Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Descriptive Astronomy > Test 1 > Flashcards

Test 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What makes stars shine?

A

Nuclear reactions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Size of asteroids + what are they made of

A

Usually small, rock and metal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are comets made of?

A

Ice and dust

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Nearest galaxy + how far away is it

A

Andromeda, 2.5 million light years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Size of the known universe

A

47 billion lights years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Age of the universe

A

14 billion years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How many stars in our galaxy

A

100 billion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How many galaxies are in the known universe

A

100 billion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Current north star

A

Polaris

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the ecliptic plane

A

Path the Earth moves around the Sun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

How far is the Sun from the center of our galaxy

A

27,000 light years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How long does it take for the Sun to go around the galaxy

A

230 million years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Is there a center of the universe

A

No

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is a constellation

A

Regions of sky that contains stars

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How many constellations in the standard set

A

88

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the celestial sphere

A

Apparent surface of the stars (everything looks equidistant and fixed from Earth)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Are all stars in a constellation the same distance away?

A

No

18
Q

How much is the Earth tilted on its axis

A

23.5 degrees

19
Q

What is an arcminute

A

1/60th of one degree

20
Q

What is an arcsecond

A

1/60th of an arcminute

21
Q

How many constellations are in the zodiac

A

12

22
Q

What causes the seasons

A

Earth’s tilt

23
Q

How long does it take for Earth’s axis to precess

A

26,000 years

24
Q

Why are there phases of the moon

A

Half is always in shadow

25
Q

What is the saros cycle

A

Predicted cycle of solar and lunar eclipses

26
Q

What is a solar eclipse

A

Moon blocks out Sun

27
Q

What is a lunar eclipse

A

Moon in Earth’s shadow

28
Q

Why does retrograde motion occur

A

Earth orbits faster than outer planets

29
Q

What is the stellar parallax

A

Apparent motion of nearby stars compared to far ones

30
Q

What did ancient people use astronomy for

A

Navigation, crops, calendars

31
Q

Ancient Greek science used…?

A

Practical explanations, models, explanations through only the facts

32
Q

What is an epicycle

A

Orbits in circles

33
Q

What is the Ptolemaic model

A

Earth is the center of the Universe—Sun orbits us

34
Q

What did Tycho Brahe do

A

Determined positions of planets in the sky during different parts of the year

35
Q

Kepler’s first law

A

Orbits are in ellipses

36
Q

Kepler’s second law

A

Planet speeds up as it approaches Sun, slows down as it departs

37
Q

Kepler’s third law

A

Orbital distance cubed is proportional to orbital period squared

38
Q

Galileo’s achievements

A

Moon/Sun are imperfect, Jupiter has moons

39
Q

What is a hypothesis

A

Educated guess to explain observation

40
Q

What is a theory

A

Hypothesis that has large amounts of data to support it

41
Q

What is a law

A

Highly proven theory, describes; theory

42
Q

Characteristics of science

A

Explain natural phenomena simply, explains it w/o supernatural, makes testable predictions about phenomena

Descriptive Astronomy (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions