Astronomy Unit 1 Test – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
the study of the heavens, everything beyond the earth's atmosphere to the most distance reaches of the universe.
answer
Astronomy
question
Astronomy is a science, based solely on observations and facts. Science is about using facts to form, __________, testing those ideas, and devising accepted explanations for this knowledge.
answer
Hypothesis
question
What is the diameter of the earth in miles?
answer
8000 miles
question
What is the ratio of the earth's diameter to the moons?
answer
4 to 1
question
If the earth/moon distance is about 237,000 miles and the earth's circumference is 24,725 miles, what is the ratio of earth distance to earth circumference?
answer
10 to 1
question
How many times bigger is the diameter of the sun than the diameter of the earth?
answer
100 times
question
The name of these solar system bodies means "wanderer".
answer
Planets
question
We use the earth's distance from the sun as a good unit for measuring the scale of the solar system. What do we call this distance?
answer
Astronomical Unit
question
The_________is the name of the galaxy that our star(sun) and solar system area a part of.
answer
Milky Way
question
Distances in the galaxy are too big to be measured with AU, so we use the distance that light travels during the course of an entire year, which is a _______________.
answer
Light Year
question
Light travels at ____________ miles per second.
answer
186,000
question
Powers of ten notation is used so we don't have to write all the _____ in a number. The decimal goes behind the first digit and then you use "times ten to the nth power."
answer
Zeros
question
In scientific notation, 5.3297 x 10^5 is the number
answer
532,970
question
Just as stars are grouped into galaxies, galaxies are grouped into galaxy clusters. The ___________ is the cluster of galaxies the Milky Way belongs to.
answer
Local Groups
question
Galaxy clusters form an even greater assemblage of galaxies called superclusters. These superclusters make up the _________, the largest astronomical structure that we know of.
answer
Universe
question
The_________________ is the process of observing a phenomenon, proposing a hypothesis on the basis of the observations, and then testing the hypothesis.
answer
Scientific Method
question
(before 500BC)- this is a time in which man observed the motions of the sun, moon, and stars and learned to use their cyclical behavior to keep time and determine direction.
answer
Prehistoric
question
(1650 to present)- scientists began to search for the physical laws (the law of gravity, etc.) that govern the universe.
answer
Modern
question
(1400 to 1650)- in this period, scientists took a look at old ideas and found them to be inaccurate, so they devised new models that took into account all observations made over the centuries.
answer
Renaissance
question
(500 BC to 1400 AD)- during this period, scientists began to make measurements of the heavens and used geometry to construct models that account for the motion of heavenly bodies.
answer
Classical
question
______________, brought far away objects into focus.
answer
Telescope
question
in optics, electronics and computers, as well as mathematical advances like calculus, have shaped our view of astronomy today.
answer
Technological Advances
question
Knowledge of the cynical movements of heavenly bodies was crucial to early man because these movements could be used as ____________ and calendars
answer
Time Keepers
question
Celtics peoples built elaborate monuments, such as ___________ to mark the passage of the sun across the sky, indicating the beginning of the seasons.
answer
Stonehenge
question
Native Americans used the presence of ______________ in the sky to indicate tribal activity such as moving to a different hunting ground or planting crops.
answer
Constellations
question
M0st cultures view the stars as being affixed to a sphere surrounding the earth. This representation of the sky is known as the ___________________.
answer
Celestial Sphere
question
Patterns of stars on the celestial sphere are known as_________________.
answer
Constellations
question
If the celestial sphere was said to spin, then there are two areas that do not spin, the _________ __________. (We know these poles to be the axis on which the earth spins)
answer
Celestial Poles
question
There is a star positioned directly over the north pole (Polaris, the north star) that does not appear to move. It was very important to early travelers because it always marked the direction of true _____.
answer
North
question
Above the earth's equator is another useful sky marker, the ______________. It marks the boundary between northern and southern hemisphere constellations as well as giving us a reference for the earth's rotation.
answer
Celestial Equator
question
Annual motion is not cause by the rotation of the earth, but rather by the earth's ________ around the sun and is the reason for the seasons.
answer
Orbit
question
The earth's __________ is the spinning of the earth on its axis which causes day and night.
answer
Movement
question
The _________ is the path traced by the sun as it moves through the constellations . (This is not the same line as the celestial equator )
answer
Ecliptic
question
We call the two days that the sun rises due east the _________. There is one spring (vernal) and fall (autumnal) each year & the hours of sunlight and darkness on the earth at this time are equal.
answer
Equinoxes
question
The day in which the sun appears to move across the most northerly path is the summer __________.
answer
Solstice
question
The day in which the sun appears to move across the most southerly path is the __________ solstice.
answer
Winter
question
Ancient Mayans built large pyramids to allow them a clear view of the planet _______ which they based their complex and accurate calendar on.
answer
Venus
question
The movement of planets can be confusing to those studying the night sky because the planets do not move across the sky in unison with the _________.
answer
Stars
question
The planets are always found in the _______ constellations, which are centered in a narrow band along the ecliptic.
answer
Zodiac
question
Planets normally move toward the ________ through the stars and can be seen night after night in nearly the same place, moving only slightly each night.
answer
East
question
Sometimes, because of a combination of the earth's orbit and other motions, a planet may appear to move from east to wear! We call this movement _____________ motion.
answer
Retrograde
question
The moon, like the stars appears to ______ in the east and set in the west.
answer
Rise
question
The moon also goes through _________ caused by sunlight hitting it as it orbits the earth.
answer
Phases
question
The phases of the moon always progress from __________.
answer
Right to Left
question
It takes the moon about a _______ to orbit the earth.
answer
Month
question
There are two kinds of eclipses. Which occurs when the moon passes through all or part of the earth's shadow?
answer
Lunar
question
Who was the mathematician who taught that the earth was round?
answer
Phythagoras
question
Two hundred years later, Aristotle argued that the earth was round because of the earth'a shadow cast during lunar eclipses and the fact that you see different groups of _________ as you move across the earth.
answer
Stars
question
A shift in a star's apparent position due to a change in position of the earth as it orbits the sun is called _________.
answer
Parallax
question
Ptolemy described retrograde movement of the planets with the term ______ or mini circle. This description was very complex and fancy, but it was wrong!
answer
Epicycle
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New