Astronomy the study of the universe Galaxy a collection of star systems Solar System the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it in its gravitational field Local Group a group of about 30 galaxies that includes the Milky Way Astronomical Unit a unit of length used for distances Read more…
How many constellations are in the sky? 88 Why is looking in the sky like looking back in time? Because the objects in space are so far from us that not even the speed of light can reach us in a timely manner. How fast does light travel? 300,000 kilometers Read more…
Zodiac A belt about 16° wide around the sky centered on the ecliptic, containing 12 constellations Wien’s Law of Radiation The wavelength, max, at which a blackbody emits the greatest amount of radiation is inversely proportional to its temperature (T). max =0.3/T Parallax One half of the apparent change in Read more…
Atmosphere (There is an *atmosphere* of peace and calm in the country, quite different from the *atmosphere* of a big city.) n. the gases surrounding a planet; the way a particular place makes someone feel ( 气，大气层) Atmospheric (Rust results from the slow combination of iron with *atmospheric* oxygen and Read more…
star (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior galaxy a collection of star systems Big Bang Theory the theory that states that the universe began with a tremendous explosion aout 13.7 years ago Black Hole an object so massive and Read more…
stellar nebula first phase of a star’s life cycle average star and massive star stellar nebula splits into which two categories? red giant next star phase after average star is ______ ________ planetary nebula after red giant is _______ ________ white dwarf after planetary nebula is ______ ________, also the Read more…
Big Bang the theory that the universe originated 13.7 billion years ago from the cataclysmic explosion of a small mass of matter at extremely high density and temperature – generated the expansion of motion that we observe today distribution of galaxies scattered across approx. uniformly – therefore, universe is approx. Read more…
What is interesting about Jupiter’s rotation period? Fastest in the solar system Essentially, the Great Red Spot is A large cyclonic system (hurricane) Alternating zones of rising & sinking gas in Jupiter’s atmosphere create Light & dark bands What is thought to lie at the center of Jupiter? A massive Read more…
Astronomy The science that studies the universe. It includes the observation and interpretation of celestial bodies and phenomena. Nebula Rotating clouds of interstellar gas or dust composed of hydrogen and helium Terrestrial Planets Planets that are small and rocky– Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars Jovian Planets The huge gas giants–Jupiter, Read more…
Electromagnetic Radiation Another term for light, electromagnetic radiation transfers energy and information form one place to another. Visible Light The small range of the electromagnetic spectrum that human eyes perceive as light. The visible spectrum ranges fro about 400-700 nm, corresponding to blue through red light. Radio Waves Electromagnetic radiation Read more…
The ESA satellite which gave us our most accurate distances to stars is called Hippacros If two stars differ in brightness by 5 magnitudes, the light ratio received by us is ______ to 1 100x In comparing first magnitude Deneb with second magnitude Polaris, we find that Deneb appears 2.5x Read more…
What scientist is believed to have started modern astronomy? Copernicus What are the five scientists believed to have given birth to modern astronomy? Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, Newton What is the Heliocentric Model? Sun Centered Model What is the Geocentric Model? Earth Centered Model The 20th Century is known as Read more…
field of view the region you can see in the image solar system consists of the sun, its family of planets, and some smaller bodies, such as moons and comets planets small, spherical, non-luminous bodies that orbit a star and shine by reflected light star a self-luminous ball of hot Read more…
astro concerning the stars, the planets, or space astronomy the scientific study of the sun, moon, stars, etc astrophysics the scientific study of the chemical nature of the stars and the natural forces that influence them astrology the art of understanding the supposed influence of the sun, moon, stars, and Read more…
Electromagnetic Radiation Another term for light, transfers energy and information from one to another Visible Light Small range of the electromagnetic spectrum that human eyes perceive as light Radio Region of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radiation of the longest wavelengths Infrared Region of the electromagnetic spectrum just outside the Read more…
The (blank) have larger radii than the (blank) planets 1)jovian 2)terrestrial A (blank) theory of the formation of the solar system uses sudden events that drastically alter the form of the early solar system. catastrophic the dirty snowball model is used as a model for the physical structure of (blank) Read more…
does astronomy predict the motion of planets? No An example of change from mythical to geometric universe is: change from tabulated data to models what is the difference between mythical and geometric universes? mythical is based upon storytelling (constellations and folklore) and geometric universe is based off of data, reasoning, Read more…
Lunar Eclipse An eclipse in which the moon appears darkened as it passes into the earth’s shadow. This happens on a full moon. Solar Eclipse An eclipse in which the sun is obscured by the moon. This happens on a new moon. Penumbra The shadow cast by the earth or Read more…
Francis Bacon Philosophy -formulated the scientific method • proposed that science is inductive—it proceeds • believed that science should improve people’s lives Robert Boyle Chemistry • discovered the relationship between the volume of a gas and the pressure exerted on it Margaret Cavendish Philosophy • speculated on the nature of Read more…
It is much easier to build large reflectors than large refractors True The light gathering ability of a telescope is most dependent on the diameter of its primary objective (collecting area) True One reason for building telescopes on mountain tops is that they improve seeing by reducing the amount of Read more…