Chapter 1 Flashcards
Why do we need to study astronomy?
We need to know how stars form, evolve, and die
What is a supernova?
It’s when a star dies and explodes
Why are we considered “star dust?”
The iron in our blood and the calcium in our bones come from previous stars
How do we know everything we know about the universe?
We study light
What is a light year?
How much distance light travels in a year
What is light speed?
The total distance light travels in a year
Does light year measure distance or time?
Distance
When we look at stars what are we doing?
We are looking back in time
Are other galaxies moving towards or away from us?
Away
Does a red or a blue star have a higher surface temperature?
A blue star
Why isn’t our solar system expanding?
The gravitational pull from the sun
Is there a central point at which the big bang happened?
No
What doesn’t interact, produce, and reflect light?
Dark matter
How do we know that dark matter exists?
It has a gravitational influence
Why did we come up with the term “dark energy?”
To explain why our current expansion rate is going faster then predicted
