Conceptual Questions Flashcards
What is the scientific process that leads to the development of a “natural law”?
Data > Model (mathematical equation) > Theory (predictable) > Law
List the apperant motions of the sky and explain from what actual motions each of them results.
Diurnal Motion occurs because of the Earths rotation counter - clockwise.
Annual motion occurs because of the Earths revolutions around the Sun.
What causes the Earth’s seasons?
The Earth’s rotational axis being tilted is what causes the Earth’s season. The movement is called Precession.
Illustrate the geometry of the lunar phases
New Moon: 0 degrees
Waxing Crescent: 45 degrees
First Quarter: 90 degrees
Waxing Gibbous: 135 degrees
Full Moon: 180 degrees
Waning Gibbous: 135 degrees
Third Quarter: 90 degrees
Waning Crescent: 45 degrees
New Moon: 0 degrees
Is the solar system Geocentric or Heliocentric? Explain
The solar system is Heliocentric. The planets orbit around the Sun. All while the sun continuously moves through space
Why are synodic periods and sidereal periods different?
Because synodic periods are how long it takes for a astronomical object to return to its measured location relative to the sun while sidereal periods are relative to the “fixed” stars.
What are the important implications of each of Kepler’s Laws?
- planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun as a focus
- a planet covers the same area of space in the same amount of time no matter where it is in its orbit
- a planet’s orbital period is proportional to the size of its orbit (its semi-major axis
Did Galileo’s observation support Geocentrism or Heliocentrism? Explain
Galileo’s observation supported the Heliocentric model and showed that the Sun was the center on our solar system not Earth (when he observed jupiter)
How does the Universal Law of Gravitation explain the planetary orbits?
Every moving object in space will travel a straight line with its own gravity. The gravity of a different object with a bigger mass, will then cause the smaller body to be pulled towards it creating a somewhat circular orbit around it.
What are the important implications of each of Newton’s Laws?
Explain to us why things in our lives and the current studied physical universe why planetary objects move the way they do.
Explain the importance of Newton’s Corollary to Kepler’s Third Law.
The more mass, the faster the components moved in the system. The corollary provides astronomers with a way to measure mass from one’s orbital motion.
How and what does the “Greenhouse Effect” do in the atmosphere of a planet?
Greenhouse gas molecules reflect and absorb light. By having these, the atmosphere is made to be warmer as it traps the radiation from the sun in.
What is the Roche Limit? How does it relate to the rings of the Jovian Planets?
it’s the distance from a celestial body at which point an astronomical object that enters that range will disintegrate with the tidal force. This along with the universal law of gravitation, is what created the rings of Jovian planets
Why are the atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets and Jovian so profoundly different?
Have more co2 and nitrogen while Jovian planets have more helium and hydrogen from passing nebula and other gasses
How do comets give rise to meteor showers?
Comets which pass through our solar system and lose some debris mostly initiate meteor showers, as we see the debris pass Earth
