Use the Stary Night Enthusiast \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) program to view the Earth from space. In the Favourites menu, select Solar System > Earth to place yourself in the position of an astronaut flying outside his spaceship at about \(5800 \mathrm{~km}\) above the Earth's surface on September 26,2002 . [You may need to click once on a Zoom button to show the Earth against the background stars. You may also see the astronaut's spacesuit and feet in the foreground. This foreground can be removed by clicking off Feet in the View menu.] Click and hold down and move the mouse to use the Location Scroller to rotate the cloud-enshrouded Earth beneath you, allowing you to view different parts of the Earth. You can change the Time to view different parts of this surface in daylight. (a) Is there any evidence for the presence of an atmosphere on Earth? Explain. Remove the cloud cover by opening Options \(>\) Solar System, clicking on Planets-Moons to display the Planets-Moons Options panel and turning off Show atmosphere. It is also helpful to remove all the Earth- orbiting satellites by clicking on View \(>\) Solar System \(>\) Satellites. (b) Can you see any evidence of plate tectonics as you rotate the Earth again? Locate the position of your home and zoom in on it, using the Zoom tool on the right of the toolbar to set the Field of View to about \(16^{\circ} \times\) \(11^{\circ}\). Again, use the location scroller to move around on the Earth. (c) Can you see any evidence of the presence of life or of man-made objects? Right-click on the Earth and click on Google Map to examine regions of the Earth in great detail on these images from an orbiting satellite. You can attempt to locate your own home on these maps. As an exercise, find the country of Panama, zoom in progressively upon the Panama Canal and search for ships traversing this incredible waterway. (d) What do you conclude about the importance of sending spacecraft to planets to explore their surfaces at close range? Close the internet connection to Google Map. In Starry Night Enthusiast \({ }^{\top}\) M open the Favourites menu, select Solar System, and click on Earth to return to the initial time and position above the Earth. Rotate the Earth to place eastern Brazil, on the eastern tip of South America, near to the center of the window. At the time of this observation this area is near the terminator (the dividing line between the day and night sides of the Earth). (e) As seen from eastern Brazil, is the sun rising or setting? Explain.

Step by step solution

01

Observing the Atmosphere

In the Stary Night Enthusiast program, navigate to the Solar System > Earth under the Favourites menu. After zooming in on Earth and removing the astronaut's spacesuit and feet from the view if necessary, observe the Earth and look for signs of the atmosphere.

02

Observing Evidence of Plate Tectonics

Switch off the Show Atmosphere option in the Options > Solar System > Planets-Moons menu, and remove all Earth-orbiting satellites from the view by navigating to View > Solar System > Satellites. Rotate the Earth again and analyze if there's any evidence of plate tectonics.

03

Observing Evidence of Life or Man-made Objects

Zoom in on the location of your home and observe with a Field of View set to about 16° × 11°. Use the Location Scroller to explore different parts of Earth. Look for signs of life or man-made objects. Use Google Map for a closer look where necessary.

04

Exploring Specific Regions

Using Google Map, locate the country of Panama and progressively zoom in on the Panama Canal. Look for evidence of ships traversing the canal.

05

Opinion on Spacecraft Exploration

Based on your observations and exploration, form an opinion about the importance of sending spacecraft to explore other planets.

06

Day and Night Analysis

Return to the initial time and position above the Earth and center on eastern Brazil, near the terminator (the dividing line between the day and night sides of the Earth). Make a judgment on whether the sun is rising or setting from this perspective, and explain why.

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