Physics test 8th Grade #1 Flashcards
Who realized that the stars move from east to west?
Aryabhata
Which way does the earth move?
West to East
Which way do the stars appear to move?
East to west since the earth moves west to east
What did Aryabhata infer?
He inferred that the planets and moon shine due to the reflection of the sun’s light and that stars move from east to west because the earth moves from west to east
How did India recognize Aryabhata and his discoveries?
The first Indian satellite was named after him
What happens to the moon every every half month?
It outshines everything else in the night sky
What is the Earth’s only Satellite?
The moon
What is a natural satellite?
A body that orbits a planet
What is a star?
Giant ball of hot gas, mainly composed of hydrogen and helium
As seen from earth the positions of the stars relative to each other __ ___ change
Do Not
What is a planet?
A planet is an object that orbits the sun, is large enough to have become rounded by its gravity, and has cleared the area of its orbit
How many planets are there in our solar system
eight
What is a meteor?
A streak of light produced when a small object burns up entering earth’s atmosphere.
What is a comet?
A cold mixture of dust and ice that gives up a long tail of of light as it approaches the sun
What is a meteorite?
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon.
What is a meteoroid?
a small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth’s atmosphere.
What is an asteroid?
a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging enormously in size, are found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits.
What objects can we see in the night sky?
Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn
What is a constellation?
A constellation is a pattern of group of stars that people imagined to represent a figure, animal, or object
How many constellations are there in western culture?
88 constellations in western culture
Which civilizations contributed to the current names used in western culture?
Greeks, Egyptians, Mesopotamians
Some constellations names come from Latin for example…
Leo comes from latin
Some constellations come from greek myths such as?
pegasus and Perseus
Whats another name for ursa major and whats its origin?
The great bear comes from the english translation of Latin, the big dipper, saptarshi
Which constellation is apart of the polar or north star?
Ursa Minor
What does the apparent motion of the objects in the sky depend upon ?
The apparent motion of objects in the sky depends on the motions of Earth
Which way do stars appear to move in the night sky?
Stars appear to move from east to west
Which way does the Earth move?
Earth turns from west to east
What is the motion of the stars called?
The motion of the stars is called apparent motion.
What about the constellations changes with the seasons? Give an example
When the seasons change, the constellations you can see change. One examples would be Orion which is seen in the eastern sky during winter but in spring Orion is in the west and disappears below the horizon right after sunset
What motion is it that causes the seasonal change?
Seasonal change is caused by Earth’s orbit around the sun
Each night the stars shift slightly to the …
West
There are a few constellations that you see all year long, why?
Because they are the ones closest to the north sky. As the earth rotates the constellations never appear to rise or set
Each night the planets appear in a slightly different place then the did the night before. They move through the ___
the zodiac
What is the origin of the word planet?
The word planet comes from the Greek word planētēs meaning wanderer
What is the plane or ‘strip’ of constellations that planets seem to move through called?
The strip of constellations that planets seem to move through is called the zodiac.
Give the names of at least two other constellations other than the ones in the text , in this strip.
Some constellations in this strip include Libra, Virgo, and Sagittarius.
Which planets, when they are visible, can be seen ‘all night long’? Give a reason for this.
Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be seen all night long. This happens when the earth passes between them and the sun, making the planets visible after sunset.
Why is Venus sometimes called the morning star? (Use the information in the text to explain this)
Venus is sometimes called the morning star because it is visible only in the morning (or evening) and is very bright.
Why are Venus and Mercury only visible for short periods of time?
Venus and Mercury are only visible for short periods of time because they are in between the Earth and the sun
Which two planets can you see only in the morning and evening?
Venus and Mercury?
