Earth Science

Question 1

atmosphere

Answer 1

the outermost sphere of the Earth is called the atmosphere which consists of the mixture of gases

Question 2

asthenosphere

Answer 2

the lower layer of the mantle; it flows and moves Earth’s plates

Question 3

Big Bang Theory

Answer 3

instant formation of the Universe in an enormous explosion billions of years ago

Question 4

biosphere

Answer 4

all Earth’s living organisms, whether in the air, on the land, in the waters, or below the surface of the Earth

Question 5

black dwarf

Answer 5

a white dwarf star that has used all its fuel and ceases to glow faintly thus becoming totally dark

Question 6

black hole

Answer 6

a very small region of space-time that has a very intense gravitational field that nothing can escape

Question 7

chromosphere

Answer 7

the thin middle layer of the sun’s atmosphere circuit containing an array of linked, or coupled, capacitors

Question 8

convection zone

Answer 8

the outer layer of the sun’s interior where hot gases rise from the bottom of the convection zone and gradually cool

Question 9

core

Answer 9

Sun the interior where all the energy is produced by nuclear fusion; Earth a very dense concentration of mostly iron and some nickel consisting of a solid inner core and a liquid outer core together 21,700 miles thick

Question 10

corona

Answer 10

the outer most layer of the sun’s atmosphere extending about one million miles into space from the sun’s surface

Question 11

crust

Answer 11

a layer of solid rock that forms the outer ‘skin’ of the Earth, including the ocean floor, water, land, soil, rocks and mountains

Question 12

Doppler shift

Answer 12

a change in an observed wave frequency occurring when the source and the observer are in motion relative to each other; also called Doppler effect

Question 13

elliptical galaxy

Answer 13

galaxies without spiral arms and with more of a round or egg-shaped to their center region

Question 14

evapotranspiration

Answer 14

water loss from soil by evaporation and by transpiration from plants

Question 15

evaporation

Answer 15

the process of becoming vapor

Question 16

exosphere

Answer 16

the outermost atmospheric layer

Question 17

half-life

Answer 17

the time it takes for a radioactive element to decay into one-half its original amount

Question 18

Hubble, Edwin Powell

Answer 18

(1889-1953) American astronomer who showed that other galaxies exist and observed that the universe is expanding

Question 19

Hubble’s Law

Answer 19

the faster a galaxy is moving away from Earth, the farther away it is

Question 20

hydrosphere

Answer 20

Earth’s water (rivers, oceans, lakes, and ice)

Question 21

igneous rock

Answer 21

rock form during the cooling process of Earth’s magma or lava

Question 22

ionosphere

Answer 22

atmospheric layer above the stratosphere; composed of electrically charged particles

Question 23

irregular galaxy

Answer 23

galaxies that have no regular spiral or elliptical shape

Question 24

latitude

Answer 24

the distance in degrees north or south of the equator

Question 25

lithosphere

Answer 25

Earth's solid rocky outer layer

Question 26

longitude

Answer 26

the distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian

Question 27

mantle

Answer 27

located just underneath the Earth's crust, the mantle consists of very hot rock in two layers: the lithosphere and the asthenosphere

Question 28

magnetic declination

Answer 28

the difference between true north and the direction that a magnetic compass points

Question 29

mesosphere

Answer 29

the third layer of the Earth's atmosphere that protects the Earth's surface from being struck by most meteoroids

Question 30

mesosphere

Answer 30

portion of the Earth's atmosphere that lies between the stratosphere and the ionosphere

Question 31

metamorphic rock

Answer 31

rock formed when existing rock is altered by pressure, thermal energy, or chemical reactions deep under the surface of the Earth

Question 32

neutron star

Answer 32

the very small and very dense remains of a once very massive star

Question 33

nuclear fusion

Answer 33

a reaction in which individual atoms combine to form heavier atoms and in this process, release tremendous amounts of energy

Question 34

parallax measurements

Answer 34

the change in the position of a nearby object with respect to distant objects, dependent on the observer's position changes

Question 35

photosphere

Answer 35

the inner most layer of the sun's atmosphere, considered to be the visible surface of the sun

Question 36

planetary nebula

Answer 36

an expanding gas shell ejected by a red giant star in the later years of its life

Question 37

protostar

Answer 37

the early stage of a forming star

Question 38

quasars

Answer 38

spectacularly bright and very distant and oldest objects in the Universe; they look much like stars, but not the same; quasi means "something like" in Latin and hence, these objects were named quasi-stellar objects that became quasars

Question 39

radiation zone

Answer 39

the middle layer of the sun's interior of very dense gas where the energy produced in the sun's core is transferred in the form of electromagnetic radiation

Question 40

red giant

Answer 40

stars whose outer layers expand as they start to use up all the fuel

Question 41

sedimentary rock

Answer 41

rock formed when particles of other rock, plants or animal remains are pressed together for long periods of time

Question 42

spiral galaxy

Answer 42

galaxy shaped with a bulge in its center and arms that spiral outward in a pinwheel shape

Question 43

stratosphere

Answer 43

the second layer of Earth's atmosphere where the ozone layer is and where ultraviolet radiation is absorbed

Question 44

supernova

Answer 44

a rare explosion of the most of a star's material, which emits an extremely bright, short-lived object emitting vast amounts of energy

Question 45

thermosphere

Answer 45

the fourth and outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere extending from 50 miles above Earth's surface upward without bound, gradually blending with outer space

Question 46

troposphere

Answer 46

the layer of Earth's atmosphere closest to the Earth, where all weather occurs

Question 47

water cycle

Answer 47

the continuous process in which water moves from the atmosphere to Earth's bodies of water, land, and living things and back to the atmosphere

Question 48

white dwarf

Answer 48

an aged star of low to medium original mass that has used up its fuel, whose outer regions grow larger and drift further out into space and whose remaining core cools

Question 49

Earth's Layers order

Answer 49

``` Exosphere Thermosphere Mesosphere Stratosphere Troposhere ------------------Surface Crust Upper Mantle Mantle Outer Core Inner Core ```

Question 50

condensation

Answer 50

the process of a gas or vapor changing to a liquid

Question 51

nebula

Answer 51

an immense volume of gas and dust covering an immense volume of space