Explain the concept of Hubble’s Law and how it allows the determination of such great distances as well as how it supports the concept of the Big Bang.

1. The organizational structure above the level of the solar system is the galaxy. Galaxies exist in several forms. Describe the structure of the five common galaxy types and the factors that contributed to their formation. View this video on Galaxy Classifications.

2. Galaxies do not represent the highest level of organizational structure. Galaxies themselves can be part of even larger entities. Discuss these larger structures, giving examples. You might also address how the currently not fully understood concepts of dark matter and dark energy affect these groupings. View this video on Galaxy Clusters.

3. Hubble’s Law is profound in that it provides a tool for measuring distances out to the very edge of the known universe and applied in reverse suggests the basic formation theory for the universe itself- the Big Bang. Explain the concept of Hubble’s Law and how it allows the determination of such great distances as well as how it supports the concept of the Big Bang. View this video on Hubble’s Law.

4. The most profound unanswered question that mankind can ask is “Are we alone in the universe”? Is our little blue planet the only place where conditions have been right to support the formation of the many levels of life we see here on Earth? Describe the steps that have been taken to discover this extra-terrestrial life including why the current lack of success to date is to be expected and does not support the conclusion that there is no other life out there. View this video on the search for Extraterrestrials.