BYU ASTRONOMY EARTH-051 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE – Flashcards
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What is the bright star in the constellation Lyra?
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Vega
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What is the name of the North Star?
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Polaris
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Which of the following is the name of the constellation shown?
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Cepheus
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Identify this constellation.
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Perseus
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The Earth's axis points nearly exactly towards which of the deep space icons?
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Polaris
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How long is Earth's period of revolution?
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365 and 1/4 days, or one year
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How long is Earth's period of rotation?
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24 hours, or one day
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What is the reason for Earth's four seasons?
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Earth's axis is tilted 23.5 degrees from its plane of orbit around the sun.
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What are the two main types of telescopes?
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Reflecting and Refracting
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Isaac Newton made what important discovery involving concave mirrors?
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They cause the light rays to converge to a focus point.
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What is the optimum magnification for an eight-inch telescope?
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(8 x 15) = 120x
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True or False: Light changes direction when it changes mediums.
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True
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What is a CCD?
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A charge-coupled device
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Why can the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) produce better photographs of space than telescopes on earth?
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Light does not get distorted by the atmosphere.
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What term refers to how clear the sky is?
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Transparency
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What causes electromagnetic radiation?
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Vibrating electrons in an atom
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True or False: All electromagnetic waves travel at 300,000 km/sec in a vacuum.
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True
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What has the entire Electromagnetic Spectrum in the correct order for decreasing wavelength?
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radio infrared visible light ultraviolet X-ray gamma
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What is a photon?
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Tiny packet or bundle of energy.
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What are the three practical units of measurement for describing the distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri (the nearest star after the Sun)?
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Astronomical unit, light year, and parsec.
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Complete the following formula: speed x time =
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Distance
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One parsec is equivalent to how many light-years?
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3.26
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Which electromagnetic wave has the most energy?
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ultraviolet
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True or False: The number of times you will orbit the Sun in your lifetime will be the same as the number of days in your life.
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False
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Who was the first person to realize that mirrors could be used to construct a telescope?
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Newton
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True or False: Light leaving the earth would take a little more than one second to reach the Moon, 400,000 km away.
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True
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True or False: All types of electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed in a vacuum.
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True
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True or False: Reflecting telescopes often suffer from spherical aberration.
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True
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The apparent daily motion of the Sun, Moon, and stars from east to west is caused by...
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Earth's rotation
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True or False: The amount of light collected by a telescope is proportional to the area of its aperture.
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True
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What is the name of the bright star in this constellation?
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Deneb
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On March 21 the Sun is directly above which location?
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the Equator
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How fast do radio waves travel?
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300,000 km/s
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Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation: Polaris
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Ursa Minor
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Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation: Vega
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Lyra
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Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation: Deneb
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Cygnus
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Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation: Algol
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Perseus
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Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation: Altair
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Aquila
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What is the best way to obtain astronomical data?
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use a telescope in space
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True or False: The Hubble Space Telescope gives us much better images than Earth-based telescopes because it is much larger than Earth-based telescopes.
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False
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Identify the constellation shown.
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Ursa Minor
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The distance from the earth to the Sun has been called...
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astronomical unit
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True or False: The biggest telescopes in use today are refracting telescopes.
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False
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What is the name of this constellation?
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Cygnus
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Meaning "Earth-centered", what refers to the idea that planets rotate around the earth
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Geocentric
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Aristotle proposed that motion in three dimensions could be described using what two types of motion?
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Towards/away and around.
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Who created the theory of epicycles, thus explaining retrograde motion?
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Ptolemy
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Which group of people are credited with preserving most of the Greek astronomy we know today?
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Arabs
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Which Renaissance astronomer first detailed advantages of a sun-centered universe?
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Nicolaus Copernicus
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What is the difference between a sidereal and synodic period?
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A sidereal period is the time it takes for a planet to complete one orbit around the Sun; a synodic period is the time between two successive identical configurations, as seen from the earth.
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When a planet is at the point in its orbit nearest the Sun, it is called...
