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Sam’s Astronomy > Astronomers/Astrophysicists > Flashcards

Astronomers/Astrophysicists Flashcards

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1
Q

Who is known as the father of modern astronomy?

A

Nicolaus Copernicus

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2
Q

True or False: Galileo Galilei was the first to use a telescope for astronomical observations.

A

True

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3
Q

Fill in the blank: Johannes Kepler is famous for his laws of ______.

A

planetary motion

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4
Q

What did Isaac Newton contribute to astronomy?

A

The law of universal gravitation

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5
Q

Which astronomer proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system?

A

Nicolaus Copernicus

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6
Q

Who discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter?

A

Galileo Galilei

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7
Q

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

A

B) Johannes Kepler

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8
Q

What did Edwin Hubble discover about galaxies?

A

That they are moving away from us, leading to the formulation of Hubble’s Law.

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9
Q

True or False: Tycho Brahe did not believe in the heliocentric model.

A

True

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10
Q

Fill in the blank: The first person to propose that the Earth revolves around the Sun was ______.

A

Nicolaus Copernicus

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11
Q

Who was the first woman to receive a doctorate in astronomy?

A

Caroline Herschel

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12
Q

What is the name of the telescope designed by Galileo?

A

Galilean telescope

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13
Q

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

A) Stephen Hawking

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14
Q

What major astronomical tool did Johannes Kepler use to develop his theories?

A

Tycho Brahe’s observational data

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15
Q

Fill in the blank: The ______ law states that planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun.

A

first Kepler’s

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16
Q

Who formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation?

A

Isaac Newton

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17
Q

What did the work of Sir William Herschel contribute to astronomy?

A

Discovery of Uranus and its moons.

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18
Q

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

A

C) William Herschel

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19
Q

What is the significance of the Hubble Space Telescope?

A

It has provided deep space images and contributed to the discovery of the expanding universe.

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20
Q

True or False: The first known supernova was recorded by Tycho Brahe.

A

True

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21
Q

Fill in the blank: The ______ principle states that the laws of physics are the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion.

A

principle of relativity

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22
Q

Who is credited with the discovery of the planet Neptune?

A

Johann Galle and Heinrich d’Arrest

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23
Q

What is the main focus of Carl Sagan’s work?

A

Popularizing science and promoting the search for extraterrestrial life.

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24
Q

Multiple Choice: Who was the first to measure the distance to a star? A) Aristarchus B) Hipparchus C) Friedrich Bessel D) Galileo Galilei

