SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - Astronomy Lesson 1 :: Cosmic Collisions

Felixir · 09-12-2015, 01:59 AM

This was working out quite well for Daxton. Though he was already awfully bored with the discussion of rocks and the like, the fact that this was all science was keeping his brain engaged. He could simply sit quietly and work on his notes, and Airey Flamsteed seemed quite content with leaving him be, which Daxton appreciated all the more.

It was the mention of 'three new friends' that had the Ravenclaw looking up from his parchment again, at which point he saw... more rocks. Unsurprising, given the lesson topic, but... the names. Oh, the names.

Why did Airey Flamsteed love to name rocks so much? It reminded Daxton of the people he had heard of who named their cars or other inanimate, non-sentient objects. It made little sense to him; even most animals went throughout their entire lives without names, those in the wild and such, so... why did people love to name objects so much? Baffling.

Of course, none of this was said out loud, though if he had the capacity to talk, no doubt it would have been.

Daxton watched the rocks floating in the air, unnerved by their eyes and feeling as though all three of them were watching him. He felt better when gravity took hold (though there was a brief moment of panic where Daxton suddenly thought that what if Airey Flamsteed accidentally... or on purpose... lifted the spell on the entire class, Daxton included, and they all went plummeting to the floor) and soon the rocks were down on the ground and had formed three visible craters.

Looking down at the sand, Daxton considered things for a moment as Airey Flamsteed continued talking. He eyed each crater, and the rocks that sat in the middle of each one, then went back to his notes to write down his thoughts.

SPOILER!!: Notes

Daxton Prince
First Year
Ravenclaw
Astronomy

Rocks

Rocks can tell us about the history of the earth, either through the fossils they might consist of or contain, or their own physical structure, or what processes occurred to create a particular rock - elements, chemicals, pressure, atmospheric influence, etc... - the deeper you go, the older the rock, most probably, and therefore deep down towards the centre of the earth, there may be answers as to the planet's creation/formation/deeper history, which links back to Astronomy
Float in space, and help create planets, including Earth. Rocks obtained from the Moon support this claim, due to a 'tiny excess of a heavier variant of the element zinc' - research further
Entire ecosystems altered due to 'space rocks', eg: the asteroid that destroyed three quarters of life on earth, and ended numerous species and the Cretaceous age (65 million years ago, not 6.5 million) - left the 'Chicxulub crater' (though some argue that the crater it left is not the Chicxulub crater, despite evidence saying otherwise). This also lead to our existence in the long-term
^ Marked end of the Cretaceous period and beginning of the Paleogene period. Geologists and planetary geologists refer to this as the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (K–Pg boundary)
Fossils - self-explanatory
"We are all rocks" - ??????????????? no
^ Calcium found in rocks and makes up 3.63% of Earth's crust is also found in human teach. Iron that makes up 5% of Earth's crust is also found in human (and likely other creatures') blood. These elements were created in the interiors of collapsing stars. Humans "made of stars"
No
I am not a rock
Or a star
That does not even make sense. We consist of some of the same elements, we are "made of stars" in the most rudimental sense. That statement is misleading and confusing.
The four inner planets of the Solar System (closest to the Sun) are made of rock
Some markings on some rocks may be able to determine the age of the planet it comes from
Panspermia - the theory that rocks brought life to Earth (and likely other planets throughout the universe) by way of early organisms, proteins, water, etc... the "building blocks of life"; research in August 2015 supports this claim, showing "evidence that early comet impacts influenced amino acids to change into peptides"
The Moon is a rock, obviously - perhaps possible to compare Moon rocks to Earth rocks and discover the absolute truth of how the Moon came to be
Rocks are classed as baryonic matter
Astronomers measuring the density and composition of the universe using leftover radiation from the Big Bang discovered that the baryonic matter of which rocks belongs to makes up only 4.6% of it - research further
Rocks made of silicates, rock-forming minerals made of oxygen and silicone, more hydrogen atoms than silicone atoms in the Solar System, so much more hydrogen found than rock. Rock makes up the majority of inner terrestrial planets due to the fact that hydrogen and methane (and ammonia) cannot condense because of the thermal energy closer to the sun. The rocks (the planets' bodies) cannot hold onto these elements, therefore it is the silicates that end up forming the rocks of the inner planets, hence why there are no gaseous planets closer to the sun
Outer planets also have rock at the centre, just less
Rocks make good pets? Better than an animal I suppose...
Rocks made up of all the different minerals in the universe flew together at the beginning of time(? IF the beginning of time was the beginning of the universe, which I doubt) to create the planets
Rocks dating back to K–Pg boundary period indicate global catastrophe, ie: layer of grayish clay found in all of the K-T boundary era rocks, which contain unusually high concentrations of iridium. As this element is extremely rare in surface rocks on Earth, leading to the conclusion that the rocks were from elsewhere (indicating a large meteorite impact... rocks from space)

