Astrophysics Flashcards
What is the largest planet in our solar system?
Jupiter
True or False: The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy.
True
Fill in the blank: The process by which stars generate energy is called ______.
nuclear fusion
What is the name of the closest star to Earth?
Proxima Centauri
Which planet is known for its prominent ring system?
Saturn
True or False: Black holes can emit light.
False
What is the term for a group of stars that are bound together by gravity?
Star cluster
What is the primary component of the Sun?
Hydrogen
Fill in the blank: The observable universe is estimated to be about ______ billion light-years in diameter.
93
What is the name of the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun?
Gravity
What is the unit of measurement for astronomical distances?
Light-year
True or False: A supernova is a massive explosion that occurs at the end of a star’s life cycle.
True
What is the name of the effect that causes the redshift of distant galaxies?
Doppler effect
Fill in the blank: The ______ is a region around a black hole from which nothing can escape.
event horizon
What is the main difference between a comet and an asteroid?
Comets are icy bodies, asteroids are rocky.
What is the term for the study of the universe as a whole?
Cosmology
Which planet is known as the ‘Red Planet’?
Mars
What is the name of our galaxy?
Milky Way
True or False: Neutron stars are formed from the remnants of supernovae.
True
What is the primary source of energy for the Earth?
The Sun
Fill in the blank: The ______ is a vast region of space where no matter exists.
vacuum
What is the term for a star that suddenly increases in brightness?
Nova
What is the approximate age of the universe?
13.8 billion years
True or False: Light travels faster in a vacuum than in air.
True
What is the name of the boundary beyond which no information or matter can escape from a black hole?
Event horizon
Fill in the blank: The ______ is the force that opposes the expansion of the universe.
gravitational force
What type of galaxy is characterized by an elliptical shape?
Elliptical galaxy
What is the main component of a neutron star?
Neutrons
True or False: The universe is currently expanding.
True
What is the term for the temperature at which all molecular motion ceases?
Absolute zero
What phenomenon explains why we see different constellations at different times of the year?
Earth’s orbit around the Sun
Fill in the blank: The ______ is the region of space surrounding a star where planets can form.
protoplanetary disk
What is the name of the first artificial satellite launched into space?
Sputnik 1
What is the primary force that drives stellar evolution?
Nuclear fusion
True or False: The Andromeda Galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way.
True
What is the term for the motion of stars and galaxies moving away from us?
Redshift
Fill in the blank: The ______ is the region of space where a star is born.
nebula
What is the name of the largest volcano in the solar system?
Olympus Mons
What is the significance of the Hubble Space Telescope?
It has provided deep space images and contributed to the understanding of the universe.
True or False: Dark matter makes up about 27% of the universe’s total mass-energy content.
True
What is the closest galaxy to the Milky Way?
The Andromeda Galaxy
Fill in the blank: The ______ is the region of space where light has been trapped by a black hole.
event horizon
What is the term for the hypothetical boundary of the observable universe?
Cosmic horizon
What is the primary constituent of a comet’s nucleus?
Ice and dust
True or False: The speed of light is approximately 300,000 kilometers per second.
True
What is the term for a star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel and collapsed under its own gravity?
White dwarf
Fill in the blank: The ______ is the force that causes the acceleration of objects towards each other due to their mass.
gravitational force
What is the name of the effect that describes the change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer?
Doppler effect
True or False: A light-year is a measure of time.
False
What is the name of the scale used to classify the brightness of stars?
Magnitude scale