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| All stars appear as points of light, because |
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Definition
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| The average distance from Earth to the Sun is |
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| The light year is a unit of |
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Definition
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Term
| In the scientific method, a hypothesis |
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Definition
| Must be tested through observation |
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Term
| An observer on the earth's North Pole would find |
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Definition
| Polaris directly overhead |
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Term
| The seasons on Earth are the result of |
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Definition
| The tilt in Earth's axis and its motion around the Sun |
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Term
| Which of the following phenomena is a result of Earth's rotation on its axis? |
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Definition
| The rising and setting of the Sun |
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Term
| The winter solstice occurs when the Sun |
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Definition
| Is at its lowest position at noon, when viewed by northern hemisphere observers |
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Term
| The phases of the moon are the result of the |
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Definition
| Motion of the moon around the earth and the relative positions of the moon, Earth, and Sun |
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Term
| When the moon is located between Earth and the Sun, the phase of the moon as seen from Earth is |
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Definition
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Term
| The circular shape of Earth's shadow on the moon led early astronomers to conclude that |
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Term
| Eclipses of the Sun can occur only when the phase of the moon is |
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Definition
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Term
| Eratosthenes' method for determining the circumference of the earth was based on the observation of |
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Definition
| The Sun at two different locations |
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Term
| A planet in retrograde motion |
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Definition
| Shifts westward temporarily with respect to the stars |
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Term
| To account for some of the observed retrograde motion of the planets, Ptolemy's geocentric model required that the planets move in |
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Definition
| Small circles called epicycles |
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Term
| The Copernican heliocentric model explains retrograde motion by |
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Definition
| Earth motion passing the planet |
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Term
| The major contribution made by Copernicus that revolutionized the model of the heavens was |
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Definition
| The Sun is the center about which the planets and Earth move. |
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Term
| The success of Tycho Brahe is attributed to his ability to |
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Definition
| Make accurate observations with large and well-constructed instruments. |
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Term
| The Copernican model did not work perfectly, because it specified |
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Definition
| The planets move in uniform circular motions. |
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Term
| As discovered by Kepler, a planet moves in elliptical orbits and moves fastest in its orbit when it is |
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Definition
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Term
| Galileo's observations of the gibbous phase of Venus proved that |
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Definition
| Venus went around the Sun, not Earth. |
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Term
| The observations of Galileo eventually led scientists to conclude that the |
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Definition
| It was produced by nuclear fusion in stars. |
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Term
| What is the ecliptic plane? |
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Definition
| The plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. |
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Term
| If the moon is setting at 6 a.m., the phase of the moon must be |
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Definition
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Term
| Which of the following statements about parallax is not true? |
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Definition
| The technique of stellar parallax was used by Hubble to determine that the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is about 2 million light years away. |
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Term
| Suppose you are facing north and you see the Big Dipper close to your northern horizon with Polaris (and the Little Dipper) above it. Where will you see the Big Dipper in six hours? |
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Definition
| To the right of Polaris; this is, 90 degrees counterclockwise from its current position |
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Term
| How does Earth's varying distance from the Sun affect the seasons? |
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Definition
| It doesn't; Earth's orbital distance plays no obvious role in the seasons. |
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Term
| The names of the seven days of the week are based on |
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Definition
| The seven naked-eye objects that appear to move among constellations |
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Term
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Definition
| More infrared radiation than it receives from the Sun |
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Term
| The belts and bands of Jupiter are the result of atmospheric features that have been |
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Definition
| Stretched and elongated as a result of Jupiter's rapid rotation |
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Term
| The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is best described as |
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Definition
| A massive storm system in the upper atmosphere |
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Term
| Saturn and Jupiter have noticeable equatorial bulges due to |
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Definition
| Their rapid rotation and liquid interiors |
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Term
| The ring system of Saturn consists of |
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Definition
| Small particles of ice and rock |
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Term
| The rings of Saturn occupy a region near the planet where |
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Definition
| Tidal forces would break a large satellite apart |
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Term
| The low average densities of Jupiter and Saturn compared to Earth suggest what? |
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Definition
| They contain large quantities of light elements, such as hydrogen and helium. |
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Term
| What makes some astronomers think that Uranus was hit by a large body early in its history? |
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Definition
| It moves nearly at right angles to the orbital plane. |
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Term
| Planet Uranus appears blue because of |
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Definition
| Methane absorbing red light |
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Term
| The satellite system of Neptune is unique because |
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Definition
| The satellites' orbits are peculiar, as if they were disturbed long ago. |
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Term
| The small size and mass of Pluto was determined by observations of what? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| So elongated that the planet sometimes moves closer to the Sun than Neptune |
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Term
| Why isn't Pluto considered a Jovian planet? |
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Definition
| Its mass and radius are small, and it lacks a thick atmosphere. |
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Term
| Which planet has the highest average surface temperature and why? |
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Definition
| Venus, because of its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere |
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Term
| Which is the densest planet in the solar system? |
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Definition
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Term
| Which of the following is not a characteristic of the outer planets? |
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Definition
| They have very few, if any, satellites. |
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Term
| What are the main constituents of the Jovian planets? |
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Definition
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Term
| The terrestrial planet cores contain mostly metal because |
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Definition
