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Astronomy > Topic 3- The Earth Moon Sun System > Flashcards

Topic 3- The Earth Moon Sun System Flashcards

1
Q

What causes tides

A

The gravitational attraction of the moon and sun pulls on earth the water on earths surface is pulled and the water causes tides

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2
Q

What causes high and low tides

A

The moon pulls water on earths surface nearest it and there is a force equal to this on the other side of the earth pulling the water out

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3
Q

What causes spring tides

A

When the sun moon and earth are in a line there are more dramatic differences in tides high tides are higher and low tides are lower

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4
Q

What causes neap tides

A

When the moon is at a right angle to earth then tides are less dramatic high tides are lower and low tides are higher

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5
Q

How long is a cycle of precession

A

26000 years

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6
Q

What causes precession

A

As the earth is not a perfect sphere and the sun and moon have a gravitational influence on earth and this combined with the earths bulge causes a wobble in earths tilt

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7
Q

What has precession caused

A

The celestial pole star to move and change and the sun to rise at a different time

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8
Q

How many times further away is the sun from us that’s the moon

A

400 times

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9
Q

How many times smaller is the moon that the sun

A

400 times

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10
Q

What is the mean diameter of sun

A

1400000 km

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11
Q

What is the average distance of the moon from earth

A

385000

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12
Q

What is the average distance of sun from earth

A

150 million

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13
Q

‘What type of stars had a special place in ancient Egyptian culture

A

Circumpolar stars

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14
Q

What did circumpolar stars mean to ancient Egyptians

A

As the stars were always in the sky it symbolised a place of heaven and the afterlife

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15
Q

Why were small shafts in the pyramids align with circumpolar stars

A

So the pharaoh buried inside spirit could go to the after life

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16
Q

On the pyramid Where did the shafts point to

A

The rotation path of Orion and the old NCP Thuban

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17
Q

What is new grange

A

Located in Ireland and is the site of an ancient burial ground built 5000 years ago

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18
Q

When does light enter the passage at new grange

A

4 minutes after sunrise on the winter solstice

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19
Q

When would the light of entered the passage at new grange when it was built

A

At exactly sunrise on the winter solstice

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20
Q

What was Stonehenge used to mark

A

It is highly likely to have been used to mark the sunrise of the summer solstice

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21
Q

What is an eclipse

A

When the shadow of a celestial body such as the earth or moon obscures the light of another object in space

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22
Q

What are the 2 main types of eclipse

A

A solar eclipse

A lunar eclipse

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23
Q

When do eclipses occur

A

When the sun moon and earth are lined up with one another

24
Q

What is the term used for 3 or more celestial objects are aligned

A

Syzygy

25
Q

What time of phase does the moon need to be in for an eclipse to happen

A

Full and new

26
Q

How many times does the moons orbit intersect the ecliptic during one orbit

A

Twice an orbit

27
Q

How far away is the moon eclipses from the ecliptic

A

5%

28
Q

What is the term used when the moons orbit intersects with the ecliptic

A

Nodes

29
Q

Where do the nodes go from

A

One goes from north - south and is called the descending node
One goes from south to north and is called the ascending node

30
Q

How long does a solar eclipse last

A

Up to 7 minutes and 30 seconds

31
Q

How long does a lunar eclipse last

A

Up to 1 hour and 45 minutes

32
Q

What is a partial eclipse

A

The partial solar eclipse can be seen when moon moves into the disc of the sun but does not block it entirely

33
Q

How many points of contact are there in a partial eclipse

A

2

34
Q

What is an annular eclipse

A

The appearance of a ‘ ring of fire’ when the moon is further away from earth so the smaller moon does not cover suns disc entirely

35
Q

Where is the focus of the umbra during an annular eclipse

A

Above the earths surface

36
Q

When does a lunar eclipse take place

A

When moon enters earths shadow

37
Q

Why is a lunar eclipse longer than a solar eclipse

A

Because the earth is bigger than the moon meaning the moon has to travel further to get out of earths shadow

38
Q

What phase does the moon need to be for a lunar eclipse

A

Full moon

39
Q

Who was Eratosthenes

A

A Greek mathematician and was a librarian of Alexandria in Egypt

40
Q

What did Eratosthenes work out

A

The circumference of earth

41
Q

What did Eratosthenes learn about near the town of syene

A

He leant that just to the south the sun appears at the zenith on the summer solstice

42
Q

By observing and measuring shadows on the same day in Alexandra he calculated what

A

That the sun was over 7.12 degrees from the zenith

43
Q

How much is 7.12 degrees of circle in a fraction

A

1/50 th

44
Q

What was the disrptance of the two cities

A

5000 stadia

45
Q

What calculation did Eratosthenes make

A

Multiplied the distance by the angle

46
Q

What other thing did Eratosthenes work out

A

The diameter of the earth

47
Q

Who was Aristarchus

A

Greek astronomer who first proposed that the earth orbited the sun

48
Q

What allowed Aristarchus to determine that the earth was twice the size of moon

A

A lunar eclipse allowed him to study the shadow of earth over moon

49
Q

He measured the width of both sun and moon and determined how many degrees of arc in width

A

2 degrees

50
Q

How did Aristarchus try to understand the distances involved of the sun and moon from earth

A

He attempted to triangulate the moon sun and earth

51
Q

What phase of the moon did Aristarchus use to measure the angle between moon and sun

A

Quarter phase

52
Q

What was the angle that Aristarchus found from measuring the angle from the moon to sun during a quarter phase

A

87 degrees

53
Q

How many times time further away, that Aristarchus calculated, was the sun than the moon

A

Between 18 and 20 times

54
Q

How many degrees of arc are the moon and sun

A

1/2 degree

55
Q

What is the actual angle sun of the sun and moon at a quarter phase

A

89.5 degrees

56
Q

What was Aristarchus accurate in

A

In understanding that there was the same ratio between distance and size

57
Q

What two monument help Eratosthenes calculate circumference of earth

A

Column at Alexandra

Well at syrene

Astronomy (16 decks)

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