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astronomy 101 > Exam 1 review > Flashcards

Exam 1 review Flashcards

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1
Q

Layers of Earth

A

Crust–> mantle –> core

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2
Q

Electromagnetic Radiation

A

Transmission of energy through space without physical connection by carrying waves of electric and magnetic fields.

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3
Q

Radar Ranging

A

Uses radar signals to measure the distance of objects in the solar system, like echolocation

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4
Q

Adaptive optics

A

Mirror shape is deformed by a computer while image is viewed to counteract atmospheric turbulence

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5
Q

Electromagnetic Waves

A

Waves that do not need a medium to propagate and that travel with velocity v=c

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6
Q

Electromagnetic Spectrum

A

Radio–>Microwave–>Infrared–>Visible Light–>UltraViolet–>X-rays–>Gamma Rays

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7
Q

Prime focus in a telescope

A

the point where the light is focused to in a telescope

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8
Q

The celestial sphere

A

the tool that we use to localize celestial objects, as if the stars
wereturning around us

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9
Q

Amplitude

A

Maximum departure of a wave from the undisturbed state

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10
Q

Eccentricity

A

how “oval” the ellipse is
Closer to zero –> circle

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11
Q

How long ago did the Solar system form

A

About 4.5 Billion Years ago

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12
Q

solar day

A

rotation period of the Earth with respect to the sun (3.9 minutes longer than the sidereal day)

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13
Q

What does the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation depend on?

A

Temperature

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14
Q

Frequency

A

Number of crests passing a given point per unit time

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15
Q

Celestial Equator

A

above the Earth’s equator on the celestial sphere

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16
Q

Wavelength

A

Number of meters needed for the wave to repeat itself at a given moment in time

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17
Q

Zodiac

A

the 12 constellations the Sun moves through during the year

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18
Q

Magnetosphere

A

Region around Earth containing a magnetic field where charged particles from the solar wind are trapped

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19
Q

Equator

A

a great circle on Earth’s surface, halfway between the North and South Poles.

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20
Q

Continuous spectrum

A

The whole rainbow

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21
Q

Tycho Brahe

A

Made very careful measurements of planetary motion
He did not have the ability to analyze these measurements. Kepler was the one that was able to analyze

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22
Q

Refraction

A

bending of light from a source

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23
Q

Protoplanets

A

Objects that eventually turn into planets

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24
Q

Condensation theory

A

nebula theory with dust cooling clouds, causing hot stuff to clump together

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25
Q

Sidereal year

A

365.256 solar days
time for Earth to orbit once around the sun, relative to fixed stars, thus the sidereal year follows constellations

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26
Q

Summer (winter) solstice

A

Most northern point of the sun on the celestial sphere, days (nights) are longer in duration

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27
Q

Latitude

A

north or south location

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28
Q

ecliptic tilt

A

Due to the tilt of Earth’s rotational axis relative to the orbital plane around the sun

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29
Q

Black Body Radiation

A

an object that does not reflect or scatter any radiation, but absorbs and emits all wavelengths

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30
Q

Perihelion

A

Point where a planet is closest to the sun and moves the fastest

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31
Q

Kepler’s third law

A

Square of period of planet’s orbit is proportional to cube of semi-major axis

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32
Q

Eclipses

A

When the moon and the sun have the same size in the sky
Lunar eclipse- Sun, Earth, Moon
Solar eclipse- Sun, Moon, Earth

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33
Q

“packet” of electromagnetic radiation

A

Photon

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34
Q

Mechanical Waves

A

Waves that are governed by Newtons laws and that exist within a medium

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35
Q

Infrared Astronomy

A

Penetrates stellar dust and atmospheric clouds and can image where visible radiation is blocked

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36
Q

Standard Time

A

divides the world into 24 time zones

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37
Q

What causes seasons

A

tilt of the Earth
angle of sunlight makes it less efficient in heating the surface of the Earth

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38
Q

Jovian/Giant planets

A

4 outer planets, gaseous, large

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39
Q

Eratosthenes

A

Greek astrologist who made the first measurement of the Earth’s diameter in 200 BCE (40,000km, only 70 km off)

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40
Q

How does electromagnetic radiation happen in atoms

A

the electrons get excited, then jump up an orbital, once they lose enough energy they fall down the orbital, it releases a photon.

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41
Q

Prime Meridian

A

Runs through Greenwich England, line of longitude

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42
Q

Earth’s tilt

A

23.5 degrees

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43
Q

Gregorian Calendar

A

Correct to about 3300 years, what we use today

44
Q

Astronomical Unit (AU)

A

distance between the earth and the sun
(about 94 million miles)

45
Q

Constellation

A

Bright stars that are grouped together

46
Q

Gamma ray astronomy

A

cannot be focused at all, from the most violent events in the universe

47
Q

Why don’t eclipses happen every month

A

The Earth and Moon’s orbit are not in the same plane

48
Q

Angular Momentum

A

measure of the rotation of a body as it revolves around some fixed point (keplers second law is a consequence)

49
Q

Stefan-Boltzman Law

A

The energy flux from a blackbody at temperature T is proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature. Then scaled by a constant

50
Q

Synchronous rotation

A

when a body rotates once on its axis in the same time it takes to compete a revolution (the Moon)

51
Q

Light behaves as…

A

a wave and a particle

52
Q

Longitude

A

Meridian, specifies east-west location.

53
Q

general force of attraction
product of the masses divided by the square of the distance between them scaled by the gravitational constant

A

Gravity

54
Q

what is the relationship betweein light strength and distance

A

light gets weaker as it gets farther from the source as an inverse square

55
Q

Newton’s Third Law

A

equal and opposite reactions

56
Q

Jovian planets are characterized by their…

A

composition (mostly hydrogen and helium)

57
Q

Kepler’s Second Law

A

The imaginary line connecting Sun and planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times

58
Q

Discovery of Neptune

A

Through abnormalities in the orbit of Uranus

59
Q

the first to build a telescope and use it to test his ideas
the first to support his theories with experiments

A

Galileo

60
Q

Wien’s Law

A

The frequency of the emitted radiation is inversely dependent on the temperature. Then scaled by a constant

61
Q

Astrology

A

Used zodiacs to predict attributes of people, there is no evidence that natal astrology has any predictive power

62
Q

How far can we see?

A

slightly past the horizon due to the bending of light in the atmosphere (refraction)

63
Q

Period

A

Number of seconds needed for a wave to repeat itself at some point in time

64
Q

Lunar phases

A

Waxing- the lit portion is growing
Waning- the lit portion is shrinking
Crescent- less than half of the lunar disk is visible
Gibbous- More than hale of the lunar disk is visible

65
Q

Ultraviolet Astronomy

A

must be done from space

66
Q

Ecliptic

A

The apparent path of the sun on the celestial sphere

67
Q

Advantages of Radio Astronomy

A
  • Can observe 24 hours a day
  • Weather does not interfere
  • Different frequency of light viewed, totally different information
68
Q

Comet structure

A

nucleus–>Coma–>Hydrogen envelope–>Ion tail–> dust tail

69
Q

Synodic Month

A

29.5 days
time for the moon to complete a full cycle of phases

70
Q

Parsec

A

3.26 light years

71
Q

Sidereal month

A

27.3 days
time it takes the Moon to rotate around the Earth

72
Q

Tidal Forces

A

Moon and Sun’s pull on the Earth causes the water level to rise

73
Q

Aphelion

A

Point where a planet is the farthest away from the sun and moves the slowest

74
Q

Nebular theory

A

the planets form from a spinning disk, not enough to explain planet formation

75
Q

International Date Line

A

a geographical line that marks the official change of day

76
Q

X-ray Astronomy

A

Must be in space, does not reflect off of mirrors but can be focused

77
Q

Light Year (ly)

A

The distance that light travels in a year
(about 6x10^12 miles)

78
Q

Reflection

A

mirror

79
Q

Heliocentric model

A

Planets orbit in circles around the sun
Aristarchus of Samos proposed that all planets revolved around the Sun and that Earth rotates (his ideas were ignored)

80
Q

Newton’s Second Law

A

F = ma

81
Q

Geocentric Model

A

Earth lay at the center of the universe (wrong)

82
Q

A Great Circle

A

any circle on the surface of a sphere whose center is at the center of the sphere

83
Q

Apparent Solar Time

A

time as reckoned by the actual position of the sun in the sky (sundail)

84
Q

worked on the laws of motion, gravity, optics, and mathematics

A

Isaac Newton

85
Q

Hipparchus

A

Found the precession of Earth’s axis

86
Q

Newton’s First Law

A

Inertia

87
Q

Horizon

A

The line where the dome meets the Earth is the horizon

88
Q

Emission Spectrum

A

Solely the colors that are radiated from the materials that exist in the studied object

89
Q

Spectrometer

A

Used to tell what type of material is in an object by bending the light into a spectrum

90
Q

Tropical Year

A

365.242 days
our calendar year is the time interval between vernal equinoxes

91
Q

Julian Calendar

A

introduced by Julis Ceaser, approximated that the year is 365.25 days, not what we use

92
Q

Escape speed

A

The speed needed to escape Earth’s gravitational pull

93
Q

North Celestial pole

A

Above the North Pole on the Celestial Sphere

94
Q

Moon formation

A

Mars sized object hit Earth, chunk flew off, became the Moon

95
Q

Claudius

A

Proposed a model for the solar system

96
Q

Uranus’ Rotational Axis

A

lies almost within the plane of its orbit

97
Q

Zenith

A

The top of the dome, just above your head

98
Q

Active optics

A

Control mirrors based on temperature and orientation

99
Q

Sidereal Day

A

rotation period of the Earth with respect to the stars

100
Q

Limitations to observation

A

Atmosphere- filters light
Cities- light pollution
Air- unsteady, air turbulence, “bad seeing”

101
Q

Which one is longer, Tropical Year or Sidereal Year

A

Sidereal year, due to the precession of Earth’s axis

102
Q

Planetesimals

A

Objects the size of small moons, gravity strong enough to attract matter

103
Q

Vernal (autumnal) equinox

A

When the sun crosses the celestial equator, day and night are of equal duration. spring(fall)

104
Q

Terrestrial Planets

A

4 inner planets, rocky, small

105
Q

Mean Solar Time

A

Based on the average value of the solar day over the course of a year (exactly 24 hours)

106
Q

Kepler’s first law

A

Planetary orbits are ellipses, with the Sun at one focus

107
Q

Earth composition

A

Primarily iron, silicon, and oxygen (heavy stuff)

astronomy 101 (2 decks)

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