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perihelion
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Which bright star is found in Auriga?
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Capella
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Identify the Constellation.
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Orion
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Which star is the brightest star visible from Earth (excluding our sun)?
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Sirius
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Suppose Mercury takes twenty-one days to move from position P to position Q, and eighteen days to move from position R to position S. What do you know about the areas A and B?
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A is larger.
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True or False: Most of the names of the brightest stars are of Arabic origin.
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True
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True or False: All early astronomers before Copernicus believed that the world was flat.
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False
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First astronomer to use a telescope
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Galileo Galilei
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Theorized that planets do not move at uniform speeds throughout their orbits
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Johannes Kepler
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First modern astronomer to believe in a heliocentric universe
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Nicholas Copernicus
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Tried to prove heliocentric universe was wrong
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Tycho Brahe
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Calculated the circumference of Earth
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Eratosthenes
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Who proposed that gravity could actually bend light?
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Albert Einstein
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True or False: Planets in orbits closer to the Sun move faster than planets in orbits further away.
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True
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True or False: Planets do not orbit the Sun in perfectly circular orbits.
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True
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True or False: The synodic period is the amount of time for a planet to move from one configuration to the next identical configuration.
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True
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Aphelion is the point in a planetary orbit at which the planet is...
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farthest from the sun
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Who discovered Venus goes through phases, the Moon has mountains, valleys, and craters, the Sun has spots and rotates, and Jupiter is orbited by moons?
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Galileo
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True or False: Epicycles are smaller spheres attached to the larger deferents.
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True
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True or False: People of ancient Greece believed the world was shaped like a sphere.
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True
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What is the name of the bright star in the constellation shown?
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Sirius
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What is position 1 called?
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inferior conjunction
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True or False: When Saturn is at opposition we cannot see it because it is hiding behind the Sun.
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False
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What was the greatest contribution of Tycho Brahe to astronomy?
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He amassed a large number of precise measurements of stellar and planetary positions in the sky.
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What is the constellation shown?
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Canis Major
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What electromagnetic wave has the lowest frequency?
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infarred
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Who first proposed that the planets revolved around the sun?
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Aristarchus
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Where on the Earth do the sun's rays hit most directly when it is the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere?
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the Equator
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A planet has a rotation period of three hours. Which planet type is it most likely to be?
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Jovian
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Which terrestrial planet is the smallest?
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Mercury
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List planets in order from the Sun outward (Not all planets are listed)
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Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
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Identify the constellation.
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Andromeda
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What is the most convenient unit for comparing distances within the solar system?
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Astronomical Units
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What is the name for the planetary configuration when Jupiter, Earth, and Sun are in a line with the Earth in between Jupiter and the Sun?
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opposition
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What is position 3 called?
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Superior Conjunction
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Identify the constellation.
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Draco
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What could the time measured from a full moon to the next full moon be called?
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synodic period
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Name the brightest star in this constellation.
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Vega
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What is the darkest part of a planets shadow called?
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umbra
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When does the vernal equinox occur in the Northern Hemisphere?
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March 21
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Astronomers used to use film cameras along with telescopes to study the night sky. Which of the following devices replaced the traditional film camera as a tool to record what telescopes can see?
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charge-coupled device
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What would indicate a planet is Jovian?
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many satelites, fast rotation, comets, very cold, large, rings, fast period, low density, thick atmosphere, large, non-solid surface
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What would indicate a planet is terrestrial?
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hot, rocky, small, no rings, few/no satelites, slow period, high density, thin atmosphere, cratered surface, asteroids
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Which period can be readily observed?
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synodic period
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Which of the following inventions collects astronomical information other than visible light?
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radio telescope
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What is the name of the bright star in Canis Minor?
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Procyon
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Who invented the reflecting telescope?
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Newton
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What is the Great Red Spot?
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Huge storm on Jupiter
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What are Jupiter's four largest moons called?
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The Galilean Satellites
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On which planet are the fastest wind speeds found?
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Neptune
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The four Jovian planets (in order of increasing distance from the Sun) are:
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Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
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What is large, rocky debris in space called?
