ERASMUS+ 2018-2020 «CLIL THREADS AND TRENDS IN

THE SOLAR-SYSTEM LABYRINTH» KONSTANTINA

ZAVALARI – GYMNASIO LOUTRAKIOU, GREECE
SOME NEW TERMS

The geocentric model, in which planet Earth is the center of the universe and is circled
by the sun and all the planets, had been the accepted cosmological model since ancient
times. This model had been developed by ancient Greek and Roman astronomers, such
as Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE) – whose theories on physics became the basis for the motion
of the planets – and Ptolemy (ca. 100 – ca.170 CE), who proposed the mathematical
solutions.

The geocentric model essentially came down to two common observations. First of all,
the ancient astronomers thought that the stars, the sun, and the planets appeared to
revolve around the Earth on daily basis. Second, for someone who watched the sky from
the Earth, the Earth did not appear to move, making it a fixed point in space.

The Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries was

a time of learning and discovery. During this period, modern science was founded,
thanks to developments in the fields of physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and
astronomy. And when it comes to astronomy, the most influential scholar was definitely

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Nicolaus Copernicus, the man who came up with the Heliocentric model of the
universe.

Observing the motions of the planets and studying previous theories from the classical
times and the Islamic World, Copernicus proposed a model of the universe where the
Earth, the planets and the stars all revolved around the sun. Doing so, he laid the
foundations for modern astronomy.

Nicolaus Copernicus was

a Polish Renaissance mathematician and astronomer. He was born in 1473 and died in
1543. He is best known for his theory that the Sun and not the Earth is at the center of
the universe. Among other things, Copernicus was also a physician, scholar, economist,
translator, mathematician, artist and diplomat.

Heliocentrism / The Heliocentric theory

(www.wikipedia.com/slightly adapted)

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(kidsastronomy.com)

Black holes are regions of space that have such strong gravity that nothing can escape
them. They just pull things close and then suck them in. What happens after that, no one
can say for sure. Not even light waves can get out, once they’re inside (light waves are
the fastest thing in the Universe). This is what makes black holes black.

Note that the color black is just the absence of reflected light. It is black (no reflected
light) because it absorbs all of the visible light coming at it. As a result, it appears as a big
black dot. In the blackness of space, that makes them pretty much invisible. Black holes
have masses equal to many, many times the mass of our Sun. What’s more, all of it is
compressed into a single point.

What could produce these extremely powerful objects?

The answer is the second most powerful thing in the Universe: stars. Most stars do not
become black holes. It’s only those which are very, very massive (about 20x the mass of
our Sun). These stars evolve super fast, burning all their fuel just to stay together. Not
long after birth, they become what are called neutron stars. The outside of the neutron
star grows over time, pushing harder and harder on the core. Eventually, the force is too
much and it crushes the core into a single point. This is how a black hole is born.

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/asteroid/en/

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What is an Asteroid?

Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Although asteroids orbit the Sun
like planets, they are much smaller than planets.

There are lots of asteroids in our solar system. Most of them live in the main asteroid
belt—a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are left over from the
formation of our solar system.

The objects in the asteroid belt never had the chance to be incorporated into planets.
They are leftovers from that time long ago when planets formed.

 Asteroids aren’t all round, like planets. They have jagged and irregular shapes.

 Some asteroids are hundreds of miles in diameter, but many more are as small as
pebbles.

 Most asteroids are made of different kinds of rocks, but some have clays or
metals, such as nickel and iron.

These space rocks can give scientists lots of information about the history of planets
and the sun. Scientists can learn about asteroids by studying meteorites: tiny bits of
asteroids that have flown through our atmosphere and landed on Earth’s surface.

https://kidsastronomy.com/solar-system/comet-facts/

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Comets are basically floating chunks of ice, dust, and frozen gases. Astronomers think
that comets are the leftovers of planet formation. They believe that the dust and gases
that didn’t become planets, became comets.

They’ve also nicknamed comets “dirty snowballs”! But that doesn’t mean that comets
are only fist-sized. Some comets are easily larger than planets!