Basic Terminology
- asteroid = large rocky body, always found in space, orbits the Sun, but not a planet
- meteoroids = smaller than an asteroid, but still rocky bodies (rocks) or particles which orbit the Sun ("meteroid is in the void" except it's actually just in space which isn't officially a void because the space in our solar system does contain some particles)
- meteors = occurs when a meteoroid or asteroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere and vaporizes, it becomes a meteor, which is often mislabeled a shooting star" ("meteor above you soars")
- meteorites = "If an asteroid or large meteoroid survives its fiery passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and lands on Earth’s surface, it is then called a meteorite." ("meteorite is in your sight" although I suspect any of them could be in your sight if you look hard enough and/or use a telescope)

What each of these is depends on where they are. You cannot find a meteoroid within the Earth's atmosphere, because it will either vaporise and burn up upon entry, at which point it would become a meteor, or it will hold together and thus become a meteorite, and hit earth. Asteroids generally stay in space, orbiting the Sun, but if it were to impact with the Earth (meaning it entered the Earth's atmosphere without vaporising) it would also become a meteorite, though generally when these impact with the Earth, they are still referred to as asteroids, which is confusing. Also, all four of these bodies are made up of minerals and rock, and all originated in space. Obviously. In fact, you could argue that everything originates in space, as that is exactly where we are, but that is besides the point.

Shiny black crust on meteorites as a result of going through the Earth's atmosphere
Meteorites potentially heavier than normal Earth rocks due to their contents
Meteors give off a glow due to burning up - down to friction and speed and obviously not magic, duh
Hoba meteorite - largest known, found in Nambia, 60 tonnes, discovered in the 1920s, believed to have impacted approximately 80,000 years ago
Asteroids can have their own moons (for example: the 19 mile wide Ida, which has a 1 mile wide moon, Dactyl)
Some asteroid considered to be dwarf planets - Ceres, Pluto, etc
None of these are to be confused with comets, which are something else entirely
"Meteor showers are Earth's way of getting clean" ??????????????? - research further
Meteorites can be as small as particles, specks of dust, grains of sand - as long as it is bigger than an atom, and smaller than an asteroid, it counts
Asteroids are considered 'minor planets' (essentially any astronomical object that orbits the Sun but is not one of the 'official', 'main' planets nor originally classified as a comet - includes asteroids, dwarf planets, and centaurs [obviously the celestial kind, not the ~~mythical~~ creature kind)
Pluto is a dwarf planet, technically an asteroid though some argue its status as a comet
Some people wish on what they think are 'falling/shooting stars', but actually they are just meteors. It makes no sense why people would make wishes on falling stars anyway, because they cannot grant them. Making wishes does not work.
Asteroids sometimes travel in groups
The largest known asteroid is as large as the state of Texas in the United States, and it is 582 miles across

Falling Rock Experiment
1. Which rock created the largest crater?

The largest rock ("Dwayne Johnson", apparently)

2. What is the only difference in the way each crater was made?

The only difference was that each rock is a different size. They were all released from the same height, at the same time, and fell at what I presume is the same velocity, it is true that the only magic used on them was that which stopped them from being suspended in the air/caused gravity to take hold. You could also argue that the rocks were all released and fell to the sand in different places, even though they were near each other. Though this may not have caused any significant difference, it should still be factored in, in case of some sort of strange gravity anomaly/pocket in the classroom, which may potentially have caused one of the rocks to slow down and lose velocity

3. What can be said about the importance of the mass of a meteorite in making a crater?

Firstly, it should be noted that the weight of an object does not affect how fast it falls to the ground; different weighted objects will fall to the ground at the same speed. Therefore we know that it was not speed or velocity that influenced the sizes of the craters. The only other (significant) variable is the size (mass) of the rocks. Given that the rocks are all different sizes, and so are the craters, if you apply this experiment to meteorites and Earth the most probable answer is that the higher the mass of the meteorite (rock), the larger the resulting crater will be. There could potentially be other factors, however, other than just mass.

