Question | Answer |
Theory that states that the universe began with a tremendous explosion about 15 billion years ago. | The Big Bang Theory |
A large group of stars in space. | Galaxy |
A flattened disk of stars with spiral arms and a central bulge that contains both young and old stars. | Spiral Galaxy |
Massive groups of old stars that look like spheres or elongated oval shapes with bright centers. | Elliptical Galaxy |
Group of stars that have an irregular structure and do not fit into the other categories. | Irregular Galaxy |
A large cloud of dust and gas in space where new stars are formed. | Nebula |
Where stars spend most of their active life fusing hydrogen to helium and form a diagonal pattern down the center of the H-R diagram. | Main Sequence Star |
A star that expands and cools once it runs out of hydrogen. | Red Giant Star |
A small hot star near the end of its life; the left over center of sun sized star. | White Dwarf |
The next stage in a star's life cycle after a white dwarf when the star has 'burned out' and no longer shines. | Black Dwarf |
The death of a star by a tremendous explosion which releases huge amounts of energy. | Supernova |
A star about the size of New York City that forms after a supernova in which nearly all the particles have become neutrons. | Neutron Star |
A spinning neutron star that emits rapid pulses of light. | Pulsar |
An object that forms after a supernova with gravity so strong that the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light. | Black Hole |
Which planet has the Great Red Spot? | Jupiter |
What part of the sun is where nuclear fusion takes place? | Core |
What part of the sun is only visible during a solar eclipse? | Corona |
What are the cooler dark marks on the sun called? | Sun Spots |
Which planet has a density less than water? | Saturn |
Which planet has atmospheric pressures 90X greater then Earth and it rains sulfuric acid? | Venus |
If seasonal change is dependent on the planets axial tilt, which planet will have the greatest seasonal change? | Uranus |
Which planet has the shortest year? | Mercury |
Venus is the planet with the greatest surface ____________. | Temperature |
Saturn is the planet with the greatest ______________________. | Ring System |
Mars has the largest ________________ in the solar system called Olympus Mons. | Volcano |
What is the area called just past Neptune's orbit where Pluto and its dwarf planet neighbors orbit the Sun? | Kuiper Belt |
What is the area between Mars & Jupiter called? | Asteroid Belt |
What is the only planet believed to have intelligent life on it? | Earth |
What is the farthest planet from the sun? | Neptune |
What type of eclipse is created when the moon travels between the Sun & the Earth? | Solar |
What type of eclipse is created when the Earth casts a shadow on the Moon? | Lunar |
What name refers to the seasonal event that happens twice a year where the position of the Sun is directly overhead at the equator? | Equinox |
What name refers to the seasonal event where the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn or the Tropic of Cancer? | Solstice |
Which of the Galilean Satellites around Jupiter is the most geologically active object in the solar system? | IO |
Which of the Galilean Satellites around Jupiter is the largest moon in the solar system? | Ganymede |
Which planet has dust storm that reach over 80,000ft into its atmosphere? | Mars |
What are the dark areas of the moon called? | Maria |
What are the light colored, heavily cratered, and mountainous areas of the moon called? | Highlands |
What theory is most accepted for the formation of the solar system? | Nebular Theory |
All of the planets orbit around the sun in an _______________ shape. | elliptical |
Who was the scientist who first determined that other galaxies are moving away from us? | Hubble |
What is the Red Super Giant star in the constellation Orion's right shoulder called? | Betelgeuse |
What is the next nearest star to us other than our sun? | Alpha Centauri |
A mixture of frozen gases and rocks which orbit the Sun, the solar wind causes its tail to always point away from the Sun, its path around the Sun is very elliptical or hyperbolic. | Comet |
This process takes two smaller atoms and combines them into one larger atom and in doing so releases a lot of energy. | Fusion |
This process takes one larger atom and splits it into two smaller atoms and in doing so releases a lot of energy. | Fission |
What is the name of the scientist that gave us the laws of planetary motion? | Kepler |
What scientist first suggested the the Earth was at the center of our solar system? | Copernicus |
What type of tide is formed when the Sun, Earth, & Moon all line up and make the highest high tides and the lowest low tides. | Spring |
What type of tide is formed when the Sun, Earth, & Moon are all at a 90 degree angle to one another? | Neap |