Astronomy Flashcards
Q: What is a scientist who studies the stars and other celestial bodies called?
A: Astronomer
Q: Who was the first person in space?
A: Yuri Gagaran
Q: Who was the first American in space?
A: Alan Shepard
Q: Who was the United States in a space race with?
A: Soviet Union
Q: Who was the first man on the moon?
A: Neil Armstrong
Q: Who was the 2nd man on the moon?
A: Buzz Aldren
Q: Who was the President who promised we would put a man on the moon?
A: Kennedy
Q: What was the name of the module that landed on the moon?
A: The Eagle
Q: What is the closest planet to the sun?
A: Mercury
Q: Why is Mercury so cold on the side that is not facing the sun?
A: It has no atmosphere.
Q: What is the hottest planet?
A: Venus
Q: Why is Venus the hottest, even though it is not the closest to the sun?
A: It traps heat in its dense atmosphere?
Q: What do we call the half of the Earth’s sphere north of the equator?
A: Northern Hemisphere
Q: What do we call the half of the Earth’s sphere south of the equator?
A: Southern Hemisphere
Q: How far is Earth from the sun?
A: 93 million miles
Q: What is the envelope of gasses that surrounds a planet called?
A: Atmosphere
Q: What covers about 70% of the earth?
A: Water from oceans
Q: What is the curved path a planet takes around the sun called?
A: orbit
Q: What causes seasons?
A: The axial tilt of the earth
Q: What does the word planet mean in Greek?
A: Wanderer
Q: Any objects, including planets, moons, stars, comets, or meteors, which can be found in space are called what?
A: Celestial Bodies
Q: What are frozen balls of dust and ice whose orbits take them far out in the solar system are called what?
A: Comets
Q: Natural or human-made objects that orbit around a celestial object are called what?
A: Satellites
Q: What is Earth’s natural satellite?
A: The moon
Q: Why does the sun appear larger than other stars?
A: It is the closest star to us.
Q: What is a synonym for terrain?
A: Land
Q: What Greek Goddess is Venus?
A: Aphrodite
Q: What Greek God is Mars?
A: Ares
Q: What Greek God is Jupiter?
A: Zeus
Q: What Greek God is Neptune?
A: Poseidon
Q: What Greek God is Pluto?
A: Hades
Q: What is Saturn the god of?
A: The harvest
Q: Who is Uranus in Greek mythology?
A: The sky/ The dad of the Titans and husband of Gaia
Q: Why do planets appear to be shining in the night sky?
A: They are reflecting the sun’s light.
Q: How can you tell the difference between planets and stars in the night sky?
A: Planets appear to be twinkling.
Q: Name the rocky planets.
A: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
Q: Name the gas giants.
A: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Q: What is a meteor if it is in outer space?
A: Meteoroid
Q: What does a meteoroid become if it enters our atmosphere?
Q: Meteorite
Q: What is a nickname for a meteor?
A: Shooting Star
Q: What does a meteor become if it hits Earth’s surface?
A: Meteorite
Q: How often is Halley’s comet visible from Earth?
A: Every 76 years.
Q: What US organization directs space travel and research?
A: NASA
Q: What is Mars’ nickname?
A: Red Planet
Q: Why does Mars appear red?
A: Rust
Q: Which planet has the solar system’s tallest volcano?
A: Mars
Q: What is the name of the tallest volcano in our solar system?
A: Olympus Mons
Q: What are Mars’s two moons?
A: Phobos and Deimos
Q: Why are Mars’ two moons named Phobos and Deimos?
A: Mars, in Greek, is Ares. Ares’ sons are named Phobos and Deimos.
Q: What is between Mars and Jupiter?
A: Asteroid Belt
Q: What is the largest planet in our solar system?
A: Jupiter
Q: Why couldn’t you land a spaceship on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune?
A: They are made of gas
Q: Who discovered four of Jupiter’s moons in 1610?
A: Galileo Galilei
Q: What are Saturn’s rings made of?
A: Rocks and ice
Q: Which planet rotates or spins on its side?
A: Uranus
Q: What do we call objects in our solar system that are further than Neptune?
A: Trans-Neptunian
Q: What is a large collection of stars, gas, and dust grouped together called?
A: A galaxy
Q: What galaxy do we live in?
A: Milky Way
Q: What kind of galaxy is the Milky Way?
A: Spiral Galaxy
Q: What gas is most of the sun made up of?
A: Hydrogen
Q: What gas is made when all of the hydrogen atoms of the sun keep bumping into each other?
A: Helium
Q: What is the bright center of stars in the middle of a galaxy called?
A: Hub
Q: What are groups of stars that look like people, objects, or animals?
A: Constellations
Q: Which constellation is of a hunter?
A: Orion
Q: What are Orions’ dogs’ names?
A: Canis Major and Canis Minor.
Q: What is the constellation of the bear that Zeus put in the sky?
A: Ursa Major
Q: What is another name for the North Star?
A: Polaris
Q: What is another name for the Little Dipper?
A: Ursa minor?
Q: What is the brightest star in our sky?
A: Sirius
Q: What constellation is Sirius a part of?
A: Canis Major
Q: What word means having the earth as the center?
Geocentric
Q: What word means having the sun as the center?
A: Heliocentric
Q: What astronomer famously set out to prove a heliocentric theory of the world?
A: Nicolaus Copernicus
Q: What theory of astronomy did Aristotle take?
A: Geocentric Theory
Q: What theory of astronomy did most of the Greeks and Romans take?
A: Geocentric Theory
Q: What famous astronomer was inspired by Nicolaus Copernicus?
A: Galileo
Q: Why were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin able to jump high on the moon?
A: The force of gravity is less on the moon.
Q: Why is the force of gravity less on the moon?
A: The moon is smaller, and has less mass, than the Earth.