09-12-2015, 01:59 AM	#151 (permalink)
Felixir Banshee Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Posts: 50,244 Hogwarts RPG Name: Abraham Orlando Botros-Giordano Gryffindor Third Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Aurelio Kolya Kaiser Slytherin Seventh Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Alexei Dragomirov Petrov Slytherin Fifth Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Typhon Ulysses Prince Slytherin Seventh Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Achilles Alexander Zacharias Ravenclaw Seventh Year x12 x12	Lovely™ \| Captain Hurted \| Ariana's Bane \| Resident Antagonist \| Unparalleled Delight This was working out quite well for Daxton. Though he was already awfully bored with the discussion of rocks and the like, the fact that this was all science was keeping his brain engaged. He could simply sit quietly and work on his notes, and Airey Flamsteed seemed quite content with leaving him be, which Daxton appreciated all the more. It was the mention of 'three new friends' that had the Ravenclaw looking up from his parchment again, at which point he saw... more rocks. Unsurprising, given the lesson topic, but... the names. Oh, the names. Why did Airey Flamsteed love to name rocks so much? It reminded Daxton of the people he had heard of who named their cars or other inanimate, non-sentient objects. It made little sense to him; even most animals went throughout their entire lives without names, those in the wild and such, so... why did people love to name objects so much? Baffling. Of course, none of this was said out loud, though if he had the capacity to talk, no doubt it would have been. Daxton watched the rocks floating in the air, unnerved by their eyes and feeling as though all three of them were watching him. He felt better when gravity took hold (though there was a brief moment of panic where Daxton suddenly thought that what if Airey Flamsteed accidentally... or on purpose... lifted the spell on the entire class, Daxton included, and they all went plummeting to the floor) and soon the rocks were down on the ground and had formed three visible craters. Looking down at the sand, Daxton considered things for a moment as Airey Flamsteed continued talking. He eyed each crater, and the rocks that sat in the middle of each one, then went back to his notes to write down his thoughts. SPOILER!!: Notes Daxton Prince First Year Ravenclaw Astronomy Rocks Rocks can tell us about the history of the earth, either through the fossils they might consist of or contain, or their own physical structure, or what processes occurred to create a particular rock - elements, chemicals, pressure, atmospheric influence, etc... - the deeper you go, the older the rock, most probably, and therefore deep down towards the centre of the earth, there may be answers as to the planet's creation/formation/deeper history, which links back to Astronomy Float in space, and help create planets, including Earth. Rocks obtained from the Moon support this claim, due to a 'tiny excess of a heavier variant of the element zinc' - research further Entire ecosystems altered due to 'space rocks', eg: the asteroid that destroyed three quarters of life on earth, and ended numerous species and the Cretaceous age (65 million years ago, not 6.5 million) - left the 'Chicxulub crater' (though some argue that the crater it left is not the Chicxulub crater, despite evidence saying otherwise). This also lead to our existence in the long-term ^ Marked end of the Cretaceous period and beginning of the Paleogene period. Geologists and planetary geologists refer to this as the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (K–Pg boundary) Fossils - self-explanatory "We are all rocks" - ??????????????? no ^ Calcium found in rocks and makes up 3.63% of Earth's crust is also found in human teach. Iron that makes up 5% of Earth's crust is also found in human (and likely other creatures') blood. These elements were created in the interiors of collapsing stars. Humans "made of stars" No I am not a rock Or a star That does not even make sense. We consist of some of the same elements, we are "made of stars" in the most rudimental sense. That statement is misleading and confusing. The four inner planets of the Solar System (closest to the Sun) are made of rock Some markings on some rocks may be able to determine the age of the planet it comes from Panspermia - the theory that rocks brought life to Earth (and likely other planets throughout the universe) by way of early organisms, proteins, water, etc... the "building blocks of life"; research in August 2015 supports this claim, showing "evidence that early comet impacts influenced amino acids to change into peptides" The Moon is a rock, obviously - perhaps possible to compare Moon rocks to Earth rocks and discover the absolute truth of how the Moon came to be Rocks are classed as baryonic matter Astronomers measuring the density and composition of the universe using leftover radiation from the Big Bang discovered that the baryonic matter of which rocks belongs to makes up only 4.6% of it - research further Rocks made of silicates, rock-forming minerals made of oxygen and silicone, more hydrogen atoms than silicone atoms in the Solar System, so much more hydrogen found than rock. Rock makes up the majority of inner terrestrial planets due to the fact that hydrogen and methane (and ammonia) cannot condense because of the thermal energy closer to the sun. The rocks (the planets' bodies) cannot hold onto these elements, therefore it is the silicates that end up forming the rocks of the inner planets, hence why there are no gaseous planets closer