Term
| A scientist observes a new phenomenon that disagrees with the scientist's own explanation or hypothesis. Following the scientific method, the correct procedure is to |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Modern science is founded |
|
Definition
| in part on the philosophical approach of the ancient Greeks. |
|
|
Term
| Forms of radiation which are not visible |
|
Definition
| have allowed us to determine much of what we now know about the universe. |
|
|
Term
| So far, our study of the other bodies in our solar system is based upon |
|
Definition
| telescopic observations from Earth and spacecraft plus geologic samples brought back from the Moon. |
|
|
Term
| The lifetime of a typical star (like our Sun) appears to be |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Heavy elements, such as those throughout Earth and within our bodies, appear to have been formed |
|
Definition
| deep inside some now vanished star |
|
|
Term
| How many arcseconds are there in a full circle? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| An astronomer finds an object at a distance of 5.6 pc from Earth. Based on the distance, which of the following is this object most likely to be? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| An underlying theme of astronomy is that the |
|
Definition
| entire universe is governed by a single set of fundamental physical laws. |
|
|
Term
| In modern astronomy, the constellations are |
|
Definition
| 88 regions of the sky, covering the whole sky. |
|
|
Term
| The zenith defines a direction |
|
Definition
| vertically above an observer. |
|
|
Term
| Earth would not have seasons if |
|
Definition
| its axis of rotation were perpendicular to its orbital plane. |
|
|
Term
| When the Sun is at one of the equinoxes, |
|
Definition
| day and night are of equal length everywhere on Earth. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| band of sky extending 8° on either side of the ecliptic. |
|
|
Term
| What is the significance of Polaris, the North Star? |
|
Definition
| Polaris is almost on the curve traced out by the rotation axis as a result of the precession of the rotation direction. |
|
|
Term
| Precession of Earth's axis of rotation is caused by |
|
Definition
| the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun on the equatorial bulge of Earth. |
|
|
Term
| If the daytime sky were not bright, in which direction would we see the Sun move along the ecliptic over the course of a year, relative to the background stars? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| To what constellation will the north celestial pole be closest in the year 14,000 A.D.? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Sidereal time is the more fundamental time, since it is a measure of the true rotation rate of Earth. Why then do we govern our lives by solar time rather than sidereal time? |
|
Definition
| We wish to remain in time with the Sun's illumination on Earth, with high Sun angle at about midday every day. |
|
|
Term
| At what approximate time will the new moon rise? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| As seen by a distant observer who is fixed with respect to the stars, approximately how long does it take for the Moon to rotate once around its own axis? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The term “sidereal month” refers to the |
|
Definition
| time over which the Moon completes one orbit around Earth, relative to the stars. |
|
|
Term
| During a lunar eclipse the |
|
Definition
| Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon. |
|
|
Term
| A lunar eclipse does not occur at every full moon because |
|
Definition
| the plane of the Moon's orbit is at an angle to the plane of Earth's orbit. |
|
|
Term
| The line of nodes of the Moon's orbit is the line of intersection between the orbit with the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| When in total lunar eclipse, the Moon shows a reddish color because |
|
Definition
| only the red part of the solar spectrum is deflected onto it by Earth's atmosphere. |
|
|
Term
| Assuming clear skies everywhere, a total solar eclipse is visible |
|
Definition
| only to people in a long narrow path much smaller than a hemisphere. |
|
|
Term
| An observer can see a total solar eclipse from within a narrow band along Earth's surface. This band |
|
Definition
| can begin almost anywhere on earth's surface |
|
|
Term
| At the ancient Egyptian city of Syene the Sun was directly overhead only at summer solstice. Thus, Syene must have been very close to |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The ancient Greek thinker Pythagoras held the view that |
|
Definition
| natural phenomena could be described mathematically. |
|
|
Term
| Planets move past the background stars as seen by someone on Earth. What is the normal direction of this motion? |
|
Definition
| west to east because of the motion of the planet along its orbit |
|
|
Term
| Retrograde motion of a planet is |
|
Definition
| westward motion against the star background |
|
|
Term
| Nicolaus Copernicus was the first person to |
|
Definition
| develop a mathematical model for a Sun-centered solar system. |
|
|
Term
| When Venus is at inferior conjunction, |
|
Definition
| it is at its smallest distance from Earth. |
|
|
Term
| Which of the following planetary configurations can an inferior planet never reach? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The greatest inaccuracy in Copernicus' theory of the solar system was that he |
|
Definition
| placed the planets in circular orbits |
|
|
Term
| A significant contribution of Kepler to our understanding of the solar system was |
|
Definition
| discovery that planetary orbits are not circular |
|
|
Term
| What did Galileo see when he observed Venus through his telescope? |
|
Definition
| Venus has phases like the Moon and has its largest angular diameter at crescent phase. |
|
|
Term
| In which direction would Earth move if the Sun's gravitational force were suddenly removed from it? |
|
Definition
| in a straight line along a tangent to its circular orbit |
|
|
