Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

If astronomers near Onion Nebula were able to see Earth clearly, what would they see? Why?

A

a tiny, pale blue dot against the backdrop of a much brighter, expansive nebula.

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2
Q

What kind of stars did Edwin Hubble use as standard candles to determine the distance galaxies?

A

Cepheid Stars

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3
Q

What do we call the earliest time in our Universe when it was very dense and very hot?

A

Big Bang

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4
Q

What proof exists of a young hot Universe?

A

Cosmic microwave background

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5
Q

Where are elements heavier than iron formed?

A

Stars, form during supernova explosions, death of massive stars

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6
Q

What percent of the solar nebula out of which the Solar System formed ended up in the Sun?

A

99.8%

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7
Q

Why are the planets that formed closer to the Sun composed primarily of silicates and iron compounds?

A

Too hot to hold the volatile gases that dominate the solar nebula

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8
Q

Why are the planets in the outer solar system so large?

A

Large size, large gravitational attraction (accelerates growth). They captured a large amount of hydrogen and other gases from the surrounding nebula with their enormous gravity

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9
Q

How do we explain the large exoplanets orbiting close to their stars that we have found?

A

migration

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10
Q

What features of the Solar System can be explained as a consequence of the Grand Tack Hypothesis

A

Small mars, asteroid belt, no super earth, no hot Jupiter

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11
Q

What features of the Solar System can be explained as a consequence of the Nice Model?

A

How the outer planets came to their present orbits, how the trojan asteroid in the outer solar system came into their orbital configurations. The migration of the outer planets caused instability among small bodies

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12
Q

What does the word planet mean?

A

Wanderer

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13
Q

How did the Ptolemaic Model explain retrograde motion?

A

Epicycles, circling the planet but circles the circle, used for 13 centuries

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14
Q

Who gave us the three laws of planetary motion?

A

Kepler

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15
Q

What is eccentricity?

A

It tells you how stretched out the orbit is

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16
Q

Who demonstrated that Kepler’s Law are a consequence of his theory of gravity?

A

Isaac Newton

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17
Q

What criteria must be met for an object in the Solar System to be called a planet?

A

Orbits the sun, nearly round shape, has cleared its orbit

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18
Q

What event involving Venus was used to determine the length of an astronomical unit?

A

the transit of venus

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19
Q

What planet has the greatest orbital speed?

A

Mercury (88 Earth Days)

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20
Q

Why do the Moon and the Sun have the same angular size in the sky?

A

The sun is about 400 times farther away from Earth than the Moon and is also 400 times larger than the Moon

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21
Q

Which planet has the highest densitty?

A

Earth

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22
Q

Which planet has the lowest density?

A

Saturn

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23
Q

Which planet has the highest albedo (brightness)?

A

Venus

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24
Q

What is obliquity?

A

The angle between a perpendicular to its orbital plane and its spin axis - the tilt of its axis

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25
Q

Which planet has the shortest synodic day?

A

Mercury, 116 days

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26
Q

Which planet has the longest sidereal day?

A

Venus, 243 days

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27
Q

What are requirements for a planet to have a global magnetic field?

A

The interior region of electrically conduction fluid, convection in that layer, moderately rapid rotation

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28
Q

Which planet has the most moon?

A

Saturn

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29
Q

What is velocity?

A

Speed and direction of motion

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30
Q

What is acceleration?

A

Change in velocity, increase, decrease or change in direction

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31
Q

What is force?

A

a push or pull

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32
Q

What is mass?

A

the amount of matter in an object

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33
Q

How can we tell if a net force is acting on an object?

A

Any change in the objects state of motion

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34
Q

Does the Moon accelerate as it orbits the Earth?

A

Yes, gravity makes the moon accelerate all the time

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35
Q

How is the force of gravity affected if the mass of one of the objects is doubled?

A

The force of gravity between them is doubled

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36
Q

How is the force of gravity affected if the distance between the two objects is doubled?

A

Reduce to 1/4 of the initial force

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37
Q

Describe how to put a cannon ball into orbit.

A

firing it horizontally from a mountain so high that its peak is above the Earth’s atmosphere

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38
Q

What is the barycenter of two objects?

A

Common center of mass

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39
Q

Why does the Sun wobble in space?

A

As the sun orbits this moving barycenter, it wobbles around

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40
Q

What are gravitational assists and how are they used in space exploration?

A

Interaction with a planet is used to change the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft

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41
Q

Why are gaps found in the asteroid belt?

A

Caused by the orbital resonances between Jupiter and the asteroid belt

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42
Q

What is a chaotic orbit?

A

An orbit that can change in a largely unpredictable manner or one where a tiny change in the position and/or velocity of the orbiting body will produce major changes in the orbit

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43
Q

How much more light gathering power does an 8-inch telescope have compared to a 4-inch telescope?

A

4 times the amount

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44
Q

What is resolving power?

A

ability to discern details

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45
Q

What is the purpose of adaptive optics?

A

To correct for distortions in light waves caused by atmospheric turbulence

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46
Q

How does adaptive optics work?

A

Measuring the distortions in a wavefront and then using a deformable mirror to change its shape and compensate for those distortions

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47
Q

What advantages does the Hubble Space telescope have over telescopes located on the surface of the Earth?

A

There is less distortion from atmospheric turbulence resulting in a clearer view

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48
Q

Why can you see more stars in rural areas than in urban areas?

A

There is less light population

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49
Q

What are the advantages of a bigger telescope?

A

Bigger telescopes can capture more light and have higher resolution

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50
Q

Why are there no X-ray telescopes located among the Mauna Kea observatories?

A

X-radiation is absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere, preventing X-rays from reaching the Earth’s surface

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51
Q

Where is the Extremely Large Telescope located?

A

Chile

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52
Q

Where is Gemini North located?

A

Hawaii

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53
Q

Where is Gemini south located?

A

Chile

54
Q

Where is Gran Telescopio Canarias located?

A

Canary Islands

55
Q

Where is the Hobby-Eberly Telescope located?

A

Texas

56
Q

Where is the Hubble Space telescope located?

A

Leo (lower earth orbit)

57
Q

Where is the James Web Space Telescope Located

A

L2

58
Q

Where is the Keck Telescope located?

A

Hawaii

59
Q

Where is the Large Binocular Telescope located?

A

Chile

60
Q

Where is the Subaru Telescope located?

A

Hawaii

61
Q

Where is the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) located?

A

South Africa

62
Q

Where is the very large telescope located?

A

Chile

63
Q

What makes Mauna Kea a near ideal location for observation?

A

high elevation, dry atmosphere and dark skies

64
Q

Which of the largest telescopes in the world are located on Mauna Kea?

A

The keck telescope, Subaru Telescope and Gemini North

65
Q

Which observatories on Mauna Kea were part of the Event Horizon Telescope that produced the first image of a black hole?

A

The submillimeter array and the James clerk maxwell telescope (JCMT)

66
Q

What is the approximate baseline of the Event Horizon Telescope?

A

12,700 kilometers? The span of the entire Earth?

67
Q

Which observatories are apart of the event horizon observatories?

A

ALMA
APEX
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope
Large Millimeter Telescope
Pico Veleta Observatory
South Pole Telescope
Submillimeter Array
Submillimeter Telescope

68
Q

Where is ALMA located

A

Chile

69
Q

Where is APEX located?

A

Chile

70
Q

Where is the James Clerk Maxwell telescope located?

A

Hawaii

71
Q

Where is the Large Millimeter telescope located?

A

Mexico

72
Q

Where is the Pico Veleta Observatory located?

A

Spain

73
Q

Where is the South Pole telescope located?

A

South pole

74
Q

Where is the submillimeter array located?

A

Hawaii

75
Q

Where is the Submillimeter telescope located

A

Arizona

76
Q

Which observatory is the largest array in the Event Horizon Telescope?

A

ALMA

77
Q

Which is the most northern observatory in the Event Horizon Telescope?

A

Pico Veleta Observatory

78
Q

Which is the southern most observatory in the Event Horizon Telescope?

A

South Pole telescope

79
Q

Which observatory has the largest telescope in the Event Horizon Telescope?

A

Large Millimeter Telescope

80
Q

Which observatory in the Event Horizon Telescope is located at the highest elevation?

A

APEX

81
Q

At what wavelength did the Event Horizon Telescope make its observations?

A

1.3 mm

82
Q

In what month in 2017 did the Event Horizon Telescope make its observation of M87*?

A

April

83
Q

How were the telescopes in the Event Horizon Telescope synchronized?

A

Atomic Clocks

84
Q

How much total data was collected by the Event Horizon Telescope to produce the first image of a black hole?

A

5 petabytes or 5,00 terabytes

85
Q

How was the Event Horizon Telescope data brought together?

A

flown by FedEx

86
Q

What caused a six month delay in sending the data from one of the Event Horizon Telescope observatories?

A

The winter weather in the south pole was too harsh to fly in and out of. No flights were in or out from february to october

87
Q

What is the name of the black hole at the center of our galaxy?

A

Sagittarius A*

88
Q

How does the mass of the black hole at the center of our galaxy compare to the mass of M87*?

A

M87* is 1,000 times more massive

89
Q

How does the size (diameter) of the black hole at the center of our galaxy compared to the size of M87*?

A

M87* is 1,000 times bigger

90
Q

Why does the black hole at the center of our galaxy appear to be the same size in the sky as M87*?

A

M87* is 1,00 times further away so they appear the same size

91
Q

How does our Moon rank in size compared to other moons in the Solar System?

A

Ours is the 5th largest moon in the solar system

92
Q

How does the diameter of the Moon compare to the diameter of the Earth?

A

The moon is 1/4 the size of the Earth

93
Q

How much later does the Moon rise and set each day? Why does it do this?

A

50 minutes later each day because it moves eastward 12 degrees as it orbits the Earth.

94
Q

How many times does the Moon rotate during one orbit of the Earth

A

Once

95
Q

Why do we see the Moon go through phases?

A

Seeing part of the day side and night side of the moon. As it orbits earth different parts are illuminated by the Sun

96
Q

Who can see a lunar eclipse?

A

half the earth

97
Q

Who can see a solar eclipse?

A

A narrow path

98
Q

What causes an annular eclipse?

A

When the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun but doesn’t completely cover the sun

99
Q

What phase is the Moon in when a solar eclipse occurs?

A

New moon

100
Q

What phase of is the Moon in when a lunar eclipse occurs?

A

full moon

101
Q

Why don’t we have an eclipse every month?

A

Eclipse season sifts about 20 days each year

102
Q

When is the next total solar eclipse in Logan?

A

June 24, 2169

103
Q

What is regolith?

A

A layer of loose, broken rock, dust and other materials that covers the surface of the moon

104
Q

What causes regolith?

A

Continuous impacts of meteoroids and charged particles from the sun and stars

105
Q

What is the cause of nearly all the surface features of the Moon?

A

impact of asteroids, meteoroids and comets

106
Q

How did the Moon form?

A

The violent birth theory. The moon is made up of debris left over following a collision between earth and a body around 4.5 billion years ago

107
Q

What is escape velocity?

A

The lowest velocity which a body must have in order to escape the gravitational attraction of a particular planet

108
Q

Could a single stage rocket achieve Earth’s escape velocity?

A

If it is going 11 km/s or 25,000 mph

109
Q

Did the Space Shuttle use liquid or solid rocket engines?

A

A combination of both liquid and solid rocket engines

110
Q

What was the first artificial satellite?

A

Sputnik 1

111
Q

Which spacecraft gave us the first look at the farside of the moon?

A

Luna 2 (1959)

112
Q

Who was the first man in space?

A

Yuri Gagarin (1961)

113
Q

Who was the first woman in space?

A

Valentina Tereshkova (1963)

114
Q

Who was the first American in space?

A

Alan Shephard (1961)

115
Q

Who was the first American to orbit the Earth?

A

John Glenn (1962)

116
Q

Which was the first manned mission to orbit the Moon?

A

Apollo 7

117
Q

Which mission first landed humans on the Moon?

A

Apollo 11

118
Q

During which mission did astronauts visit the Surveyor 3 lander?

A

Apollo 12

119
Q

Which Apollo mission was regarded as a successful failure?

A

Apollo 13

120
Q

Which mission did an astronaut hit two golf balls on the Moon?

A

Apollo 14

121
Q

Which mission did astronauts first use a lunar rover?

A

Apollo 15

122
Q

Which mission was the first to land a geologist on the Moon?

A

Apollo 17

123
Q

Who was on apollo 11?

A

Neil Armstrong
Michael Collins
Buzz Aldrin

124
Q

Which 3 telescopes look the same and are all around 26 ft?

A

Subaru and Gemini north and south

125
Q

Which telescope has 4 big circles that are all 29.9 ft?

A

Very Large Telescope

126
Q

Which 2 telescopes look the same and are both 91 segments?

A

Hobby-Eberly Telescope and SALT The HET is 2 ft bigger

127
Q

Which telescope is just one small circle that is 7.8 ft?

A

Hubble Space Telescope

128
Q

Which telescope is 2 circles that are 27.9 ft?

A

Large Binocular Telescope

129
Q

Which telescope is 2 large arrays that are 32.8 ft and 36 hexagonal segments?

A

Keck

130
Q

Which has 18 hexagonal segments?

A

James Webb Space Telescope

131
Q

Which has 36 hexagonal segments and is only one array?

A

Gran Telescopio Canarias