A Physics Mock Study pt2 > Astrophysics - GCSE > Flashcards

Astrophysics - GCSE Flashcards

(69 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

what is our solar system part of?

A

It is part of a huge galaxy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

how many galaxies are there?

A

billions upon billions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is the universe a large collection of?

A

billions of galaxies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is the definition of a galaxy?

A

a large collections of stars

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what galaxy are we part of?

A

the milky way galaxy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is the distance between the neighbouring stars (stars close to one another) in the galaxy?

A

it is millions of times greater than the distance between planets in our solar system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what is the name of the force that keeps the stars together in a galaxy?

A

gravity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what is the movement that galaxies do?

A

they rotate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

how apart are galaxies from each other?

A

millions of times further apart than the stars within a galaxy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

how is the space inside the universe?

A

it is mostly empty and really, really, really big

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

how many stars does our solar system contain? and what is its name

A

one, and it is called the sun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

how many planets does the solar system contain and what are they?

A

it contains 8:

  • mercury
  • venus
  • earth
  • mars
  • jupiter
  • saturn
  • uranus
  • neptune
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

how would you describe our solar system?

A

stuff that orbits around the sun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what are the things you can find inside our solar system?

hint: there are 6 things

A
  • planets
  • dwarf planets
  • moons
  • artificial satellites
  • asteroids
  • comets
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what are planets?

A

they are large objects that orbit a star

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what are dwarf planets?

A

they are planet-like objects that aren’t big enough to be planets

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

give an example of a dwarf planet?

lembra de JESSIE

A

pluto

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what are moons?

A

they are what orbit planets with almost circular orbits. They are a type of natural satellite

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what are artificial satellites?

A

what usually orbit the earth in fairly circular orbits and are man made

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what are asteroids? and where are they usually found

A
  • lumps of rock and metal that orbit the sun

- usually found in the asteroid belt

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

what are comets? how are their orbit? and where do they travel?

A
  • lumps of ice and dust that orbit the sun
  • their orbits are usually highly elliptical (a very stretched out circle)
  • some travel from near the sun to the outskirts of our solar system
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

how is the structure of the solar system determined?

A

it is determined by orbits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

what is the definition of orbits?

A

paths that objects take as they move around each other in space

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

what does gravity provide?

A

it provides the force that creates orbits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
how do planets move around the sun?
it almost circular orbits
26
what is happening when an object is travelling in a circle? | hint: 3 points to be made
- it is constantly changing directions - it is constantly accelerating - the is always a force acting on it
27
what is the name of a force that acts when an object is travelling in a circle? and how is it acting?
it is called centripetal force and it acts toward the centre of the circle
28
what is instantaneous velocity?
the thing which is at a right angle to the acceleration
29
what keeps the object travelling in a circle?
the instantaneous velocity
30
what is the force that makes all planets and comets stay in their orbit?
the gravitational force (gravity) of the sun
31
what does the force due to gravity depend on?
it depends on mass and distance
32
what is the definition of weight?
the force on an object due to gravity
33
the variation of weight of any object depends on what?
it depends on the strength (g) of the gravitational field that is in it
34
what does the gravitational field strength depend on (vary with)? (hint: there are 2 points to be made)
- it depends on the mass of the body creating the field (the larger the mass of the body the stronger its gravitational field) - it varies with distance (the closer you get to a planet the stronger the gravitational force is)
35
give an example of gravitational field strength depending on mass
the earth is more massive than the moon, so an object would weight more on earth than it would on the moon.
36
if the force is stronger, what else is needed to increases so that it can be balanced?
the instantaneous velocity
37
the closer you get to a star or planet what will you need to do to remain in the orbit?
you will need to move faster
38
if the speed of an object in a stable orbit changes, what else will need to change?
the size (radius) of its orbit
39
how will faster moving objects move in a stable orbit?
it will move with a smaller radius than slower moving ones
40
what does having different planets orbiting the sun at different speed means?
it means that the distance between planets vary over time
41
what is the orbit of moons and planets usually like?
it usually is slightly elliptical
42
what does the word elliptical mean?
elongated
43
how do comets orbit the sun?
their orbit is very elliptical and orbits with the sun at one focus
44
what has a longer orbital period than the earth?
comets
45
why do comets have a longer orbital period than the earth?
they have a longer orbital period because they travel from the outer edges of our solar system, meaning it is more far from the sun then earth is
46
what happens to a comet when it is near the sun?
it travels much faster when it is near the sun
47
why do comets travel faster when it is nearer the sun?
it travels faster because the increased pull of gravity makes it speed up the closer it gets to the sun
48
how long is some artificial earth satellites orbital period.
one day = 24 hours
49
what are earth satellites called?
geostationary satellites
50
why are geostationary satellites useful?
it is useful in communication because they are always over the same part of the planet
51
how do you calculate speed?
speed = distance / time
52
how do you calculate the distance of a circular orbit? | distance travelled is the circumference of the orbit
distance = 2 x Pi x radius of orbit
53
how do you calculate the orbital speed?
orbital speed = 2 x Pi x orbital radius / time period
54
how do you calculate radius?
it is always half the length of the diameter. This means that if the diameter is 4 you need to divide 4/2 which gives you 2
55
what do stars go through during their life?
they go through some dramatic transformations
56
what is the first step of a star transformation?
1) stars initially form from a cloud of dust and gas called NEBULA
57
what is the second step of a star transformation?
2) forces of gravity pulls the dust and gas together to for a PROTOSTAR. Temperature rises as star gets denser and more particles collide with each other. A star is born (not the movie hehehe)
58
what is the third step of a star transformation?
3) star enters a looong stable period. The energy produced by nuclear fusion tries to expand the star, it balances the force of gravity pulling everything inwards. This stable period the star is called MAIN SEQUENCE STAR and it typically lasts several billion years. The larger the mass of the star, the shorter it's time on the main sequence.
59
what is the fourth step of a star transformation?
4) The star is compressed until it is dense and hot enough that the energy (and pressure) created makes the outer layers of the star expand. The star becomes RED GIANT (if it is a small star) or a RED SUPERGIANT (if it is a larger star) It becomes red because the surface cools
60
what is the fifth step of a star transformation?
5) RED GIANT then becomes unstable and ejects its outer layer of dust and gas. This leaves behind a hot, dense solid core - a WHITE DWARF
61
what is the sixth step of a star transformation?
6) RED SUPERGIANT starts to glow brightly again as they undergo more fusion to make heavier elements . They expand and contract several times, as the balance the shifts between gravity and thermal expansion. Eventually they explode in a SUPERNOVA
62
what is the seventh step of a star transformation?
7) the exploding SUPERNOVA throws the outer layers of dust and gas into space, leaving a very dense core called a NEUTRON STAR. If the star is massive enough, it will collapse and become a BLACK HOLE
63
what is a black hole?
a super dense region of space that not even light can escape from
64
what is the simple (non-boring) description of a star's life cycle?
nebula -> protostar -> main sequence-> red giant -> white dwarf or nebula -> protostar -> main sequence-> red supergiant -> supernova -> neutron star or nebula -> protostar -> main sequence-> red supergiant -> supernova -> black hole
65
what is a way to classify stars?
by their colours
66
what does the colour of a star depend on?
on the visible light it emits
67
how much light each star emits depends on what?
on the star's surface temperature
68
what are the colours used to classify stars? | hint: there are 5 colours
- blue - white - yellow - orange - red
69
what is the list of hottest to coolest stars?
1) blue 2) white 3) yellow 4) orange 5) red

A Physics Mock Study pt2 (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions