Ideas about the Solar System Flashcards

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1
Q

What model did the ancient Greeks use?

A

The ancient Greeks used a geocentric model of the Solar System proposed by Ptolemy.

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2
Q

What was the geocentric model?

A

In the geocentric model, the Earth was in the centre and everything else (planets, the Moon, the Sun and the stars) moved around the Earth in circular orbits.

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3
Q

Who proposed the heliocentric model?

A

Nikolaus Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model in the 14th century.

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4
Q

What was the heliocentric model?

A
  • The sun was at the centre of the Solar System.
  • The planets moved around the Sun in circular orbits and the Moon orbited the Earth.
  • The planets further away from the Sun travels more slowly that those close to it.
  • The stars were fixed in a dome beyond Saturn.
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5
Q

What did Copernicus not accurately predict?

A

He did not accurately predit the position of the planets because Copernicus used circular orbits.

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6
Q

What happened in the 1600’s?

A

In the 1600’s, Johannes Kepler realised that the planets had elliptical orbits. This model forms the basis for the one we use today.

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7
Q

What did Galileo Galilei do?

A

In the 17th century, Galileo first observed the night sky using a telescope. He saw mountains on the Moon, and four moons orbiting Jupiter. These observations provided proof that the heliocentric model of the Solar System was correct.

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8
Q

Why did the invention of the telescope make it possible to see more distant objects?

A

The invention of the telescope made it possible to see more distant objects, because telescopes gather more light, making objects brighter and more magnified.

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9
Q

Where does an asteroid belt lie?

A

An asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

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10
Q

What is the Kuiper belt?

A

The Kuiper belt consists of several frozen bodies orbiting beyond Neptune. It is believed to be the source of comets.

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11
Q

What is the outermost region of the Solar System called?

A

The outermost region of the Solar System is known as the Oort cloud. This consists of billions of lumps of rock and ice.

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12
Q

What is the Hubble Space Telescope?

A

The Hubble Space Telescope takes photographs using visible light as well as infrared and ultraviolet waves.

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13
Q

What do some space probes do?

A

Some space probes taken images of distant galaxies and the Milky Way using X-rays.

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14
Q

What do some space observatories do?

A

Some space observatories use infrared to produce images. Cooler objects emit more infrared than visible light. Infrared astronomy was used to discover the Kuiper belt.

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