| Metals sank to the center during a time when the interiors were molten throughout. |
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Term
| What kind of surface features may result from tectonics? |
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Definition
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Term
| From center to surface, which of the following correctly lists the interior layers of a terrestrial world? |
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Definition
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Term
| Why does the moon have a layer of powdery "soil" on its surface? |
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Definition
| It is the result of countless tiny impacts by small particles striking the moon. |
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Term
| What atmospheric constituent is responsible for the blue color of Uranus and Neptune? |
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Definition
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Term
| An icy leftover planetesimals orbiting the Sun is |
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Definition
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Term
| What characteristic distinguishes a meteorite from a terrestrial rock? |
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Definition
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Term
| The asteroid belt is located |
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Definition
| Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter |
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Term
| Why isn't there a planet where the asteroid belt is located? |
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Definition
| Gravitational tugs from Jupiter prevented material from collecting together to form a planet. |
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Term
| Why is the sky blue on Earth? |
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Definition
| Because gas molecules in the atmosphere scatter blue light more effectively than red light |
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Term
| Many scientists suspect that Venus has a stronger and thicker lithosphere than Earth. If this is true, which of the following could explain it? |
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Definition
| Venus has a much stronger greenhouse effect than Earth. |
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Term
| Which moon is considered likely to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water? |
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Definition
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Term
| Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt are caused by |
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Definition
| Orbital resonances with Jupiter |
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Term
| When Newton said that gravitation was universal, he meant that |
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Definition
| It was a property of all matter in the universe. |
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Term
| According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, if the distance between two objects increases, the force of gravity between them will |
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Definition
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Term
| A satellite launched into an orbit about the earth, far above the effects of the atmosphere and not acted upon by an outside force, will |
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Definition
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Term
| What fundamental law of nature explains why planets move by Kepler's laws? |
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Definition
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Term
| The light from the center of a star passing through its cooler and thinner atmosphere produces a(n) __________ spectrum. |
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Definition
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Term
| An astronomer finds that the visible spectrum of a mysterious object shows bright emission lines. What can the astronomer conclude about the source? |
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Definition
| It is a hot, relatively tenuous gas. |
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Term
| If two stars are the same size, but different temperatures, then the hotter star is |
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Definition
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Term
| Which of the following stellar properties can be determined from a star's spectrum? |
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Definition
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Term
Place the following forms of electromagnetic radiation in order of decreasing wavelength, starting with the longest.
Infrared
Ultraviolet
Radio waves
Visible
X-rays |
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Definition
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Term
| The chemical element found in greatest abundance in all normal stars is |
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Definition
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Term
| If a line in a star's spectrum shifts toward the red end of the spectrum, the star is |
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Definition
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Term
| The main reason to increase the size of an optical telescope located on Earth is to improve |
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Definition
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Term
| The main advantage of space telescopes is they allow astronomers to |
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Definition
| Observe in wavelengths that cannot be observed from Earth |
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Term
| By linking several radio telescopes together electronically to create an interferometer, astronomers can |
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Definition
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Term
| Which of the following telescopes must be above Earth's atmosphere? |
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Definition
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Term
| As long as an object is not gaining or losing mass, a net force on the object will cause a change in |
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Definition
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Term
| At which lunar phase(s) are tides most pronounced (e.g. the highest high tides)? |
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Definition
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Term
| Why do astronomers need different telescopes designed to observe across the electromagnetic spectrum. |
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Definition
| Photons of different energy behave differently and require different collection strategies. |
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Term
| How does the light collecting power of an 8-meter telescope compare to that of a 2-meter telescope? |
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Definition
| The 8-meter telescope has 16 times the light-collecting area of the 2-meter telescope. |
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Term
| The spectra of most galaxies show redshifts. This means that their spectral lines |
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Definition
| Have wavelengths that are longer than normal |
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Term
| Suppose the Sun shrank in size but its mass remained the same. What would happen to the orbit of Earth? |
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Definition
| Earth's orbit would be unaffected. |
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Term
| The mass of Jupiter can be calculated by |
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Definition
| Measuring the orbital period and distance of Jupiter's orbit around the Sun |
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Term
| Which of the following observations indicated that conditions on Mars might have been suitable for life in the past? |
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Definition
| There are dried-up riverbeds on Mars |
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Term
| Some astronomers suggest that, rather than being a planet, Pluto is just a large member of |
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Definition
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Term
| Where did the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium come from? |
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Definition
| They were produced inside stars. |
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Term
| Why did the solar nebula flatten into a disk? |
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Definition
| It flattened as a natural consequence of collisions between particles in the nebula, changing random motions into more orderly ones. |
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Term
| Which of the following is the origin of almost all the large moons around the Jovian planets? |
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Definition
| They were formed by condensation and accretion in a disk of gas around the planet. |
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Term
| Which of the following puzzles in the solar system cannot be explained by a giant impact event? |
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Definition
| The orbit of Triton in the opposite direction to Neptune's rotation |
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Term
| Approximately how many other planetary systems have been discovered to date? |
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Definition
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Term
| The astrometric technique of planet detection works best for |
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Definition
| Massive planets around nearby stars |
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