A

C) Friedrich Bessel

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25
What did Henrietta Leavitt discover that was critical for measuring astronomical distances?
The relationship between the luminosity and period of Cepheid variable stars.
26
Fill in the blank: The ______ telescope is named after the astronomer who developed the laws of planetary motion.
Kepler telescope
27
Who is known for the theory of cosmic inflation?
Alan Guth
28
What contribution did Vera Rubin make to astronomy?
She provided evidence for dark matter through her study of galaxy rotation curves.
29
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
30
What discovery is associated with the name of Edwin Hubble?
The observation that the universe is expanding.
31
True or False: The first woman to discover a comet was Maria Mitchell.
True
32
Fill in the blank: The ______ constant is a measure of the rate of expansion of the universe.
Hubble
33
Who formulated the laws of motion and gravity?
Isaac Newton
34
What did the work of James Clerk Maxwell contribute to astronomy?
The understanding of electromagnetic radiation.
35
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
36
What is the primary focus of astrophysics?
The study of the physical properties and underlying processes of celestial bodies.
37
True or False: The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest galaxy to Earth.
True
38
Fill in the blank: The ______ is a measure of the brightness of celestial objects.
magnitude
39
Who was the first to propose the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way?
Edwin Hubble
40
What did the 19th-century astronomer George Ellery Hale contribute?
He was instrumental in the development of large telescopes.
41
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
42
Who is known as the father of modern astrophysics?
Sir Arthur Eddington
43
True or False: Carl Sagan was a prominent astrophysicist who popularized science through television.
True
44
What is the name of the space telescope launched in 1990 that has contributed significantly to astrophysics?
Hubble Space Telescope
45
Fill in the blank: Stephen Hawking is famous for his work on ________ and black holes.
theoretical physics
46
Which astrophysicist developed the theory of general relativity?
Albert Einstein
47
What was the primary focus of Neil deGrasse Tyson's research?
Astrophysics and cosmology
48
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
49
True or False: Vera Rubin's work provided evidence for dark matter.
True
50
What award did Stephen Hawking receive for his contributions to theoretical physics?
Copley Medal
51
Who was the first woman to receive a PhD in astronomy in the United States?
Maria Mitchell
52
Fill in the blank: The ________ is a phenomenon that describes the bending of light around massive objects.
gravitational lensing
53
Which astrophysicist is known for the 'Hawking radiation' theory?
Stephen Hawking
54
What is the primary subject of astrophysics?
The physical properties and behavior of celestial bodies
55
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
56
What is the name of the theory that explains the origin of the universe?
Big Bang Theory
57
Fill in the blank: The ________ was the first spacecraft to provide detailed images of the outer planets.
Voyager
58
What does the term 'exoplanet' refer to?
A planet outside our solar system
59
Multiple Choice: Who proposed the 'cosmological constant'? A) Isaac Newton B) Albert Einstein C) Niels Bohr
B) Albert Einstein
60
True or False: Astrophysics is a branch of astronomy.
True
61
What is dark matter?
A form of matter that does not emit light or energy, detectable through its gravitational effects.
62
Who developed the concept of black holes?
John Michell and later expanded by Albert Einstein
63
Fill in the blank: The ________ is a measure of the distance of astronomical objects.
light year
64
What significant contribution did Max Planck make to astrophysics?
He introduced the concept of quantization of energy.
65
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
66
Who is considered the father of modern astronomy and formulated the heliocentric model?
Nicolaus Copernicus ## Footnote Copernicus proposed that the Sun, rather than the Earth, is at the center of the universe.
67
Which Italian astronomer improved the telescope and discovered four moons of Jupiter?
Galileo Galilei ## Footnote Galileo's discoveries provided crucial evidence for the heliocentric model.
68
Who is known for his laws of planetary motion?
Johannes Kepler ## Footnote Kepler's laws describe the motion of planets around the Sun.
69
What Danish astronomer made precise astronomical observations before the invention of the telescope?
Tycho Brahe ## Footnote Brahe's observations were foundational for later astronomers, especially Kepler.
70
Who developed the theory of gravity and described the motion of celestial objects?
Isaac Newton ## Footnote Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation transformed physics.
71
Which astronomer cataloged over 850 stars and is considered one of the first female astronomers?
Hypatia of Alexandria ## Footnote Hypatia was a mathematician and philosopher in ancient Alexandria.
72
Who discovered Uranus in 1781?
William Herschel ## Footnote Herschel's discovery expanded the known boundaries of the solar system.
73
Which astronomer’s observations of comets led to one being named after him, appearing approximately every 76 years?
Edmond Halley ## Footnote Halley's Comet is one of the most famous comets in history.
74
Who is the ancient Greek astronomer that calculated the Earth’s circumference with remarkable accuracy?
Eratosthenes ## Footnote Eratosthenes used shadows and geometry to estimate the Earth's size.
75
Which early astronomer created the geocentric model that dominated for centuries?
Ptolemy ## Footnote Ptolemy's model placed the Earth at the center of the universe.
76
Who is credited with discovering the expansion of the universe in 1929?
Edwin Hubble ## Footnote Hubble's observations led to the formulation of Hubble's Law.
77
Who co-developed the Big Bang theory and received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978?
Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson ## Footnote Their work provided strong evidence for the Big Bang theory.
78
Which British astronomer discovered pulsars in 1967?
Jocelyn Bell Burnell ## Footnote Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars emitting beams of radiation.
79
Who proposed the concept of black holes as 'frozen stars'?
John Michell ## Footnote Michell's ideas predated the modern understanding of black holes.
80
Which theoretical physicist developed the theory of relativity and revolutionized astrophysics?
Albert Einstein ## Footnote Einstein's theories altered our understanding of time, space, and gravity.
81
Who is known for their work on white dwarfs, leading to the discovery of the Chandrasekhar limit?
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar ## Footnote The Chandrasekhar limit determines the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
82
Which American astrophysicist popularized science through the series Cosmos?
Carl Sagan ## Footnote Sagan's work made complex scientific concepts accessible to the public.
83
Who made significant contributions to the study of supernovas and stellar evolution?
Hans Bethe ## Footnote Bethe's work on nuclear reactions in stars was pivotal in astrophysics.
84
Who discovered the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star in 1995?
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz ## Footnote Their discovery opened a new field in astronomy focused on exoplanets.
85
Which scientist was instrumental in confirming the cosmic microwave background radiation?
Robert Dicke ## Footnote The cosmic microwave background is a key piece of evidence for the Big Bang.
86
Which physicist and cosmologist developed theories about black holes and wrote A Brief History of Time?
Stephen Hawking ## Footnote Hawking's work on black holes and cosmology has had a lasting impact.
87
Who is the current director of the Hayden Planetarium and a popular science communicator?
Neil deGrasse Tyson ## Footnote Tyson is known for his ability to engage the public with science.
88
Which astronomer helped discover the existence of dark matter through galaxy rotation curves?
Vera Rubin ## Footnote Rubin's work provided evidence for the presence of dark matter in the universe.
89
Who pioneered radio astronomy and discovered cosmic radio waves?
Karl Jansky ## Footnote Jansky's discoveries were foundational for the field of radio astronomy.
90
Which astronomer first measured the distance to a star using parallax?
Friedrich Bessel ## Footnote Bessel's work allowed for the measurement of distances to stars.
91
Who proposed the idea of the multiverse and the theory of eternal inflation?
Andrei Linde ## Footnote Linde's theories have implications for understanding the universe's structure.
92
Who first explained the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, linking star color and luminosity?
Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell ## Footnote The diagram is a key tool in understanding stellar evolution.
93
Which theoretical physicist won the Nobel Prize for explaining the origin of the elements in stars?
William Fowler ## Footnote Fowler's research helped clarify nucleosynthesis processes in stars.
94
Who is credited with discovering the first quasar?
Maarten Schmidt ## Footnote Quasars are among the most distant and luminous objects in the universe.
95
Which British physicist received the Nobel Prize for detecting the Higgs boson?
Peter Higgs ## Footnote The Higgs boson is crucial for the Standard Model of particle physics.
96
Discoverer of Ceres (largest known object in the Asteroid belt)?
Giuseppe PIAZZI

Sam’s Astronomy (17 decks)

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