Comets come from either the Oort Cloud or the Kuiper Belt. The two are both areas
packed with trillions of comets! The Kuiper belt lies inside our Solar System, and the
Oort Cloud lies outside. So comets in the Kuiper belt have regular, oval orbits around the
Sun. While comets in the Oort Cloud can get knocked off their paths by other things!
Comets from the Oort Cloud are also long-period comets. This means that they can orbit
the Solar System for much longer than Kuiper belt comets!

Parts of a Comet

Nucleus : an icy or rocky nucleus – the center-most part of the comet. The nucleus is
where most of the ingredients that make up a comet concentrate. So the nucleus is the
heaviest and the smallest, most compact part of the comet!

Coma: The coma is basically a giant cloud of dust and different gases that surrounds the
nucleus. Comas are extremely big – up to 600,000 miles across! The coma and the nucleus
make up the head of the comet.

Tail : The comet also gets a tail – the part that we all know and love. There are two kinds
of tails: a dust tail and an ion tail. The dust tail is made up of dust from the coma. Dust
tails are the easiest to spot from Earth. They’re several million miles long and reflect the

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Sun as well! The ion tail is made up of charged particles knocked off the nucleus. Ion tails
can stretch for hundreds of millions of miles!

Activity 1

a) Use the words «orbit» and «revolve» to give your own definitions of the «geocentric
theory/model» and the «heliocentric theory/model».

b) Use the words «centre», «objects» and « around» to give your own definitions of the
«geocentric theory/model» and the «heliocentric theory/model».

c) Use the words «whereas» and «while» to combine your definitions of the «geocentric
theory/model» and the «heliocentric theory/model».

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Activity 2

Who are they ?

 ancient astronomers = -----------------------------------------------------------

 a fixed point in the sky = -------------------------------------------------------------
 a time of learning and discovery = ----------------------------------------------------
 an influential scholar = -----------------------------------------------------------------
 an artist and diplomat = --------------------------------------------------------------
 what makes black holes black = ----------------------------------------------------------
 the second most powerful things in the Universe = ----------------------------------

Activity 3

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What is word ? Give the right answers, check their first letter and you will come up with a nice
(!) word:

 the movement around a celestial body

 it is deep, powerful and inescapable
 one of the most powerful objects in the universe
 he studies the power of money
 an area, a big or small amount of space
 you can see it
 a space travelling rock
 it is not only for the animals
 you cannot see it
 it is not round; it’s the shape of an egg
 that’s what could be a core

Activity 4

Can you tell what it is all about? Not very scientific, hhm?

1) Have you ever heard about these «celestivorous» space monsters?

2) This universe beauty is nothing like the Bermuda Triangle whirlpool, is it?

3) Not much of a magic broom to ride, right?

4) They have been kicked off the nutshell, that’s why they are pissed off !!

5) You do not normally call it «hair»!! Would you ever think of washing, cutting or
…dyeing it?

6) These beauties are a perfect example of space recycling. See what you can manage if
you start recycling?

7) What would you go for if you wanted to study space geology ?

8) What ??!!! More leftovers and kick-offs??? Hey, we cannot manage our own litter on
this planet, guys! Don’t send more!

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Activity 5

Word formation

physics →

mathematics (maths) →

chemistry →

biology →

astronomy →

art →

diplomacy →

translation →

economy →

What is a «physician»? →

Activity 6

The force of gravity of a black hole

Describe the process of the birth of a black hole, using the verbs : grow up, eat up, run out
of, collapse, push onto

Note: A neutron star (αστέρας νετρονίων) is the residue of final stages of the evolution
of a star, a kind of a «stellar corpse».

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Activity 7

Finish the sentences below :

1) Asteroids are not planets, but --------------------------------------------------------------------.

2) Asteroids date back to ---------------------------------------------------------------------------.

3) Asteroids did not manage -----------------------------------------------------------------------.

4) There are asteroids of ------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

5) Asteroids are not just made of ---------------------; they are also composed of --------------
-------------------------------------------.

Activity 8

Suggest synonyms for the following:

chunks of ice = --------------------------------

packed with = ----------------------------------

nucleus = ----------------------------

paths = ---------------------------

leftovers = --------------------------

spot = --------------------------

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