Astronomy Chapters 3-4 Flashcards
What are the two different types of light-detecting cells?
Rods and Cones
Rods are far more sensitive to ( ) than cones, and are thus able to detect much fainter objects.
light
When looking at faint objects through a telescope, you must avoid looking ( ) a the the object.
directly
What is the light sensitive chemical that rods contain?
rhodopsin
Using a ( ) ( ) at night helps you see without impacting your dark-adapted vision.
Red light
As a general guideline, it takes about how many minutes for your eyes to dark adapt?
30 minutes
What food helps improve night vision because of the carotene in them?
carrots
Stars are based on their ( ) and the ( ) in which they are found.
brightness, constellation
The constellation Orion is mentioned in what biblical book dating back to about 200 B.C.?
Job
What are the groups of bright stars that are not one of the official 88 constellations called?
Asterisms
Mintaka is a blue bright giant, so one of the ( ), ( ) stars in the night sky.
hottest, brightest
Because its light fades and grows, Algol is often called the what?
Demon Star
What is the brightest visible star in Earth’s nighttime sky?
Sirius
Since it is in the constellation Canis Major, Sirius is sometimes referred to as what?
the Dog Star
In mid-April, the constellation that dominates the evening sky is ( )
Leo
Polaris or the ( ) ( ) is the one star that doesn’t move noticeably with the time of night of time of year.
North Star
What is the center star in the handle of the Dipper?
Mizar
What used to be the North Star around the year 2800 B.C
Thuban
The constellation ( ) is dominated by the bright red supergiant Antares.
Scorpius
The summer ( ) is made up of Vega, Altair, and Deneb.
Triangle
The brightest star in the constellation Cygnus is ( ), which means the “tail”
Deneb
The constellation Corona Autralis is also know as what?
Southern Crown
The great ( ) is comprised of Markab, Scheat, Algenib, and Alpheratz
Square
The constellation Andromeda is shaped like a curved what?
Bullhorn
At a distance of 2.9 million light years, ( ), or “the Andromeda Galaxy,” is the farthest and largest object that can easily be seen with the unaided eye.
M31