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Astronomy
Notes and Activities
Name ________________________
Assignment for Vocabulary

On a separate sheet of paper, list the words below 1 to 49 and define them using your textbook, a
dictionary, the Internet, or any other source you choose. Just get it done!!! There are a lot of words here,
do them a little at a time, don’t wait until the last minute.
Once you have defined the words read over each word so that you are able to understand its meaning.
I will collect and grade your completed list or give a matching QUIZ prior to the test on this
information as a homework assignment.
Number each word 1 through 16:
full moon
new moon
crescent
gibbous
tide
terrestrial planet
dwarf star
giant star
waxing
solar eclipse
jovian planet
supernova
waning
lunar eclipse
ellipse
galaxy
Motion in the Universe
Orbits
As objects orbit each other in the universe, the orbits are in the shape of an
_______________. This is the shape of a flattened circle. It is formed around two points called foci
(singular focus). _______________ is the measure of how flattened the ellipse is. It is always a
number between 0 and 1. As the _______________ gets closer to 1, the ellipse is getting
_______________. As the _______________ gets closer to 0, the ellipse is getting
_______________.
Doppler Effect
Since the Big Bang about 14 billion years ago, objects in the universe are moving away from
one another. The best evidence for this motion comes from the Doppler effect:
When an object is moving toward Earth the wavelengths of light get compressed and the light shifts
toward the blue end of the spectrum. This does not happen often.
When an object is moving away from Earth the wavelengths of light get expanded and the light shifts
toward the red end of the spectrum. We can measure this red shift coming from most of the stars in
the universe.
The Moon
The Moon is _______________ km from the Earth. It has a diameter of _______________ km and a
mass of _______________ Earths. One revolution of the Moon around the Earth takes
_______________ . It does not produce its own light, so the light that we see from the Moon is
_______________ from the _______________. The Moon has mountain or _______________ and
lowlands or _______________. Much on the Moon’s surface is covered with _______________.
These form when _______________ hit the surface of the Moon. They hit the surface of the Moon
because the Moon has no _______________.
Phases of the Moon
We see different amounts of the Moon’s surface lit up at different times. Follow along with the slides
of the Phases of the Moon and fill in the blanks as we go.
Slide 2- The Moon
� When we look at the moon, we see only the portion that is lit by the sun. At any time half
of the Moon is sunlit and half is in shadow.
� We are able to see some portion of the lit half of the Moon.
� The cycle of the moon are on a 28 day cycle. This gives us the idea of the month.
Slide 4-
sunlight
Eart
h
When the Sun and the Moon are on
the same side of the Earth we cannot
see the Moon. This is a new moon.
Slide 5-
Sunlight
Three days later a sliver of the moon
can be seen. This is a waxing
crescent.
Eart
h
Slide 6-
sunlight
Eart
h
Three days later half of the moon can
be seen. This is the first quarter.
Slide 7-
Sunlight
Eart
h
Three days later a sliver of the moon is
dark. This is a waxing gibbous.
Slide 8-
Sunlight
When the Moon is on the opposite side of
the Earth from the Sun, we see a full
moon.
Eart
h
Slide 9-
Sunlight
Eart
h
About 3 days later the Moon is dark on
the right side. This is a waning
gibbous.
Slide 10-
Sunlight
Eart
h
After 7 days half dark. This is the last
quarter.
Slide 11-
Sunlight
Another 3 days later the Moon appears
as a waning crescent.
Eart
h
Slide 12-
Sunlight
Eart
h
After 28 days it gets back to a new
moon.
Eclipses
Eclipses are named for what is being eclipsed, that is the object that is being obstructed
from our view.
A Solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun,
obstructing our view of the Sun. This can only happen in the New Moon phase.
A Lunar eclipse happens when the shadow of Earth passes over the Moon, obstructing our
view of the Moon. This can only happen in the Full Moon phase.
Tides
Ocean tides are caused by the gravity of the Moon. Since the oceans are liquid, the
water is pulled toward the Moon wherever on Earth the Moon is overhead.
When the Moon, Sun and Earth are all in line, we get the highest high tides and the
lowest low tides. The difference between high and low tides is the _______________. This
is called a ____________________.
When the Moon, Sun and Earth are 90º away from being in line, we get the lowest
high tides and the highest low tides. The difference between high and low tides is the
_______________. This is called a ____________________.
The diagram that follows shows the difference between these tides.
The Solar System
Our solar system is made of all objects that revolve around the Sun. That includes 8 planets, at
least 1 dwarf planet, an asteroid belt, and comets. Page 15 of the ESRT shows data for the Sun, Moon
and planets:
The other members of the solar system:
- Dwarf Planet:
-
Asteroids
-
Comets
The Stars and the Universe
The universe has billions of objects in it. The most recognizable of them are stars and
galaxies.
StarsThere are several classifications of stars. The classifications are based on how large the
star is and where it is in its life cycle. Stars are not really alive but they are formed and
eventually burn out.
Life Cycle of Stars:
Characteristics of each type of star:
Main Sequence:
Supergiant:
Giant:
White Dwarf:
Black Hole:
Page 15 of the ESRT has a graph of different types of stars:
The graph is based on _______________ vs. _______________ (brightness) of the stars.
_______________ is on the X-axis and gets _______________ as you move to the right.
_______________ is on the Y-axis and the stars get _______________ as you move
toward the top.
GalaxiesAll of the stars that we can see individually in the sky at night are in the
___________________ galaxy. The Sun is one star in our galaxy. The
___________________ is a ______________ galaxy. The other main shape of a galaxy is
elliptical.
____________________ Galaxy
____________________ Galaxy
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