Chapter 28: The Sun-Earth-Moon System Flashcards
What is the electromagnetic spectrum? How is it classified?
The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from Radio waves to Gamma rays, It is classified by its wavelengths
What to telescopes do?
telescopes are devices used by astronomers to see things at different wavelengths or distances that the human eye cannot
refracting telescopes
Bring light to a focus using lenses
reflecting telescopes
bring light to a focus using mirrors (majority)
Advantages of telescopes
- detect things at different wavelengths
- collects electromagnetic radiation from a distant object and focuses it at a point where the image of the object can be studied or recorded
- allow astronomers to use specialized equipment
- can be used to make time exposures x
Interferometry
The process of linking separate telescopes together so they act as one telescope
Hubble Telescope-WWWWH
Launched in 1990, designed to obtain sharp visible-light images without atmospheric interference, also to make observations in infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths, ######
What are Space probes
space-based exploration can be achieved by sending spacecrafts directly to the bodies being observed. Robotic probes make close-up observations and sometimes land to collect information directly. Probes are practical only for objects in our solar system. Pathfinder probe explored mars for almost 3 months in 1997
What is a spinoff
NASA technologies that have been passed on to commercial industries for common use.
How are space stations beneficial
It provides an environment for scientists to study the effects to weightlessness on humans, plants, the growth of crystals, and other phenomena, ideal environment to study the long-term effects of space
When and why did we go to the Moon
July 20 1969 The USA landed on the Moon with Apollo 11. To learn about the surface and the inner workings of the moon, collect samples etc.
Characteristics of the Moon (mass, atmosphere, composition, size, temperature)
Mass- 7.349 x 10^22 kg composition- Made of mostly silicates, similar to that of Earth temperature- -183 to 106 degrees C atmosphere- sodium and potassium gasses Size- 27 percent of Earth's radius
Highlands
light in colour, mountainous, heavily covered with craters
maria
dark, smooth plains that are on average 3km lower in elevation that the highlands
impact craters
all of the craters on the moon; formed when objects from space crash on the lunar surface
ejecta
The material that is blasted out during impacts and falls back to the surface
rays
long trails of ejecta that radiate outwards and are visible as light coloured streaks
rilles
meandering, valleylike, structures around some of the mountain ranges and maria
History of the moon
- the lunar surface is between 3.8 to 4.6 billion years old
- the moon was heavily bombarded during its first 800 million years as shown by the impact craters
- The bombardment resulted in the heating and breaking of rocks on the surface of the moon
- 3.1 to 3.8 billion years ago the maraia were formed after the heavy bombardment as the lava welled in the large impact basins
regolith
loose, ground-up layer of rock on the surface of the moon