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Astronomy > Chapter 2 - Part 1 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 - Part 1 Flashcards

1
Q

On the horizon is east and west on the left or right?

A

East is on the right and west in on the left

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2
Q

On the sky is east and west on the left or right?

A

East is on the left and west is on the right

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3
Q

What are random patterns of stars that form an image in the sky?

A

Constellations

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4
Q

How many constellations are there?

A

88

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5
Q

Are stars in constellations close to each other?

A

No, they just appear close from earth when they are in fact thousands of light years away from each other

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6
Q

What represents the regions in the sky?

A

Constellations

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7
Q

What are the less formally defined group of stars?

A

Asterisms

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8
Q

Give an example of an asterism

A

The big dipper

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9
Q

What are the two types on motion that the ancient Greeks observed?

A
  1. Daily motion

2. Annual motion

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10
Q

What is daily motion?

A

Objects in the sky appear to be rising in the east and setting in the west each day (This is because the reflect the rotation of the celestial sphere)

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11
Q

What is annual motion?

A

The Sun and the Moon are slowly moving east while rotating west with the celestial sphere

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12
Q

What were the daily and annual motions caused by?

A

The earth’s rotation and the revolution around the sun

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13
Q

What are coordinates that anyone in the world can use to find an object?

A

Universal coordinates

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14
Q

What is the projection of the earth’s equator onto the sky called?

A

The celestial equator

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15
Q

What did we use the geocentric model to come up with?

A

Universal Coordinate

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16
Q

What is the projection of the earth’s north pole onto the sky?

A

The celestial north pole

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17
Q

What is the apparent path of the sun?

A

The ecliptic

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18
Q

What is the point directly above your head?

A

The zenith

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19
Q

What is the point in the sky directly below you feet?

A

The nadir

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20
Q

Why is the ecliptic tilted with respect to the celestial sphere?

A

The earth’s axis is tilted by 23.5 degrees

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21
Q

How many times a year does the sun rise and set directly in the east and west?

A

2

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22
Q

What are the coordinates that are only true from your location?

A

Local coordinates

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23
Q

Why are local coordinates only true from where you are?

A

Since the earth is sphere shaped the sky is different from different locations

24
Q

Are local coordinates always go to be the same?

A

No, they change over time

25
Q

While using local coordinates what do we use in order to figure out how far north an object is from the horizon?

A

Altitude

26
Q

What do we use in order to figure out how far north an object is from the horizon?

A

Altitude

27
Q

What do we use in order to figure out how far east or west an object is on the horizon?

A

Azimuth

28
Q

In the geocentric model, what is at the center of the universe?

A

The earth

29
Q

List the universal coordinates

A
  1. Declination

2. Right ascension

30
Q

List the local coordinates

A
  1. Altitude

2. Azimuth

31
Q

What measures how far north or south an object is from the celestial equator?

A

Declination

32
Q

What is declination measured in?

A

Degrees

33
Q

How many arcminutes does a degree have?

A

60

34
Q

What measures how far east or west an object is on the celestial equator?
(The celestial longitude)

A

Right ascension

35
Q

What is the celestial latitude?

A

Declination

36
Q

What is the celestial longitude?

A

Right ascension

37
Q

What is the right ascension measured in?

A

Hours, minutes, and seconds

38
Q

Where does the right ascension start from?

A

The vernal equinox

39
Q

Why are the declination and right ascension considered universal coordinates?

A

They are the same wherever you go, they don’t change when you change locations

40
Q

In order to use the universal coordinates, what do you have to find?

A

Your latitude and the north celestial pole

41
Q

What angle does the celestial equator make form the southern point of our horizon?

A

50*

42
Q

How long is a solar day?

A

24 hours

43
Q

How long is a sidereal day?

A

23 hours and 56 minutes

44
Q

What is the time elapsed between a sun rise and the next?

A

Solar day

45
Q

What is the time it takes for the earth to make a complete rotation?

A

Sidereal day

46
Q

Why is the solar day 4 minutes longer then the sidereal day?

A

As the earth spins it also moves one degree on its orbit

47
Q

Why is it warmer during the summer?

A

We are hit with direct sunlight and the sun stays above the horizon for a longer period of time

48
Q

When is the sun farthest north from the celestial equator?

A

The summer solstice

49
Q

When is the sun on the celestial equator, moving southward?

A

Autumnal equinox

50
Q

When is the sun farthest south from the celestial equator?

A

Winter solstice

51
Q

When is the sun on the celestial equator, moving northward?

A

Vernal equinox

52
Q

What is the wobbly motion of the earth’s rotational axis?

A

Precession

53
Q

What’s the reason for procession?

A

Since the earth’s equator is slightly bulged it leads to extra gravitational pull from the sun and the moon

54
Q

How long does procession take to make one complete circle?

A

26,000 years

55
Q

How many zodiac signs are there?

A

13

56
Q

How often does the zodiac the sun enters on May 21 change?

A

Every 2000 years

Astronomy (10 decks)

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