Space Unit Review

Question 1

frame of reference

Answer 1

a system of objects that are not moving with respect to one another

Question 2

celestial bodies

Answer 2

any natural body outside of the Earth’s atmosphere

Question 3

constellation

Answer 3

A group of stars that form a pattern in the sky

Question 4

azimuth

Answer 4

A horizontal angle measured clockwise from north or south.

Question 5

altitude

Answer 5

height above sea level

Question 6

astrolabe

Answer 6

an instrument formerly used to make astronomical measurements

Question 7

compass

Answer 7

an instrument that shows the direction of magnetic north

Question 8

geocentric

Answer 8

A model of the universe in which Earth is at the center of the revolving planets and stars.

Question 9

retrograde motion

Answer 9

a planet’s apparent backward movement in the sky.

Question 10

heliocentric

Answer 10

A model of the solar system in which Earth and the other planets revolve around the sun

Question 11

ellipse

Answer 11

A elongated circle, or oval shape, the shape of the planets orbit.

Question 12

universal gravitation

Answer 12

force of attraction that acts on all objects in the universe.

Question 13

resolving power

Answer 13

A measure of the clarity of an image; the ability of an optical instrument to show two objects as separate.

Question 14

refracting

Answer 14

A telescope that uses convex lenses to gather and focus light

Question 15

reflecting

Answer 15

A telescope that uses a curved mirror to collect and focus light

Question 16

spectrum

Answer 16

colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism or diffraction grating

Question 17

spectral lines

Answer 17

dark lines or bright lines observed in the spectra of stars

Question 18

spectroscopy

Answer 18

the branch of science concerned with the investigation and measurement of spectra produced when matter interacts with or emits electromagnetic radiation.

Question 19

diffraction grating

Answer 19

a device made of thousands of closely spaced slits through which light is passed in order to produce a spectrum

Question 20

spectral analysis

Answer 20

method of charting and analyzing the chemical properties of matter by looking at the bands in their visible spectrum of light

Question 21

Doppler effect

Answer 21

A change in sound frequency caused by motion of the sound source, motion of the listener, or both.

Question 22

red shifted

Answer 22

moving away, spectral lines shifted towards the red end of the spectrum

Question 23

adaptive optics

Answer 23

Rapid changes in mirror shape compensate for atmospheric distortions.

Question 24

triangulation

Answer 24

Using a baseline and measured angles to create a scale drawing to find the distance to an object.

Question 25

astronomical unit

Answer 25

The average distance between Earth and the sun, about 150 million kilometers

Question 26

light-year

Answer 26

the distance light travels in one year

Question 27

electromagnetic radiation

Answer 27

The energy transferred through space by electromagnetic waves. Includes radiowaves to gamma waves

Question 28

radio astronomy

Answer 28

The study of celestial objects that emit radio waves.

Question 29

interferometry

Answer 29

A technique that uses the images from several telescopes to produce a single image

Question 30

ballistic missile

Answer 30

a rocket with a bomb as a payload, launched in a trajectory that sends it up into space and down onto its target

Question 31

gravitational assist

Answer 31

a method of acceleration which enables spacecraft to change speed by using the gravity of a planet

Question 32

charged coupled device

Answer 32

A solid-state image sensor used in digital imaging (CCD)

Question 33

artificial satellite

Answer 33

any human-made object placed in orbit around a body in space

Question 34

low earth orbit

Answer 34

an orbit located a few hundred kilometers above the earth's surface

Question 35

geosynchronous orbit

Answer 35

the orbit of a satellite that revolves around Earth at the same rate that Earth rotates

Question 36

global positioning system

Answer 36

A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers.

Question 37

solar wind

Answer 37

A stream of electrically charged particles produced by the sun's corona

Question 38

inner planets

Answer 38

Small, rocky (terrestrial) planets that orbit closest to the sun including Mercury, Venus, Earth, & Mars

Question 39

outer planets

Answer 39

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, & Neptune. Called Gas Giants.

Question 40

nebula

Answer 40

A cloud of gas and dust in space. Stars form in nebulae.

Question 41

galaxy

Answer 41

A collection of stars, dust, and gas bound together by gravity

Question 42

suborbital trajectory

Answer 42

a spacecraft is boosted above the atmosphere and then falls back to Earth without going into orbit.

Question 43

microgravity

Answer 43

the condition of experiencing weightlessness in orbit