Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
64 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
a collection of billions of stars
|
galaxy
|
|
|
large bodies of hot gases undergoing nuclear fusion
|
star
|
|
|
the medium star which is the center of our solar system
|
sun
|
|
|
what chemical reaction gives off heat and light from stars
|
nuclear fusion
|
|
|
all the planets and other objects orbiting the sun
|
solar system
|
|
|
a planetary satellite
|
moon
|
|
|
burning up rocks and debris in our atmosphere, incorrectly called a shooting star
|
meteor
|
|
|
a meteor that strikes the Earth's surface
|
meteorite
|
|
|
small rocks and debris orbiting the sun (belt between Mars and Jupiter)
|
asteroid
|
|
|
the dominant theory about the origin of the universe
|
big bang theory
|
|
|
Give two pieces of evidence for the big bang theory.
|
background cosmic radiation
galaxies moving away |
|
|
a collection of unrelated stars that make a "picture" in the sky
|
constellation
|
|
|
Give two achievements of the Hubble deep field space telescope.
|
allow us to see distant planets
help us with studies of birth/death of stars and origin of universe |
|
|
What is the name of our galaxy? Where in the Milky Way are we located?
|
Milky Way
2/3 out one arm |
|
|
What type of galaxy is the Milky Way? Give two other types.
|
spiral
elliptical, irregular |
|
|
Give an example of a stage a star goes through as it ages.
|
red giant, supergiant, supernova, white dwarf, black dwarf, neutron star, black hole
|
|
|
What two factors affect the luminosity (brightness) of a star?
|
size (amount of fuel)
proximity (how close to Earth) |
|
|
Most stars are made of what gases?
|
hydrogen and helium
|
|
|
What color are the brightest stars?
|
blue
|
|
|
nurseries of stars
|
nebulae
|
|
|
Which stars "live" longer, big or small?
|
small
|
|
|
Jupiter is a planet made of hydrogen and helium. Why isn't it a star?
|
not enough mass for fusion
|
|
|
When we see stars, are we seeing them at that moment? Explain.
|
no, it takes time for light to travel to us
We are seeing into the past. |
|
|
What information can we gather by looking into the past of a star?
|
life cycle of stars
origin of universe |
|
|
What causes a star to die?
|
loss of fuel for fusion
|
|
|
What can tell us the age of a star?
|
1. Color
2. Temperature 3. Brightness 4. Chemical composition |
|
|
What keeps the planets orbiting around the sun as well as the planets’ moons in orbit around the planets?
|
gravitational pull of sun
|
|
|
Why do other planets not apparently have life?
|
- too close or too far from the sun for water
- no atmosphere or too much atmospheric pressure - wrong temperature |
|
|
Why are MRIs better than X-rays?
|
MRIs don't cause cancer.
|
|
|
What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
|
all the wavelengths of energy that travel through space
|
|
|
What is used to get the chemical composition and temperatures of stars?
|
spectrograph - electromagnetic spectrum
|
|
|
At what speed do all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum travel?
|
speed of light
|
|
|
What makes one form of electromagnetic energy different from another?
|
wavelength/frequency
|
|
|
Name different types of electromagnetic radiation.
|
radiowaves
microwaves gamma rays X-rays visible light |
|
|
WHich wavelengths are the highest energy?
|
gamma rays and x-rays
|
|
|
Which wavelengths are the lowest energy?
|
radiowaves and microwaves
|
|
|
Why do scientists believe the universe is expanding?
|
red shift - Doppler effect - wavelengths are stretching out as galaxies move away
|
|
|
A property of a wave that describes how many wave patterns or cycles pass by in a period of time. Frequency is often measured in Hertz (Hz) w
|
frequency
|
|
|
The distance between adjacent peaks in a series of periodic waves
|
wavelength
|
|
|
The full range of frequencies, from radio waves to gamma rays, that characterizes light. – ALL TRAVEL AT SPEED OF LIGHT!!
|
electromagnetic spectrum
|
|
|
The distance from Earth to the Sun
For what is it used? |
astronomical unit
distance between close planets |
|
|
distance that light travels in a year
For what is it used |
light year
distant planets and other galaxies |
|
|
What does heliocentric mean?
Who came up with this idea? |
sun-centered
Galileo |
|
|
What are meteors, and why do they look like falling stars?
|
- chunks of rock that burn up as they enter our atmosphere due to friction with air particles
- movement appears so much faster because in our atmosphere |
|
|
How could a meteorite cause mass extinctions?
|
send up a huge cloud of gas/dust and block sun changing climate
|
|
|
Why do shooting stars (meteors) appear faster than comets?
|
Meteors are in our atmosphere while comets are orbiting the sun.
|
|
|
How can comets cause meteor showers?
|
- tail caused by melting ice as orbit gets closer to sun
debris enters atmosphere |
|
|
What causes days?
|
rotation - 24 hours - day and night
|
|
|
What causes a year?
|
revolution - 365.25 days - year
- leap year – February 29th |
|
|
What causes a month?
|
moon - 29.5 days around Earth - month
|
|
|
What causes the seasons?
|
- axis is tilted - unequal heating
|
|
|
shapes of the moon as it orbits Earth
|
phases
|
|
|
– occurs when Earth is directly between the sun and the moon
the Earth casts a shadow on the moon |
lunar eclipse
|
|
|
At what phase does a lunar eclipse occur?
|
full moon
|
|
|
– occurs when moon is directly between the sun and the Earth and blocks sunlight from reaching Earth DURING NEW MOON
|
solar eclipse
|
|
|
At what moon phase does a solar eclipse occur?
|
new moon
|
|
|
Why are solar eclipses so much more rare than lunar eclipses?
|
The moon is so small, it can't block light from much of the Earth at one time.
|
|
|
WHAT CAUSES THE TIDES?
|
caused by the gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon
rise for 6 hours and fall for 6 hours gravity of moon pulls water toward it |
|
|
What are some things satellites are used for?
|
communications, navigation, communication, weather
|
|
|
Which of the following is not related to an astronomical event or period: day, week, month, year?
|
week
|
|
|
Why would one planet have a shorter or longer year than another?
|
length of orbit - distance from sun
|
|
|
What keeps the planets in orbit? If this force was lost, what path would the planet follow?
|
gravitational pull of sun
without gravity of sun - straight line path |
|
|
What provides energy for most life on earth?
|
nuclear fusion from sun gives off light for photosynthesis
|
|
|
Which is not science, astronomy or astrology? How was the non-science useful?
|
astrology - when to plant crops
|