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asteroids
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Bodes's law led people to search for which of the following in between Mars and Jupiter?
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a small planet
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Gaps in the Asteroid Belt caused by the large gravitational pull of Jupiter are called...
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kirkwood gaps
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If a chunk of rock in space was 156 meters in diameter, it would it be a(n)...
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meteorioid
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Which direction does the ion tail of a comet always point?
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away from the sun
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Because new comets are being discovered every year, it is logical to believe there is a large group of comets farther away from the Sun. This is called the...
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oort cloud
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When a comet approaches the Sun, the icy core will start to vaporize. As the comet continues in its orbit, the vapor spreads out around the nucleus, thus forming the...
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coma
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True or False: The Apollo asteroids never cross Earth's orbit.
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False
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Which planet has the most moons?
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Jupiter
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Who was the astronomer who discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter?
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Galileo Galilei
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True or False: Jupiter rotates much faster than Earth does.
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True
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Where in the solar system does the asteroid belt lie?
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between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
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What planets have rings?
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Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune
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True or False: Jovian planets are larger than Terrestrial planets.
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True
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Please identify the constellation.
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Taurus
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Which moon has a thick atmosphere of nitrogen?
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Titan
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True or False: Because of the way in which it orbits the Sun, the temperature of Uranus is very different at its south pole than at its north pole.
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True
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A brief flash of light in the sky
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meteor
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rocks found on Earth that came from space
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meteorite
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small chunks of rocky material in space
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meteoroid
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"dirty snowballs"
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comets
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large chunks of rocky material in space
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asteroid
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True or False: A comet collided with Uranus in 1994.
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False
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What is the name of the bright star in the constellation?
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Aldeberan
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Einstein's theory of special relativity implied...
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Energy and matter are interchangeable.
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The total energy a star gives off is called its...
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luminosity
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When heat is transferred directly through atoms/molecules it is called...
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Conduction
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When heat is transferred because of the movement of molecules/atoms it is called...
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Convection
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When heat is transferred through waves that require no medium it is called...
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Radiation
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Star A is a first magnitude star. Star B is a sixth magnitude star. Which star is brighter and by how much?
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Star A is 100 times brighter than star B.
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How many magnitude 3 stars does it take to get as much light as one magnitude 2 star?
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2.5
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What is the relationship between absolute magnitude?
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Absolute magnitude is the apparent magnitude an object would have at a distance of ten parsecs.
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In the parallax equation D = 1/p, which of the following units is used to measure the distance?
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parsecs
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"Parallax" is when an object's ______ seems to shift as the point of view changes?
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position
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If a star is 11/8 parsecs away, what is its parallax angle (in fraction notation) in arc seconds?
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8/11
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High mass protostars first become what kind of stars?
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blue stars
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The central core that remains after a supernova is known as...
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A neutron star
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What is the process of accumulating material through the collision of smaller pieces of mass, due to their gravity called?
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Accretion
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What describes a nebula?
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A large cloud of gas and dust
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Stars that are hot, dim, and small are known as...
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white dwarves
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What is the correct order for the seven categories of stars?
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OBAFGKM
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Stars that are considerable larger and brighter than normal red giants are known as...
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supergiants
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True or False: A star's absolute magnitude is dependent on its distance from the observer.
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False
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True or False: Yellow stars, such as our sun, will one day explode in a supernova.
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False
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What would you conclude if you looked through the eyepiece of a telescope and observed two stars within the field of view, one orange and one light blue?
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the blue one is hotter
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What is the name of the bright star in the constellation?
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Regulus
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The process of accumulating material as described in the protoplanet hypothesis is called...
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accretion
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True o False: In order for the distance to an object to be measured using parallax, it must be viewed from two different locations.
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True
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After the Sun leaves the main sequence, it will evolve into a...
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red giant.
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True or False: The Sun's energy source is nuclear fusion.
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False
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True or False: Higher mass stars live longer on the main sequence than low mass stars.
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False
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The corpse of a low mass star is probably
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a white dwarf
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The 3 mechanisms for heat transfer are...
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convection, conduction, and radiation
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What's hotter, type A stars or type O stars?
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Type O
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What's the name of this constellation?
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Leo
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How fast is the Sun revolving around the center of the Galaxy?
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500,000 mi/hr
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Clusters of stars that are orbiting the galactic center at an angle are called what?
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Globular clusters
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What type of radiation can penetrate the dust clouds of our Galaxy, allowing us to see the spiral structure? (It is also known as 21 cm hydrogen radiation.)
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radio
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Who discovered the period-luminosity relation by observing Cepheid variables?
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Henrietta Leavitt
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What two properties of a Cepheid variable star do we need to know in order to calculate the approximate distance from Earth?
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apparent magnitude and luminosity
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Who developed a classification system for galaxies?
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Edwin Hubble
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Which of the following are the broad categories of galaxies? I. Spirals II. Barred Spirals III. Ellipticals IV. Irregulars
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all
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The matter that we can't see from earth is known as
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Dark Matter
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What is the "surface" or "boundary" of a black hole called?
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event horizon
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Observing a significant wobble in a star's orbit would suggest what possibility (if no binary star is visible)?
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its companion star became a black hole
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If the Sun were to become a black hole, what would happen to Earth?
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it would continue the same orbit
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Which type of radiation helped us map the galaxy?
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21 cm radio waves
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How long does it take the Sun to revolve around the center of the galaxy?
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200,000,000 years
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What galaxy is Earth near the center of?
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milky way galaxy
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Identify this constellation:
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Scorpius
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Henrietta Leavitt found that the brighter appearing Cepheids always had longer periods of light variation. This is an expression of what?
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period-luminosity relation
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True or False: Cepheid variables are useful for determining the distances to some galaxies.
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true
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The Local Group contains...
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24 galaxies
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What is the bright star in this constellation?
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Antares
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True or False: Quasars appear to be among the most distant objects known in the universe.
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True
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Name the two bright stars in this constellation.
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Betelguese & Rigel
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Who proposed that temperatures at the core of the sun were hot enough for thermonuclear fusion?
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Arthur Eddington
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Which color of light has the lowest frequency?
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red
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To which galactic cluster does our solar system belong?
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local group
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How are mass and luminosity related?
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Larger mass implies more luminosity.
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Who discovered 228 asteroids in the early 1890s by using photographic techniques?
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Max Wolf
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Which kind of star allows astronomers to estimate the distance to galaxy up to about 15 million light-years away?
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Cepheid variable stars
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Which stage of development is the sun at?
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yellow star
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What's the brightest star in this constellation?
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polaris
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What is the solid part of a comet called?
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nucleus
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When fusion begins in a high mass protostar, which kind of star is formed?
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blue star
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What is the name of Pluto's satellite?
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charon
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Identify the constellation:
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ursa minor
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About how many stars does an average galaxy contain?
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100 billion
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What are the four categories that galaxies are classified in?
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spiral, barred spiral, elliptical, and irregular
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Identify this constellation
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hercules
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What is another name for a 'shooting star?'
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meteor
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Why doesn't Venus have a magnetic field like the Earth?
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it doesn't rotate fast enough
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Where did the majority of stars fall on the H-R diagram?
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main sequence
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Which two gasses is Jupiter mostly made up of?
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hydrogen and helium
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What is the difference between a meteoroid and an asteroid?
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Meteoroids are small; asteroids are large.
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Who first attached a spectroscope to a telescope to study the spectrum of stars?
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Angelo Secchi
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What is the region called where most of the comets reside?
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oort cloud
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What is the dimmest magnitude star that can be seen with the naked eye?
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+6
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Which method allows us to estimate the distance to the furthest galaxies observable?
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Brightest galaxy in cluster
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Which lunar phase occurs immediately after full moon?
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waning gibbous
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Which process allows energy from the sun to reach the Earth?
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radiation
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Which satellite is the largest one in the Solar System?
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ganymede
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Identify this constellation:
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Aries
