Topic 7 - Early Models Of The Solar System

Question 1

How did we find records of the sun moon and stars from a long time ago

Answer 1

Cave paintings, calendar devices and stone monuments

Question 2

What cultures preserved their records

Answer 2

Mayan and Babylonian

Question 3

What astronomers left us names and constellations

Answer 3

Greek, Indian and Persian

Question 4

Who reformed the calendar so that it spread throughout the Roman Empire

Answer 4

Julius Caesar

Question 5

What was the calendar called

Answer 5

Julian calendar

Question 6

Why was knowing the time of year important for farmers

Answer 6

So that they knew when the best time for planting crops was

Question 7

What do some cultures have a history of worshiping

Answer 7

Sun or moon gods

Question 8

What time of years where celebrated

Answer 8

Celestial events

Question 9

What do religions use to set important dates

Answer 9

Lunar calendars

Question 10

Myths and superstition would arise if they saw what and what did they think it would do

Answer 10

Abnormal things in the sky and way thought to herald change

Question 11

What did some cultures do to assist their observations

Answer 11

Built permanent monuments

Question 12

What is an astronomical unit

Answer 12

The mean distance between the earth and sun

Question 13

What is 1 au

Answer 13

149,600,000km or 150 million km rounded

Question 14

What is au used for

Answer 14

To determine the distances of planets

Question 15

How fast is light

Answer 15

3 x10 8

Question 16

What does a light year measure

Answer 16

How far light travels in 1 earth year

Question 17

What is 1 parsec in ly

Answer 17

3.26 ly

Question 18

How many km does light travel in one ly

Answer 18

9460 billion km

Question 19

For centuries what did astronomers think about the solar system

Answer 19

That the sun orbited the earth

Question 20

The geocentric model didn’t seem to work ,why?

Answer 20

The orbits of the inner planets seemed very elaborate and the outer planets sometimes appeared to move backwards

Question 21

What was Ptolemy theory

Answer 21

That there were cycles that the planet orbited and attached to each was its own cycle

Question 22

What was the name for the own planets cycle

Answer 22

Epicycles

Question 23

What is an epicycle

Answer 23

Rotational circular path of planet whilst circling around earth

Question 24

What is a deferent

Answer 24

Circular path around earth

Question 25

What is the equant

Answer 25

Point at opposite side of the deferent centre to earth

Question 26

What was the order of planets/satellites from closest to earth to furthest away in Ptolemy’s model

Answer 26

Moon, mercury, Venus, sun, mars