emission footprints. If we don't and continue to kill our Earth, it could be seriously detrimental to the human race and life as we know it. 
    If we continue to live this way, what will the effects be in terms of global warming? Well this is what will happen: the spread of disease will increase, there will be warmer waters and more hurricanes, increased probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves, polar ice caps will melt, rising sea levels, more floods, highly destructive storms and dangerous weather, desertification, tsunamis, cold waves, increased volcanic activity, more dangerous thunderstorms, migration, conflict, and wars, more outbreaks of deadly diseases and epidemics, loss of biodiversity and animal extinction, death of ocean life, more frequent animal attacks, and diminished food and water supplies. Now, that's a really long and pretty devastating list. 

    If we don't act now, our children and grandchildren will live on a completely different Earth than we do today. We have the ability to pass on a healthier, safer, and cleaner world.  We can reduce the speed of global warming by: driving environmentally-friendly cars, recycle, use less heat and air conditioning, changing to compact florescent light bulbs, drive less and drive smarter, buy energy-efficient products, using less hot water, use the "off" switch, plant a tree, use recycled paper, adjust your thermostat, take shorter showers, carpool when you can, conserve energy, wash your clothes on the cold water cycle and air dry, ditch the plastic, buy more organic foods and produce, and so much more! There is so much you can do to reduce the speed of global warming and carbon emissions.