Astronomy

Question 1

What is the name of the force that causes orbits?

Answer 1

Gravity

Question 2

What is a satellite?

Answer 2

An object that orbits a planet (due to gravity)

Question 3

What is a moon?

Answer 3

A natural satellite.

Question 4

What is a comet?

Answer 4

A dirty ball of rock and ice that has a HIGHLY elliptical orbit.

Question 5

What is the order of the planets?

Answer 5

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Question 6

What is the force that causes the planets to orbit the sun?

Answer 6

Gravity

Question 7

What is a galaxy?

Answer 7

A collection of BILLIONS of stars

Question 8

What is the name of our galaxy?

Answer 8

The Milky Way

Question 9

What is the universe?

Answer 9

A collection of BILLIONS of galaxies.

Question 10

What are the differences between the orbit of a moon and the orbit of a planet?

Answer 10

A moon orbits a planet, a planet orbits a star (like the sun)

Question 11

What are the similarities between the orbit of a moon and the orbit of a planet?

Answer 11

Both are because of gravity, and both are usually roughly circular.

Question 12

Describe the orbit of a comet.

Answer 12

HIGHLY elliptical, and the comet moves faster the closer it gets to the sun.

Question 13

Which direction does the tail of a comet point?

Answer 13

Away from the sun

Question 14

What is the equation for the orbital speed of an object?

Answer 14

speed = 2 x Pi x Orbital radius / Time period

Question 15

What is the time period (of an orbit)?

Answer 15

The time taken for one complete orbit.

Question 16

What is the time period of the earth’s orbit?

Answer 16

One year. (By definition)

Question 17

What is the two main problems in orbital speed questions?

Answer 17

You have to ROUND the answer to 2 or 3 significant figures, and you have to make sure you convert the units into the units the answer needs.