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History of Astronomy
Chapter one summary questions
26
Astronomy
Undergraduate 1
09/04/2006

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Term
celestial poles
Definition
are above and below the earths poles but in the celestial sphere
Term
where would you find the planets on the celestial sphere?
Definition
on the zodiac
Term
What causes the season's
Definition
the earth's tilt of it's axis
Term
When it is winter in France what season is it here?
Definition
Winter, because it's also in the northern hemisphere
Term
equinox?
Definition
the time of year when the number of hours of daylight are equal;fall and spring
Term
celestial sphere
Definition
an imaginary sphere surrounding earth in which the stars lye
Term
solstice?
Definition
beginning of Winter and SUmmer
Term
What is retrograde motion
Definition
the drift of the planets agaisnt the WEstern SKy
Term
WIll a planet in retograde motion rise in the east or WEst each night?
Definition
East,
Term
How long does it take the moon to go through a full cycle of phases?
Definition
one month
Term
what cause the phases of the moon?
Definition
the moon's oribt around the earth
Term
during a solar eclipse what alignment is happening?
Definition
sun, Moon, earth
Term
during a lunar ecplise what alignment is happening?
Definition
Sun, Earth, Moon
Term
geocentric theory
Definition
theory that Earth is the center of the universe
Term
heliocentric theory
Definition
the sun is the center of the universe
Term
Why did critics reject Aristarchus' heliocentric idea?
Definition
it failed to explain parallax
Term
what needed to be invented to prove that heliocentric theory was correct
Definition
the telelscope
Term
List Keplers three laws?
Definition
1, the planets oribts are eliptical
2, we speed up and slow down depending on our distance to the sun.
3, planets with bigger orbits will take longer to orbit the sun.
Term
Aristole
Definition
believed the earth was round based on the fact that travelers moving south could see stars previously hidden

this theory was correct.
Term
Aristarchus
Definition
mesasured the relative sizes of the Earth, Moon and Stars.
-sun was the center of the heaven's.

he was correct on realitivitly but wrong in accuracy
Term
Eratosthenes
Definition
measured earth's size by using angles.

was appro. correct.
Term
Eudoxus
Definition
-model of plantery motion using crsytiline sphere
-planets moving fastest across the sky were closest to earth.

he was incorrect
Term
Ptolomy
Definition
-invented the epicycle
-proposed geometric model
-proposed epicycles to explain retrograde motion

he was incorrect
Term
Copernicus
Definition
-1st person to describe a heliocentric model
-thought that oribits of planets were perfect circles.

he was incorrect
Term
Tycho Brahe
Definition
invented instruments to observe the stars
made precise measurments of geogentric model

measurments were correct
Term
Galileo
Definition
-1st astronomer to use the telescope
-moon's surface had mountains
-sun had dark spots
- found moon's of jupiter

he was correct
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