Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

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


See full index

Edexcel GCSE Physics > Topic 7 Astronomy > Flashcards

Topic 7 Astronomy Flashcards

1
Q

1 What is the nearest star to the Earth?

A

the Sun

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

2 Name two types of body found in the Solar System.

A

two of: the Sun/star, planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, moons/satellites

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

3 What is the name for the path that a planet follows around the Sun?

A

orbit

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

4 How many planets are there in the Solar System?

A

eight

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

5 Apart from Earth, name two other planets in the Solar System.

A

any from Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

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

6 What is a moon?

A

a natural body that orbits a planet

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

7 Name one type of body, other than a planet, that orbits the Sun.

A

comet, asteroid or dwarf planet

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

8 Why can we see planets in the night sky?

A

They reflect light from the Sun.

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

9 What shape is the orbit of a planet around the Sun?

A

elliptical, but almost circular

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

10 Name an instrument that can be used to study the stars and planets from the Earth.

A

telescope

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

11 What is the geocentric model of the Solar System?

A

the idea that the Sun and all the planets are moving around the Earth

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

12 Who suggested the geocentric model?

A

Ptolemy

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

13 What is the heliocentric model?

A

the idea that everything in the Solar System orbits the Sun

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

14 Who is best known for suggesting the heliocentric model?

A

Copernicus

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

15 Name the planets in order, starting with the one nearest the Sun.

A

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

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

16 Put these in order of size, starting with the smallest: dwarf planet, planet, asteroid

A

asteroid, dwarf planet, planet

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

17 Why are some telescopes put onto satellites?

A

because the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs some wavelengths of EM radiation / to put them above the clouds or dust in atmosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

18 Name one factor that the weight of an object depends on.

A

mass or gravitational field strength

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

19 What is an artificial satellite?

A

something made by humans in orbit around a planet or moon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

20 What shape is the orbit of a comet?

A

highly elliptical

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

21 What does g stand for?

A

gravitational field strength

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

22 What are the units for g?

A

N/kg

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

23 Name two factors that affect the weight of an object.

A

mass and gravitational field strength

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

24 Name two factors that affect the surface gravity of a planet.

A

mass and radius

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

25 How does mass affect g?

A

greater mass, greater g

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

26 What happens if a satellite speeds up in its orbit?

A

moves to a higher orbit

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

27 Why is the velocity of a satellite always changing?

A

velocity is a vector

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

28 Name a type of star

A

any from main sequence star, red giant, red supergiant, white/red/brown/black dwarf, black hole, neutron star, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

29 What reactions happen inside the Sun?

A

nuclear / fusion reactions

30
Q

30 What is the main element that is used in the fusion reactions in the Sun?

A

hydrogen

31
Q

31 What is a nebula?

A

a cloud of dust and gas

32
Q

32 What is a protostar?

A

a contracting cloud of gas that is heating up

33
Q

33 At what stage in its life cycle is the Sun?

A

main sequence

34
Q

34 What is the next stage in the Sun’s life cycle?

A

red giant

35
Q

35 How will the Sun end its life cycle?

A

white dwarf

36
Q

36 What factor decides whether a star follows the same life cycle as the Sun?

A

its mass

37
Q

37 For a high-mass star, what is formed after a supernova?

A

black hole or neutron star

38
Q

38 What does the pitch of a sound describe?

A

how high or low the sound is

39
Q

39 What determines the pitch of a sound?

A

frequency/wavelength of the waves

40
Q

40 How does a sound change if the object is moving towards you?

A

higher pitch / shorter wavelength / higher frequency

41
Q

41 What happens to the pitch of a sound if the source is moving away from you?

A

gets lower

42
Q

42 What is the name for this effect?

A

Doppler effect

43
Q

43 What happens to the frequency of light waves from a star moving towards us?

A

gets higher

44
Q

44 What happens to the wavelength of light from a star moving away from us?

A

gets longer

45
Q

45 What is the name for the change in wavelength in the light from a star moving away from us?

A

red-shift

46
Q

46 How does the red-shift of a galaxy depend on its distance from us?

A

More distant galaxies have greater red-shifts.

