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
astr 1101 midterm
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Which of the following statements about the celestial sphere is NOT true? | The "celestial sphere" is just another name for our universe. |
| Which of the following best describes the modern definition of a constellation? | a region of the celestial sphere |
| The direction directly overhead of an observer defines his or her | zenith |
| If an event were to take place on the Sun, how long would it take for the light it generates to reach us? | 8 minutes |
| Which of the following is false? | A scientific theory is an undisputed fact. |
| Our universe is approximately 13.7 _________ years old. | billion |
| Which of the following best describes the Milky Way? | a spiral galaxy with a disk about 100,000 light-years in diameter and containing a few hundred billion stars |
| In science, an idea that cannot be tested is | not a scientific idea. |
| If you were to specify your address in the universe, listing your membership from the smallest to largest physical structures, it would be: | Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Local Group, Laniakea Supercluster, the universe. |
| A "light year" is a way to measure distance. | True |
| Rank the following in order of smallest to largest: -size of a typical galaxy - the width of a human hair - size of Pluto's orbit - distance to nearest star (other than the Sun) - one (1) light year | the width of a human hair, size of Pluto's orbit, one (1) light year, distance to nearest star (other than the Sun), size of a typical galaxy |
| Because of _____________, we can conclude that gravity works the same way on Mars as it does on Earth. | The cosmological principle |
| A person located on the equator is orbiting the center of the Earth to the East at 1670 km/s. Relative to the center of the Earth, a person on the North Pole is | stationary, except spinning in-place once per day. |
| While, night after night, the stars seem not to move relative to each other, they are actually moving in random directions with relative to each other with typical velocities of about 70,000 km/hr. | False |
| Suppose we look at two distant galaxies: Galaxy 1 is twice as far away as Galaxy 2. In that case, ________. | we are seeing Galaxy 1 as it looked at an earlier time in the history of the universe than Galaxy 2 |
| If one thinks about the distance between Earth and the Moon, 384,400 km, approximately how much of that distance would the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, take up? | less than half this distance |
| The Scientific Method is a process by which scientists | gain confidence in theories by failing to prove them wrong. |
| If you have a stuffy nose, a fever, chills, and body aches and a doctor treats you for the flu rather than four separate diseases that account for each of your symptoms, this is an application of | Occam’s razor |
| You can approximate distances between objects in your local sky by extending your hand out in front of you. For example, your fist extended at arms length is approximately 10 degrees. | True |
| You are standing on Earth's equator. Which way is Polaris, the North star? | on the northern horizon |
| The celestial equator | is a projection into space of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere. |
| In which direction on the horizon does a crescent moon rise? | east |
| When the northern hemisphere experiences fall, the southern hemisphere experiences | spring |
| The day with the smallest number of daylight hours over the course of the year for a person living in the northern hemisphere is the | winter solstice (Dec. 22) |
| On which day of the year does the Sun reach its northernmost point in the sky? | summer solstice |
| If Earth’s axis were tilted by 35° instead of its actual tilt, how would the seasons be different than they are currently? | winters would be colder |
| In regard to the phase of the Moon, the term "waxing* means | illuminated area increasing. |
| If you see a full Moon tonight, approximately how long would you have to wait to see the next full Moon? | 4 weeks |
| Which of the following is false? | The observed phase of the Moon changes over the course of one night. |
| What makes the North Star, Polaris, special? | It appears very near the north celestial pole. |
| If the Moon is setting at midnight, the phase of the Moon must be | first quarter |
| What conditions are required for a lunar eclipse? | The phase of the Moon must be full, and the nodes of the Moon's orbit must be nearly aligned with Earth and the Sun. |
| Lunar eclipses occur approximately how often? (hint: line of nodes) | twice every year |
| The moon keeps the same hemisphere facing Earth because the _________ is equal to the _________. | rotational period of the Moon; orbital period of the Moon around Earth |
| How long is your day (i.e. from sunrise to sunset) if you live on the Moon? | a lunar month |
| The altitude of the north star (Polaris) is equal to your latitude on Earth. At what latitude on Earth would the north celestial pole be at your Zenith? | +90 degrees |
| If there is a first quarter Moon out tonight, approximately how long from now will it be in the third quarter phase? | 2 weeks. |
| At midnight it is sometimes possible to observe the crescent Moon on the meridian. | False |
| Galileo observed all of the following. Which observation offered direct proof of a planet orbiting the Sun? | phases of Venus |
| The Orion Constellation is visible on winter evenings but not summer evenings because of | the location of Earth in its orbit. |
| What happens during the apparent retrograde motion of a planet? | The planet appears to move westward with respect to the stars over a period of many nights. |
| All the following statements are true. Which one follows directly from Kepler's third law? | Venus orbits the Sun at a slower average speed than Mercury. |
| At which lunar phase(s) are tides most pronounced (e.g., the highest high tides)? | both new and full moons |
| Astronauts orbiting Earth in the space shuttle experience so-called weightlessness in space because | they are in constant free fall around Earth. |
| Which of the following properties of an astronaut changes when he or she is standing on the Moon, relative to when the astronaut is standing on Earth? | weight |
| Which of the following is true about a comet that is on an elliptical orbit around the Sun? | The comet’s speed is greatest when it is nearest the Sun. |
| Which of the following is not true about orbits? | Orbits are always circular. |
| Tidal forces are caused by | the difference between the strength of the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun on either side of Earth. |
| Neap tides occur when the lunar and solar tides _________, resulting in _________ tides. | partially cancel out; below average |
| Which of the following is a characteristic of the early Solar System, based on current observations? | The composition of the solar nebula varied between its inner and outer regions. |
| neap tides occur at which phases of the moon | first and third quarters |
| Given a region within a protoplanetary disk, what quality would determine its temperature? | a combination of each of the three choices presented here |
| Whether a planet will be rocky or gaseous depends on what important factor? | the planet's distance from the Sun |
| The icy planetesimals that remain in the solar system today are called | comet nuclei |
| what is a protostar? | a large ball of gas not hot enough at its core to become a star |
| Which of the following is a terrestrial planet? | Mercury and Venus |
| Which is the best description of a moon? | a natural satellite of a planet or asteroid |
| Comets and asteroids are | material leftover from the formation of the planets |
| Plate tectonics is NOT responsible for: | canyons |
| Which of the following is farthest from the Sun? | a comet in the Oort belt |
| The age of our solar system is approximately | 4.6 billion years. |
| What is the primary basis upon which we divide the ingredients of the solar nebula into four categories (hydrogen/helium; hydrogen compound; rock; metal)? | the temperatures at which various materials will condense from gaseous form to solid form |
| A planet is most likely to have tectonic activity if it has | high internal temperature. |
| The reason that small planets tend to lose interior heat faster than larger planets is essentially the same as the reason that | a large baked potato takes longer to cool than a small baked potato. |
| Recent evidence suggests that Mars once had a global magnetic field. Assuming this is true, which of the following could explain why Mars today lacks a global magnetic field like that of Earth? | Mars's interior has cooled so much its molten core layer no longer undergoes convection. |
| When we see a region of a planet that is not as heavily cratered as other regions, we conclude that | the surface in the region is younger than the surface in more heavily cratered regions. |
| In what ways is Earth different from the other terrestrial planets? | It has a much higher percentage of oxygen in its atmosphere |
| Mars, Venus, and Earth are much less heavily cratered than Mercury and the Moon. This is explained by the fact that | Mars, Venus, and Earth were geologically active for a longer period of time than Mercury and the Moon. |
| Which of the following worlds have the thinnest lithospheres? | Earth and Venus |
| Which internal energy source is the most important in continuing to heat the terrestrial planets today? | radioactivity |
| Why does Earth have the strongest magnetic field among the terrestrial worlds? | it is the only one that has both a partially molten metallic core and reasonably rapid rotation |
| What would happen if photosynthesis were to disappear on Earth? | oxygen would disappear from the atmosphere. |
| Which is not a reason that we suspect that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an explosive impact by an explosive object? | The remaining meteorite has been identified on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. |
| Suppose an earthquake occurs on an imaginary planet. Scientists on the other side of the planet detect P-waves but not S-waves after the quake occurs. This suggests that: | part of the planet’s interior is liquid |
| Excessive volcanism results in an overall cooling of planet. | True |
| summer/june solstice | sun farthest north |
| autumn/fall equinox | sun on equator moving south |
| winter/december solstice | sun farthest south |
| vernal/spring equinox | sun on equator moving north |
Created by:
Mason04