Astronomy eoc review notes – Flashcards
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Absolute zero is
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the temperature at which atom have no remaining energy from which we can extract heat.
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The process of removing an electron from a stable nucleus is known as
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ionization
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The __ of a gas is a measure of the average speed of the particles in the gas
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temperature
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the lowest energy level in an atom is
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the ground state
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The _ is responsible for binding the electrons to the nucleus
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Coulomb Force
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_ is a set of rules that describes how atoms and subatomic particles behave
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Quantum mechanics
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Atoms that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons are called
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isotopes
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What is the order of star colors with increasing temperature?
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Red, yellow, blue
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The bluer the light, the __ each photon contains
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more energy
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The Doppler effect states that the motion of any object can
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shift the wavelength of spectral lines
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Granulation is caused by
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convection below the photosphere
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most of the visible light we see coming from the sun originates from the
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photosphere
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The __ coincides with the period known as the "little ice age" of Europe and North America. This provides one piece of evidence that suggests a link between solar activity and the amount of solar energy Earth receives.
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Maunder minimum
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The sun creates energy through the process of
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nuclear fusion
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The __ occurs when a rapidly rotating conductor is stirred by convection to produce a magnetic field
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dynamo effect
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The sun's magnetic field is evident in the looped shapes of
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prominences
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A __ is believed to occur when energy, stored in a twist in the solar magnetic field above a sunspot, is suddenly released.
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solar flare
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The __ is the hot gases that are the moving extension of the sun's corona.
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solar wind
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The corona of the sun can be observed
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during a solar eclipse
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What are the three layers of the sun's atmosphere, in order from increasing distance form the sun's surface
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photosphere, chromosphere, corona
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As a main sequence star exhausts hydrogen in the core, it next becomes
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a red giant star
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A mass is transferred in a normal star in a binary system toward a white dwarf, the material forms a rapidly growing whirlpool of material known as
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accretion disk
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The Crab Nebula is
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supernova remnant
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A planetary nebula is
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the expelled outer envelope of a low-mass star.
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The Chandrasekhar limit tells us that
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white dwarfs more massive than 1.4 solar masses are not stable.
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A type I supernova is believed to occur when
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a white dwarf exceeds the Chandrasekhar limit.
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Massive stars cannot generate energy through iron fusion because
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both fusion and fission of iron nuclei absorb energy.
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A nova is almost always associated with
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a white dwarf in a close binary system
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A type-II supernova
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occurs when the iron core of a massive star collapses
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A white dwarf is composed of
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carbon and oxygen nuclei and degenerate electrons.
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For a star of sun-like mass, what is the last stage of the nuclear fusion?
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helium to carbon
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What nuclear fusion mechanism does an isolated white dwarf use to generate energy?
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they don't generate their own energy
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Where are elements heavier than iron primarily produced?
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Supernovae
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The iron in our solar system was created from smaller atomic nuclei in
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supernovas
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The hydrogen in our solar system was created from subatomic particles in __
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the big bang
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An extrasolar planet is
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a planet found orbiting around a star other than the sun.
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The first very small solid grains formed in our solar system by the process of __ the addition of material of an object an atom or molecule at at time.
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condensation
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After the first solid grains formed in our solar system, these particles could then grow by the process of __, the collision and sticking of one particle with another to continue the formation of planetesimals.
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accretion
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Protoplanets
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grew in size by the collision and the collecting of planetesimals.
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__ is the seperation of material in a newly formed planet or asteroid according to density. this happens when the object becomes molten.
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Differentiation
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A newly formed planet or large asteroid becomes molten due to __
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the decay of radioactive element
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A __ is a solar system object that enters Earth's atmosphere and becomes very hot due to friction between the object and Earth's atmosphere. It does not survive to reach the surface.
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meteor
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The condensation sequence suggest that __ should condense as solids closest to the sun.
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metals and silicates.
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The asteroid belt is found between which two planets' orbits?
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Mars and Jupiter
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The theory that Mercury shrank slightly when it was young has been proposed to explain
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lobate scarps
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The geology of Venus appears to be dominated by
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volcanism
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The flow patters found on the surface of Mars and the number of craters on top of them suggest that
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the climate on Mars was different billions of years ago.
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__ is a very long and deep canyon on Mars.
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Valles Marineris
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Besides Earth, which of the terrestrial planets and satellites of terrestrial planets show evidence for the possible existence of liquid water flowing on its surface in the past?
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Mars
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What physical property of Venus is vastly dissimilar compared to Earth?
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Surface temps
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In terms of mass, Jupiter is made mostly of
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hydrogen and helium
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__ are Kuiper belt objects that are in a 3:2 resonance orbit with the orbit of Neptune
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Plutinos
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As a moon in a very elliptical orbit moves closer to and then further from a planet, gravity flexes the moon with tides, and friction heats the interior. This process is known as
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tidal heating
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The old surface of icy satellites of Jovian planets
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appear dark in color with many impact craters
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Which of the following moons have organic material on its surface due to the interaction of sunlight with methane in its upper atmosphere?
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Titan
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The rotation of Uranus is peculiar in that
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it is nearly parallel to its orbit
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__ is a satellite of Pluto
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Charon
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Europa has few craters because
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it has erased craters nearly as fast as they have formed.
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Saturn's rings are
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all of the above
