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66 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Scientific theory of the universe's earliest moments, stating that all the matter in our observable universe came into being at a single moment in time as an extremely hot, dense mixture of subatomic particles and radiation
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Big Bang theory
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How do we know how old the universe is?
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by examining the rate at which the universe is expanding
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Aside from H and He, how did other, heavier elements form in the universe?
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Nuclear fusion inside stars
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What element is produced in our sun's core?
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Carbon
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What 3 elements can be formed inside of the cores of stars, based on the strength of their fusion?
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Carbon
Iron Helium |
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Process in which lightweight atomic nuclei smash together and stick (or fuse) to make heavier nuclei inside of stars.
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Nuclear Fusion
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Forms of an element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons
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Isotopes
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4th state of matter; ionized matter; most matter of the universe is this form
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Plasma
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An atom that gains or loses electrons
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Ion
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Why do we see the moon in the night sky?
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the moon reflects the sun's rays
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Why does the sun emit visible light?
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nuclear fusion
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How is Earth's magnetic field generated?
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By motions of charged particles in the molten metal inside Earth's liquid core
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Why is Earth's magnetic field/magnetosphere so vital for life on earth?
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It protects the Earth from harmful energetic particles that flow outward from the sun's solar winds. Without it, the sun would strip the Earth of its atmosphere
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Name the 4 states of matter
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Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma
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Particles of light that travel in waves
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Photons
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When an atom gives off electrons
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emission spectrum
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When an atom absorbs electrons
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absorption spectrum
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Distance between adjacent peaks of a wave
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Wavelength
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number of times any "piece of rope" moves up and down
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Frequency
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Formula for the speed of a wavelength
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Speed = Frequency x Wavelength
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Standard unit of frequency for light waves; equivalent to units of 1/s
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Hertz (Hz)
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What is the symbol for the Speed of Light?
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C
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How fast is the speed of Light?
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3 x 10^8 m/s
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How old is the universe
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approximately 14 billion years old
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Binds protons and neutrons together in the nuclei of atoms; is the only force in nature that can overcome the electromagnetic repulsion between two positively charged nuclei
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Strong Force
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When an object is moving away from us
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Red Shift
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When an object is moving closer to us
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Blue Shift
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Where is the Asteroid Belt located?
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between Mars and Jupiter
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Dwarf Planet located in the Kuiper Belt in the outskirts of our solar system
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Pluto
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How do we know the age of our solar system?
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Radioactive Dating of metorites
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How old is our solar system, approximately?
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4.6 Billion years old
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When were planets outside our solar system discovered?
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15 years ago/1997
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What is the composition of Asteroids?
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Mostly Metal and Rock; same as the Terrestrial Planets
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What is the composition of Comets?
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Mainly Ice and Gas
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What is the general composition of Jovian Planets?
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98% H and He, 2% other heavy elements
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How many moons does Uranus have?
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5
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How many moons does Jupiter have?
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60
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What are the 4 Galilean Moons?
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Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
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What is the most volcanically active "world" in the solar system?
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Io
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Why is Io, which is the size of our moon, geologically active?
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Tidal Heating from Jupiter keeps its interior hot
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What is unique about Europa compared to any other planet/world in the solar system?
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Europa is covered by water ice with underlying ocean(s)
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Why isn't Europa volcanically active due to Tidal Heating like Io?
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Europa is further away from Jupiter
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What is believed to be lying beneath Europa's icy surface?
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Deep Water Ocean(s) and possibly life forms near seafloor vents on the deep ocean floor
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What are Ganymede and Callisto's surfaces like?
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both have surfaces of water ice
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The largest moon in the solar system
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Ganymede
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What is the greatest oddity of Ganymede and Callisto?
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Ganymede shows very weak Tidal Heating from Jupiter and Callisto shows none, but both moons show some evidence of subsurface oceans
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How many moons does Saturn have?
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7
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How many moons does Neptune have?
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2
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2nd largest moon in our solar system; belongs to Saturn
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Titan
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What is unique about Titan compared to all other moons in our solar system?
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It has a thick nitrogen atmosphere which hides the surface from view
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"Failed Stars" that can't sustain nuclear fusion; what protostars smaller than 0.08Msun become;
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Brown Dwarf
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old star that emits little radiation: a white dwarf star that has cooled over a long period of time and no longer emits significant radiation
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Black Dwarf
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Cooling embers of stars that have exhausted their fuel for nuclear fusion
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White Dwarf
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Type of pressure that does not depend on temp. at all; it depends on the laws of quantum mechanics that also give rise to distinct energy levels in atoms
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Degeneracy Pressure
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What is the significance of Degeneracy Pressure
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Deg. Pressure halts the crushing gravity in a Brown Dwarf
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How does Degeneracy Pressure overcome the force of gravity?
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it is a resistance to squeezing that can not overcome the presence of matter which can't escape
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How old is our sun?
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4.5 Billion years old
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How long in total years will our sun last?
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10 billion years (5.5 left)
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Pressure being maintained by energy created through fusion
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Gravitational Equilibrium
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At what point does a star stop contracting?
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When Nuclear Fusion begins replacing the energy radiated into space
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How does the sun release energy?
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By fusing 4 H nuclei into one He nucleus
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Anything that has nuclear fusion in its core
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Star
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What 2 factors determine a star's brightness?
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Distance and Luminosity
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Amount of power a star radiates
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Luminosity
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Amount of starlight that reaches Earth
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Apparent Brightness
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Apparent shift of a nearby object against a background of a more distance object
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Stellar Parallax
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