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Astronomy > Units 1 & 2 > Flashcards

Units 1 & 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What two properties of a planet affect the gravity we feel on its surface?

A

Mass and radius.

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2
Q

Two planets have the same radius. If Planet A is 5 times more massive than Planet B, how does the gravity differ on the surfaces of the two planets?

A

The gravity is 5 times stronger on Planet A.

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3
Q

Say there were a planet X in our Solar System with a mass 1/4 the mass of Earth and a radius 1/2 the radius of Earth. How will the gravity on its surface compare to the surface gravity of Earth?

A

The surface gravity on Planet X is the same as the surface gravity on Earth.

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4
Q

A planet in a nearly circular orbit with its rotation axis tilted by five degrees relative to its orbital plane around its star would…

A

have seasons that are not very different from each other as compared to Earth’s.

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5
Q

The rotation axis of the Earth is…

A

tilted at about 23 degrees.

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6
Q

When is the waning gibbous moon highest in the sky?

A

About 3:00am.

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7
Q

At what time will the Moon set on the day of a Solar eclipse?

A

Sunset.

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8
Q

Stars that are in the same constellation …

A

are likely to be at very different distances from us.

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9
Q

The “North Star” is a star in the constellation of Ursa Minor, which lies just above
the North pole of Earth. Which of the following is true?

A

Ursa Minor is not a Zodiac constellation.

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10
Q

A particular Zodiac constellation is high in the sky at midnight in April. Where will
it be in October?

A

near the Sun in the daytime sky

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11
Q

What do you expect the spectrum of an object that is 1,000,000 Kelvin to be like?

A

It should peak at X-ray wavelengths.

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12
Q

As compared to a cool star, a hotter star emits …

A

shorter wavelength, higher frequency, bluer color

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13
Q

Radio waves can travel large distances without interference because …

A

they have longer wavelengths than visible light

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14
Q

Compared to ultraviolet radiation, X-rays have a wavelength that is …

A

shorter

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15
Q

Star A is 4000 K, and Star B is 8000 K. Which of the following is true?

A

The color of Star A is redder than Star B.

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16
Q

A star is a hot, dense gas surrounded by a cooler, low density atmosphere.
What type of spectrum will a star create?

A

Absorption spectrum.

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17
Q

What makes a transition from a lower energy state to a higher energy state when a
photon is absorbed into an atom?

A

electron

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18
Q

An emission line is produced when:

A

an electron passes from a higher to a lower energy level.

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19
Q

Bright lines in an emission spectrum represent

A

particular energies of light that are emitted from a distant object

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20
Q

The faintness of an object that a telescope can observe is mostly determined by the …

A

diameter of the opening of the telescope

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21
Q

In what ways does a 5 meter telescope outperform a 1 meter telescope?

A

Its images are 25 times brighter than a 1 meter.

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22
Q

A mountain top is a good location for optical telescopes because the site …

A

is above much of the atmosphere

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23
Q

Which statement about the rotation of the Inner planets is true?
A: Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the three others.
B: All rotate in the same direction.
C: The rotation periods of all of them are the same — i.e., 1 Earth day.
D: All have rotation periods of 365 Earth days.
E: All have rotation periods about equal to their periods to orbit the Sun.

A

Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the three others.

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24
Q

Which of the following is TRUE?
A: The average surface temperature of Venus is about 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
B: Mercury has a very thick atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide.
C: The runaway greenhouse effect causes the present temperatures on Mars to
exceed those on Earth.
D: Mercury rotates exactly one and a half times for every one revolution around
the Sun.
E: Venus has no volcanoes on its surface.

A

D: Mercury rotates exactly one and a half times for every one revolution around
the Sun.

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25
Q

Why do the orbits of the planets all lie in nearly the same plane?

A

The early solar nebula flattened into a disk.

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26
Q

Of these choices, which planet has the most moons?
A: Earth
B: Mercury
C: Saturn
D: Mars
E: Venus

A

Saturn

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27
Q

Venus is visible to us …

A

only near sunrise or sunset.

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28
Q

A planet is in orbit around the Sun. The semimajor axis of the orbit is
5 Astronomical Units (AU).
Use P
2
= a
3 to calculate the period of the orbit, in years.

A

11.2 years

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29
Q

How do most craters on moons form?

A

Impact of asteroids

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30
Q

Which planet has a temperature of 800 degrees Fahrenheit on the side facing the
Sun and –290 degrees Fahrenheit on the side opposite the Sun?

