Vocab for Kelly

Question 1

Solar Nebula

Answer 1

A large cloud of gas and dust from which the sun, planets, and other solar system bodies formed.

Question 2

Gravity

Answer 2

the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass.

Question 3

Fusion

Answer 3

the process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single entity.

Question 4

Star

Answer 4

a fixed luminous point in the night sky which is a large, remote incandescent body like the sun.

Question 5

Infrared Light

Answer 5

infrared is light rays which are longer than light but shorter than radio waves. Electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between . 7 and 300 micrometres is an example of infrared.

Question 6

Visible Light

Answer 6

capable of being seen stars visible to the naked eye. b : situated in the region of the electromagnetic spectrum perceptible to human vision visible light —used of radiation having a wavelength between about 400 nanometers and 700 nanometers.

Question 7

Ultraviolet Light

Answer 7

situated beyond the visible spectrum at its violet end —used of radiation having a wavelength shorter than wavelengths of visible light and longer than those of X-rays. 2 : relating to, producing, or employing ultraviolet radiation.

Question 8

Matter

Answer 8

physical substance in general, as distinct from mind and spirit; (in physics) that which occupies space and possesses rest mass, especially as distinct from energy.

Question 9

Planetary Nebula

Answer 9

a ring-shaped nebula formed by an expanding shell of gas around an aging star.

Question 10

White Dwarf

Answer 10

a small very dense star that is typically the size of a planet. A white dwarf is formed when a low-mass star has exhausted all its central nuclear fuel and lost its outer layers as a planetary nebula.

Question 11

Red Giant

Answer 11

a very large star of high luminosity and low surface temperature. Red giants are thought to be in a late stage of evolution when no hydrogen remains in the core to fuel nuclear fusion.

Question 12

Main Sequence Star

Answer 12

the group of stars that on a graph of spectrum versus luminosity forms a band comprising 90 percent of stellar types and that includes stars representative of the stages a normal star passes through during the majority of its lifetime.

Question 13

Electromagnetic

Spectrum

Answer 13

the entire range of wavelengths or frequencies of electromagnetic radiation extending from gamma rays to the longest radio waves and including visible light.

Question 14

Element

Answer 14

each of more than one hundred substances that cannot be chemically interconverted or broken down into simpler substances and are primary constituents of matter. Each element is distinguished by its atomic number, i.e. the number of protons in the nuclei of its atoms.

Question 15

Hydrogen

Answer 15

a colorless, odorless, highly flammable gas, the chemical element of atomic number 1.

Question 16

Helium

Answer 16

the chemical element of atomic number 2, an inert gas which is the lightest member of the noble gas series.

Question 17

Proton

Answer 17

a stable subatomic particle occurring in all atomic nuclei, with a positive electric charge equal in magnitude to that of an electron, but of opposite sign.

Question 18

Neutron

Answer 18

a subatomic particle of about the same mass as a proton but without an electric charge, present in all atomic nuclei except those of ordinary hydrogen.

Question 19

Nucleus

Answer 19

the central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth.

Question 20

Photon

Answer 20

a particle representing a quantum of light or other electromagnetic radiation. A photon carries energy proportional to the radiation frequency but has zero rest mass.

Question 21

Cosmology

Answer 21

the science of the origin and development of the universe. Modern astronomy is dominated by the Big Bang theory, which brings together observational astronomy and particle physics.

Question 22

Universe

Answer 22

all existing matter and space considered as a whole; the cosmos. The universe is believed to be at least 10 billion light years in diameter and contains a vast number of galaxies; it has been expanding since its creation in the Big Bang about 13 billion years ago.

Question 23

Big Bang Theory

Answer 23

:a theory in astronomy: the universe originated billions of years ago in a rapid expansion from a single point of nearly infinite energy density

Question 24

Emission Spectrum

Answer 24

a spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a source.

Question 25

Spectrometer

Answer 25

an apparatus used for recording and measuring spectra, especially as a method of analysis.

Question 26

Wavelength

Answer 26

the distance between successive crests of a wave, especially points in a sound wave or electromagnetic wave.

Question 27

Frequency

Answer 27

the rate at which something occurs or is repeated over a particular period of time or in a given sample.

Question 28

Expansion

Answer 28

the action of becoming larger or more extensive.

Question 29

Contraction

Answer 29

the process of becoming smaller.

Question 30

Galaxy

Answer 30

a system of millions or billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.

Question 31

Interstellar Cloud

Answer 31

An interstellar cloud is generally an accumulation of gas, plasma, and dust in our and other galaxies. … Neutral and ionized clouds are sometimes also called diffuse clouds. An interstellar cloud is formed by the gas and dust particles from a red giant in its later life.

Question 32

Red Shift

Answer 32

the displacement of spectral lines toward longer wavelengths (the red end of the spectrum) in radiation from distant galaxies and celestial objects. This is interpreted as a Doppler shift that is proportional to the velocity of recession and thus to distance.

Question 33

Blue Shift

Answer 33

the displacement of the spectrum to shorter wavelengths in the light coming from distant celestial objects moving toward the observer.

Question 34

Doppler Effect

Answer 34

an increase (or decrease) in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves as the source and observer move toward (or away from) each other. The effect causes the sudden change in pitch noticeable in a passing siren, as well as the redshift seen by astronomers.

Question 35

Newton’s Law of Universal

Gravitation

Answer 35

a law stating that any two masses attract each other with a force equal to a constant (constant of gravitation) multiplied by the product of the two masses and divided by the square of the distance between them.

Question 36

Plasma

Answer 36

an ionized gas consisting of positive ions and free electrons in proportions resulting in more or less no overall electric charge, typically at low pressures (as in the upper atmosphere and in fluorescent lamps) or at very high temperatures (as in stars and nuclear fusion reactors).

Question 37

Solar System

Answer 37

the collection of eight planets and their moons in orbit around the sun, together with smaller bodies in the form of asteroids, meteoroids, and comets.

Question 38

Absorption Spectrum

Answer 38

a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through a substance, showing dark lines or bands due to absorption of specific wavelengths.