astronomers and stars

Question 1

ptolemy

Answer 1

Fourished a.d. 127–151, Hellenistic mathematician, astronomer, and geographer in Alexandria.

Question 2

copernicus

Answer 2

Of or relating to Copernicus or the belief that the earth rotates daily on its axis and the planets revolve in orbits around the sun.

Question 3

brahe , tycho

Answer 3

A Danish nobleman, astronomer, and writer known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations.

Question 4

kepler , johannes

Answer 4

A German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. Kepler is a key figure in the 17th-century scientific revolution. He is best known for his laws of planetary motion, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astronomy.

Question 5

galileo

Answer 5

An Italian polymath. Known for his work as astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician, Galileo has been called the “father of observational astronomy”, the “father of modern physics”, the “father of the scientific method”, and even the “father of science”.

Question 6

newton , isaac

Answer 6

An English mathematician, astronomer, theologian, author and physicist who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time, and a key figure in the scientific revolution.

Question 7

hubble , edwin

Answer 7

An American astronomer. He played a crucial role in establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology and is regarded as one of the most important astronomers of all time.

Question 8

ursa major

Answer 8

A constellation in the northern sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means “greater she-bear”, standing as a reference to and in direct contrast with nearby Ursa Minor, the lesser bear.

Question 9

ursa minor

Answer 9

Ursa Minor, also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation in the Northern Sky.

Question 10

orion

Answer 10

A prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world.

Question 11

canis major

Answer 11

A constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere.

Question 12

cassiopeia

Answer 12

A constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty.

Question 13

red giant

Answer 13

A very large star of high luminosity and low surface temperature.

Question 14

main-sequence star

Answer 14

A continuous and distinctive band of stars that appear on plots of stellar color versus brightness.

Question 15

supernova

Answer 15

A star that suddenly increases greatly in brightness because of a catastrophic explosion that ejects most of its mass.

Question 16

black hole

Answer 16

A region of spacetime exhibiting such strong gravitational effects that nothing—not even particles and electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape from inside it.

Question 17

parallex

Answer 17

The angular amount of parallax in a particular case, especially that of a star viewed from different points in the earth’s orbit.

Question 18

light-year

Answer 18

A unit of astronomical distance equivalent to the distance that light travels in one year

Question 19

polaris (the star)

Answer 19

The brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star.

Question 20

white dwarf

Answer 20

A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter.