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Astronomy > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

The average distance between Earth and the Sun

A

Astronomical unit (AU)

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2
Q

The distance light travels in one Earth year

A

Light year (ly)

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3
Q

Light travels at an indefinite speed; and takes some time to reach our eyes.

A

False; true

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4
Q

The closest star to the sun

A

Alpha Centauri

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5
Q

The Galaxy is about ________ ly across.

A

100,000

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6
Q

How big is the Observable Universe?

A

28.6 billion ly

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7
Q

A way of expressing very large or small numbers in a compact form.

A

Scientific Notation

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8
Q

Singularity that gives birth to the universe

A

The Big Bang

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9
Q

The Universe expands faster than the speed of light

A

Inflation Period

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10
Q

How are stars formed?

A

Massive gas/plasma clouds are compressed until a single sphere is hot enough for nuclear fission.

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11
Q

Most massive star, creating the elements more massive than iron

A

Supernova

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12
Q

The solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago.

A

True

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13
Q

Earth’s orbit divided by Earth’s orbital period

A

Speed

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14
Q

How fast is Earth’s orbit?

A

107,000 mph

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15
Q

Brightest star in the sky

A

Sirius

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16
Q

How to describe the location of a star in the sky

A

Celestial sphere

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17
Q

Angle of 0o to 90o

A

Altitude

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18
Q

Measured from North (0 degrees) going clockwise around a complete circle (360 degrees)

A

Azimuth

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19
Q

The sun and the moon do not have the same angular size.

A

False

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20
Q

How do we measure angular distance?

A

1 degree is equal to 60 arcminutes.

1 arcminute is equal to 60 arcseconds.

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21
Q

Stars “rise and set” due to the spinning of the Earth.

A

True

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22
Q

A star whose daily circle causes it to be visible at all times

A

Circumpolar

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23
Q

Why are some stars circumpolar?

A

Their daily circle is entirely above the entire horizon.

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24
Q

Why should we be careful when using celestial coordinates?

A

The time of day, location, and day in the year will be different.

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25
Q

How are we tilted downward, toward the sun?

A

Hemisphere tilted down due to changing tilt.

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26
Q

March 21st
Equal day and night
All places on Earth

A

Spring Equinox

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27
Q

June 21st

Northern Hemisphere has longest period of light

A

Summer Solstice

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28
Q

September 22nd
Equal day and night
All places on Earth

A

Fall Equinox

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29
Q

December 21st

Southern Hemisphere has longest period of light

A

Winter Solstice

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30
Q

Earth is closer to the Sun during winter.

A

True

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31
Q

Why is the Arctic Circle called “the land of the midnight sun”?

A

The sun doesn’t fall below horizon for one week during the Summer Solstice.

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32
Q

Why are the seasonal changes more noticeable in the Northern Hemisphere?

A

Land mass

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33
Q

The gradual wobble of the Earth’s axis with the respect to the Sun. (It has a 26,000 year period.)

A

Precession

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34
Q

Lunar Phase: Moon not visible

A

New Moon

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35
Q

Lunar Phase: Right sliver of moon

New moon to Full moon

A

Waxing Cresent

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36
Q

Lunar Phase: RIGHT half of moon visible

A

First Quarter

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37
Q

Lunar Phase: Moon full other than sliver on left side

A

Waxing Gibbous

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38
Q

Lunar Phase: Whole moon visible

A

Full Moon

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39
Q

Lunar Phase: Almost all of moon visible except for sliver on right side

A

Waning Gibbous

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40
Q

Lunar Phase: LEFT half of moon visible

A

Third Quarter

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41
Q

Lunar Phase: Left sliver

A

Waning Cresent

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42
Q

“Exposing” phases of moon

A

Waxing

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43
Q

“Retreating” phases of moon

A

Waning

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44
Q

The moon does not create its own light. The moon reflects the sun’s light.

A

True

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45
Q

What does the “Moon’s Synchronous Rotation” mean?

A

The moon’s orbital period is the same as its rotational period.

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46
Q

Time required to complete one cycle

A

Period

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47
Q

The shadow the moon casts that reflects no sunlight

A

Umbra

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48
Q

The shadow the moon casts that reflects partial sunlight

A

Penumbra

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49
Q

Lunar Eclipse: moon passes through the umbra

A

Total Lunar Eclipse

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50
Q

Lunar Eclipse: moon partially on the umbra

A

Partial Lunar Eclipse

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51
Q

Lunar Eclipse: moon passes through penumbra

A

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

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52
Q

A lunar eclipse can occur during any phase.

A

False. It can only occur during a full moon.

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53
Q

The eclipses’ 18 year 11.3 day cycle

A

Saros cycle

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54
Q

Solar Eclipse: the moon is in front of the Earth, completely blocking out the sun for a portion of the Earth

A

Total Solar Eclipse

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55
Q

Solar Eclipse: areas not experiencing total solar eclipse

A

Partial Solar Eclipse

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56
Q

Solar Eclipse: the moon’s umbral shadow does not reach Earth

A

Annular Solar Eclipse

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57
Q

Understood during eclipses, responsible for GPS

A

General relativity

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58
Q

What are the “wandering stars” in the sky and why are they called that?

A

They are planets. They are called that because they followed a different pattern than the rest of the stars.

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59
Q

Appearing to move backward as Earth catches up and passes during orbit of the sun

A

Retrograde Motion

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60
Q

Star appearing to change its position

A

Stellar Parallax

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61
Q

Originally used to tell time

A

Sun dial

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62
Q

Most widely used calendar

A

Gregorian Calendar

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63
Q

Occurs every four years except in years that end in 00 not divisible by 400

A

Leap year

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64
Q

Said that heavenly motion must be perfect circles

A

Plato

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65
Q

Argued for an Earth-centered universe (geocentric)

A

Aristotle

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66
Q

Introduced multiple circles to circles to explain retrograde motion

A

Apollonius

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67
Q

Finalized geocentric model

A

Ptolemy

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68
Q

Why is one model favored over another?

A

Which one sounds better seems to make more sense to people.

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69
Q

What evidence could sway a person to believe one model over another?

A

Disregarding science for a more favorable idea (popularity contest).

70
Q

Revisited the heliocentric model and provided more detailed calculations with support of the church.

A

Nicholas Copernicus

71
Q

Measured parallax for moon and comet and first supernova.

A

Tycho Brahe

72
Q

Introduced the ellipse

A

Johannas Kepler

73
Q

Kepler’s Second Law

A

As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal area in equal time.

74
Q

Kepler’s Third Law

A

More distant planets orbit the sun at a slower average speeds. Planets closer to the sun move at higher speeds.

75
Q

First to use telescope for scientific data and challenged the ideas of the “old world.”

A

Galileo Galileo

76
Q

What is evidence that the heavens are imperfect?

A

Comet and supernova

77
Q

Brightness cannot be used to estimate distances.

A

True

78
Q

A force needed to stop an object. Objects share the Earth’s motion through space.

A

Gravity

79
Q

What did Galileo discover near Jupiter?

A

Four “stars” orbiting it; moons

80
Q

How did Venus help prove the validity of the heliocentric model?

A

The observed phases of Venus are only possible with a heliocentric model. (Phases occur just like the Moon)

81
Q

First observable direct evidence showing the rotation of Earth.

A

The Foucalt Pendulum

82
Q

Distance traveled divided by the time elapsed

A

Speed

83
Q

Change of position divided by time elapsed

A

Velocity

84
Q

Change of velocity divided by time elapsed

A

Acceleration

85
Q

How do we change an object’s acceleration?

A

Increase or decrease velocity, or change in direction while keeping constant speed (turning)

86
Q

Any action that can cause a change in an object’s momentum

A

Force

87
Q

The sum of all forces acting on an object

A

Net force

88
Q

Momentum of a spinning/rotating product of its moment of inertia and angular velocity

A

Angular momentum

89
Q

A measurement of an object’s resistance to rotating depends on mass and how the mass is distributed

A

Moment of intertia

90
Q

An action that can cause a change in an object’s angular momentum

A

Torque

91
Q

The measurement of an object’s resistance to movement

A

Mass

92
Q

The force acting on an object depends on mass acceleration due to gravity, and forces acting on the object weight is equal to mass times gravity

A

Apparent weight

93
Q

An apparent lack of an acceleration due to gravity in an environment

A

Weightlessness

94
Q

In outer space, in presence of no objects with mass

A

True weightlessness

95
Q

How do you “become heavier” in an elevator?

A

Elevator accelerating up

96
Q

How do you “become lighter” in an elevator?

A

Elevator accelerating down

97
Q

This person quantified the laws of nature, recognized gravity is universal, and invented the reflecting telescope and calculus.

A

Sir Isaac Newton

98
Q

An object moves at a constant velocity unless a net force acts to change its speed or direction

A

Newton’s First Law of Motion

99
Q

How to change the motion of an object. The force is equivalent to mass multiplied by acceleration. It requires a net force acting on the object.

A

Newton’s Second Law of Motion

100
Q

For any force, there is always an equal and opposite reaction force

A

Newton’s Third Law

101
Q

A force required for an object to follow a circular path

A

Centripetal force

102
Q

Momentum is conversed unless acted upon by an external force

A

Linear momentum

103
Q
  1. Why the Earth doesn’t need fuel to move around the sun

2. Why the Earth moves faster when it is closer to the sun

A

Angular momentum

104
Q

Energy for any reaction or interaction is conserved. It can be transferred, but not created nor destroyed.

A

Conservation of Energy

105
Q

Associated with a moving object, depends only on the motion of the object

A

Kinetic energy

106
Q

The potential to do something; having stored energy

A

Potential energy

107
Q

Collective kinetic energy of the random motion of particles

A

Thermal energy

108
Q

Measurement of the average kinetic energy

A

Temperature

109
Q

Energy that light can carry, a form of kinetic energy

A

Radiative energy

110
Q

Does it physically make sense to have negative temperatures?

A

No; mass cannot be negative

111
Q

Depends on the temperature of the object and the number of particles contained within the object

A

Thermal energy

112
Q

Results from the relative positions of two or more objects, and is caused by the gravitational force

A

Gravitational Potential Energy

113
Q

States that it is possible to convert mass into energy and vise versa.

A

Mass-Energy Relation

114
Q

What are the most common places where Mass-Energy is seen?

A

Nuclear reactions

115
Q

States every object with mass will attract all other objects with mass with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their separation distance

A

Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation

116
Q

Why are you not being pulled towards other students?

A

The force is minuscule. We are surrounded by objects and each pulls on us.

117
Q

Ellipses are not the only possible orbit.

A

True

118
Q

Allows the mass of an orbited object to be measured. This only works with a massive orbited object and a much smaller orbiting object.

A

Newton’s version of Kepler’s Third Law

119
Q

Any object has a total energy which is the sun of its kinetic and potential energies

A

Orbital energy

120
Q

Most objects in the solar system do not interact with each other. On occasion, two objects will pass each other so one or both will have their orbits changed.

A

Gravitational Encounters

121
Q

Minimum velocity to leave an object, like Earth, and never return

A

Escape Velocity

122
Q

Noticeable changes in the water levels of the oceans over the course of a day. Caused by a difference in the gravitational force on each side of Earth.

A

Tides

123
Q

The ________ provides most of the tidal waves.

A

Moon

However, so does the sun

124
Q

Large tides that occur at new or full moons

A

Spring tides

125
Q

Smaller tides that occur at third and quarter moons

A

Neap tides

126
Q

Causing Earth’s rotation to slow down and the moon to move further away from the Earth

A

Tidal Friction

127
Q

An object experiencing the gravitational force near the surface of a large body. All objects have the same acceleration/rate.

A

Free Falling Object

128
Q

The average distance between Earth and the Sun, which is about 150 million kilometers.

A

Astronomical unit

129
Q

The distance that light travels in 1 year, which is about 9.46 trillion kilometers.

A

Light year

130
Q

Which of the following correctly lists our “cosmic address” from small to large?

A

Earth, solar system, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Local Supercluster, universe

131
Q

If we represent the solar system on a scale that allows us to walk from the Sun to Pluto in a few minutes, then

A

The planets are marble-sized or smaller and the nearest stars are thousands of miles away.

132
Q

The total number of stars in the observable universe is roughly equivalent to:

A

The number of grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth

133
Q

When we say the universe is expanding, we mean that

A

The average distance between galaxies is growing with time.

134
Q

If stars existed but galaxies did not

A

We would not exist because we are made of material that required recycling in galaxies.

135
Q

Could we see a galaxy that is 20 billion light-years away? Explain.

A

No, because it would be beyond the bounds of our observable universe.

136
Q

The age of our solar system is about:

A

1/3 the age of the universe

137
Q

The fact that nearly all galaxies are moving away from us, with more distant ones moving faster, helped us to conclude that:

A

The universe is expanding.

138
Q

Suppose we wanted to make a scale model of the Local Group of Galaxies, in which the Milky Way Galaxy was the size of a marble (about 1 cm in diameter). How far from the Milky Way Galaxy would the Andromeda Galaxy be on this scale?

A

25 cm

139
Q

Suppose we wanted to make a scale model of the Local Group of Galaxies, in which the Milky Way Galaxy was the size of a marble (about 1 cm in diameter). How far would it be from the Milky Way Galaxy to the most distant galaxies in the observable universe on this scale?

A

1.4 km

140
Q

Two stars that are in the same constellation

A

May actually be very far away from each other.

141
Q

The North Celestial Pole is 35 ∘ above your northern horizon. This tells you that

A

You are at latitude 35o N

142
Q

Beijing and Philadelphia have about the same latitude but very different longitudes. Therefore, tonight’s night sky in these two places:

A

Will look about the same.

143
Q

In winter, Earth’s axis points toward the star Polaris. In spring:

A

the axis also points toward Polaris.

144
Q

When it is summer in Australia, the season in the United States is

A

Winter

145
Q

If the Sun rises precisely due east:

A

It must be the day of either the spring or fall equinox.

146
Q

A week after full moon, the Moon’s phase is:

A

Third quarter

147
Q

The fact that we always see the same face of the Moon tells us that:

A

The Moon’s rotation period is the same as its orbital period.

148
Q

If there is going to be a total lunar eclipse tonight, then you know that:

A

The moon’s phase is full

149
Q

How many arcminutes are in a full circle?

A

21,600 arcminutes

150
Q

How many arcseconds are in a full circle?

A

1,296,000

151
Q

When we see Saturn going through a period of apparent retrograde motion, it means:

A

Earth is passing Saturn in its orbit, with both planets on the same side of the Sun

152
Q

In the Greek geocentric model, the retrograde motion of a planet occurs when

A

The planet actually goes backward in its orbit around Earth

153
Q

Which of the following was not a major advantage of Copernicus’s Sun-centered model over the Ptolemaic model?

A

It made significantly better predictions of planetary positions in our sky.

154
Q

When we say that a planet has a highly eccentric orbit, we mean that:

A

In some parts of its orbit it is much closer to the Sun than in other parts.

155
Q

Earth is closer to the Sun in January than in July. Therefore, in accord with Kepler’s second law:

A

Earth travels faster in its orbit around the Sun in January than in July.

156
Q

According to Kepler’s third law:

A

Jupiter orbits the Sun at a faster speed than Saturn.

157
Q

Tycho Brahe’s contribution to astronomy included

A

Collecting data that enabled Kepler to discover the laws of planetary motion

158
Q

Galileo’s contribution to astronomy included:

A

Making observations and conducting experiments that dispelled scientific objections to the Sun-centered model.

159
Q

Which of the following is not true about scientific progress?

A

Science advances only through the scientific method

160
Q

A theory is essentially an educated guess.

A

False

161
Q

When Einstein’s theory of gravity (general relativity) gained acceptance, it demonstrated that Newton’s theory had been:

A

Incomplete

162
Q

Suppose you visit another planet. Your mass would be ________ as on Earth, but your weight would be ________.

A

The same; different

163
Q

Which person is weightless?

a. A child in the air as she plays on a trampoline.
b. A scuba diver exploring a deep-sea wreck.
c. An astronaut on the Moon.

A

a. A child in the air as she plays on a trampoline.

164
Q

Consider the statement “There’s no gravity in space.” This statement is

A

Completely false

165
Q

If you want to make a rocket turn left, you need to fire an engine that shoots out gas ________.

A

To the right

166
Q

Compared to its angular momentum when it is farthest from the Sun, Earth’s angular momentum when it is nearest to the Sun is

A

The same

167
Q

As an interstellar gas cloud shrinks in size, its gravitational potential energy

A

Gradually transforms into other forms of energy

168
Q

If Earth were twice as far from the Sun, the force of gravity attracting Earth to the Sun would be

A

One-quarter as strong

169
Q

According to the law of universal gravitation, what would happen to Earth if the Sun were somehow replaced by a black hole of the same mass?

A

Earth’s orbit would not change

170
Q

If the Moon were closer to Earth, high tides would be ________ as they are now.

A

Higher

171
Q

Which of the following represents a case in which you are not accelerating?

a. Going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 10 seconds
b. Driving in a straight line at 60 miles per hour
c. Slamming on the brakes to come to a stop at a stop sign
d. Driving 60 miles per hour around a curve

A

b. Driving in a straight line at 60 miles per hour

Astronomy (6 decks)

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