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60 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
The stars in a constellation |
Only appear to be related |
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The significance of the constellations is |
They were inherited from antiquity but have limited meaning |
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How many degrees does the Sun reach above the Earth's equator during Summer Solstice? |
23.5 degrees |
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Why don't we get eclispes during each full and new moon? |
The moon's orbit plane is tipped to the equator |
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Who were the first to know the Earth was round? |
The Greeks |
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Scientific truth is... |
An undeniable conclusion of the scientific method |
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The point directly over an observer's head is that observer's _____. |
Zenith |
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Polaris, the North Star, does not appear to move in the sky because ____. |
It lies approximately over the northern axis of the Earth |
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Viewed looking down upon the North Pole, the Earth would be seen rotating ___. |
Counter-clockwise |
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If the Earth were inclined more on its axis than it currently is, what would be the consequences? |
More drastic seasons |
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Why are there seven days of the week on our current calendars? |
That was how many celestial objects in the sky moved with respect to other objects |
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Aliens abduct me but then set me down at a different place on Earth (I think). I observe the diurnal motion of the star and note that they rise straight up in the east go overhead and set straight in the west. Where am I? |
Equator |
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The apparent path of the sun around the celestial sphere against the background of the stars during the year is ____. |
Ecliptic |
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The angular distance of an object from the horizon is its ____. |
Altitude |
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What time of day does the first quarter moon rise? |
Noon |
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What is the approximate azimuth (az) and elevation (el) of Mars just as it rises? |
az= 90° el= 10° |
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You can identify the Northern Star because _____. |
It is near the North Celestial Pole |
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Local noon corresponds to the time when the Sun is at the ______. |
Meridian |
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A shift in the direction of an object caused by a change in the position of an observer is called _____. |
Parrallex |
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Why are there twelve months in a year on our current calendar? |
There are 12 lunar cycles in a year |
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Retrograde motion is when _____. |
The apparent loop a planet makes in the sky when overtaken by another planet |
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In order to account for retrograde motion, the geocentric model had to _____. |
Add another circle to a planet's orbit |
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Galileo's observations of Venus showed _____. |
Phases like the moon |
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What was special about Galileo's observation of Venus? |
It proves Venus must orbit around the Sun |
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Which one of Kepler's laws explain what happens when a twirling ice skater brings their arms towards their center? |
Equal areas in equal times |
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What did Galileo's observations of the Moon reveal? |
The Moon had mountains, valleys and craters |
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What was significant about Galileo's observations of the planet Jupiter? |
He saw moons in orbit which proved everything did not orbit around Earth |
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The fact that the Heliocentric model was simpler than the Geocentric model is an example of _______. |
Occam's razor |
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The Geocentric model endorsed by Aristotle |
Used perfect circles |
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Galileo's observation of the sun showed _____. |
That it rotated |
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This person invented calculus |
Newton |
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Kepler's first law states ______. |
Planets revolve around the sun in elliptical orbits |
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Kepler's second law correctly predicts |
Planets are fastest when closest to the sun |
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Newton's first law says objects continue their current motion unless ______. |
Forces act on them |
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According to Newton's 2nd law, what happens when forces are applied to an object? |
It undergoes acceleration |
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What will happen to the strength of the force of gravity between two bodies if their distances are increased by a factor of three? |
It will decrease by a factor of 9 |
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Newton finally solved the problem of planetary motions by ____. |
Inventing calculus |
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Because of Newton's 3rd law _____. |
We know the Earth applies an equal but opposite force to the Sun |
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Which applies the greatest force, the moon on the Earth or the Earth on the moon? |
They are the same |
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How do we determine the masses of planets around other stars? |
Kepler's third law |
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Mike brags that he can touch a glowing light bulb without burning his fingers. What is probably true? |
The bulb type is fluorescent |
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When an electron in an atom moves from a higher energy orbit to a lower energy orbit, what happens? |
Light is emitted |
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When a source is moving towards an observer, emits a beams of light, how is it perceived by an observer? |
The light is bluer |
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Star A appears bluish-white in color, while star B appears reddish in color. This tells you that _____. |
Star A is hotter than star B |
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All wave phenomena are characterized by a wavelength, a frequency, and a velocity. They are related by the equation C= l x n In where "C" is the velocity of the wave, "l" is the wavelength, and "n" is the frequency. If I double the frequency of a wave, what happens to the wavelength? |
It decreases by a factor of 2 |
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A police officer tells me that my blue shift velocity exceeded posted limits. What does he mean? |
You were speeding toward him |
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A device that breaks light up into its various colors is called? |
Spectrometer |
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In the absence of excitation, electrons in an atom tend to be ______. |
In the lowest allowed orbit |
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The frequency at which a star emits the most light depends upon the star's _____. |
Temperature |
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Our bodies ordinarily emit _____. |
Infrared light |
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Interferometry is used to increase ____. |
Resolving power |
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Large telescopes are reflecting rather than refracting because ____. |
Mirrors are easier to support than lenses |
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Seeing refers to ______. |
The smearing of an image caused by atmospheric motions |
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Spectral lines are sometimes referred to as the stars' "fingerprints" because ______. |
Both are unique and characteristic of that which has produced them |
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The radio part of the spectrum is most sensitive to which component of the universe? |
Gas |
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This kind of large telescope is cheaper to make: ______. |
Reflector |
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If I combine several telescopes together to synthesize a larger telescope I have created a(n) _____. |
Interferometer |
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The ability of a telescope to image faint objects depends on the area of its lens. If I double the size of a circular telescope, what happens to its ability to image faint objects? |
Increases by 4 |
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One advantage of a refracting telescope is ______. |
Better resolution |
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Why do astronomers want to observe in different parts of the spectrum? |
Because they observe different physics |