Chapters 1-12 Final Review

Question 1

Other than the sun, the star closes to the earth is Proxima ___.

Answer 1

Centauri

Question 2

Astronomy photographs are often printed upside-down to match ___.

Answer 2

the inverted image seen in the telescope

Question 3

List the letters that make the mnemonic (memory aid) to name the planets in order from the sun. You can write the mnemonic if you prefer.

Answer 3

M,V,E,M,J,S,U,N (or My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos)

Question 4

Which is larger, Earth or Mars?

Answer 4

Earth

Question 5

What is unusual about the tilt of Uranus?

Answer 5

Uranus is tilted almost 90 degrees, as if it were a barrel rolling around the sun.

Question 6

What scientific instrument can determine chemical composition from light patterns?

Answer 6

spectroscope

Question 7

The average distance from the earth to the moon is ___ miles.

Answer 7

240,000 miles

Question 8

What type of star is our sun?

Answer 8

main-sequence G

Question 9

Which stars can be used as an optical yardstick to measure distance?

Answer 9

cepheid variables

Question 10

Which is brighter, -3.0 magnitude or 4.0 magnitude?

Answer 10

-3.0

Question 11

Which element was identified in the sun before being discovered on earth?

Answer 11

helium

Question 12

Albert Michelson devised a way to measure the size of stars using interference of ___ ___.

Answer 12

light waves

Question 13

A large hurricane has been raging on Jupiter for over 400 years. It can be seen through an Earth-based telescope and is known as ___.

Answer 13

The Great Red Spot

Question 14

The average distance from the earth to the sun is ___ miles.

Answer 14

93,000,000

Question 15

___ gives Mars its red color

Answer 15

Iron oxide

Question 16

Extrasolar planets are planets that are ___ our solar system.

Answer 16

outside

Question 17

How does the orbital period of the planets correlate to distance from the sun?

Answer 17

The farther the planet is from the sun, the longer it takes to orbit the sun.

Question 18

Name the astronomer who described the shape of a planet’s orbint with his first law.

Answer 18

Kepler

Question 19

A difference between a star and a planet is that stars ___ heat and light, while planets ___ light.

Answer 19

produce (emails); reflect

Question 20

An eclipse of the sun can take place only when the moon is ___ the earth and the ___.

Answer 20

between; sun

Question 21

Many meteor showers come from the remains of ___.

Answer 21

comets

Question 22

Most of the stars in the Big Dipper are ___ magnitude.

Answer 22

2nd

Question 23

The diameter of the moon is about __ the diameter of the earth.

Answer 23

¼

Question 24

The Hubble Space Telescope has a mirror ___ in diameter.

Answer 24

8 feet

Question 25

The brightest object in the sky other than the sun and moon is \_\_\_.

Answer 25

Venus

Question 26

The Milky Way galaxy has a ___ shape.

Answer 26

spiral

Question 27

The density of the Jovian planets is less or more than the density of earth.

Answer 27

less

Question 28

\_\_\_ discovered the moons of Jupiter.

Answer 28

Galileo

Question 29

During Edmund Halley's time, the most mysterious objects in the solar system were \_\_\_.

Answer 29

comets

Question 30

List the first four terrestial planets in order from the sun:

Answer 30

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

Question 31

What caused the delay in the eclipse of Io by Jupiter observed by Ole Roemer?

Answer 31

the time for light to travel from Jupiter to Earth

Question 32

The first moon landing was in what location on the moon?

Answer 32

Sea of Tranquility

Question 33

What is the shape of a planet's orbit?

Answer 33

elliptical

Question 34

The Little Dipper is part of the constellation ___ \_\_\_.

Answer 34

Ursa Minor

Question 35

The big dipper is not a constellation, but an \_\_\_.

Answer 35

asterism

Question 36

If a star is moving away from earth, its spectral lines are shifted toward the ___ end of the specturm.

Answer 36

red

Question 37

Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto using a device called a ___ comparator.

Answer 37

blink

Question 38

Tye type of telescope that uses a glass lens to focus light is a \_\_\_.

Answer 38

refractor

Question 39

The time from new moon to new moon is \_\_\_.

Answer 39

29.5 days

Question 40

The “zone of life” is the region around a star known as the “Goldilocks zone” because it is neither too ___ nor too \_\_\_. On planets in this region, water can be found in ___ state.

Answer 40

hot; cold; liquid

Question 41

In addition to magnification, another purpose of a telescope is to ___ light.

Answer 41

gather

Question 42

List the five planets that can be seen with unaided eyes:

Answer 42

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn