Astronomy Flashcards
Which branch of science studies celestial objects such as stars, galaxies, and planets?
B) Astronomy
Early astronomers used which of the following primary instruments?
C) Eyewitness observations and records
Which ancient civilization introduced the idea that the night sky was dome-shaped?
A) Greeks
What did Babylonian astronomers focus on first?
B) The Moon
What was the geocentric model of the universe?
B) The idea that the Sun orbits the Earth
Who was responsible for writing the book Almagest and promoting the geocentric view?
C) Ptolemy
What astronomical achievement is credited to Mayan astronomers?
The development of the 365-day calendar
Who proposed the heliocentric model of the universe?
Nicolaus Copernicus
Which astronomer discovered the three laws of planetary motion?
Johannes Kepler
Which astronomer used a telescope to confirm the heliocentric model and discovered Jupiter’s moons?
Galileo Galilei
What did Isaac Newton contribute to astronomy?
The law of universal gravitation
Edmond Halley is best known for predicting the return of which celestial object?
Halley’s Comet
What is the Big Bang Theory?
The theory that the universe was created in a massive explosion
What is the Steady State Theory?
The universe has always been expanding while maintaining a constant density.
Which of the following makes up the largest portion of the universe?
B) Dark Matter
What is the defining characteristic of a black hole?
Its gravity is so strong that not even light can escape.
What are cosmic rays primarily made of?
Normal matter and antimatter particles.
How was Voyager 1 significant in space exploration?
It traveled into interstellar space in 2013.
What is the purpose of a wormhole, according to scientific theory?
To act as a shortcut between two distant locations in space.
What is absolute zero?
The temperature at which molecular motion stops.
What does the Oscillating Universe Theory suggest?
The universe expands and contracts.
What is the heliosphere?
The boundary where the solar wind stops and interstellar space begins.
Who discovered the concept of gravity?
ISAAC Newton.
What was significant about the Mayan calendar?
The 365-day calendar developed by the Mayans was one of the most accurate of its time.
What is the study of celestial objects and their movements called?
Astronomy.
What is gravity?
The force responsible for keeping planets in orbit around the sun.
What is the heliosphere?
The region of space that contains the sun’s magnetic field and particles.
What is solar wind?
The high-energy particle wind emitted from the Sun.
What does the Doppler effect describe?
How light shifts due to movement toward or away from an observer.
What is dark matter?
A form of matter that makes up 27% of the universe but cannot be directly observed.
What is dark energy thought to be responsible for?
The expansion of the universe.
What is the Kuiper Belt?
A region of icy bodies beyond Neptune’s orbit.
What occurs during a supernova?
A star exhausts its fuel and collapses in on itself.
What are galaxies?
Large collections of stars, gas, and dust bound together by gravity.
Which galaxy is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way?
The Andromeda galaxy.
What is the Biblical account of the universe’s creation?
God created our Universe and everything that is in it (Genesis 1)
What does the Big Bang Theory state?
The universe was created in a massive explosion
What does the Oscillating Universe Theory suggest?
The universe passes through continuous cycles of expansion
What is the Steady State Theory?
The universe has always been expanding and maintains a constant average density
What does the Hubble Space Telescope help us understand?
Nobody really knows how many stars are in the universe
At what altitude is space defined to start?
62 miles above the earth
What is Interstellar Space?
The place where our sun’s magnetic field and its high energy particles come to a stop
What is Solar Wind?
Wind from the sun that is a form of high energy particles
What is the Heliopause?
The boundary where the solar wind stops and interstellar space begins
What is the Heliosphere?
A bubble-like region that contains tiny pieces of gas and dust
How long did it take Voyager 1 to reach interstellar space?
35 years
What does the term ‘Universe’ encompass?
All of the space, including interstellar space and its contents, which includes planets, moons, solar systems, stars, and galaxies
What are the five components that astronomers believe the universe consists of?
- Normal Matter
- Antimatter
- Energy
- Dark Matter
- Dark Energy
Define Normal Matter.
Anything that has mass and volume, making up less than 5% of the universe
What is the Interstellar Medium?
Contains a mix of normal matter such as atoms, molecules, and microscopic dust particles
What is Antimatter?
The opposite of the particles we know; occurs in small amounts and interacts with real matter to disappear
What are Cosmic Rays?
High-energy particles that come to earth from outer space
What is Dark Matter?
Matter that we cannot detect, making up 27% of the universe
What is Dark Energy?
