Astronomical Terminology

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Astronomical Terminology APPENDIX A Astronomical Terminology A: 1 Introduction When we disco ver a new type of astronomical entity on an optical image of the sky or in a radio-astronomical record, we refer to it as a new object. It need not be astar. It might be a galaxy, a planet, or perhaps a cloud of interstellar matter. The word "object" is convenient because it allows us to discuss the entity before its true character is established. Astronomy seeks to provide an accurate description of all natural objects beyond the Earth's atmosphere. From time to time the brightness of an object may change, or its color might become altered, or else it might go through some other kind oftransition. We then talk about the occurence of an event. Astrophysics attempts to explain the sequence of events that mark the evolution of astronomical objects. A great variety of different objects populate the Universe. Three ofthese concern us most immediately in everyday life: The Sun that lights our atmosphere during the day and establishes the moderate temperatures needed for the existence oflife, the Earth that forms our habitat, and the Moon that occasionally lights the night sky. Fainter, but far more numerous, are the stars that we can only see after the Sun has set. The objects we detect can be divided into two groups. Many ofthem are faint, and we would not be able to see them if they were not very close to the Sun; others are bright, but at much larger distances. The first group of objects, taken together with the Sun, comprise the Solar System. They form a gravitationally bound group orbiting a common center of mass. Within the Solar System the Sun itself is of greatest astronomical interest in many ways. It is the one star that we can study in great detail and at close range. Ultimately it may reveal precisely what nuclear processes take place in its center and just how a star derives its energy. Complementing such observations, the study of planets, comets, and meteorites 576 Appendix A may ultimately reveal the history ofthe Solar System and the origins oflife. Both of these are fascinating problems. A:2 The Sun The Sun is a star. Stars are luminous bodies whose masses range from about 1032 to 1035 g. Their luminosity in the visual part ofthe spectrum normally lies in the range between 10-4 and 104 times the Sun's energy outflow. The surface temperatures of these stars may range from no more than '" 1, 000 K to about 50,000 K. Just how we can determine the relative brightness of stars will be seen later in this Appendix. The determination oftemperatures is discussed in Chapter 4. The Sun, viewed as astar, has the following features: (a) Its radius is 6.96 x 10 10 cm. Although occasional prominences jut out from the solar surface, its basic shape is spherical. The equatorial radius is only a fractional amount larger than the polar radius: [(req - rpoI)/r] ~ 6 X 10-6 (Di86). (b) The Sun emits a total flux of3.9 x 1033 erg S-I. Nearly half ofthis radiation is visible, but an appreciable fraction of the power is emitted in the near ultraviolet and near infrared parts ofthe spectrum. Solar X-ray and radio emission make only slight contributions to the totalluminosity. (c) The Sun's mass is 1.99 x 1033 g. (d) Three principal layers make up the Sun's atmosphere. They are the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. (i) The photosphere is the layer from which the Sun's visible light emanates. It has a temperature of ab out 6,000 K. (ii) The chromosphere is a layer some ten to fifteen thousand kilometers thick. It separates the relatively cool photosphere from the far hotter corona. (iii) The corona extends from 1.03 R0 , or about 20,000 km above the photo­ sphere, out to at least several solar radii. The outer boundary has not been defined. The corona is not a static structure; its outer edge merges continuously into the interplanetary gas that streams outward from the Sun at speeds of several hundred kilometers per second. This streaming, ionized gas, mainly protons and electrons, is called the solar wind. The temperature of the corona is '" 1.5 x 106 K. (e) Sunspots and Sunspot groups, cool regions on the solar surface, move with the Sun as it rotates, and allow us to determine a 27 -day rotation period. This period is only an apparent rotation rate as viewed from the Earth which itself orbits the Sun. The actual rotation period with respect to the fixed stars is only about 25! days at a latitude of 15 0 and varies slightly with latitude; the solar surface does not rotate as asolid shell. The Sun exhibits an II-year solar cycle during which time the number of sunspots increases to a maximum and then declines to a minimum. At minimum the number of spots on the Sun may be as low as zero. At maximum the number of individual sunspots or members of a sunspot group mayamount to 150. There are special ways of counting to arrive at this sunspot number and a continuous record is kept through the collaborative effort of a number of observatories. A:3 The Solar System 577 The ll-year cycle is actually only half of a longer 22-year cycle that takes into account the polarity and arrangement of magnetic fields in sunspot pairs. (f) A variety of different events can take place on the Sun. Each type has a name of its own. One of the most interesting is a jlare, a brief burst of light near a sunspot group. Associated with the visible flare is the emission of solar cosmic ray particles, X -rays, ultraviolet radiation, and radio waves. Flares are also associated with the emission of clouds of electrons and protons that constitute a large component added to the normal solar wind. After a day or two, required for the Sun-to-Earth transit at a speed of'" 10 3 km S-1 , these particles can impinge on the Earth's magnetosphere (magnetic field and ionosphere), giving rise to magnetic storms and aurorae. These disturbances tend to corrugate the ionosphere and make it difficult to reflect radio waves smoothly. Since radio communication depends on smooth, continuous ionospheric reflection, reliable radio communication is sometimes disrupted for as long as a day during such magnetic storms. A:3 The Solar System A variety of different objects orbit the Sun. Together they make up the Solar System (Fig. A.l). The Earth is representative ofplanetary objects. Planets are large bodies orbiting the Sun. They are seen primarily by reflected sunlight. The majority emit hardly any radiation by themselves. In order of increasing distance from the Sun, the planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. All the planets orbit the Sun in one direction; this direction is called direct. Bodies moving in the opposite direction are said to have retrograde orbits. Table 1.3 gives same of the more important data ab out planets. It shows that the different planets are characterized by a wide range of size, surface temperature and chemistry, magnetic field strength, and other properties. One of the aims of astrophysics is to understand such differences, perhaps in terms of the history of the solar system. Besides the nine planets we have listed, there are many more minor planets, or asteroids, orbiting the Sun. Most ofthem travel along paths lying between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, a region known as the asteroidal belt. The largest asteroid is Ceres. Its radius is 350 km. Its mass is about one ten-thousandth that ofEarth. A number ofobjects collectively known as Centaurs are intermediate in diameter between typical comets and small icy planets or planetary satellites. They have short-lived orbits intermingled with those ofthe outer planets. Their diameters are estimated at 30 to 200 km and they appear to be drawn from the Kuiper beft, a region beyond the outer planets inhabited by perhaps a hundred thousand objects with diameters greater than 100 km and orbits between 50 and 100 AU. Discovered as the first ofthis group in 1992, is 1992QB1, with a diameter of 180 km and a stable, nearly circular orbit about the Sun, some 14 AU beyond Neptune. More recently a number of comets have also been discovered at these distances, and 578 Appendix A 90· I FIGURE A.l. Cornparison of planetary, asteroidal, and short-period cornetary orbits. Al­ though the Earth, Mars, and Jupiter have nearly circular orbits, the orbits of asteroids, Icarus, Hermes, Eros, Apollo, Kepler, and Hidalgo are appreciably eccentric, as are those ofcornets Encke, Pons--Winnecke, Ternpel-Swift, Whippie, Tuttle--Giacobini-Kresak, and Biela. Cornets are narned after their discoverers. Many cornets and asteroids have aphelion distances near Jupiter's orbit, and Jupiter has a controlling infiuence on the shape of the orbits and rnay have "captured" cornets frorn parabolic orbits into short-period orbits. estimates suggest that the Kuiper belt may contain several hundred million to a billion smaller cometary bodies (St96). Many of the smaller known asteroids, whose orbits lie mainly between Mars and Jupiter, have diameters of the order of a kilometer. These objects number A:3 The Solar System 579 in the thousands and there must be many more orbiting masses that are too small to have been observed. Among these are bodies that might only be a few meters in diameter or smaller. From time to time, some of these approach the Earth and survive the journey through the atmosphere.
