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Astronomy > Cumulative Exam > Flashcards

Cumulative Exam Flashcards

1
Q

declination

A

the angular distance of a point north or south of the celestial equator

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1
Q

right ascension

A

the celestial equivalent of longitude

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2
Q

azimuth

A

the angle between North, measured clockwise around the observer’s horizon, and a celestial body

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3
Q

altitude

A

the angle between the horizon and a point in the sky

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4
Q

longitude

A

is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body

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5
Q

latitude

A

the angle between the plane of the earth’s equator and the plumb line (direction of gravity) at a given point on the earth’s surface

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6
Q

horizon coordinate system

A

a celestial coordinate system that uses altitude and azimuth as coordinates to find objects in the sky and determine their positioning

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7
Q

equatorial coordinate system

A

a celestial coordinate system that uses two measurements, right ascension and declination, to track the positions of objects in the sky

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8
Q

zenith

A

the point on the celestial sphere that is directly above an observer

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9
Q

The location of zero latitude is the

A

equator

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10
Q

The zero point for longitude is the

A

prime meridian

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11
Q

The point with the highest altitude is the

A

zenith

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12
Q

waxing

A

when the percent illumination of the moon is increasing

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13
Q

waning

A

when the percent illumination of the moon is decreasing

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14
Q

gibbous

A

when the moon is more than 50% illuminated

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15
Q

crescent

A

when the moon is less than 50% illuminated

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16
Q

the horizon plane

A

the plane that separates the blocked and visible portions of space

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16
Q

nadir

A

point directly below the observer

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16
Q

celestial meridian

A

the imaginary line that runs in the sky from the north to the south

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17
Q

geocentric theory

A

everything revolves around the earth

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18
Q

heliocentric theory

A

everything revolves around the sun

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19
Q

parallax

A

the shift in angle that occurs when a nearby object is seen against a distant backdrop from two different perspectives

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20
Q

sidereal period

A

the time it takes a planet to orbit the sun once

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21
Q

synodic period

A

the time it takes a planet to move all the way through our sky and end up back in the same place in our sky;
the time it takes for a planet to make a complete cycle of elongation configurations

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22
Q

elongation

A

the angle between the sun and a planet as seen by an observer on earth

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23
Q

inferior planets

A

planets that are closer to the sun than the earth; will never have an elongation of 180°

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24
Q

superior planets

A

planets that are farther away from the sun than the earth; can have any elongation value between 0° and 180°

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25
Q

the greatest elongation

A

the maximum angle that ever occurs between the sun and an inferior planet; depends on the planet’s distance from the sun

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26
Q

inferior conjunction

A

when the planet is between the sun and the earth (inferior planets)

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27
Q

superior conjunction

A

when the planet is on the other side of the sun as seen from earth
(inferior planets)

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28
Q

conjunction

A

when a superior planet has an elongation of 0°

29
Q

opposition

A

an elongation of 180° is called opposition
(superior planets)

30
Q

quadrature

A

when the planet has an elongation of 90°
(superior planets)

31
Q

perihelion

A

the point at which a planet is closest to the sun during an elliptical orbit; moves fastest at this period

32
Q

aphelion

A

the point at which a planet is farthest from the sun during an elliptical orbit; moves slowest at this period

33
Q

Newton’s 3 laws of motion

A

An object stays at rest or in constant motion unless an unbalanced force acts on it.

An object responds to a force with an acceleration that is proportional to the force and in the direction of the force, and inversely proportional to the mass.

For every force on an object, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

34
Q

Kirchhoff’s 3 laws of radiation

A

A gas, or a sufficiently heated solid, will glow with a smooth, continuous spectrum, or continuum.

A hot gas will produce only certain bright and narrow wavelengths, called emission lines. Each element emits a characteristic set of emission lines.

A cool gas, if placed between the observer and a hot continuous-spectrum source, absorbs certain wavelengths, causing narrow absorption lines in the observed spectrum.

35
Q

What are the 2 main components of the moon?

A

the dark maria and the light highlands

36
Q

light highlands

A

the original lunar crust, composed of calcium and aluminum-rich feldspar

37
Q

scarp

A

a raised ridge on the surface of Mercury

38
Q

regolith

A

pulverized rock that covers the Moon as a fine dust

39
Q

ray

A

a bright line emanating outward from craters

40
Q

maria

A

smooth dark regions on the Moon where lava once flowed

41
Q

Caloris Basin

A

a very large impact crater on Mercury

42
Q

Olympus Mons

A

the largest mountain ever discovered, located on Mars

43
Q

Mauna Kea

A

the largest mountain on Earth (as measured from the sea floor)

44
Q

What are the gas giant planets?

A

jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune

45
Q

redshift

A

to longer wavelengths; the source is moving away from the observer

46
Q

blueshift

A

to shorter wavelengths; the source is moving towards the observer

47
Q

what can we learn by analyzing starlight?

A

a star’s temperature (peak wavelength of the spectral curve), chemical composition (dips in the spectral curve OR lines in the absorption spectrum), and motion (doppler shift)

48
Q

corona

A

the sun’s atmosphere

49
Q

photosphere

A

visible part of the sun

50
Q

luminosity

A

the total of all light in all wavelengths coming from an object

51
Q

What are 3 types of compact objects?

A

white dwarfs
neutron stars
black holes

52
Q

disk

A

the flattened distribution of stars that appears as a band of light in the night sky that gives the Milky Way its name; many of the stars in the disk are young and blue and gathered into groups (e.g. star forming regions and open clusters); where the Sun is located

53
Q

bulge

A

toward the center of our galaxy is a concentration of generally old and red stars called the galactic bulge

54
Q

halo

A

the disk is surrounded by a spherical swarm of stars and groups of stars collectively called the halo; halo stars are generally old and red, and the groups in this region are referred to as Globular clusters

55
Q

How many stars are in the Milky Way Galaxy?

A

300 billion

56
Q

interstellar material

A

gas (that is, atoms and molecules), microscopic dust grains, and possibly larger objects

57
Q

how many interstellar molecules have been cateloged?

A

more than 130; the most important in astrophysical processes are molecular hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO)

58
Q

the building blocks of life

A

carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen

59
Q

what are interstellar grains made of?

A

silicates, metals, and ices; though the tiny dust grains are rare compared to hydrogen atom, they have a big effect on starlight

60
Q

velocity dispersion

A

the spread or scatter in motions in any gravitational system

61
Q

how much of the mass of each galaxy is dark matter?

A

80 to 90%

62
Q

elliptical galaxy

A

looks like a glowing ball of light

63
Q

spiral galaxy

A

have clear spiral arms in a disk and a bright bulging core in the center; can often see streaks of dust clouds within a galaxy’s spiral arms

64
Q

Hubble found three major types of galaxies in his study of the regions of space beyond the Milky Way:

A

spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies

65
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67
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68
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69
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70
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71
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72
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73
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74
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Astronomy (2 decks)

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