Friday, January 27, 2012

Mr. Rotts Classroom Blog Jan 30th - Feb 3rd

Welcome Space Travelers!
After a long week ... of testing.. And more testing.. And still more testing... we are finally ready to get back to work!   1st period is going to really focus on harder material so you will have to decide to step up .. Or just coast along... you know what I want for you!  Be strong... deep space is not a scary place!  Hahah that rhymes!

THIS WEEK: Back to decimals and percents... think of decimals as money and I KNOW all of you like money!

CALCULATOR !!!  YOU really want to make sure you purchase a calculator that can do fractions, it needs to have an ABC button on it!  Trust me you’re going to want a fraction calculator!!

SPACE  FACT: Shooting Stars or Space Aliens?

What are meteor showers?

An increase in the number of meteors at a particular time of year is called a meteor shower.

Comets shed the debris that becomes most meteor showers. As comets orbit the Sun, they shed an icy, dusty debris stream along the comet's orbit. If Earth travels through this stream, we will see a meteor shower. Depending on where Earth and the stream meet, meteors appear to fall from a particular place in the sky, maybe within the neighborhood of a constellation.

Meteor showers are named by the constellation from which meteors appear to fall, a spot in the sky astronomers call the radiant. For instance, the radiant for the Leonid meteor shower is located in the constellation Leo. The Perseid meteor shower is so named because meteors appear to fall from a point in the constellation Perseus.
What are shooting stars?

"Shooting stars" and "falling stars" are both names that people have used for many hundreds of years to describe meteors -- intense streaks of light across the night sky caused by small bits of interplanetary rock and debris called meteoroids crashing and burning high in Earth's upper atmosphere. Traveling at thousands of miles an hour, meteoroids quickly ignite in searing friction of the atmosphere, 30 to 80 miles above the ground. Almost all are destroyed in this process; the rare few that survive and hit the ground are known as meteorites.

When a meteor appears, it seems to "shoot" quickly across the sky, and its small size and intense brightness might make you think it is a star. If you're lucky enough to spot a meteorite (a meteor that makes it all the way to the ground), and see where it hits, it's easy to think you just saw a star "fall."
How can I best view a meteor shower?

If you live near a brightly lit city, drive away from the glow of city lights and toward the constellation from which the meteors will appear to radiate.

For example, drive north to view the Leonids. Driving south may lead you to darker skies, but the glow will dominate the northern horizon, where Leo rises. Perseid meteors will appear to "rain" into the atmosphere from the constellation Perseus, which rises in the northeast around 11 p.m. in mid-August.

After you've escaped the city glow, find a dark, secluded spot where oncoming car headlights will not periodically ruin your sensitive night vision. Look for state or city parks or other safe, dark sites.

Once you have settled at your observing spot, lie back or position yourself so the horizon appears at the edge of your peripheral vision, with the stars and sky filling your field of view. Meteors will instantly grab your attention as they streak by.
How do I know the sky is dark enough to see meteors?

If you can see each star of the Little Dipper, your eyes have "dark adapted," and your chosen site is probably dark enough. Under these conditions, you will see plenty of meteors.
What should I pack for meteor watching?

Treat meteor watching like you would the 4th of July fireworks. Pack comfortable chairs, bug spray, food and drinks, blankets, plus a red-filtered flashlight for reading maps and charts without ruining your night vision. Binoculars are not necessary. Your eyes will do just fine.

 BLOG QUESTIONS: See the Space Facts for help!
1) Have you ever seen a shooting star?

2) How fast is a meteor. traveling before it becomes a shooting star?

3) What fraction would you make out of the letters in the word meteor if the numerator represented the number of vowels in the word meteor?

4) Go to the Meteor Shower Dates web site and answer these questions:
    a)What is the date for the next meteor shower?
    b)At the next meteor shower date... what will be the speed of the          Meteors as they hit our atmosphere?
c)Which month has the most predicted meteor showers?




 

GONZAGA MENS BASKETBALL           
Well it was not a pretty win but at least I was able to see the Zags beat Portland!  PLUS it was my sons birthday! WOW... so  a Zag win, what a great bday present for my son, wouldnt you say! We sat surrounded by Zag fans... from young to old!  

Pure bliss!

Fri, Nov 11 Eastern Washington Spokane, Wash. W 77 - 69
Mon, Nov 14 Washington State Spokane, Wash. 9 p.m. W 89-81
Sat, Nov 26 Western Michigan (Spokane Arena) 1 p.m. W 78-58
Wed, Nov 30 Notre Dame Spokane, Wash. 8:15 p.m. W 73-53
Sat, Dec 03 Illinois Champaign, Ill. 12:15 p.m. L 82-75
Sat, Dec 10 Michigan State Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m. L 74 - 67
Thu, Dec 15 Oral Roberts Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m. W 67 - 61
Sat, Dec 17 Arizona (Battle In Seattle) Seattle, Wash.1 p.m. W 71 - 60
Tue, Dec 20 Butler Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m. W 71-55
Thu, Dec 22 Air Force Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m. W 70-60
Wed, Dec 28 Portland * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m. W 90-51
Sat, Dec 31 Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 5 p.m. W 72-65
Thu, Jan 05 Pepperdine * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.  W 73-45
Sat, Jan 07 Santa Clara * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m. W82-60
Thu, Jan 12 Saint Mary's * Moraga, Calif. 8 p.m. L 83-62
Sat, Jan 14 Loyola Marymount * Los Angeles, Calif. W 62-58
Thu, Jan 19 San Francisco * Spokane, Wash. W 74-63
Sat, Jan 21 San Diego * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.  W 77-60
Thu, Jan 26 Portland * Portland, Ore. 8 p.m. W 74-62
Thu, Feb 02 BYU * Provo, Utah 7 p.m.
Sat, Feb 04 Pepperdine * Malibu, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 09 Saint Mary's * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 11 Loyola Marymount * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Feb 16 Santa Clara * Santa Clara, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 18 San Francisco * San Francisco, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 23 BYU * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 25 San Diego * San Diego, Calif. TBA

Remember MATH is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

As always, you are amazing, incredible people with the whole world waiting to be changed by YOU!

Mr. Rott 





No comments: