Ch 1 Flashcards
1
Q
Milky Way
A
- 200 Billion Stars
- 100k light years across
2
Q
Light Year
A
The distance light travels in a year = 10 trillion km or 6 trillion miles or 300km per second
3
Q
Astronomical Unit (AU)
A
The distance from the Earth to the Sun
4
Q
Where is our Solar System?
A
Local Supercluster
Local Group
Milky Way
Orion Arm
5
Q
Observable Universe
A
14 billion light years limit
Part of the universe we can potentially observe
6
Q
Big Bang
A
14 million years ago the universe began to expand
7
Q
Galactic Recycling
A
Stars used nuclear fusion to create havier elements using hydrogen and helium. When the star dies, it ejects its material into space during a supernova which will in turn form new gas clouds and stars.
8
Q
Rotation vs. Orbit
A
- Earth orbits the Sun counterclockwise
- Sun moves around local neighborhood randomly at 70k km per hour
- Solar system orbits Milky Way at 800k km per hour
