Unit 4 - Astronomy Part 1 (Seasons) Flashcards
Most objects in the solar system are in _____ motion.
regular and predictable
The closer a planet is to the sun, the _____ the gravitational attraction.
stronger
The closer a planet is to the sun, the _____ its velocity as it orbits.
faster
All planets orbit in elliptical shaped orbits with the sun at one _____.
foci
Gravity is greatest when the…
mass of objects is large and the distance between them is low.
As the distance between foci increases, the eccentricity…
increases (closer to 1)
The apparent diameter of objects gets _____ when they are closer.
larger
The more circular the orbit is the _____ eccentric it is.
less
The _____ model has Earth in the center.
Geocentric
The closer the eccentricity is to _____ the more circular it is.
0
The closer the eccentricity is to _____ the more eccentric the orbit is.
1
The _____ model has the sun in the center.
heliocentric
The shape of earth’s orbit is…
extremely round, almost perfect but is slightly elliptical (on ESRT)
To people on Earth, the _____ of the planet makes it seem as though the Sun, Moon, and the stars are moving around the Earth once a day.
rotation
Stars like the Sun appear to move at _____ because the Earth rotates _____.
15 degrees per hour
The only star that does not appear to move is _____ because it is directly above the Earth’s axis of rotation.
Polaris
The Earth rotates from west to east over 24 hours at a rate of _____.
15 degrees per hour
The Earth revolves completely around the Sun in …
365 1/4 days at a rate of 1 degree per day.
All celestial objects appear to move from _____ in the sky.
east to west
_____ are evidence that the Earth rotates.
Foucault’s pendulum and Coriolis effect
Winds and ocean currents are deflected (curved) because of _____.
the coriolis effect
Evidence that the Earth is revolving around the Sun: _____ and _____
changing seasons and constellations.
Earth revolves around the Sun with its axis tilted _____ degrees.
23.5
The Earth’s North Pole is aligned with _____.
Polaris
_____ are caused by: Earth’s revolution around the Sun, the tilt of Earth’s axis, and parallelism of Earth’s axis.
Earth’s seasons
The _____ causes unequal heating of Earth’s atmosphere and this produces seasons.
tilt of Earth’s axis
The Earth is closer to the Sun during New York’s _____ season.
winter
The Sun appears _____ in our winter.
larger (because we are closer to the Sun)
_____ - The Earth is closer to the Sun.
Perihelion
_____ - The Earth is farthest away from the Sun.
Aphelion
The higher the altitude of the Sun, the _____ the shadow.
shorter
Shadows are the _____ at sunrise and sunset.
longest
Shadows are the _____ at noon.
shortest
Noon shadows are the shortest in NY on _____
June 21st
Noon shadows are the longest in NY on _____
December 21st
The altitude of the sun is only measured in …
degrees (do not give a compass direction like north or south)
Winter Solstice is around _____
December 21st
On the winter solstice the northern hemisphere is tilted _____ .
away from the Sun
On the winter solstice the direct rays of the sun hit the _____
Tropic of Capricorn 23.5 degrees South
On the winter solstice the sunrise is _____, sunset is _____in NYS.
sunrise is SE, sunset is SW
On the winter solstice the duration of insolation is _____ in NYS.
9 hours
On the winter solstice there are _____ hours of night at the North Pole and _____ of daylight at the South Pole.
24 hours of night at the North Pole and 24 of daylight at the South Pole
The dates of the equinoxes are…
March 21st (Vernal equinox) September 21st (Autumnal equinox)
On the Equinoxes the direct rays of the sun hit _____.
the Equator (0 degrees latitude)
On the Equinoxes the sunrise is in the _____ and sunset is in the _____ in NYS.
sunrise is in the east and sunset is in the west
On the Equinoxes there are ___ hours of day and night.
12 hours of day and night (everywhere on Earth)
The Summer solstice is around _____.
June 21st
On the Summer Solstice the northern hemisphere is _____
tilted toward the sun
On the Summer Solstice the direct rays of the sun hit the ______.
Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees North)
On the Summer Solstice sunrise is _____ sunset is _____ in NYS.
sunrise is NE sunset is NW
The Sun will never be _____ in NYS.
directly overhead (90 degrees)
The Sun will only be directly above ____ degrees North and _____ degrees South.
23.5 degrees North and 23.5 degrees South (Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn)
The _____ is the point directly over your head (90 degrees)
zenith
Insolation stands for ______.
IN-coming SOLar radiATION (radiation from the Sun)
_____ means how long is the sun up over the horizon.
Duration
The _____ the Sun is in the sky, the more intense it is.
higher
The duration of insolation is ____ hours on the Equinox.
12
As the Sun’s angle increases, the Sun’s _____ increases.
intensity
In NYS an observer must always look ______ to see the noon Sun.
South
The sun is never at an observer’s ______ in NYS
zenith (90 degrees)
Black objects absorb ______ than white.
more energy
The duration of insolation at the Equator is ______ hours.
always 12
Objects with a rough surface absorb ______ than smooth surfaces.
more energy
