Space Flashcards
prime meridian
cuts earth from top to bottom (sagittal plane)
Early theory of space:
Earth is central, everything else revolves around it
Earth centered model
for 2000 years, this geocentric concept was worked on by Ptolemy. It could not explain why MARS, JUPITER, and SATURN would switch direction.
Sun-centered/ heliocentric model.
The theory of the sun being the center of the universe. In early 1500, Nicholas Copernicus proposed this.
sky coordinates
altitude/azimuth
altitude
the measure of a celestial body’s angle above the horizon
how to measure altitude
astrolabe (kinda like a protractor)
azimuth
the measure of a celestial body clockwise from north
how to measure azimuth
compass
altitude/azimuth assuptions
Earth is fixed in space
optical telescope
collects visible light rays
radio telescope
collects radio waves invisible to our eyes
objective lens
lens at the end of the telescope
ocular lens
eyepiece
when was the telescope invented
1608
how to increase telescope strength
increase resolving power by increasing the diameter of the objective lens
whats resolving power
ability to see finer objects from far away/magnification
How to calculate resolving power/magnification
M = objective focal length/eyepiece focal length
What is the magnification if the objective focal length is 60cm and the eyepiece focal length is 2cm?
30
Refracting telescope
uses a lens to take in lots of light and focus it to our eye at the end of the barrel
reflecting telescope
a concave mirror at the end of the barrel focuses incoming light onto another mirror which focuses the image into our eye.
combination telescope
a correcting lens lets in the light which reflects off of other mirrors, sending the image to our eye.
radio telescopes: how do they work?
radio waves supply energy and are reflected into an antenna which transmits info to our computers.
interferometry
combining input from several telescopes to increase resolution
light is only one form of electromagnetic radiation: name the others
radio waves, infrared waves (heat), ultraviolet waves, gamma rays, x rays
electromagnetic spectrum
shows all of the different electromagnetic waves/rays
spectroscopy
combining bigger, better telescopes, receiving maximum light.
nebula
an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium + other ionized gassed
nebula particles can collect to form…
stars, planets an galaxies
nebulae other term
interstellar nursury
sun composition
plasma
how is the sun held together
self gravity