Astrophysics Flashcards
What is a universe?
A large collection of billions of galaxies.
What is a galaxy?
A large collection of billions of stars
What are comets?
Large, rock-like pieces of ice that orbit the sun.
What does red-shift of a star indicate?
That the source of the light wave is moving away from the observer.
What does blue-shift of a star indicate?
That the source of light is moving towards the observer.
What is cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR)?
A way to prove the big bank theory. Energy released from the explosion takes the form of waves. As the universe expands these waves become stretched and therefore they would have much longer wavelengths. They are so long they fit into the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum
What is absolute magnitude?
The luminosity of an object at a standard distance.
