Download Space 2006

What is astronomy?
The study of the moon, stars, and other
objects in space.
A grouping of planets that revolve around
one star is…
The Solar System
Our solar system is the sun and our nine
planets and all moons and matter in space
around it
The force of attraction between any two
objects – holds planets in their orbits is
called…
Gravity
What is a Theory?
An explanation of an idea that has
supporting evidence not yet proved.
Describe the Big Bang Theory.
An explanation of how the universe formed –
13 billion years ago – All matter became
concentrated and finally exploded. the
fastest moving matter traveled the farthest.
What are the geocentric and
Heliocentric systems?
In a geocentric system, Earth is at the center
of the revolving planets and stars.
In a heliocentric system, Earth and the other
planets revolve around the sun.
Anything that has mass (weight on Earth)
and takes up space is called…
Matter
A force that is able to do work
(move things) is called…
Energy
The path an object takes as it travels. Example:
(the Earth orbits the sun) is called…
Orbit
Name the 9 Planets.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
Which planets have moons?
Earth-1 moon, Mars-2 moons, Jupiter-4
moons, Saturn-1 moon, Uranus-5 moons,
Neptune- at least 13 moons, and Pluto-1
moon
Describe planet Mercury.
Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet and
the planet closest to the sun.
Name the second planet.
Venus- is so similar in size and mass to
Earth that it is sometimes called “Earth’s
twin”
What is planet Earth?
Earth is unique in our solar system in having
liquid water at its surface.
Describe planet Mars
Mars is called the “red planet”
Scientists think that a large amount of liquid
water flowed on Mar’s surface in the
distant past.
Name and describe Mars Moons.
Mars has two very small moons- Phobos
and Deimos.
Phobos is the larger moon and Deimos is
even smaller.
Both moons are covered with craters.
Name and describe the fifth planet.
Jupiter is the largest and most massive
planet.
Jupiter has a Great Red Spot, a storm that is
larger than Earth!!!
Name and describe Jupiter’s moons?
Jupiter has 4 large moons: Io, Europa,
Ganymede, and Callisto.
Io-surface is covered with large, active volcanoes
Ganymede-is the largest moon in the solar system
Callisto-its surface is icy and covered with craters
Describe planet Saturn?
Saturn is the second-largest planet in the
solar system.
Saturn has the most spectacular rings of any
planet.
Name and describe Saturn’s moons?
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is larger than the planet
Mercury.
Saturn also has four other moons.
Describe planet Uranus?
Uranus’s axis of rotation is tilted at an angle
of about 90 degrees from the vertical.
Describe Uranus’s moons?
Uranus has 5 large moons, but astronomers
recently discovered several more-in total is
25.
The 5 largest moons have icy, cratered
surfaces.
Describe planet Neptune?
Neptune is a cold, blue planet.
Its atmosphere contains visible clouds.
Describe Neptune’s moons?
Neptune has at least 13 moons.
The largest moon is Triton, which has a thin
atmosphere.
Describe planet Pluto?
Pluto has a solid surface and is much
smaller and denser than the other outer
planets.
Name and describe Pluto’s moon.
Pluto’s moon is Charon- since Charon is
more than half the size of Pluto, some
astronomers consider them to be a double
planet.
What is a Comet?
A comet is a loose collection of ice, dust,
and small rocky particles, typically with a
long, narrow orbit.
What are Asteroids?
Asteroids are rocky objects revolving around
the sun that are too small and numerous
to be considered planets.
What are meteors and meteoroids?
Meteors are streaks of light in the sky
produced by the burning of a meteoroid in
Earth’s atmosphere.
Meteoroids are chunks of rock or dust in
space.
To move closer together, become more
dense is…
Concentrated
A grouping of millions of galaxies in the
universe is called a…
Supercluster
A grouping of billions of stars is called a…
Galaxy
What is a star?
A huge ball of dust and gas that is burning.
Nuclear fusion in the core (center) gives
off energy. Our star, the Sun, is an
average-sized star.
What is our Cosmic Address?
Universe, Virgo Supercluster, Milkyway
galaxy, The Sun, Earth, USA, NY, Locust
Valley, your street address
What is an open and closed
Universe?
An open universe will continue to expand outward
until all the stars die out billions of years from
now.
A closed Universe is when gravity will cause the
outward expansion to eventually stop. All matter
will be pulled together (concentrated and a new
big bang will occur.)
What is a Period of Rotation and a
Period of Revolution?
Period of rotation-time it takes a planet to make
one rotation on its Axis (day)
Period of revolution- time it takes a planet to
make one revolution around the sun (year)
Imaginary vertical line through the center of body
around which the body rotates, or spins is called
an…
Axis
What are Summer & Winter Solstice?
What are Vernal & Autumnal Equinox?
Summer solstice-time of year when the northern hemisphere has its
longest day and the southern hemisphere has its shortest day:
beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. June 21st-22nd
Winter solstice-time of year when the northern hemisphere has its
shortest day and the southern hemisphere has its longest day:
beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere. December 22nd-23rd
Vernal equinox-time of year when day and night are of equal length:
beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. March 21st-22nd
Autumnal equinox-time of year when day and night are of equal
length: beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. September 21st-22nd
What does “phase of the moon”
mean?