Makes up the remaining 68% of the universe and is estimated based on its effect on the expansion of the universe
What is a Black Hole?
A region in space where the force of gravity is so strong that nothing can escape, not even light
What is a Wormhole?
A passage or bridge between two places separated by extremely long distances
What is Temperature?
A measure of how hot or cold an object is, regarding its thermal energy
Define Absolute Zero.
The coldest possible temperature (-459.67 F)
What is Absolute Hot?
The highest possible temperature (2.55x10^32 F)
What is Astronomy?
A branch of scientific study of celestial objects, including stars, galaxies, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and nebulae
What did early stargazers rely on for their observations?
They could only use what they saw with their eyes and measured with simple instruments
What is one of the oldest recorded histories of astronomers?
Chinese astronomers
What model did Ptolemy develop?
An earth-centered universe (geocentric view)
What did Mayan Astronomers record in detail?
Observations of the sun, moon, Venus, and the stars
Who concluded there are many galaxies beyond our Milky Way?
Edwin Hubble
What is spectroscopy?
A method that takes the light emitted from stars and spreads it into colors, discovering temperature, chemical composition, and motion
What does Optical Astronomy use?
Mirrors and lenses to observe light that can be detected with our eyes
What technique did William and Margaret Huggins pioneer?
They pioneered an observation technique called Spectroscopy.
What does Spectroscopy do?
Spectroscopy takes the light emitted from the stars and spreads it into the colors of the rainbow.
What can be discovered through Spectroscopy?
It can discover the temperature of stars, chemical compositions, motion through space, mass, and rotation on their axis.
What is Optical Astronomy?
Optical astronomy uses mirrors and lenses to observe light that can be detected with our eyes.
What type of energy does Optical Astronomy use?
It uses electromagnetic energy.
Who was William Herschel?
William Herschel was an instrumentalist and composer, and the first modern astronomer.
What did William Herschel design?
He designed and developed his own telescopes.
Who assisted William Herschel in studying the night sky?
His sister, Caroline Herschel, assisted him.
What celestial body did William and Caroline Herschel start tracking?
They started tracking Uranus.
What position was William Herschel appointed to by King George?
He was appointed royal astronomer.
What contributions did Caroline Herschel make to astronomy?
She discovered 8 comets, several star clusters, and a gaseous nebula.
How was Caroline Herschel regarded in her field?
She became a much-respected astronomer.
What was Caroline Herschel concerned about in her studies?
She was concerned about smaller things.
Who is considered the most famous scientist of the 20th century?
Albert Einstein
What is the theory proposed by Albert Einstein?
Theory of relativity
What did Einstein discover about light?
Light would be affected by gravitation
What prestigious award did Albert Einstein win?
Nobel Prize in Physics
What do radio astronomers study?
Emissions from gas giant planets, blasts from galaxies, and signals from dying stars
What does radio astronomy reveal?
Part of the invisible sky
Who discovered pulsars?
Jocelyn Bell Burns
What was Jocelyn Bell Burns’ initial goal in building a radio telescope?
To study quasars
What are quasars?
Massive objects in the universe that emit an exceptionally large amount of energy
What did Jocelyn Bell Burns determine about the signals she received?
They were too fast and regular to be quasars
What did Jocelyn Bell Burns discover instead of quasars?
Rotating neutron stars
What is High Energy Astronomy?
Study of astronomical objects that release electromagnetic radiation of highly energetic wavelengths.
Examples include X-rays and radiation.
What is a Quasar?
A massive object in the universe that emits an exceptionally large amount of energy.
Looks like a distant star in a telescope.
What is a Pulsar?
Rapidly rotating neutron stars that move faster than quasars.
What does NASA stand for?
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
When was NASA founded?
July 29, 1958.
What are some contributions of NASA?
Mariner spacecraft to Venus, helped with the Hubble telescope, and sent rovers to Mars.
Who was George Emery Half?
George studied the sun and was the first astronomer to successfully photograph sunspots.
What did George Emery Half discover about sunspots?
He discovered that sunspots are cooler than the rest of the sun.
What did George Emery Half detect in sunspots?
He detected magnetic fields in the sunspots.
What significant discovery did George Emery Half make regarding extraterrestrial phenomena?
He found the first extraterrestrial magnetic field.
Where can I find more information about George Emery Half’s work?
You can watch a video about his work at https://www.youtube.com/watch/v=7HBMSAgROdE.
