Astronomy Study Guide
About this set
Created by:
haskar1 on January 16, 2010
Subjects:
earth science, astronomy, geology, environmental science
Description:
Earth Science Final Exam Study Guide. Made up of study guides from each branch of Earth Science
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43 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 What are the 4 main branches of Earth Science? | Astronomy, Meteorology, Geology, and Oceanography |
| What are the units of measure for: mass, weight, density, volume, and length? | mass:gram, weight:Newton, density:mass/volume, volume:liter, length:meter |
| What is the difference between mass and weight? | Mass is a measure of how much matter an object has. Weight is how strongly gravity pulls on that object. |
| What is the formula for density? | Mass/Volume |
| What is the difference between Astronomy and Astrology? | Astronomy describes what is happening to the universe. Astrology is the effect on it to mankind based on the Solar System. |
| What do the terms "geocentric" and "heliocentric" mean? Which type of system did we believe in first? Which do we believe now? | Geocentric - Earth centered. Heliocentric - Sun centered. 1st-Geocentric. Now-Heliocentric |
| Aristotle | He said Earth is round. |
| Aristarchus | He was the first to believe in a Heliocentric Universe. |
| Eratosthenes | He found the approximate size of Earth. |
| Hipparchus | He made the first Star Catalog. |
| Ptolemy | He explained us being in a Geocentric Universe. Also described Retrograde Motion |
| Copernicus | He explained us being in a Heliocentric Universe. Said Earth was a planet. |
| Brahe | He made the first Stellar Parallax device. |
| Hubble | He discovered other Galaxy existence. Described Red and Blue shift. |
| Einstein | He is best known for Special and General relativity. |
| Galileo | He invented a telescope. He had three main observations: 1. Jupiter has 4 moons. 2. Sun has sunspots. 3. Moon's surface isn't smooth. |
| Newton | He described the Law of Universal Gravitation: Two objects exert a gravitational force of attraction on each other. Magnitude of the force is proportional to mass and inversly proportional to its distance. |
| Kepler | He described the Three Laws of Planetart Motion: 1. The orbit of the planets is an ellipse. 2. There are variations in the orbital speed of the planets (as the planets come close to the sun, they speed up). 3. Length of time it takes to orbit the sun is proportional to its distance away. |
| Why do stars twinkle? | As light passes the atmosphere, the waves are disrupted. |
| What is light pollution? | Light spectrum from artificial light. |
| What is inertia? | The tendancy on an object to move in a straight path unless acted upon by a force. |
| What does stellar parallax mean, and what is it used for? | Star shift. It measures the distance to stars. |
| What is the effect of distance from an object on parallax angles? | Closer stars = Larger angles. Further stars = Smaller angles. |
| What is a light year? How far is one light year? | The distance light travels in one Earth year. 1 Light year = 9.5 trillion km. |
| What are the 3 factors that influence a star's brightness? | How far it is. How big it is. How hot it is. |
| What is the difference between Apparent Magnitude and Absolute Magnitude? | Absolute Magnitude-True brightness. Apparent Magnitude-Brightness seen from Earth. |
| What is the name of the brightest star in the night sky? | Sirius |
| What is the name of the closest star (besides the Sun)? | Alpha Centauri |
| What does the term equinox mean? | Equal amount of day and night for 24 hours. |
| What are constellations and how do we use them? | Patterns of stars used to divide the sky. |
| How many internationally recognized constellations are there? | 88 |
| How do we determine the chemical composition of stars? | Using a spectroscope breaks it down into component spectrum. |
| What is the life cycle of a low mass star? | Main Sequence > White Dwarf |
| What is the life cycle of a high mass star? | Main Sequence > Red Giants > White Dwarf |
| What is the life cycle of an extremly high mass star? | Main Sequence > Supergiant > Supernova > Neutron Star/Black Hole |
| What force is most responsible for the formation of a star? | Gravity against mass (inertia) |
| What is Nuclear Fusion? | An atomic reaction that fuels stars. |
| What is Declination? | Latitude |
| What is Right Ascension? | Longitude |
| What is a Planisphere? | A star chart analog. |
| What are the two most abundant elements in the Universe? | Hydrogen and Helium |
| What are the catagories we use to separate stars according to temperature? (hottest to coldest) | Blue>White>Yellow>Red-Orange>Red |
| What are the categories we use to separate stars according to size? (biggest to smallest) | Supergiant>Giant>Medium>White Dwarf>Neutron |
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