Space is an amazing place to study! There are so many things to see and learn about, but one thing we often forget is that math can help us understand things we see in space. The field of astronomy includes many calculations that have revealed vast amounts of information. Each week in this class we study a unique way the tools we learn in math can help us understand what is happening in space. 

Class format is as follows:
~ Listen as I explain space phenomenon and the math that helps us understand them
~ Watch a slideshow that incudes facts, data, and images related to the topic
~ Draw diagrams of the elements of space we study
~ Complete calculations, measurements, or graphs to show understanding of the week's topic
~ Discussion of the phenomena we study, including previous knowledge and questions
~ Occasionally watch gifs or short video clips to illustrate concepts from the lesson

Topics Studied Include:

2024-2025 School Year

September
~ Calculate energy in solar flares (Sept. 8-14)
~ Lagrange points around Earth (Sept. 15-21)
~ Distance between galaxies (Sept. 22-28)

October
~ Transits in Our Solar System (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)
~ Calculating barycenter of binary star systems (Oct. 6-12)
NO CLASS OCT. 13-19
~ JWST Mirror Analysis (Oct. 20-26)
~ Escape Velocity (Oct. 27-Nov. 2)

November
~ Density of a Neutron Star (Nov. 4-10)
~ Study Saturn's Hexagon (Nov. 11-17)
~ Movement of Earth's North Pole (Nov. 18-24)
NO CLASS NOV. 25 - DEC. 1

December
~ Strange Atmosphere of Neutron Stars (Dec. 2-8)
~ Calculate Speed of Objects Orbiting Black Holes (Dec. 9-15)
~ Calculate the Age of the Cat's Eye Nebula (Dec. 16-22)
NO CLASS DEC. 23-JAN. 5

January
~ Examine Spirals of LL Pegasi Star (Jan. 6-12)
~ Graph the Coordinates for Ancient Supernovae (Jan. 13-19)
~ Calculate Lengths of Days on Earth (Jan. 20-26)
~ Estimate the Amount of Water on the Moon (Jan. 27-Feb. 2)

February
~ Information Travel in Our Solar System (Feb. 3-9)
~ Graph Magnetic Field Lines (Feb. 10-16)
~ Analyze Solar Panel Shapes and Calculate Electricity Generated (Feb. 17-23)
~ Calculate Gravity Using a Pendulum (Feb. 24-Mar. 2)

March
~ Acceleration Needed to Travel to the Moon (Mar. 3-9)
~ Learn How Cosmic Rays Impact Solar Panels (Mar. 10-16)
~ How Destructive Was the Late Heavy Bombardment? (Mar. 17-23)
~ Calculate Electricity Create in Auroras (Mar. 24-29)
NO CLASS MAR. 30-APR. 5

April
~ Hubble's Law (Apr. 6-12)
~ Speed of Objects in Saturn's Rings (Apr. 13-19)
~ Calculate the Date of the Final Solar Eclipse (Apr. 20-26)
~ Calculations With Jupiter's Moon Io (Apr. 27-May 3)

May
~ Calculations With Solid Rocket Fuel (May 4-10)
~ Slowing Down of Pulsars (May 11-17)
~ Hohman Transfers for Interplanetary Travel (May 18-24)