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Asytonomy > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Mars is a(n)

A

terrestrial planet.

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2
Q

The mean density of a planet is

A

its total mass divided by its volume.

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3
Q

The largest of the terrestrial planets is

A

Earth

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4
Q

The trans-Neptunian objects (such as Pluto, Sedna, Quaoar, etc.) are

A

small worlds of rock and ice, most of which orbit within the Kuiper belt.

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5
Q

Comets are typically

A

chunks of ice that begin to vaporize if they pass close to the Sun.

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6
Q

A general summary of the planets in the solar system is that

A

the planets are remarkably different in size, magnetic field strength, and magnetic field generation method.

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7
Q

The asteroid belt exists between the orbits of which planets?

A

Mars and Jupiter

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8
Q

The main characteristics of our solar system are

A

four small planets close to the Sun and four large planets far from the Sun.

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9
Q

A perfect circle is an ellipse with an eccentricity of

A

zero

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10
Q

Do all planets orbit the Sun in the same direction?

A

Yes. All planets orbit the sun the sun in the same direction, counter-clockwise.

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11
Q

Are the planetary orbits circular and if not, what are they?

A

Planetary orbits are not circular because plants orbit in an elliptical motion.

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12
Q

What are the characteristics of a terrestrial planet?

A

smaller, solid surfaces, low mass. High density (greater than rock)

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13
Q

What are the characteristics of a Jovian planet?

A

large, NOT solid, lower density, larger mass

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14
Q

a very slow conical motion of Earth’s axis of rotation

A

Precession

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15
Q

The nightly motion of objects across the sky is caused by the

A

rotation of Earth on its axis.

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16
Q

It is warmer in summer than winter because

A

the Sun is higher in the sky and the days are longer.

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17
Q

From the North Pole,

A

only half the celestial sphere can be seen on every clear night.

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18
Q

When the Sun is at one of the equinoxes,

A

day and night are of equal length everywhere on Earth.

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19
Q

In modern astronomy, the constellations are

A

88 regions of sky, covering the entire sky.

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20
Q

Declination

A

a measure of its position north or south of the celestial equator along a great circle passing through the north and south celestial poles.

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21
Q

The reason Earth experiences seasons is that

A

Earth’s rotation axis is not perpendicular to the ecliptic.

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22
Q

During a given night, some stars will be observed to pass through the

A

zenith.

23
Q

When we watch the nighttime sky, we find that

A

most stars and constellations slowly rise in the east, pass overhead, and set in the west.

24
Q

An apparent westward motion of a planet from night to night compared to the background stars (as viewed from Earth) is referred to as

A

retrograde motion.

25
Q

Ptolemy’s model for the solar system was

A

Earth-centered, with epicyclic planetary orbits.

26
Q

The early Copernican system for planetary motions is

A

Sun-centered, with planets moving in perfect circles around the Sun.

27
Q

When Saturn is at its farthest distance from Earth, it is at

A

conjunction

28
Q

The sidereal period of a planet is defined as the time between

A

two successive passages of the planet in front of a particular point in the sky (e.g., a star) as seen from the Sun.

29
Q

Tycho Brahe

A

made accurate measurements of planetary positions, which Kepler later used to find the shapes of planetary orbits.

30
Q

The eccentricity of a planet’s orbit describes

A

its shape compared to that of a circle.

31
Q

Kepler’s second law states that a line joining a planet to the Sun

A

sweeps out equal areas in equal times.

32
Q

Who was the first astronomer to use a telescope for viewing the sky?

A

Galileo

33
Q

The Kepler model of the solar system is

A

Sun-centered, with elliptical planetary orbits.

34
Q

When light passes through a prism of glass, the

A

different colors or wavelengths of light are separated in angle by the prism.

35
Q

Visible Light

A

takes up only a very small part of the total range of wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum.

36
Q

In terms of wavelengths, gamma rays are

A

shorter than X rays.

37
Q

X rays and light are

A

the same thing except that X rays have a shorter wavelength than light.

38
Q

The temperature scale most often used by scientists is the

A

Kelvin scale.

39
Q

A perfect blackbody is so named because it

A

absorbs all radiation falling on it and reflects none.

40
Q

A photon is a(n)

A

bundle of pure energy.

41
Q

In comparing photons of different wavelengths, we find that the energy carried by a photon

A

is larger if the wavelength is shorter

42
Q

According to the Doppler effect,

A

the wavelength of light is shifted to a shorter wavelength if the source of light is moving toward you.

43
Q

The chemical makeup of a star’s surface is obtained by

A

spectroscopy of the light emitted by the star.

44
Q

What has a higher angle of refraction in a prism: Light blue @ 500 nm or orange @ 600 nm?

A

Orange

45
Q

How does the speed of light in glass compare to the speed of light in a vacuum?

A

The speed of light in glass is slower.

46
Q

What is the refraction of light?

A

the change in direction of a light ray as it crosses from a less dense, transparent material to a more dense one

47
Q

What is chromatic aberration in a telescope?

A

The light of different colors comes to a focus at different points inside the telescope.

48
Q

Why was adaptive optics developed?

A

to compensate for image distortion caused by Earth’s atmosphere

49
Q

One major difference between radio waves and light is that

A

radio waves have lower frequencies.

50
Q

What is a charge-coupled device (CCD)?

A

an array of electronic sensors that record the charge buildup due to photon absorption

51
Q

A radio telescope

A

is very similar to a reflecting optical telescope.

52
Q

Which substance in Earth’s atmosphere is the main absorber of infrared radiation from space?

A

water vapor

53
Q

The Very Large Array (VLA) built in New Mexico provides very sharp radio images of astronomical sources by combining the signals from many individual telescopes. It consists of

A

27 units.

Asytonomy (2 decks)

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