A

Mercury

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31
Q

How many Earth years does it take Uranus to orbit the Sun?

A

84

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32
Q

Meteors are…

A

asteroids or comet debris that pass into Earth’s atmosphere and burn up

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33
Q

Which feature of Neptune is most responsible for its blue color?

A

Methane in its atmosphere

34
Q

Which of the following is TRUE?
A: Neither Uranus or Neptune have ring systems.
B: The planet Saturn has more than 30 moons.
C: There is no evidence to suggest that either Jupiter or Saturn has a liquid
metallic or rocky core beneath its gas layers.
D: The Great Red Spot is a dust storm near the South polar cap of Mars.
E: Jupiter’s solid surface lies just below the cloud layers visible from Earth.

A

The planet Saturn has more than 30 moons.

35
Q

The surface of Venus is hotter than the surface of Mercury because …

A

Venus is more massive and is able to retain a thick atmosphere.

36
Q

Which of the following is moving fastest in the orbit?
A: Venus at its perihelion (closest point to Sun)
B: Venus at its aphelion (farthest point from Sun)
C: Mars at its perihelion (closest point to Sun)
D: Mars at its aphelion (farthest point from Sun)
E: Neptune at its aphelion (farthest point from Sun)

A

Venus at its perihelion (closest point to Sun)

37
Q

Which of the following is FALSE?
A: Venus has a density of 5.2 grams per cubic centimeter
B: All Terrestrial planets have densities much higher than the density of water
C: Saturn has a density of 4.8 grams per cubic centimeter, similar to metals like
aluminum and iron
D: The density of Jupiter is 1.3 grams per cubic centimeter, similar to the
density of milk.
E: The density of Mercury is greater than the density of Uranus.

A

C: Saturn has a density of 4.8 grams per cubic centimeter, similar to metals like
aluminum and iron

38
Q

Which of the following objects have a dark/black sky, even in the daytime?
A: both Venus and Mars
B: both Mercury and Mars
C: both the Moon and Earth
D: both the Moon and Mercury
E: both Earth and Titan

A

D: both the Moon and Mercury

39
Q

Which of the following is the largest distance?
A: the distance from Jupiter to Saturn
B: the distance from the Sun to the Earth
C: the distance from the Earth to the Moon
D: the distance from Earth to Mars
E: the distance from Mercury to Venus

A

A: the distance from Jupiter to Saturn

40
Q

“Tail always points away from the Sun”

A

Comets

41
Q

Which of the following is NOT required in order to classify a Solar System object as
a planet (instead of a dwarf planet)?
A: It must not be a moon around another object.
B: It must be massive enough to be nearly round.
C: It must orbit the Sun.
D: It must clear the region around its orbit.
E: It must be larger than all of the moons in the Solar System

A

E: It must be larger than all of the moons in the Solar System

42
Q

Which of the following planets looks the most like the Earth’s Moon?
A: Mercury
B: Venus
C: Neptune
D: Uranus
E: Mars

A

A: Mercury

43
Q

Which is NOT a characteristic of a comet?
A: tails point away from the Sun
B: tails become more prominent when comet is close to the Sun
C: highly elliptical orbit
D: most orbit the Sun in between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
E: they move slowly across the sky

A

D: most orbit the Sun in between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter

44
Q

What is the cause of an aurora?

A

Solar wind particles that hit the atmosphere of a planet.

45
Q

Which planets have temperatures lower than
–200 degrees Fahrenheit?

A

All the Jovian planets.

46
Q

If the Earth rotated more slowly on its axis than it does now,

A

its days would be longer.

47
Q

In the spectroscopy game, what did you do to produce a continuous spectrum with a bluer color?

A

Raised the temperature of the lamp.

48
Q

What is the name of the path of the Sun through the sky relative to the distant stars, as viewed from Earth over the course of the year?

A

Ecliptic.

49
Q

Approximately two weeks after a Solar Eclipse, what phase will the Moon be in?

A

Full

50
Q

What happens when the electrons in atoms of a particular chemical element jump from higher to lower energy levels?

A

bright lines appear in the spectrum at particular energy levels

51
Q

Lower-energy radiation has …

A

longer wavelengths

52
Q

The surface gravity on Jupiter is about three times as much as the surface gravity
on Earth. This means …

A

You cannot jump as high on Jupiter as on Earth.

