October 1-7, 2015 Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event: Ceres Probe Returns Harvest of Data, But Mysteries Remain
The United States National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) recently released more data from the dwarf planet Ceres taken by the probe Dawn. Ceres is the largest of many asteroids found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, in a region known as the Main Belt. NASA launched Dawn in 2007, just over 8 years ago. The probe studied another large asteroid in the Main Belt, Vesta, before moving on to Ceres. Dawn has gone into orbit around the dwarf planet and has extensively mapped and photographed the surface. Although Ceres is pockmarked with craters, like many small objects in the solar system, it does possess some interesting features. Scientists think that its rocky exterior covers a thick layer of water-ice. Though the asteroid is relatively smooth, a large, cone-shaped mountain rises 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the surface. Ceres also has strange bright spots, mostly in one of its craters. Scientists think the spots are salt deposits, but they aren’t yet sure how they formed. In the coming months, Dawn will descend to just 230 miles (375 kilometers) above the dwarf planet. With the information gathered by this close orbit, the probe may be able to help scientists solve Ceres’ riddles.
Objective:
A dwarf planet is an object in space that orbits the sun and is smaller than a planet and larger than a comet. The mass of a dwarf planet is large enough for its gravitational pull to cause it to become nearly spherical. But a dwarf planet is not massive enough for its gravitational pull to sweep the region of its orbit relatively free of other objects. The International Astronomical Union (IAU), a widely recognized authority in naming heavenly bodies, currently recognizes five dwarfs. They are Eris, Pluto, Ceres, Makemake, and Haumea. All but Ceres are in the Kuiper belt. Ceres is the largest member of the Main Belt of asteroids, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt appear small and faint when observed from Earth. Even with the best available telescopes, astronomers have difficulty measuring the exact size and shape of suspected dwarfs. Thus, it is difficult to determine whether an object truly qualifies as a dwarf planet. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore dwarf planets and other astronomical topics.
Words to know:
- Asteroid
- Astronomy
- Ceres
- Dawn
- Dwarf planet
- National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA)
- Planet
- Pluto
- Solar system
- Space exploration
- Vesta
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name some famous astronomers and astronauts. (Students might name Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Tycho Brahe, Nicolaus Copernicus, Yuri Gagarin, Galileo, John Glenn, Mae Jemison, Johannes Kepler, Sir Isaac Newton, Sally Ride, Carl Sagan, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.)
2. The dwarf planet Ceres is named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and the harvest. Ask your students to name other Roman gods. In the following list the Greek counterpart is in square brackets. (Students might name Apollo [Apollo], Juno [Hera], Jupiter [Zeus], Mars [Ares], Mercury [Hermes], Neptune [Poseidon], Pluto [Pluto or Hades], Saturn [Cronus], and Venus [Aphrodite].)
3. Ask your students to debate, “The countries of the world should spend more resources on exploring and colonizing space.”
4. Ask your students to debate, “By the end of this century, regular people will be able to routinely visit other planets or the moon.”
5. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Advances in Space Exploration timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s “Space exploration” article for help.)