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GCSE Physics > 7) Astronomy > Flashcards

7) Astronomy Flashcards

1
Q

What did the Sun form from?

A

A nebula

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2
Q

What is a nebula?

A

A cloud of dust and gas

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3
Q

What are the 4 stages of the Sun’s creation?

A

Cloud of gas and dust
Main sequence
Nuclear Fusion
Stable

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4
Q

What happens during the cloud of gas and dust phase?

A

Gas and dust collapses

Decrease in volume as pressure increases

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5
Q

What happens gravity pulls together nebulae?

A

A protostar forms

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6
Q

What happens in the main sequence?

A

Materials continue to collide until the temperature is high enough for hydrogen nuceli to fuse and form helium

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7
Q

What is the stable period during the main sequence called?

A

A main star sequence

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8
Q

What keep’s the Sun’s core hot?

A

Energy released from nuclear fusion

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9
Q

What is stable in the main sequence phase?

A

The outward energy released by nuclear fusion is balanced by the force of gravity pulling the Sun inwards

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10
Q

What is the life cycle of a star?

A

Main sequence
Red giant
White dwarf
Black dwarf

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11
Q

What happens during the main sequence of a star’s life cycle?

A

Hydrogen nuceli are fused together to form helium

This releases energy as heat and light

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12
Q

What happens during the red giant phase of a star’s life cycle?

A

All hydrogen fuel runs out
Star cools and expands (becoming a red giant)
Star fuses together helium nuclei to release energy

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13
Q

What happens during the white dwarf phase of a star’s life cycle?

A

Helium fuel runs out and star collapses inwards
Temperature increases
White dwarf forms

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14
Q

What is a white dwarf?

A

The hot core of a star

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15
Q

What happens during the black dwarf phase of a star’s life cycle?

A

Star completely cools and becomes a black dwarf

Black dwarf doesn’t emit any light or heat

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16
Q

What is the main sequence of a large star’s life cycle?

A

Red supergiant
Supernova
Black hole or neutron star

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17
Q

What happens during the red supergiant phase of a large star’s life cycle?

A

Nuclear fusion changes more of the star’s mass into energy

Star expands into supergiant

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18
Q

What happens during the supernova phase of a star’s lifecycle?

A

Largest stars explode in a supernova

Supernova produces elements heavier than iron and scatters them through the universe

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19
Q

What does a supernova leave behind?

A

Either a black hole or neutron star

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20
Q

What two processes rule the life cycle for stars?

A

Thermal expansion

Gravitational collapse

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21
Q

What happens if forces due to thermal expansion are larger than gravitational forces?

A

Star will expand

22
Q

What happens if forces due to gravity are larger than thermal expansion forces?

A

Star will shrink/ collapse

23
Q

What do all stars produce by fusion?

A

Hydrogen nuclei into helium in nuclear fusion

24
Q

What do large stars produce by fusion?

A

Hydrogen nuclei into lithium and other light metals

25
What do supernova produce by fusion?
Enough energy for hydrogen nuclei to form elements heavier than iron
26
How are all naturally occuring elements produced?
By nuclear fusion in stars
27
What are the 2 theories about the origin of the Universe?
The Big Bang model | The Steady State model
28
What is the Big Bang model?
All matter and energy in the universe compressed into a single point This exploded and started to expand Universe was extremely hot and dense Universe is still expanding
29
What age does the Big Bang model give to the universe?
14 billion years
30
What is the Steady State model?
The Universe has alwasy existed this way and always will As Universe expands new matter is created so density stays the same Universe has no beginning or end
31
What does the Steady State model not account for?
Cosmic microwave background (CMB)
32
What does CMB stand for?
Cosmic microwave background
33
What does the Doppler effect describe?
The phenomenon of the observed wavelength and frequency of waves changing when the source of the waves moves with respect to the observer
34
What types of waves can the Doppler effect be experienced with?
All types of wave
35
What happens to the frequency for observers when the source of waves approaches?
The frequency shifts upwards for observers
36
What happens to the frequency for observers when the source of waves recedes?
The frequency shifts downwards for observers
37
What is the red-shift effect?
Light from distant objects in space become shifted towards the red end of the spectrum
38
What happens to the wavelength of light as an object moves away from us?
The wavelength of light emmited by the object gets longer
39
Why does light get redder?
Red has the longest wavelength of the visible colours
40
How does the speed of an object moving away from us affect how red it appears?
Faster moving object = longer wavelength = redder
41
What is evidence for an expanding universe?
The further a galaxy from Earth, the greater the red-shift | Further away a galaxy is the faster it is moving away from us
42
How does red-shift explain the Big Bang theory?
All objects in the universe are moving away from one another | Objects must have began from a single point
43
How does red-shift explain the Steady State theory?
It states new matter is being created to account for the expanding Universe
44
What radiation comes from every direction in the Universe?
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR)
45
What produces CMB radiation?
Gas at very low temperatures
46
What part of the EM spectrum is CMBR mostly in?
The microwave part
47
What can CMBR be detected as?
Very low energy signals coming from all directions in space
48
How can the Steady State model explain CMBR?
It cannot
49
How is CMBR evidence for the Big Bang theory?
CMBR is considered to be the remnants of the explosion
50
What can different types of telescope detect?
Different types of light
51
What are problems for telescopes?
The Earth's atmosphere absorbs many wavelengths of light | Light pollution can interfere with observations
52
What are solutions to telescope problems?
Many telescopes are built away from civilisation | Some telescopes are sent into space

GCSE Physics (14 decks)

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