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ES 14.1 Astronomy 1
Earth-Sun-Moon System terminology.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| anything that moves as waves through space at the speed of light | electromagnetic radiation |
| crest of one wave to crest of the next | wavelength |
| number of waves that pass (a point) per second | frequency |
| arrangement of electromagnetic waves from longest to shortest | electromagnetic spectrum |
| longest wavelength electromagnetic waves | radio waves |
| shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves | gamma rays |
| unit of frequency equal to 1 wave passing per second | hertz (Hz) |
| abbreviation for 'speed of light' | c |
| frequency x wavelength | equation for finding the speed of light |
| device used to magnify distant objects by collecting light and focusing it | telescope |
| uses objective and eyepiece lenses to magnify distant objects | refracting telescope |
| uses a concave (curved) mirror and eyepiece lens to magnify distant objects | reflecting telescope |
| which type of optical (light) telescope is more limited in size due to weight & distorting sag | refracting (lens) telescope |
| location of the best Earth-based telescopes, chosen to avoid atmospheric interference | mountain tops |
| 2 different electromagnetic wavelengths just outside the visible range that can be detected and focused by mirrors in reflecting telescopes | infrared (longer than visible) and ultraviolet (shorter) |
| electromagnetic waves focused by huge dishes like those of the VLA (Very Large Array) telescope | radio waves |
| first space-based telescope that has been operating since 1990 | Hubble Telescope |
| upcoming next generation space-based telescope that will observe mostly in infrared (IR) | (James) Webb Space Telescope |
| devices that fly by or land directly on objects to collect information | spacecraft (probes) |
| spacecraft that was sent to orbit and collect information about Saturn | Cassini |
| probe that landed on Mars to collect data | Curiosity |
| spacecraft that flew by and examined Pluto summer 2015 | New Horizons |
| recently retired human space flight crafts that undertook a series of missions for about 30 years | Space shuttles |
| the most expensive device constructed by humans to explore nearby space | ISS (International Space Station) |
| brightest object in the night sky visible from Earth, it is Earth's only natural satellite | the Moon |
| measure of the reflectivity of a surface (ex: what percent of sunlight reflects off a planet) | albedo |
| what is the best way to describe the Moon's atmosphere | nonexistent (or incredibly thin) |
| first person to land on the Moon, and what year that occurred | Neil Armstrong; 1969 |
| dark, basalt (hardened lava) filled plains on the moon | maria |
| lighter colored mountain-like areas on the moon that may be remnants of crater edges | highlands |
| aftermaths of meteors and larger objects colliding with the Moon | impact craters |
| material that is expelled from an impact crater during the collision, often along lines called 'rays' | ejecta |
| how does the Moon's composition compare to that of Earth? what are the top 2 elements on the Moon by % mass | similar to Earth; oxygen (O) & silicon (Si)... same as on Earth |
| dusty surface layer of ground up rock that covers the moon | regolith |
| do scientists think the Moon's internal structure is homogeneous throughout or divided into layers? | layered (crust, upper & lower mantles, core) |
| approximate age of the Moon (and Earth) to nearest 1/2 billion years | 4.5 billion |
| theory that hypothesizes that the Moon was formed from materials ejected during when a Mars-size object collided with Earth | giant impact theory |
| name for the Mars-size object that may have collided with Earth, eventually leading to formation of the moon | Theia |
| device whose 'swinging' is said to demonstrate that Earth is rotating | foucault pendulum |
| causes the spinning of hurricanes, another evidence that Earth is rotating | the Coriolis effect |
| how long does it take the Earth to complete one rotation on its axis | 24 hours |
| one rotation of Earth from noon to the next noon is called a _?_ day | solar |
| one 360 degree rotation of the Earth (23 h, 56 min) is a _?_ day | sidereal |
| general term referring to the path a moon takes around a planet or a planet around the Sun | orbit |
| path through the stars that the Sun and planets appear to follow | the ecliptic |
| size of the tilt of Earth's axis with respect to the ecliptic plane | 23.5 degrees |
| Earth's 4-part temperature/weather cycle caused by its tilted axis | seasons |
| direction Earth's northern hemisphere is tilted with respect to the Sun in summer? winter? | toward the Sun; away from the Sun |
| name and approximate date of the longest daylight day in the northern hemisphere | summer solstice; June 21 |
| name and approximate date of the shortest daylight day in the northern hemisphere | winter solstice; December 21 |
| name and approximate date of the day of equal light and dark in the northern hemisphere during the spring | vernal equinox; March 21 |
| name and approximate date of the day of equal light and dark in the northern hemisphere during the fall | autumnal equinox; Sept 22 |
| name of the northernmost latitude the Sun is ever 90 degrees (directly) overhead... which occurs on June 21 | Tropic of Cancer |
| name of the southernmost latitude the Sun is ever 90 degrees (directly) overhead... which occurs on December 21 | Tropic of Capricorn |
| name and numerical value of the latitude where the sun is directly (90 degrees) overhead on either equinox | the Equator; latitude = 0 degrees |
| names of the two latitudes (N & S) above/beyond which there is 24 hrs of either darkness or daylight, depending on the solstice | Arctic and Antarctic circles |
| the Sun's maximum height at midday (which might not ever be 90 degrees) | zenith |
| the area on either side of the equator within which the sun is at a zenith angle of 90 degrees at least once each year | the tropics |
| angle between the Sun's highest point on a day and 90 degrees overhead | zenith angle (ZA) |
| angle between the Sun's highest point and the horizon during a day | solar angle (SA) |
| changes in the appearance of the Moon due to the Sun shining on it from different angles with respect to Earth | Moon phases |
| phase of the Moon when it is in between Earth and the Sun | New Moon |
| phase of the Moon when Earth is between the Moon and the Sun | Full Moon |
| describes a Moon whose visible (lighted) surface is increasing each night | waxing |
| describes a Moon whose visible (lighted) surface is decreasing each night | waning |
| the second full Moon within the same calendar month... a relatively rare occurrence | "Blue" moon |
| describes the Moon's orbit because its rotational and orbital periods match | synchronous |
| the time for the Moon to complete one orbit, 27.3 days | sidereal month |
| the time for the Moon to undergo one complete phase change (29.5 days) from new moon to new moon | synodic (lunar) month |
| daily changes in sea level due primarily to the Moon's gravity causing ocean bulges | tides |
| when the Sun-Moon-Earth are aligned, it causes these which have the largest difference in elevation between high and low tides | spring tides |
| when the Sun and Moon are aligned at 90 degrees to Earth, it causes these which have the smallest difference in elevation between high and low tides | neap tides |
| occurs when the Moon moves between Earth and the Sun, blocking the view | solar eclipse |
| dark inner part of the Moon's shadow whose passing produces a total eclipse | umbra |
| lighter outer part of the Moon's shadow whose passing produces a partial eclipse | penumbra |
| occurs when Earth moves between the Moon and the Sun, blocking the view | lunar eclipse |
| solar/lunar eclipses do not occur every month because the plane of the Moon's orbit is tilted _?_ with respect to the ecliptic plane | 5 degrees |
| location along the Moon's orbit where it is closest to Earth | perigee |
| location along the Moon's orbit where it is farthest from Earth | apogee |
| describes a total solar eclipse when the moon is farther from Earth, leaving a ring of the Sun's surface visible | annular eclipse |
| 4 features to label on a photo of the near side of the Moon | Sea of Tranquility Sea of Serenity Copernicus Crater Tycho Crater |
Created by:
goakley
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