Astronomy (Lawler Unt) Final Exam Review 1052

Front 1

Rotation( Motion of the earth)

Back 1

Cause of day/night. Half surface facing the sun is illuminated. Entire surface rotates through sunlight each day. From WEST to EAST which causes objects to rise in EAST and set in the WEST

Front 2

Orbital Motion (motion of the earth)

Back 2

seasonal variation of constellations

Front 3

Seasons (motion of the earth)

Back 3

rotational axis tilted at 23.5 degrees to ecliptic.

Front 4

orbital motion (motion of the moon)

Back 4

in eastward direction around earth with angular speed of 1/2 degree per hour

Front 5

Lunar Phases (motion of the moon- Orbital motion)

Back 5

like earth, half of surface is illuminated; as moon orbits earth earth-based viewers see different fraction of illuminated surface.

Front 6

Lunar Phases in Order

Back 6

new, crescent waxing, half-moon waxing, gibbous waxing, full, gibbous waning, half-moon waning, crescent waning

Front 7

Rotation (Motion of the moon)

Back 7

the moon rotates once per orbit about the earth: SYNCHRONOUS ROTATION. Always see the same face of moon from earth.

Front 8

celestial equator

Back 8

the projection of the earth's equator on the sky

Front 9

polaris

Back 9

marks the position of the earth's rotation axis. Appears fixed in the sky.

Front 10

Big Dipper

Back 10

located in Ursa Minor. Can be used to find the little dipper which contains the north star (polaris)

Front 11

observer's meridian

Back 11

a meridian that passes through the observer's zenith

Front 12

zenith

Back 12

the top of the sky above your head.

Front 13

rotational axis of earth tilted at ____ to ecliptic

Back 13

23.5

Front 14

eclipses

Back 14

caused by shadow of earth and moon. Partial, total and annular.

Front 15

umbra

Back 15

the innermost and darkest part of a shadow, where the light source is completely blocked by the occluding body. An observer in the umbra experiences a total eclipse.

Front 16

penumbra

Back 16

the region in which only a portion of the light source is obscured by the occluding body. An observer in the penumbra experiences a partial eclipse

Front 17

pro-grade motion

Back 17

motion in the same direction as the stars

Front 18

retro-grade motion

Back 18

motion opposite to the background stars

Front 19

All planets orbit __________ around the sun in slightly ecliptic orbits

Back 19

eastward with Sun not at center, but a one focus (Kepler's first)

Front 20

the farther a planet from the sun, the more _________ it moves

Back 20

slowly. the speed
varies in a systematic, predictable way. (Keplers 2nd)

Front 21

The further from the Sun, the slower the _______ speed of the planet and
the longer the “year”

Back 21

angular. Kelper's 3rd. p^2 =a^3

Front 22

Law of gravity

Back 22

gravitational force between two objects is proportional to
the product of the mass of each object divided by the
distance between their centers squared.

Front 23

orbital motion =

Back 23

free fall.

Front 24

Orbital Resonances

Back 24

– Small objects orbiting larger objects: tidal interactions create relationships between rotation
rate and orbital period (spin-orbit coupling or resonance).
– Small objects orbiting inside orbit of larger objects: relationships between orbital periods
create gaps or divisions.

Front 25

Escape Speed

Back 25

speed required to escape the gravity of an object = (2GM/r)1/2
• where M = mass of central object, r = distance from object’s center.

Front 26

age of the solar system

Back 26

4.6 billion years old

Front 27

Order of Planets from the Sun

Back 27

mercury, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune

Front 28

terrestrial Planets

Back 28

mercury, earth, venus, mars. "all composed mostly of rock and heavy metals. These planets have a core made of heavy metals that is mostly iron; the core is surrounded by a mantle of silicate rock. Terrestrial planets are much smaller than gas giants. The terrestrial planets also have varied terrain such as volcanoes, canyons, mountains, and craters. Another common feature among the terrestrial planets is that they have few or no moons"- universetoday.com

Front 29

jovian planets

Back 29

jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune. Gas Giants. Large, have several moons. Rocky or liquid core somewhere in the center of the gas.

Front 30

comet

Back 30

a celestial body moving about the sun, usually in a highly eccentric orbit, consisting of a central mass surrounded by an envelope of dust and gas that may form a tail that streams away from the sun.

Front 31

asteroid

Back 31

Any of numerous small, often irregularly shaped rocky bodies that orbit the Sun primarily in the asteroid belt , a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Front 32

meteoroids

Back 32

any of the small bodies, often remnants of comets, traveling through space: when such a body enters the earth's atmosphere it is heated to luminosity and becomes a meteor.