Home > Subjects > Science > Level 1 > 1.7 Astronomy > Subject content
- Subject: Science
- AS: 90192
- Level: 1
- Credits: 2
- External
Science 1.7 Describe aspects of astronomy
Subject content
Make sure you have up-to-date course notes. Use them, and if you haven't got them see your teacher. The topics you may be tested on include:
- Spatial relationships within the solar system
- orbits of the planets and their moons
- position of the planets relative to Earth
- major moons
- problems related to distances between the planets.
You can find out lots of information about the solar system and its formation at Our Solar System.
Find a planet using this interactive simulator: Planet Finder. You will have to enter the latitude and longitude to locate your position. Here are some approximate New Zealand examples:
Auckland Latitude: 36 S Longitude: 174 E Palmerston North Latitude: 40 S Longitude: 175 E Wellington Latitude: 41 S Longitude: 174 E Christchurch Latitude: 43 S Longitude: 172 E Invercargill Latitude: 46 S Longitude: 168 E - Space exploration of the solar system
- the use of the unaided eye (called 'naked eye' astronomy, without the use of a telescope)
- telescopes (light, radio, and space)
- rockets or probes
- the challenges for human exploration, for example:
- difficulties of distances
- gravitational effects
- temperature differences
- orbits (elliptical and tilted)
- need for special technology.
Do you have a good sense of space distance and objects on Earth? Look at Molecular Expressions to view the Milky Way at 10 million light years from the Earth and watch the distance decrease in size by the power of ten.
Check out the most up-to-date site about space exploration at NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Find out about space missions.
