Physics Final Flashcards
a light year equals what distance?
9.46 x 10 ^12 km or 5.88 x 10^12 miles
what event began the universe
the big bang
a constellation’s changing position in the sky, at the same time of the evening, over a period of several weeks is evidence that..
earth revolves around the sun
the telescope that solved the problem of color separation was the…
reflecting telescope
the Coriolis effect provides evidence that…
earth rotates on an axis
which telescope detects invisible electromagnetic radiation?
radio telescope
the period between successive full moons is
29.5 days, lunar month
each of earth’s standard time zones covers about how many degrees
15*c
a benefit that 20th and 21st century space programs have brought to an area outside of astronomy is…
weather, satellites in orbit provide information about weather all over Earth
the right combination of temperature, water, and oxygen
support life on earth
kepler’s first law states that planets orbit the sun in paths called
ellipse
young earth formed a core, mantle, and crust in a process called
differentiation
early fresh water oceans became salty when
rainwater carried dissolved solid rock to the oceans
the two inner planets most alike in size, mass, and density are…
Venus and earth
kepler’s third law describes the relationship between the average distance of a planet from the sun and the planet’s
orbital period
which planet has volcanic regions that may still be active?
mars
kepler’s second law states that equal areas are covered in equal amounts of time as an object
orbits the sun
which of the following planets has the most complex ring system
Saturn
the early atmosphere developed when many volcanic eruptions released large amounts of gases in a process called
outgassing
tide on earth are caused by
moon’s gravitational force
when a meteoroid hits earth, is is called a
meteorite
the idea that the moon’s development began when a large object collided with Earth is called the…
giant impact hypothesis
the moon today looks as it did 3 billion years ago because
the moon cooled more than 3 billion years ago
characteristics of the galilean moons
Io has active volcanoes
Europa is covered by an ice sheet
Callisto is densely cratered
differentiate between the oort cloud and the kuiper belt
kuiper belt is a disk shaped area visible outside saturn’s orbit, and made up of rocky asteroids.
oort cloud is a ring of dust and comets that circles the sun far beyond Pluto and made up of icy comets
how long is the average sunspot cycle
11 years
what is the hottest layer of the sun’s atmosphere called
the corona
energy is the result of
nuclear fusion
the temperature of the sun’s core is approximately
15,000,000*C
what elements make up most of the sun’s mass?
hydrogen and helium
what is a part of the sun’s atmosphere
photosphere and chromosphere
particles thrown off the sun’s corona that can affect Earth’s magnetic field are called
a coronal mass ejection
einstein’s equation E=mc^2 helps scientists understand the sun’s energy because the equation
explains how mass can be converted into huge amounts of energy
the most common element in most stars is
Hydrogen
stars appear to move in circular paths through the sky because
earth rotates on its axis
a nebula begins the process of becoming a protostar when the nebula
develops a redshift
the brightest star in the night sky is
Sirius
a main sequence star generates energy by fusing
hydrogen into helium
the heaviest element formed in the core of a star is
iron
the change in position of a nearby star as seen from different points on Earth’s orbit compared with the position of a faraway star is called
parallax
what do scientists think will happen to the sun in the next 5 billion years
the sun will enter the red giant stage, gorwing and engulfing Mercury, Venus, and Earth
if the spectrum of a star indicates that the star shines with red light, what is the approximate surface temperature of the star
less than 3500*C
explains why an old main-sequence star is made of a higher percentage of helium than a young main sequence star
the old main sequence star will have burned through its hydrogen, producing larger amounts of helium in the process. A young main sequence star is just starting and by starting it generates energy by fusing hydrogen into helium
how does the movement of earth affect the apparent movement of the stars in the sky
The movement of the Earth makes it appear as if the stars are shifting slightly to the west
