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Astronomy > Unit 1 > Flashcards

Unit 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

Ursa Major

A

big dipper, No bright star

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2
Q

Ursa Minor

A

little dipper, Polaris

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3
Q

Casiopeia

A

the queen in chair, no bright star

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4
Q

Cepheus

A

The king in house, no bright star

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5
Q

Perseus

A

the warrior holding a staff, bright star Algol

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6
Q

Lyra

A

the harp, bright star Vega

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7
Q

Andromeda & Pegasus

A

Upside down horse, no bright star

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8
Q

Aquila

A

the eagle shaped like a glider, bright start Altair

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9
Q

Cygnus

A

the swan shaped like a cross, bright star Deneb

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10
Q

What is the name of the North Star

A

Polaris

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11
Q

Rotation

A

spinning on an imaginary axis

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12
Q

Tilt

A

The earth is tilted to 23 1/2 degrees

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13
Q

Seasons

A

The tilt of the Earth makes the sun hit at different directions and intensities

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14
Q

Vernal Equinox

A

March 21, sun directly above the equator

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15
Q

Summer Solstice

A

June 21, Sun directly above the Tropic of Cancer

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16
Q

Autumnal Equinox

A

September 23, Sun above equator

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17
Q

Winter Solstice

A

December 21, sun above tropic of capricorn

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18
Q

Northern Hemisphere summer

A

is between vernal and autumnal (opposite for southern)

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19
Q

Period

A

time required to complete a cycle

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20
Q

How long is Earths period of rotation

A

24 hours, one day

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21
Q

Earths axis points to what

A

Polaris

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22
Q

How long is Earth’s period of revolution

A

365 1/4 days

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23
Q

refraction

A

When light changes direction as it passes from different mediums

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24
Q

Refracting telescopes

A

large lens focuses light, then magnified by the second lens

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25
Chromatic aberration
each color of light bends different when it goes through glass
26
Majority of large telescopes
are reflecting nor refracting
27
Who made the first reflecting telescope
Isaac Newton
28
Telescope
made from a concave mirror causing the light to focus
29
spherical aberration
problems occur when concave mirror is cut into a spherical surface.
30
Charge coupled device
sensitive light detector made from silicon wafer and can produce extreme detail (CCD)
31
radio telescope
parabolic dish that reflects radio waves to focus
32
Transparency
how clear the sky is
33
Seeing
turbulence in upper atmosphere
34
best way to obtain astronomical data
from space
35
photon
tiny packet of energy
36
electromagnetic waves
light, vibrating electrons in atoms
37
electrons
jump from energy levels to create photons
38
electromagnetic spectrum
arranged EMs (electromagnetic waves) in order of energy and as the frequency gets higher, the wavelength gets shorter
39
Order of electromagnetic waves in increasing energy
radio waves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet big waves to small tighter waves
40
t/f all electromagnetic waves travel at 300,000 km/sec in a vacuum
true
41
What causes electromagnetic radiation
vibrating electrons in an atom
42
astronomical unit AU
Earth to sun distance
43
light year
distance= speed *time, distance light travels in a year
44
parsec
about 3.26 light years
45
T/F The number of times you will orbit the Sun in your lifetime will be the same as the number of days in your life.
false
46
Who was the first person to realize that mirrors could be used to construct a telescope?
Isaac Newton
47
What causes the earth to have seasons?
The tilt of Earth’s axis allows direct sunlight to hit different places throughout the year.
48
t/f The biggest telescopes in use today are refracting telescopes.
false
49
The distance from the earth to the Sun has been called
the astronomical unit
50
t/f All types of electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed in a vacuum.
true
51
The apparent daily motion of the Sun, Moon, and stars from east to west is caused by
Earth’s rotation
52
What is the best way to obtain astronomical data?
use a telescope in space
53
What is a tiny bundle of electromagnetic energy called?
photon
54
t/f Reflecting telescopes often suffer from spherical aberration.
true
55
t/f Light leaving the earth would take a little more than one second to reach the Moon, 400,000 km away.
true
56
How fast do radio waves travel?
300,000 km/s
57
Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation. Polaris
Ursa Minor
58
Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation. Vega
Lyra
59
Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation. Algol
Perseus
60
Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation. Altair
Aquila
61
Match the bright star with the appropriate constellation. Deneb
Cygnus
62
Which of the following electromagnetic waves has the most energy?
ultraviolet
63
Two types of telescopes are
refracting and reflecting
64
t/f The amount of light collected by a telescope is proportional to the area of its aperture.
true
65
On March 21 the Sun is directly above which location?
the Equator
66
t/f The Hubble Space Telescope gives us much better images than Earth-based telescopes because it is much larger than Earth-based telescopes.
false

Astronomy (8 decks)

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