47
Q

47 What does the red-shift of galaxies tell us?

A

The Universe is expanding.

48
Q

48 Name one theory about the origin of the Universe.

A

Big Bang or Steady State

49
Q

49 Which theory explains the expansion of the Universe?

A

both of them

50
Q

50 Which theory is the one accepted by scientists today?

A

Big Bang

51
Q

What is the pneumonic to remember the order of the planets from the sun?

A 
My 
Very 
Energetic 
Mother 
Just
Swam
Under a
Narwhal.
52
Q

What is a comet?

A

A comet is made from rocky material, dust and ice, and orbits the Sun. An object that orbits the Earth would be a natural satellite.

53
Q

Which is true about polar orbits?

A

Polar orbits have a smaller radius than geostationary orbits, so are lower not higher.

54
Q

What is red shift?

A

Red shift is the increase in wavelength of light from a distant galaxy moving away from Earth.

55
Q

How many galaxies show a red shift?

A

Nearly all galaxies.

56
Q

What does a larger red shift indicate?

A

Red shift is larger if the galaxy is moving away faster.

57
Q

More distant galaxies show more red shift. Which major theory does this support?

A

This red shift evidence supports the Big Bang theory. Galaxy clusters can be observed directly.

58
Q

Why do scientists believe in the Big Bang theory?

A

The Big Bang theory’s predictions are supported by observations so scientists believe it. Supernova explosions are not like the Big Bang.

59
Q

What does the Steady State theory suggest?

A

The Steady State theory states that the Universe has always existed and is expanding, creating matter all the time.

60
Q

What is NOT a problem for telescopes on satellites?

A

Satellite-based telescopes do not suffer bad weather. They are above the atmosphere so could detect all EM waves.

61
Q

What is a main sequence star?

A

A stable stage in the life cycle of a star. There is a balance between the outwards radiation and the force of gravity pulling inwards.

62
Q

How old is the sun?

A

The Sun (and Solar System) formed about 4.6 billion years ago. The Big Bang occurred about 13.8 billion years ago.

63
Q

What did Edwin Hubble conclude about the Universe in 1925?

A

it is expanding

64
Q

what happens to the amount of red-shift the further away the galaxy is?

A

Larger/more red-shift

65
Q

what is the relationship between red-shift and the velocity of the source?

A

More red-shift = higher velocity

66
Q

What is the doppler effect?

A

The Doppler effect describes the phenomenon of the observed wavelength and frequency of waves changing when the source of the waves is moving with respect to an observer.

67
Q

What type of waves are effected by the doppler effect?

A

All types of waves.

68
Q

what happens if the radius of an object in orbit decreases?

A

speed increases.

69
Q

In our solar system, the only star is the Sun.

Briefly describe the Sun’s formation.

A
  1. The Sun started as a nebula (a cloud of dust).
  2. Gravity pulled the dust and particles together.
  3. Gravity between the particles increased until it was strong enough to allow hydrogen gas to undergo nuclear fusion to make helium. This formed a protostar.
  4. This process let out a lot of energy which brought it into equilibrium with the gravitational energy.
  5. This state of equilibrium means that the Sun is now in the main sequence stage.
70
Q

Astronomers make observations of distant galaxies using telescopes on the Earth. The information that they obtain can tell us much about the nature of those galaxies and our universe.

These observations have led to discoveries about the distances and speeds of the galaxies and how our universe began and grew.

Suggest how the observations made from Earth have changed our understanding of how our universe was formed and developed.

A
  1. Red shift is a phenomenon where light moving towards us will have its wavelength altered based on the speed at which the emitter is moving away from us.
  2. By judging the red shift of light from certain celestial objects, we can tell how fast they are receding. This provides evidence for the fact that the universe is expanding.
  3. This expansion provides evidence for the Big Bang theory.
  4. Based on the relative speed of different galaxies and how far away they are, we can determine the age of the universe.

Edexcel GCSE Physics (10 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions