Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
astronomy unit vocab
define and give examples of the words
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Astronomy | The study of the moon, stars, and other objects in space |
| Big bang theory | Cosmological model that explains the sudden development of the universe through expansion from a hot, dense state |
| Doppler shift | The shift in frequency based on the radiation given from an object depending if its moving towards or away from the observer |
| Red shift | A shift in the spectra of distant galaxies toward longer wavelengths caused by an object moving away from the Earth |
| Blue Shift | The displacement of the spectrum to shorter wavelengths in the light coming from distant celestial objects moving toward the observer |
| Frequency | The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time |
| Wavelength | Horizontal distance between the crests or between the lowest points of two adjacent waves |
| Absolute brightness (magnitude) | The brightness a star would have if it were at a standard distance from earth |
| Apparent brightness (magnitude) | The brightness of a star as seen from Earth |
| Cosmic microwave background | The now-cooled radiation that was released by the big bang |
| Universe | All of space and everything in it |
| Galaxy | A huge group of single stars, star systems, star clusters, dust, and gas bound together by gravity |
| Solar system | When the sun is in the middle and all the planets and celestial bodies revolve around it |
| Star | A ball of hot gas, primarily hydrogen and helium, that undergoes nuclear fusion |
| Planet | A large body in space that orbits a star and does not produce light of its own |
| Electromagnetic spectrum | The complete range of electromagnetic waves placed in order of increasing frequency |
| AU-Astronomical Unit | A unit of length used for distances within the solar system |
| Solar nebula | A large cloud of gas and dust such as the one that formed our solar system |
| Gas giant | A planet that has a deep, massive atmosphere such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune |
| Nuclear fusion | The process by which two or more small nuclei fuse to make a bigger nucleus |
| Convective zone | The transferring of energy from the stars core and it visible light from the surface |
| Photosphere | Luminous visible surface of the sun |
| Chromosphere | Gaseous envelope that surrounds the sun outside of its photo sphere where gases erupt |
| Corona | The outer part of the suns layer |
| Sunspot | Dark patch that appears periodically on the suface of the sun |
| Prominence | A loop of gas that protrudes from the sun's surface, linking parts of sunspot regions |
| Solar Flare | A sudden eruption of intense high-energy radiation from the sun's surface |
| Coronal mass ejection | a large explosion of matter and energy from the Sun |
| Light year | The distance light travels in one year |
| Parallax | The apparent displacement of an observed object that depends in the position of the observer |
| Main sequence | The location on the H-R diagram where most stars lie |
| HR Diagram | Classifies stars by temperature and absolute brightness |
| Nebular | A large cloud of dust and gas in space |
| Red giant | A star that expands and cools once it runs out of hydrogen fuel |
| White dwarf | A small, hot, dim star that is the leftover center of an old star |
| Nova | A star that increases thousands of times in brightness and then fades |
| Neutron star | A star that has collapsed under its own gravity |
| Pulsar | A rapidly spinning neutron star that produces radio waves |
| Black hole | A region of space having a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape |
| Constellations | A group of stars that form a pattern |
| Cosmology | The study of the universes general structure and evolution |
Created by:
rojasn1
Popular Physical Science sets