Earth Science

Question 1

Asteroid

Answer 1

• small rocky body that orbits Sun
• larger than meteoroids, smaller than planets

Question 2

Asteroid Belt

Answer 2

between Mars and Jupiter

Question 3

Black Hole

Answer 3

region of spacetime w/ gravitational forces so strong that nothing can escape from it

Question 4

Comet

Answer 4

• icy celestial body
• close to Sun –> heats up releases gas and dust
• forms glowing coma and tail

Question 5

Cosmology

Answer 5

study of origin, evolution, and fate of universe

Question 6

Doppler Effect

Answer 6

• change in frequency / wavelength of light from source moving relative to observer
• used to measure star velocities

Question 7

Dwarf Planet

Answer 7

has not cleared neighboring region of other objects

Question 8

Event Horizon

Answer 8

boundary surrounding black hole beyond which no information / matter can escape

Question 9

Exoplant

Answer 9

outside our solar system that orbits a star

Question 10

Fusion

Answer 10

2 light atomic nuclei combine and release energy

Question 11

Gravity

Answer 11

• attractive force between 2 masses
• F = G(m₁ * m₂) / r²

Question 12

Hubble’s Law

Answer 12

recessional velocity of galaxies is directly proportional to distance from Earth

Question 13

Kepler’s Law

Answer 13

describing planetary motion
1. orbits are ellipses
2. equal areas swept in equal times
3. square of orbital period is proportional to cube of semi-major axis

Question 14

Light Year (ly)

Answer 14

• distance that light travels in 1 year
• ~ 9.46 trillion km

Question 15

Meteor

Answer 15

• visible path of meteoroid as it enters Earth’s atmosphere and burns up due to friction w/ air
• shooting star

Question 16

Meteorite

Answer 16

meteoroid that survives passage through Earth’s atmosphere and land on surface

Question 17

Meteoroid

Answer 17

• small rocky/metallic body in outer space
• smaller than asteroid

Question 18

Nebula

Answer 18

• giant cloud of gas and dust in space
• birthplace of stars and planets

Question 19

Planet

Answer 19

• large astronomical body that orbits star
• spherical due to its own gravity
• cleared its orbit of other debris

Question 20

Pulsar

Answer 20

highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation

Question 21

Quasar

Answer 21

• extremely luminous and active galactic nucleus powered by supermassive black hole
• emits massive amounts of energy

Question 22

Red Giant

Answer 22

• late phase in star’s life cycle
• significant increase in size and luminosity after hydrogen burning ceases

Question 23

Redshift

Answer 23

phenomenon where light is shifted to longer wavelengths due to object moving away from observer

Question 24

Solar System

Answer 24

gravitationally boung system consisting of Sun and celestial bodies (planets & moons) that orbit it

Question 25

Spectroscopy

Answer 25

- study of interaction between light and matter - to determine composition and properties of celestial objects

Question 26

Supernova

Answer 26

powerful explosion at the end of a star's life cycle often resulting in neutron star / black hole

Question 27

Chronostratigraphy

Answer 27

- branch of stratigraphy that studies age and time relationships of rock strata - temporal framework of geological history

Question 28

Fossilization

Answer 28

- organic material becomes fossil - burial, sedimentation, and mineralization over time

Question 29

Gondwana

Answer 29

- southern supercontinent - Paleozoic era - South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, India

Question 30

Laurasia

Answer 30

- northern supercontinent - after Pangaea broke apart - late Mesozoic era - North America, Europe, Asia

Question 31

Lithostratigraphy

Answer 31

- study of rock layers based on physical and mineralogical characteristics - correlating and interpreting geological history

Question 32

Magnetostratigraphy

Answer 32

- method of dating rock layers by analyzing magnetic properties of minerals w/in them - insights into past **geomagnetic reversals**

Question 33

Paleoclimate

Answer 33

study of past climates using data from geological records (ice cores, sediment layers, fossil evidence)

Question 34

Pangaea

Answer 34

supercontinent during late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic (~335 mya)

Question 35

Panthalassa

Answer 35

ocean surrounding Pangaea

Question 36

Tethys Ocean

Answer 36

- between Gondwana and Laurasia - distribution of marine life during Mesozoic era

Question 37

Uniformitarianism

Answer 37

- processes operating past are same as those observed today - **the present is the key to the past**