Astronomy Test 3 Flashcards
What type of star is the sun?
Main Sequence
What type of fusion occurs in the sun?
Nuclear Fusion
Core
Center of the sun; produce energy by fusing hydrogen into helium.
Radiative Zone
Located outside the core where energy moves outwards via radiation
Convective Zone
Hot gas rises and cools
Photosphere
Surface of the sun that we can see
Chromosphere
Inner layer of sun’s atmosphere
Corona
Thin outer atmosphere; easiest to see during a solar eclipse
Sunspots
Dark lower temperature spots on the sun’s photosphere
Solar Flare
Explosion of light and energy on the sun
Solar Wind
Stream of charged particles released from the sun
Prominence
Loops of gas that rise out of the sun’s corona
Granules
Bright regions formed by hot gases rising to the photosphere, spreading and cooling and falling back again
Why is it important to predict when sunspots and solar flares increase?
They affect astronauts, satellites, power grids, and communication devices.
What is a comet?
Icy ball that orbit the sun.
Meteor
passing through Earth’s atmosphere.
Meteorite
Portion of a meteroid that makes it through the atmosphere and strikes the earth.
Meteroid
Rock or icy fragments smaller than an asteroid. (in space)
What causes a comet’s tail?
As a comet approaches the sun it forms a gas/dust coma (or the tail) due to solar wind.
what direction does a comet’s tail point and why?
Away from the sun due to solar wind.
What is the name of the early model of our Universe that was Earth centered? Who came up with this model?
Geocentric; Ptolemy
What does Heliocentric Universe mean? Who came up with this model?
Sun-centered; Copernicus
What planet has the hottest surface temperatures caused by a dense atmosphere trapping heat (runaway greenhouse effect)?
Venus
What is an asteroid? Where are most asteroids found?
Solid rock-like mass that orbits the sun; most can be found in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.
