1. The Study of the Universe Flashcards
Fill in the blank.
Distances to stars outside our solar system are commonly measured in ______.
Light years
Fill in the blank.
Light from the Sun takes about ______ hours to reach Neptune.
4
Fill in the blank.
The nearest star to our solar system is about ______ light-years away.
4.2
Fill in the blank.
Our galaxy, the ______, is a large group of stars, star clusters, gas, dust, and nebulae that orbit a common center of mass.
Milky Way
Fill in the blank.
When astronomers refer to distances in the solar system, they do so in terms of a(n) ______ which is the average distance between the Earth and Sun.
Astronomical unit (AU)
Select the best answer.
Of the following objects, the smallest one is
** A.) a star**
** B.) a galaxy**
** C.) a planet**
** D.) the Universe**
The answer is C.) a planet
Select the best answer.
What is the name of our galaxy?
** A.) The Andromeda** Galaxy
** B.) The Milky Way Galaxy**
** C.) The Vega Star Cluster**
** D.) Proxima Centauri**
The answer is B.) The Milky Way Galaxy
Select the best answer.
The distance between the Sun and the nearest star is about
** A.) 260 AU**
** B.) 260,000 AU**
** C.) 2.6 million AU**
** D.) 2.6 Billion AU**
The answer is B.) 260,000 AU.
Select the best answer.
Light takes approximately 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. To reach Neptune, it takes light from the Sun about
** A.) half as long**
** B.) 100 times longer**
** C.) 1 million times longer**
** D.) 30 times longer**
The answer is D.) 30 times longer.
Select the best answer.
The most convenient method by which to write extremely large numbers or extremely small numbers is called
** A.) scientific method**
** B.) notation of the scientific**
** C.) scientific notation**
** D.) numerical analysis**
The answer is C.) scientific notation.
Select the best answer.
A shorthand way of writing 425,000,000 is
** A.) 4.25 x 108**
** B.) 425 x 106**
** C.) 0.425 x 109**
** D.) all of the above**
The answer is D.) all of the above.
Select the best answer.
A light-year is
** A.) the time it takes Earth to travel around the Sun once**
** B.) the distance Earth travels in the time it takes light from the Sun to reach Earth**
** C.) the distance light travels in one year**
** D.) equal to 1 million Astronomical Units (AU)**
The answer is C.) the distance light travels in one year.
Select the best answer.
The average distance between Earth and the Sun is referred to as
** A.) an astronomical unit**
** B.) a light-year**
** C.) a kilometer**
** D.) a solar mile**
The answer is A.) an astronomical unit.
Select the best answer.
The main purpose of astronomy is to
** A.) study the Sun**
** B.) understand planet Earth**
** C.) classify objects in the Milky Way Galaxy**
** D.) study the Universe and understand our place in it**
The answer is D.) study the Universe and understand our place in it.
Select the best answer.
Which of the following topics can be classified as focal points of astronomical inquiry?
** A.) stars**
** B.) planets**
** C.) the origins and evolution of galaxies**
** D.) all of the above**
The answer is D.) all of the above.
