Astronomers and Stars Flashcards
Parallax
an apparent shift in the position of an object when viewed from different locations
light year
the distance that light travels in one year; about 9.5 trillion kilometers
Red Giant
a large, reddish star late in its life cycle
white dwarf
a small, hot, dim star that id the leftover center of an old star
Main Sequence
the location on the H-R diagram where most stars lie
black hole
an object so massive and dense that even light cannot escape its gravity
supernova
a gigantic explosion in which a massive star collapses and throws its outer layers into space
Ptolemy
He believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe.
Copernicus
formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe,
Brahe, Tycho
devised the most precise instruments available before the invention of the telescope
Kepler, Johannes
He discovered that the planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus
Galileo
He invented an improved telescope that let him observe and describe the moons of Jupiter
Newton, Isaac
his theory of light and color
Hubble, Edwin
He played a crucial role in establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy
Ursa major
a constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere.remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It can be visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere.