Recommended publications
  • Glossary Physics (I-Introduction)
    1 Glossary Physics (I-introduction) - Efficiency: The percent of the work put into a machine that is converted into useful work output; = work done / energy used [-]. = eta In machines: The work output of any machine cannot exceed the work input (<=100%); in an ideal machine, where no energy is transformed into heat: work(input) = work(output), =100%. Energy: The property of a system that enables it to do work. Conservation o. E.: Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it may be transformed from one form into another, but the total amount of energy never changes. Equilibrium: The state of an object when not acted upon by a net force or net torque; an object in equilibrium may be at rest or moving at uniform velocity - not accelerating. Mechanical E.: The state of an object or system of objects for which any impressed forces cancels to zero and no acceleration occurs. Dynamic E.: Object is moving without experiencing acceleration. Static E.: Object is at rest.F Force: The influence that can cause an object to be accelerated or retarded; is always in the direction of the net force, hence a vector quantity; the four elementary forces are: Electromagnetic F.: Is an attraction or repulsion G, gravit. const.6.672E-11[Nm2/kg2] between electric charges: d, distance [m] 2 2 2 2 F = 1/(40) (q1q2/d ) [(CC/m )(Nm /C )] = [N] m,M, mass [kg] Gravitational F.: Is a mutual attraction between all masses: q, charge [As] [C] 2 2 2 2 F = GmM/d [Nm /kg kg 1/m ] = [N] 0, dielectric constant Strong F.: (nuclear force) Acts within the nuclei of atoms: 8.854E-12 [C2/Nm2] [F/m] 2 2 2 2 2 F = 1/(40) (e /d ) [(CC/m )(Nm /C )] = [N] , 3.14 [-] Weak F.: Manifests itself in special reactions among elementary e, 1.60210 E-19 [As] [C] particles, such as the reaction that occur in radioactive decay.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Lecture 26
    PHYS 445 Lecture 26 - Black-body radiation I 26 - 1 Lecture 26 - Black-body radiation I What's Important: · number density · energy density Text: Reif In our previous discussion of photons, we established that the mean number of photons with energy i is 1 n = (26.1) i eß i - 1 Here, the questions that we want to address about photons are: · what is their number density · what is their energy density · what is their pressure? Number density n Eq. (26.1) is written in the language of discrete states. The first thing we need to do is replace the sum by an integral over photon momentum states: 3 S i ® ò d p Of course, it isn't quite this simple because the density-of-states issue that we introduced before: for every spin state there is one phase space state for every h 3, so the proper replacement more like 3 3 3 S i ® (1/h ) ò d p ò d r The units now work: the left hand side is a number, and so is the right hand side. But this expression ignores spin - it just deals with the states in phase space. For every photon momentum, there are two ways of arranging its polarization (i.e., the orientation of its electric or magnetic field vectors): where the photon momentum vector is perpendicular to the plane. Thus, we have 3 3 3 S i ® (2/h ) ò d p ò d r. (26.2) Assuming that our system is spatially uniform, the position integral can be replaced by the volume ò d 3r = V.
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomy 241: Foundations of Astrophysics I. the Solar System
    Astronomy 241: Foundations of Astrophysics I. The Solar System Astronomy 241 is the first part of a year-long Prerequisites: Physics 170, Physics 272 introduction to astrophysics. It uses basic (or concurrent), and Math 242 or 252A. classical mechanics and thermodynamics to Contact: Professor Joshua Barnes analyze the structure and evolution of the ([email protected]; 956-8138) Solar System. www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/ast241 Tuesday, August 21, 2012 Astrophysics BS Degree Proposal in ASTR PHYS MATH CHEM preparation FALL 241 251A 161, 171 or 181 year 1 161L, 171L, or 181L SPRING 170 242 252A 162 year 1 170L 162L Foundations of Astrophysics I: FALL 241 272 243 253A The Solar System year 2 272L Foundations of Astrophysics II: SPRING 242 274 244 Galaxies & Stars year 2 274L Observational Astronomy & FALL 300 310 311 (or 307?) Laboratory year 3 300L 350 SPRING 301 311 Observational Project year 3 450 FALL 423 480 Stellar Astrophysics year 4 495 SPRING 496 481 Senior Project I, II year4 485 1 of: ASTR 320, 426, or 430 Tuesday, August 21, 2012 Units Text uses MKS units (meter, kilo-gram, second); e.g. G ≃ 6.674 × 10-11 m3 kg-1 s-2 (gravitational constant). Astronomers also use non-standard units: AU ≃ 1.496 × 1011 m (“average” Earth-Sun distance) 30 M⊙ ≃ 1.989 × 10 kg (Sun’s mass) yr ≃ 3.156 × 107 s (Earth’s orbital period) Tuesday, August 21, 2012 Order of Magnitude & Dimensional Analysis: An Example Given that Jupiter’s average density is slightly greater than water, estimate the orbital period of a satellite circling just above the planet.
