We are working through calculations for the weight on Earth compared to other planets that were chosen by Hunter.

We are comparing certain facts about 4 different planets and Earth. Today we worked on writing the equation of an ellipse (orbits follow approximately an elliptical path), calculating the surface area, and volume of a sphere (the earth), and then the circumference of the equator using information found online.

We covered the last two planets, and some facts regarding those. Hunter chose 4 planets that we are going to do comps on. We will compare different facts regarding those planets to Earth. We also got a little bit off topic talking about the speed of sound, its velocity and what is Mach 2?

We are continuing to learn little facts about each planet. We went through Earth, Jupiter and Saturn.

We went through the life and death of a star once again, and starting to look into the idea of black holes. We touched the basics of black holes, and then went into looking at different properties of planets (we have done Mercury and Venus).

We spoke about the birth of a star, fusion that which creates the energy within a star, and how a star dies based on its size. Then, we looked up some popular planetary nebulae created from the death of a star.

We briefly introduced ourselves, and I explained some of the topics included in this course. We started today with the birth and death of a star, with discussion.

Today, James and I mainly discussed some of the chemical and physical properties of the earth. First, we looked at the various characteristics of plate techtonics and the differing types of tectonic plate boundaries. We correlated the formation of mountains and deep oceanic trenches with the different types of plate movement. We discussed the layers of the atmosphere and the various characteristics that make these layers unique. We also talked about chemical and physical weathering, and the role carbonic acid plays in weathering stone, minerals, and metals. I reiterated to Graham the differences between ions and isotopes and how some isotopes can be used to determine relative dates of rocks, minerals, and fossils.

Jared was absent today.

Today we finished summarizing the course material. I quizzed Jared on what he has learned on the classification of galaxies; the different galaxy types; the content of galaxies; the two types of black holes; how we can observe black holes; escape velocity; stellar evolution; the fusion of the elements; basic units used in astronomy; and how Earth's voyage around the Sun and its tilted axis give us the seasons. Jared was a bit tired, and not feeling too well, but nevertheless he did very well. He has learned a lot in our course, and not only has he retained the information, but he also knows how to think analytically for himself and apply critical thinking to questions posed to him.