Astronomers/Astrophysicists Flashcards
Who is known as the father of modern astronomy?
Nicolaus Copernicus
True or False: Galileo Galilei was the first to use a telescope for astronomical observations.
True
Fill in the blank: Johannes Kepler is famous for his laws of ______.
planetary motion
What did Isaac Newton contribute to astronomy?
The law of universal gravitation
Which astronomer proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system?
Nicolaus Copernicus
Who discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter?
Galileo Galilei
Multiple Choice: Which of the following astronomers is known for the discovery of the laws of planetary motion? A) Tycho Brahe B) Johannes Kepler C) Albert Einstein D) Edwin Hubble
B) Johannes Kepler
What did Edwin Hubble discover about galaxies?
That they are moving away from us, leading to the formulation of Hubble’s Law.
True or False: Tycho Brahe did not believe in the heliocentric model.
True
Fill in the blank: The first person to propose that the Earth revolves around the Sun was ______.
Nicolaus Copernicus
Who was the first woman to receive a doctorate in astronomy?
Caroline Herschel
What is the name of the telescope designed by Galileo?
Galilean telescope
Multiple Choice: Which astronomer is associated with the concept of black holes? A) Stephen Hawking B) Carl Sagan C) Johannes Kepler D) Galileo Galilei
A) Stephen Hawking
What major astronomical tool did Johannes Kepler use to develop his theories?
Tycho Brahe’s observational data
Fill in the blank: The ______ law states that planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun.
first Kepler’s
Who formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation?
Isaac Newton
What did the work of Sir William Herschel contribute to astronomy?
Discovery of Uranus and its moons.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following astronomers is known for his work on the structure of the Milky Way galaxy? A) Edwin Hubble B) Carl Sagan C) William Herschel D) Galileo Galilei
C) William Herschel
What is the significance of the Hubble Space Telescope?
It has provided deep space images and contributed to the discovery of the expanding universe.
True or False: The first known supernova was recorded by Tycho Brahe.
True
Fill in the blank: The ______ principle states that the laws of physics are the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion.
principle of relativity
Who is credited with the discovery of the planet Neptune?
Johann Galle and Heinrich d’Arrest
What is the main focus of Carl Sagan’s work?
Popularizing science and promoting the search for extraterrestrial life.
Multiple Choice: Who was the first to measure the distance to a star? A) Aristarchus B) Hipparchus C) Friedrich Bessel D) Galileo Galilei
C) Friedrich Bessel
What did Henrietta Leavitt discover that was critical for measuring astronomical distances?
The relationship between the luminosity and period of Cepheid variable stars.
Fill in the blank: The ______ telescope is named after the astronomer who developed the laws of planetary motion.
Kepler telescope
Who is known for the theory of cosmic inflation?
Alan Guth
What contribution did Vera Rubin make to astronomy?
She provided evidence for dark matter through her study of galaxy rotation curves.
Multiple Choice: Which astronomer is best known for his work on the Doppler effect? A) Christian Doppler B) Isaac Newton C) Albert Einstein D) Johannes Kepler
A) Christian Doppler
What discovery is associated with the name of Edwin Hubble?
The observation that the universe is expanding.
True or False: The first woman to discover a comet was Maria Mitchell.
True
Fill in the blank: The ______ constant is a measure of the rate of expansion of the universe.
Hubble
Who formulated the laws of motion and gravity?
Isaac Newton
What did the work of James Clerk Maxwell contribute to astronomy?
The understanding of electromagnetic radiation.
Multiple Choice: Which astronomer is famous for the discovery of the planet Pluto? A) Clyde Tombaugh B) Carl Sagan C) Edwin Hubble D) William Herschel
A) Clyde Tombaugh
What is the primary focus of astrophysics?
The study of the physical properties and underlying processes of celestial bodies.
True or False: The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest galaxy to Earth.
True
Fill in the blank: The ______ is a measure of the brightness of celestial objects.
magnitude
Who was the first to propose the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way?
Edwin Hubble
What did the 19th-century astronomer George Ellery Hale contribute?
He was instrumental in the development of large telescopes.
Multiple Choice: Which astronomer is known for the discovery of quasars? A) Maarten Schmidt B) Edwin Hubble C) Carl Sagan D) Stephen Hawking
A) Maarten Schmidt
Who is known as the father of modern astrophysics?
Sir Arthur Eddington
True or False: Carl Sagan was a prominent astrophysicist who popularized science through television.
True
What is the name of the space telescope launched in 1990 that has contributed significantly to astrophysics?
Hubble Space Telescope
Fill in the blank: Stephen Hawking is famous for his work on ________ and black holes.
theoretical physics
Which astrophysicist developed the theory of general relativity?
Albert Einstein
What was the primary focus of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s research?
Astrophysics and cosmology
Multiple Choice: Which of the following is a major contribution of Edwin Hubble? A) Quantum mechanics B) Hubble’s Law C) Theory of relativity
B) Hubble’s Law
True or False: Vera Rubin’s work provided evidence for dark matter.
True
What award did Stephen Hawking receive for his contributions to theoretical physics?
Copley Medal
Who was the first woman to receive a PhD in astronomy in the United States?
Maria Mitchell
Fill in the blank: The ________ is a phenomenon that describes the bending of light around massive objects.
gravitational lensing
Which astrophysicist is known for the ‘Hawking radiation’ theory?
Stephen Hawking
What is the primary subject of astrophysics?