It is the different shapes of the moon we see
from Earth as the moon makes a complete
revolution around Earth.
What is a Waxing, Waning, Crescent, Gibbous mean?
Waxing: when the portion of the moon we see is growing (more light) In the North East waxing moon phases are always on the right.)
Waning: when the portion of the moon we see is shrinking (less light) –
(In the North East waning moon phases are always on the left.)
Crescent: this is when the moon's shape resembles a crescent roll – (a
slice)
Gibbous: this is when the moon's shape resembles an oval
What are Solar and Luner
Eclipses?
Solar Eclipse: When the moon passes directly between Earth and the
Sun. The sunlight is blocked from part of the Earth. Earth is in the
Moon's shadow. Solar eclipses occur during the New Moon
Phase
Lunar Eclipse: A lunar eclipse occurs at a full moon when Earth is
directly between the moon and the sun. Earth blocks sunlight from
reaching the moon. The moon is in Earth's shadow
.
What is an Umbra or a Penumbra?
Umbra: The darkest inner shadow during a total eclipse
Penumbra: The lighter outer shadow during a partial eclipse
The rise and fall of the oceans caused by the moon’s gravitational pull
on Earth. They occur every 12.5 hours. Every 6 hours we have a high &
low tide. So every day we have 2 high & low tides in a given spot on
Earth are called…
Tides
What are Spring & Neap Tides?
Spring tides: These are the when we have the greatest difference between high
tides and low tides. This occurs at the full and new moon phases because
the sun's gravitational pull adds to the force that the moon's gravity is
exerting and we have the greatest difference between high and low tide.
Neap tides: These are the when we have the smallest difference between high
tides and the low tides. This occurs at the first and last quarter moon
phases because the sun's gravitational pull is at right angles to the to the
force that the moon's gravity is exerting and we have the smallest difference
between high and low tide.
How is the relative motion of the Earth, the
moon, and the sun related to the phases of the
moon? And how is it related to eclipses?
The revolution of the moon around the Earth causes
different amount of Sunlight from reflecting off of it. This
causes us to see the moon appear differently to us on
Earth. This is because the Sun, moon and Earth are in
different positions during their revolutions. Eclipses are
caused when one object in space blocks sunlight from
another object. While the Earth is revolving around the
sun, the moon is revolving around Earth. When the
moon's shadow falls on Earth we are experiencing a
solar eclipse. When Earth's shadow falls on the moon
the moon is having a lunar eclipse.
When would you be able to see a
Solar & Luner Eclipse?
You can see a lunar eclipse during the full moon phase, when the Earth
is blocking sunlight from hitting the moon. A total lunar eclipse can
be see from anywhere on Earth.
You can see a solar eclipse during the new moon phase. This occurs
when the moon is directly between the Sun and the Earth. Most
months the moon is higher in the sky so the sunlight is not totally
blocked, however during a solar eclipse they are directly in line. A
total eclipse can only be seen on the part of the Earth that is in full
shadow (the umbra)
How does the moon affect tides on
the Earth?
The moon's gravitational pull causes the
tides to occur on Earth.
What are highlands, maria, and
rilles?
highlands Mountain - ranges on the moon
maria- Low land plains on the moon - caused by
volcanoes and moonquakes
rilles- Valleys on the moon (both rilles and valleys have
two ll's)
What are Perigee & Apogee?
Perigee- When the moon is closest to Earth in its
orbit (pretty close)
Apogee- When the moon is farthest to Earth in its
orbit (away)
What are the moons period of
rotation & revolution?
moon’s period of rotation- 27.3 days - same as its
revolution
moon’s period of revolution- 27.3 days - same as its
rotation
Who are the first 2 people to walk
on the moon?
Neil Armstrong is the 1st person to walk on the moon
(1969)
Buzz Aldrin is the 2nd person to walk on the moon
(1969)
Galileo Galilei was…
Galileo Galilei is the 1st person to view the
moon through a telescope (1609)
Compare the moon’s gravity to
Earth’s gravity.
Gravity is Earth’s gravity – Objects weigh much less on the
moon. Objects on Earth are six times heavier than on the
moon.
How did scientists figure out the
distance from Earth to the moon?
Scientists left a mirror on the moon to help them calculate
the distance from Earth to the moon. They knew how fast
light travels (the speed of light), they bounced a beam of
light from earth to the moon and timed how long it took to
get back
Describe the main theory of how
the moon was created.
About 4.5 billion years ago the solar system was filled with rocky
debris. A giant asteroid (the size of Mars) hit the Earth and tore a
chunk out of Earth’s surface. The Chunk is now our moon (All the
pieces merged together and stayed in orbit due to Earth’s Gravity.)
The hole that was left on Earth is now possibly the Pacific Ocean.
This is also supported by moon rocks.
How might the moon’s craters and rilles have
formed?
It is believed that they formed by either volcanic activity or
moonquakes. The craters have volcanic rock in them which supports
the theory that volcanoes were responsible. Moonquakes would
also cause volcanic eruptions and they could explain the long
valleys, Rilles, on the moon.
Which planets have seasons?
Earth, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, & Neptune.
Which planets don’t have seasons?
Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, & Pluto