    [Show full text]
  • Planet Positions: 1 Planet Positions
    Planet Positions: 1 Planet Positions As the planets orbit the Sun, they move around the celestial sphere, staying close to the plane of the ecliptic. As seen from the Earth, the angle between the Sun and a planet -- called the elongation -- constantly changes. We can identify a few special configurations of the planets -- those positions where the elongation is particularly noteworthy. The inferior planets -- those which orbit closer INFERIOR PLANETS to the Sun than Earth does -- have configurations as shown: SC At both superior conjunction (SC) and inferior conjunction (IC), the planet is in line with the Earth and Sun and has an elongation of 0°. At greatest elongation, the planet reaches its IC maximum separation from the Sun, a value GEE GWE dependent on the size of the planet's orbit. At greatest eastern elongation (GEE), the planet lies east of the Sun and trails it across the sky, while at greatest western elongation (GWE), the planet lies west of the Sun, leading it across the sky. Best viewing for inferior planets is generally at greatest elongation, when the planet is as far from SUPERIOR PLANETS the Sun as it can get and thus in the darkest sky possible. C The superior planets -- those orbiting outside of Earth's orbit -- have configurations as shown: A planet at conjunction (C) is lined up with the Sun and has an elongation of 0°, while a planet at opposition (O) lies in the opposite direction from the Sun, at an elongation of 180°. EQ WQ Planets at quadrature have elongations of 90°.
    [Show full text]
  • European Astroparticle Physics Strategy 2017-2026 Astroparticle Physics European Consortium
    European Astroparticle Physics Strategy 2017-2026 Astroparticle Physics European Consortium August 2017 European Astroparticle Physics Strategy 2017-2026 www.appec.org Executive Summary Astroparticle physics is the fascinating field of research long-standing mysteries such as the true nature of Dark at the intersection of astronomy, particle physics and Matter and Dark Energy, the intricacies of neutrinos cosmology. It simultaneously addresses challenging and the occurrence (or non-occurrence) of proton questions relating to the micro-cosmos (the world decay. of elementary particles and their fundamental interactions) and the macro-cosmos (the world of The field of astroparticle physics has quickly celestial objects and their evolution) and, as a result, established itself as an extremely successful endeavour. is well-placed to advance our understanding of the Since 2001 four Nobel Prizes (2002, 2006, 2011 and Universe beyond the Standard Model of particle physics 2015) have been awarded to astroparticle physics and and the Big Bang Model of cosmology. the recent – revolutionary – first direct detections of gravitational waves is literally opening an entirely new One of its paths is targeted at a better understanding and exhilarating window onto our Universe. We look of cataclysmic events such as: supernovas – the titanic forward to an equally exciting and productive future. explosions marking the final evolutionary stage of massive stars; mergers of multi-solar-mass black-hole Many of the next generation of astroparticle physics or neutron-star binaries; and, most compelling of all, research infrastructures require substantial capital the violent birth and subsequent evolution of our infant investment and, for Europe to remain competitive Universe.
    [Show full text]
  • Phobos, Deimos: Formation and Evolution Alex Soumbatov-Gur
    Phobos, Deimos: Formation and Evolution Alex Soumbatov-Gur To cite this version: Alex Soumbatov-Gur. Phobos, Deimos: Formation and Evolution. [Research Report] Karpov institute of physical chemistry. 2019. hal-02147461 HAL Id: hal-02147461 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02147461 Submitted on 4 Jun 2019 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Phobos, Deimos: Formation and Evolution Alex Soumbatov-Gur The moons are confirmed to be ejected parts of Mars’ crust. After explosive throwing out as cone-like rocks they plastically evolved with density decays and materials transformations. Their expansion evolutions were accompanied by global ruptures and small scale rock ejections with concurrent crater formations. The scenario reconciles orbital and physical parameters of the moons. It coherently explains dozens of their properties including spectra, appearances, size differences, crater locations, fracture symmetries, orbits, evolution trends, geologic activity, Phobos’ grooves, mechanism of their origin, etc. The ejective approach is also discussed in the context of observational data on near-Earth asteroids, main belt asteroids Steins, Vesta, and Mars. The approach incorporates known fission mechanism of formation of miniature asteroids, logically accounts for its outliers, and naturally explains formations of small celestial bodies of various sizes.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Astrometry
    5 Gaia web site: http://sci.esa.int/Gaia site: web Gaia 6 June 2009 June are emerging about the nature of our Galaxy. Galaxy. our of nature the about emerging are More detailed information can be found on the the on found be can information detailed More technologies developed by creative engineers. creative by developed technologies scientists all over the world, and important conclusions conclusions important and world, the over all scientists of the Universe combined with the most cutting-edge cutting-edge most the with combined Universe the of The results from Hipparcos are being analysed by by analysed being are Hipparcos from results The expression of a widespread curiosity about the nature nature the about curiosity widespread a of expression 118218 stars to a precision of around 1 milliarcsecond. milliarcsecond. 1 around of precision a to stars 118218 trying to answer for many centuries. It is the the is It centuries. many for answer to trying created with the positions, distances and motions of of motions and distances positions, the with created will bring light to questions that astronomers have been been have astronomers that questions to light bring will accuracies obtained from the ground. A catalogue was was catalogue A ground. the from obtained accuracies Gaia represents the dream of many generations as it it as generations many of dream the represents Gaia achieving an improvement of about 100 compared to to compared 100 about of improvement an achieving orbit, the Hipparcos satellite observed the whole sky, sky, whole the observed satellite Hipparcos the orbit, ear Y of them in the solar neighbourhood.
    [Show full text]
  • Asteroid Impact, Not Volcanism, Caused the End-Cretaceous Dinosaur Extinction
    Asteroid impact, not volcanism, caused the end-Cretaceous dinosaur extinction Alfio Alessandro Chiarenzaa,b,1,2, Alexander Farnsworthc,1, Philip D. Mannionb, Daniel J. Luntc, Paul J. Valdesc, Joanna V. Morgana, and Peter A. Allisona aDepartment of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom; bDepartment of Earth Sciences, University College London, WC1E 6BT London, United Kingdom; and cSchool of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1TH Bristol, United Kingdom Edited by Nils Chr. Stenseth, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, and approved May 21, 2020 (received for review April 1, 2020) The Cretaceous/Paleogene mass extinction, 66 Ma, included the (17). However, the timing and size of each eruptive event are demise of non-avian dinosaurs. Intense debate has focused on the highly contentious in relation to the mass extinction event (8–10). relative roles of Deccan volcanism and the Chicxulub asteroid im- An asteroid, ∼10 km in diameter, impacted at Chicxulub, in pact as kill mechanisms for this event. Here, we combine fossil- the present-day Gulf of Mexico, 66 Ma (4, 18, 19), leaving a crater occurrence data with paleoclimate and habitat suitability models ∼180 to 200 km in diameter (Fig. 1A). This impactor struck car- to evaluate dinosaur habitability in the wake of various asteroid bonate and sulfate-rich sediments, leading to the ejection and impact and Deccan volcanism scenarios. Asteroid impact models global dispersal of large quantities of dust, ash, sulfur, and other generate a prolonged cold winter that suppresses potential global aerosols into the atmosphere (4, 18–20). These atmospheric dinosaur habitats.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Astronomy from Darkness to Blazing Glory