The physical properties and behavior of celestial bodies
Multiple Choice: Who is known for the discovery of pulsars? A) Jocelyn Bell Burnell B) Neil deGrasse Tyson C) Carl Sagan
A) Jocelyn Bell Burnell
What is the name of the theory that explains the origin of the universe?
Big Bang Theory
Fill in the blank: The ________ was the first spacecraft to provide detailed images of the outer planets.
Voyager
What does the term ‘exoplanet’ refer to?
A planet outside our solar system
Multiple Choice: Who proposed the ‘cosmological constant’? A) Isaac Newton B) Albert Einstein C) Niels Bohr
B) Albert Einstein
True or False: Astrophysics is a branch of astronomy.
True
What is dark matter?
A form of matter that does not emit light or energy, detectable through its gravitational effects.
Who developed the concept of black holes?
John Michell and later expanded by Albert Einstein
Fill in the blank: The ________ is a measure of the distance of astronomical objects.
light year
What significant contribution did Max Planck make to astrophysics?
He introduced the concept of quantization of energy.
Multiple Choice: What is the main focus of cosmology? A) Study of galaxies B) Study of the universe’s origin and structure C) Study of black holes
B) Study of the universe’s origin and structure
Who is considered the father of modern astronomy and formulated the heliocentric model?
Nicolaus Copernicus
Copernicus proposed that the Sun, rather than the Earth, is at the center of the universe.
Which Italian astronomer improved the telescope and discovered four moons of Jupiter?
Galileo Galilei
Galileo’s discoveries provided crucial evidence for the heliocentric model.
Who is known for his laws of planetary motion?
Johannes Kepler
Kepler’s laws describe the motion of planets around the Sun.
What Danish astronomer made precise astronomical observations before the invention of the telescope?
Tycho Brahe
Brahe’s observations were foundational for later astronomers, especially Kepler.
Who developed the theory of gravity and described the motion of celestial objects?
Isaac Newton
Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation transformed physics.
Which astronomer cataloged over 850 stars and is considered one of the first female astronomers?
Hypatia of Alexandria
Hypatia was a mathematician and philosopher in ancient Alexandria.
Who discovered Uranus in 1781?
William Herschel
Herschel’s discovery expanded the known boundaries of the solar system.
Which astronomer’s observations of comets led to one being named after him, appearing approximately every 76 years?
Edmond Halley
Halley’s Comet is one of the most famous comets in history.
Who is the ancient Greek astronomer that calculated the Earth’s circumference with remarkable accuracy?
Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes used shadows and geometry to estimate the Earth’s size.
Which early astronomer created the geocentric model that dominated for centuries?
Ptolemy
Ptolemy’s model placed the Earth at the center of the universe.
Who is credited with discovering the expansion of the universe in 1929?
Edwin Hubble
Hubble’s observations led to the formulation of Hubble’s Law.
Who co-developed the Big Bang theory and received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978?
Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson
Their work provided strong evidence for the Big Bang theory.
Which British astronomer discovered pulsars in 1967?
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars emitting beams of radiation.
Who proposed the concept of black holes as ‘frozen stars’?
John Michell
Michell’s ideas predated the modern understanding of black holes.
Which theoretical physicist developed the theory of relativity and revolutionized astrophysics?
Albert Einstein
Einstein’s theories altered our understanding of time, space, and gravity.
Who is known for their work on white dwarfs, leading to the discovery of the Chandrasekhar limit?
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
The Chandrasekhar limit determines the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
Which American astrophysicist popularized science through the series Cosmos?
Carl Sagan
Sagan’s work made complex scientific concepts accessible to the public.
Who made significant contributions to the study of supernovas and stellar evolution?
Hans Bethe
Bethe’s work on nuclear reactions in stars was pivotal in astrophysics.
Who discovered the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star in 1995?
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz
Their discovery opened a new field in astronomy focused on exoplanets.
Which scientist was instrumental in confirming the cosmic microwave background radiation?
Robert Dicke
The cosmic microwave background is a key piece of evidence for the Big Bang.
Which physicist and cosmologist developed theories about black holes and wrote A Brief History of Time?
Stephen Hawking
Hawking’s work on black holes and cosmology has had a lasting impact.
Who is the current director of the Hayden Planetarium and a popular science communicator?
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson is known for his ability to engage the public with science.
Which astronomer helped discover the existence of dark matter through galaxy rotation curves?
Vera Rubin
Rubin’s work provided evidence for the presence of dark matter in the universe.
Who pioneered radio astronomy and discovered cosmic radio waves?
Karl Jansky
Jansky’s discoveries were foundational for the field of radio astronomy.
Which astronomer first measured the distance to a star using parallax?
Friedrich Bessel
Bessel’s work allowed for the measurement of distances to stars.
Who proposed the idea of the multiverse and the theory of eternal inflation?
Andrei Linde
Linde’s theories have implications for understanding the universe’s structure.
Who first explained the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, linking star color and luminosity?
Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell
The diagram is a key tool in understanding stellar evolution.
Which theoretical physicist won the Nobel Prize for explaining the origin of the elements in stars?
William Fowler
Fowler’s research helped clarify nucleosynthesis processes in stars.
Who is credited with discovering the first quasar?
Maarten Schmidt
Quasars are among the most distant and luminous objects in the universe.
Which British physicist received the Nobel Prize for detecting the Higgs boson?
Peter Higgs
The Higgs boson is crucial for the Standard Model of particle physics.
Discoverer of Ceres (largest known object in the Asteroid belt)?
Giuseppe PIAZZI
