astronomy exam 1 review

Question 1

distance

Answer 1

speed x time

Question 2

stars

Answer 2

balls of gas that radiate heat and light, they are sources of light

Question 3

constellations

Answer 3

stellar patterns identified by names, pieces of the ski

Question 4

asterism

Answer 4

a pattern of stars that is not a constellation
example, the big dipper

Question 5

depth perception or parallax

Answer 5

the apparent shift in the position of an object when viewed from two different points

Question 6

alpha

Answer 6

brightest star in constellation

Question 7

beta

Answer 7

second brightest star

Question 8

greek

Answer 8

used for naming stars

Question 9

magnitude

Answer 9

brightness

Question 10

hipparchus

Answer 10

tried to organize stars with brightest classification
1st class is the brightest star
6th class is barely visible with the naked eye

Question 11

apparent visual magnitude

Answer 11

brightness of star as seen by human eyes on earth

Question 12

zenith

Answer 12

whats directly above your head

Question 13

nadar

Answer 13

what’s directly under you

Question 14

longitude

Answer 14

east and west

Question 15

latitude

Answer 15

north and south

Question 16

radian

Answer 16

angle where arc length equals radius of a circle

Question 17

equinox

Answer 17

12 hours of light and dark

Question 18

ecliptic

Answer 18

path of the sun through the stars over a year (zodiac signs)

Question 19

are moon plains parallel

Answer 19

no

Question 20

waxing

Answer 20

more full

Question 21

waning

Answer 21

less full

Question 22

lunar synodic period

Answer 22

29.5 days

Question 23

lunar sidereal period

Answer 23

27.3 days

Question 24

when moon is in penumbra

Answer 24

partial lunar eclipse

Question 25

when moon is in umbra

Answer 25

full lunar eclipse the moon needs to be full for this to happen

Question 26

magnitude scale

Answer 26

astronomical brightness scale, the larger the number, the fainter the star

Question 27

flux

Answer 27

amount of light energy that hits one square meter in one second

Question 28

angular distance

Answer 28

angle between 2 lines extending from your eye to two objects

Question 29

arc minutes

Answer 29

1/60 degree

Question 30

angular diameter

Answer 30

angular distance from one edge to another

Question 31

circumpolar constellations

Answer 31

never rise or set because their located near a pole

Question 32

scientific model

Answer 32

intellectual construct that helps us understand real world but isnt completely true or accurate

Question 33

precession

Answer 33

slow change in direction of earth's axis of rotation

Question 34

celestial sphere

Answer 34

scientific model of the sky

Question 35

average diameter

Answer 35

linear diameter/distance

Question 36

1 AU

Answer 36

1.5 x 10^8 km

Question 37

smallest to largest (earth, moon, sun, nearest star, milky way and nearest galaxy)

Answer 37

1. Earth to moon 2. Earth to sun 3. sun to nearest star 4. milky way to next nearest galaxy

Question 38

AU

Answer 38

average distance between the earth and the sun

Question 39

the lower the magnitude of a star

Answer 39

the brighter it is

Question 40

compare visual magnitude of stars equation

Answer 40

2.5 log (1/4)

Question 41

if two stars differ in magnitude equation

Answer 41

(Fa/Fb) = (2.512)^(mbxma)

Question 42

degrees of north and south celestial

Answer 42

north (90) and south (180)

Question 43

motion of a star

Answer 43

along the celestial equator is due to the earth's rotation on its axis

Question 44

density

Answer 44

mass/volume

Question 45

annular eclipse

Answer 45

a rare event that occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, but doesn't completely cover the sun

Question 46

lunar eclipse

Answer 46

Earth comes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sunlight falling on the moon.

Question 47

umbra

Answer 47

the dark center of the moon's shadow on the earth during a solar eclipse, where the sun is completely blocked

Question 48

penumbra

Answer 48

the outer part of the moon's shadow that partially blocks the sun during a solar eclipse

Question 49

why do we have seasons?

Answer 49

Earth has seasons because of its tilted axis and elliptical orbit around the sun. The Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane, which changes the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth's surface. When the Earth's axis points towards the sun, it is summer for that hemisphere. For example, when the North Pole tilts toward the Sun, it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere

Question 50

brightest star in constellation perseus

Answer 50

Alpha Persei

Question 51

phase of the moon during a solar eclipse

Answer 51

new moon

Question 52

the larger the apparent visual magnitude of a star

Answer 52

the harder to see with the naked eye

Question 53

difference between the sidereal period of the moon and the synodic period of the moon

Answer 53

The sidereal period of the moon is the time it takes for the moon to complete one orbit around the Earth, while the synodic period is the time it takes for the moon to return to the same position in the sky relative to the sun.

Question 54

relative position of the Earth, sun and moon when the moon is at first quarter phase

Answer 54

half moon (the moon is directly to the side of the earth and the sun is in front of it)

Question 55

will polaris always be the north star?

Answer 55

No, Polaris is not always the North Star because Earth's rotation axis wobbles over time, causing the celestial pole to move in a circle past different stars. This phenomenon is called axial precession. In about 12,000 years, the star Vega will become the North Star, as it will sweep past Polaris and point to it again