to the sun Outer planets also have rock at the centre, just less Rocks make good pets? Better than an animal I suppose... Rocks made up of all the different minerals in the universe flew together at the beginning of time(? IF the beginning of time was the beginning of the universe, which I doubt) to create the planets Rocks dating back to K–Pg boundary period indicate global catastrophe, ie: layer of grayish clay found in all of the K-T boundary era rocks, which contain unusually high concentrations of iridium. As this element is extremely rare in surface rocks on Earth, leading to the conclusion that the rocks were from elsewhere (indicating a large meteorite impact... rocks from space) Basic Terminology - asteroid = large rocky body, always found in space, orbits the Sun, but not a planet - meteoroids = smaller than an asteroid, but still rocky bodies (rocks) or particles which orbit the Sun ("meteroid is in the void" except it's actually just in space which isn't officially a void because the space in our solar system does contain some particles) - meteors = occurs when a meteoroid or asteroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere and vaporizes, it becomes a meteor, which is often mislabeled a shooting star" ("meteor above you soars") - meteorites = "If an asteroid or large meteoroid survives its fiery passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and lands on Earth’s surface, it is then called a meteorite." ("meteorite is in your sight" although I suspect any of them could be in your sight if you look hard enough and/or use a telescope) What each of these is depends on where they are. You cannot find a meteoroid within the Earth's atmosphere, because it will either vaporise and burn up upon entry, at which point it would become a meteor, or it will hold together and thus become a meteorite, and hit earth. Asteroids generally stay in space, orbiting the Sun, but if it were to impact with the Earth (meaning it entered the Earth's atmosphere without vaporising) it would also become a meteorite, though generally when these impact with the Earth, they are still referred to as asteroids, which is confusing. Also, all four of these bodies are made up of minerals and rock, and all originated in space. Obviously. In fact, you could argue that everything originates in space, as that is exactly where we are, but that is besides the point. Shiny black crust on meteorites as a result of going through the Earth's atmosphere Meteorites potentially heavier than normal Earth rocks due to their contents Meteors give off a glow due to burning up - down to friction and speed and obviously not magic, duh Hoba meteorite - largest known, found in Nambia, 60 tonnes, discovered in the 1920s, believed to have impacted approximately 80,000 years ago Asteroids can have their own moons (for example: the 19 mile wide Ida, which has a 1 mile wide moon, Dactyl) Some asteroid considered to be dwarf planets - Ceres, Pluto, etc None of these are to be confused with comets, which are something else entirely "Meteor showers are Earth's way of getting clean" ??????????????? - research further Meteorites can be as small as particles, specks of dust, grains of sand - as long as it is bigger than an atom, and smaller than an asteroid, it counts Asteroids are considered 'minor planets' (essentially any astronomical object that orbits the Sun but is not one of the 'official', 'main' planets nor originally classified as a comet - includes asteroids, dwarf planets, and centaurs [obviously the celestial kind, not the ~~mythical~~ creature kind) Pluto is a dwarf planet, technically an asteroid though some argue its status as a comet Some people wish on what they think are 'falling/shooting stars', but actually they are just meteors. It makes no sense why people would make wishes on falling stars anyway, because they cannot grant them. Making wishes does not work. Asteroids sometimes travel in groups The largest known asteroid is as large as the state of Texas in the United States, and it is 582 miles across Falling Rock Experiment 1. Which rock created the largest crater? The largest rock ("Dwayne Johnson", apparently) 2. What is the only difference in the way each crater was made? The only difference was that each rock is a different size. They were all released from the same height, at the same time, and fell at what I presume is the same velocity, it is true that the only magic used on them was that which stopped them from being suspended in the air/caused gravity to take hold. You could also argue that the rocks were all released and fell to the sand in different places, even though they were near each other. Though this may not have caused any significant difference, it should still be factored in, in case of some sort of strange gravity anomaly/pocket in the classroom, which may potentially have caused one of the rocks to slow down and lose velocity 3. What can be said about the importance of the mass of a meteorite in making a crater? Firstly, it should be noted that the weight of an object does not affect how fast it falls to the ground; different weighted objects will fall to the ground at the same speed. Therefore we know that it was not speed or velocity that influenced the sizes of the craters. The only other (significant) variable is the size (mass) of the rocks. Given that the rocks are all different sizes, and so are the craters, if you apply this experiment to meteorites and Earth the most probable answer is that the higher the mass of the meteorite (rock), the larger the resulting crater will be. There could potentially be other factors, however, other than just mass. __________________