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1011
SIDE 1
Life has flourished on Earth due to the presence of
_____.
liquid water
The name of the galaxy we live in.
Milky Way
At any given time, approximately how much of the
Earth is illuminated by the sun?
half
What causes the Earth’s axis to remain tilted 23.5
degrees?
the moon’s gravitational force
What is Earth’s position in the Solar System?
third planet from the Sun, between Venus and Mars
Why does Earth have seasons?
because it is tilted on its axis 23.5 degrees
What are the tides primarily caused by?
the gravitational force between the Moon and the Earth
What causes days and nights?
the rotation of Earth on its axis
Why do we always see the same side of the
Moon?
it rotates on its axis at the same rate that it revolves
around the Earth
Does the moon rotate on its axis?
yes
List the gas giants in order, starting with the one
nearest the Sun.
Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
Which planet is called Earth’s twin?
Venus
What are asteroids?
rocks orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter
What is retrograde motion?
When a planet appears to move backwards because we
are moving past it in space.
Which planet has the shortest day?
Mercury
What is Polaris?
the North Star
What is parallax used to measure?
a star’s distance from Earth
Why does a person weigh more on Earth than on
the moon?
Earth has a greater gravitational pull
How does the sun emit energy?
through fusion of hydrogen into helium
What is it called when the moon and sun are
aligned so that the sun is blocked?
solar eclipse
What does a light year measure?
distance
Which has the greater density, an inner planet or
an outer planet?
inner planets
Which layer of the sun is seen during a total solar
eclipse?
corona
1011
SIDE 1
Why doesn’t erosion occur on the moon?
there is no wind or rain
What is the Kuiper Belt?
where comets are concentrated
What was Apollo 13?
first manned mission to land on the moon
What element is the main component of most
stars?
hydrogen
What is the Big Bang theory?
theory of how the UNIVERSE was created
What does absolute magnitude measure?
star brightness
Which type of planet is small and rocky?
terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars)
What type of galaxy are we in?
spiral
Gas and dust in interstellar nebulae can form ___.
stars
In which stage does a star spend most of its life?
main sequence
What powers stars?
fusion
What is the first stage in a star’s life cycle?
stellar nebula
What is the last stage in the life cycle of an
average star, like our Sun?
black dwarf
What will be the next stage of our Sun’s life cycle?
red giant
What is a supernova?
explosion of a massive star
What is indicated by a galaxy which shows a red
Doppler shift?
it is moving away from us
What is indicated by the fact that the galaxies are
moving away from each other?
the Universe is expanding
What is a lunar eclipse?
when the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon because the
Earth is between the moon and the sun
What does a star’s spectral pattern tell us?
which elements it contains
1011
Test Extra Credit Opportunity
Worth up to 10 points!
Your extra credit challenge is to create handwritten flash cards to help you study for
the upcoming test on Astronomy. You will earn 1 point for every 4 correctly formatted flash
cards; 10 points for completing all 40!
Flash cards can be made out of index cards, notebook paper or blank paper of any color as long as
I can see the writing clearly- use what you have! A good size is about 4X6- a piece of notebook
paper cut into 4 pieces is fine, too.
To receive credit, flash cards must be turned in BEFORE you take your test.
Correctly formatted flash cards:
1. Are HANDWRITTEN by the student, images must be hand-drawn.
2. Display the term, question, or diagram on one side, and explanation on the back.
3. Copy the information as it is written below; no abbreviations of the material.