CP 1 A Modern View of the Universe Flashcards

1
Q

What is a star

A

A large, glowing ball of gas that generates heat and light through nuclear fusion

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2
Q

What is a planet

A

A moderately large object that orbits a star; it shines by reflected light. Planets may be rocky, icy, or gaseous in composition.

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3
Q

what is a moon

A

AN object that orbits a planet

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4
Q

what is a comet

A

A relatively small and icy object that orbits a star

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5
Q

what is a solar system

A

A star and all the material that orbits it, including its planets and moons

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6
Q

what is a nebula

A
  • An interstellar cloud of gas and/or dust
  • a star forming region
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7
Q

What is an AU

A

average distance between the Earth and the
Sun (150 million kilometers)

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8
Q

what is a light year

A

The distance that light can travel in 1 year

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9
Q

what is a galaxy

A

A great island of stars in space, all held together by gravity and orbiting a common center

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10
Q

what is a galaxy group

A

A gravitationally bound
group of up to a few dozen galaxies,
typically a few million light years across

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11
Q

what is a galaxy cluster

A

Galaxy Cluster A group of a few hundred
to a few thousand galaxies

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12
Q

how can we know what the universe was like in the past

A

Light travels at a finite speed (300,000 km/s).
Thus, we see objects as they were in the past: The farther away we look in distance,
the further back we look in time

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13
Q

statement:

A

At great distances, we see objects as they were when the universe was much younger.

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14
Q

how old is the universe

A

14 billion years old

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15
Q

TF the universe is expanding

A

T

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16
Q

How did galaxies come to be

A

Gravity drives collapse
of matter into galaxies
and galaxy clusters

17
Q

TF stars go thru lifecycles

A

t

18
Q

how is a star born

A

Born when gravity compresses
the material to dense enough
state for nuclear fusion

19
Q

TF IN the beginning there were heavy and light elements

A

F (In the beginning there were only
very light elements, mostly hydrogen
and helium)

20
Q

TF most galazxies are moving toward us

A

f

21
Q

How far away does earth orbit the sun

A

1AU

22
Q
A