    Introduction to Astronomy From Darkness to Blazing Glory Published by JAS Educational Publications Copyright Pending 2010 JAS Educational Publications All rights reserved. Including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Second Edition Author: Jeffrey Wright Scott Photographs and Diagrams: Credit NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USGS, NOAA, Aames Research Center JAS Educational Publications 2601 Oakdale Road, H2 P.O. Box 197 Modesto California 95355 1-888-586-6252 Website: http://.Introastro.com Printing by Minuteman Press, Berkley, California ISBN 978-0-9827200-0-4 1 Introduction to Astronomy From Darkness to Blazing Glory The moon Titan is in the forefront with the moon Tethys behind it. These are two of many of Saturn’s moons Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, ISS, JPL, ESA, NASA 2 Introduction to Astronomy Contents in Brief Chapter 1: Astronomy Basics: Pages 1 – 6 Workbook Pages 1 - 2 Chapter 2: Time: Pages 7 - 10 Workbook Pages 3 - 4 Chapter 3: Solar System Overview: Pages 11 - 14 Workbook Pages 5 - 8 Chapter 4: Our Sun: Pages 15 - 20 Workbook Pages 9 - 16 Chapter 5: The Terrestrial Planets: Page 21 - 39 Workbook Pages 17 - 36 Mercury: Pages 22 - 23 Venus: Pages 24 - 25 Earth: Pages 25 - 34 Mars: Pages 34 - 39 Chapter 6: Outer, Dwarf and Exoplanets Pages: 41-54 Workbook Pages 37 - 48 Jupiter: Pages 41 - 42 Saturn: Pages 42 - 44 Uranus: Pages 44 - 45 Neptune: Pages 45 - 46 Dwarf Planets, Plutoids and Exoplanets: Pages 47 -54 3 Chapter 7: The Moons: Pages: 55 - 66 Workbook Pages 49 - 56 Chapter 8: Rocks and Ice:
    [Show full text]
  • Wildland Firefighter Smoke Exposure
    ❑ United States Department of Agriculture Wildland Firefighter Smoke Exposure EST SERVIC FOR E Forest National Technology & 1351 1803 October 2013 D E E P R A U RTMENT OF AGRICULT Service Development Program 5100—Fire Management Wildland Firefighter Smoke Exposure By George Broyles Fire Project Leader Information contained in this document has been developed for the guidance of employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, its contractors, and cooperating Federal and State agencies. The USDA Forest Service assumes no responsibility for the interpretation or use of this information by other than its own employees. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official evaluation, conclusion, recommendation, endorsement, or approval of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Protect Your Health During Wildfires
    Protect Your Health During Wildfires Smoke from wildfires can harm anyone nearby and even many miles downwind. Breathing smoke can shorten lives and cause heart attacks, asthma attacks and other dangerous health effects. Even healthy adults can risk coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Preparation for wildfires Coordinating Partners: Before a wildfire occurs Preparation is key to protecting your family, especially if you live where wildfire risk is high. Here are some steps to take: • Know how you will get alerts and health warnings about high fire risk or an active fire. Contact your local authorities how to sign up for alerts. • Before fire season begins, make sure you have extra food, water, and medications on hand to last for several days so that you don’t need to go out during the event. • Designate a clean room in your home. That room may need a properly-sized air purifier with a HEPA filter to further reduce particles coming from the outside. • Understand what plans your workplace, or your child’s school or day care center has in place when wildfires occur. • If you think you’ll need to be outside during the fire, consider getting disposable respirator masks that are rated as N95 or higher to help reduce inhalation of particle pollution. These masks must fit securely to work. They do not work for children or people with beards. Do not use dust masks or surgical masks because they do not filter out harmful particles. Go here to learn how to wear an N95 mask. Talk with your doctor Talk with your doctor about how to prepare for this smoke, especially if you or someone in the family fits into one of these categories: works outdoors; is under age 18 or over age Smoke from 65; is pregnant; or has asthma, COPD or other lung diseases, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes.
    [Show full text]
  • Science in Nasa's Vision for Space Exploration
    SCIENCE IN NASA’S VISION FOR SPACE EXPLORATION SCIENCE IN NASA’S VISION FOR SPACE EXPLORATION Committee on the Scientific Context for Space Exploration Space Studies Board Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS Washington, D.C. www.nap.edu THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. Support for this project was provided by Contract NASW 01001 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors. International Standard Book Number 0-309-09593-X (Book) International Standard Book Number 0-309-54880-2 (PDF) Copies of this report are available free of charge from Space Studies Board National Research Council The Keck Center of the National Academies 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu. Copyright 2005 by the National Academy of Sciences.
    [Show full text]