53
Q

When are the days longest compared to the nights?

A

December 21 in the Southern hemisphere

54
Q

A reflecting telescope collects light …

A

in proportion to the area of its mirror.

55
Q

How more much more light does a 12-meter wide telescope collect than a 6-meter
telescope?

A

4 times as much.

56
Q

Compare frequency of x-ray versus regular visible light.

A

The X-ray has a larger frequency than visible light.

57
Q

How much time each year does the Sun spend in front of a constellation that is
NOT a Zodiac constellation?

A

none

58
Q

Which would have the shortest day and the shortest year?
A: The length of the day and the year have nothing to do with the rotation
of the planet or its motion around the Sun.
B: a planet that rotated quickly on its axis and orbited the Sun rapidly
C: a planet that rotated slowly on its axis and orbited the Sun rapidly
D: a planet that rotated slowly on its axis and orbited the Sun slowly
E: a planet that rotated quickly on its axis and orbited the Sun slowly

A

B: a planet that rotated quickly on its axis and orbited the Sun rapidly

59
Q

When does the New Moon set?

A

sunset

60
Q

Compared to ultraviolet radiation, X-rays have a wavelength that is …

A

shorter

61
Q

Constellations close to the North pole of Earth …

A

move in a circle around the North star, Polaris, over the course of a night

62
Q

Compared to blue light, red light has …

A

longer wavelength, smaller frequency, smaller energy

63
Q

In what ways does a 30-meter wide telescope outperform a 10-meter telescope?

A

Its images are 9 times brighter than a 10 meter.

64
Q

In the figure above, what type of line will be produced in the spectrum and what
type of particle is moving along the white arrow from a lower to a higher energy level?

A

Absorption line, electron

65
Q

The density of water is 1 gram per cubic cm.
What about the density of most gases?

A

much less than 1 gram per cubic cm

66
Q

Which of the following planets rotates the slowest?
A: Jupiter
B: Uranus
C: Saturn
D: Neptune
E: Venus

A

E. Venus

67
Q

There’s a Kuiper belt and an Oort cloud. Both have comets.
What is the difference?

A

Comets from the Oort cloud have longer periods.

68
Q

What chemical compound that permeates the surface of Mars gives the Martian soil
its distinctive color?

A

Iron Oxide

69
Q

The planets in our solar system are thought to have come from …

A

the same cloud of gas and dust in which the Sun formed

70
Q

Which planet does NOT have a solid surface?
A: Jupiter
B: Mercury
C: Venus
D: Mars
E: Earth

A

A: Jupiter

71
Q

Could there be a place where it would never be day on Mercury?

A

There could be a crater that is always in shadow since there is water ice that
survives.

72
Q

Which objects orbit the Sun in highly elliptical orbits?

A

Comets

73
Q

What is a dwarf planet?

A

A dwarf planet is any object orbiting the Sun that is large enough to be
round but not one of the 8 planets.

74
Q

The densities of the four Terrestrial planets are similar to each other. This means …

A

they are made of similar substances

75
Q

What is an Astronomical Unit (AU)?

A

the distance between the Earth and the Sun

76
Q

“Always are within our Solar System”?

A

Asteroids/Meteors (NOT Comets)

77
Q

Traveling at the same speed, which would take longer?
A: a trip from Earth to Mars
B: a trip from Mars to Jupiter
C: a trip from Uranus to Neptune
D: a trip from Venus to Earth
E: a trip from the Sun to Venus

A

C: a trip from Uranus to Neptune

78
Q

What is the most distant planet from the Sun?
A: Mercury
B: Mars
C: Neptune
D: Saturn
E: Uranus

A

C: Neptune

79
Q

Could astronauts survive on the surface of Titan without a space suit — maybe just
with an oxygen mask or something?

A

No, it is far too cold.

80
Q

What is NOT true about Earth’s atmosphere?
A: It shields us from harmful ultra-violet radiation coming from the Sun.
B: It has more Carbon Dioxide than Venus, so is heated more than Venus
by the Greenhouse effect.
C: It is related to the reason the sky is blue.
D: It protects us from meteors (chunks of rock falling to Earth, known as
“shooting stars”) since they burn up in the atmosphere before reaching Earth.
E: It contains 78 % nitrogen

A

B: It has more Carbon Dioxide than Venus, so is heated more than Venus
by the Greenhouse effect.

Astronomy (2 decks)

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