Download Astronomy Final Study Guide – Name: **This will be the biggest test

Astronomy Final Study Guide – Name: ____________________________________
**This will be the biggest test we have taken this year. I recommend using this study guide wisely to analyze
what you already know well. Ask your friends questions. Quiz each other. Ask me questions. There is no point
in copying each other because this is not a homework assignment, but it will help you prepare for the test. I will
be in before school tomorrow if you have more questions. You can also email me questions!**
Email: [email protected]
Vocabulary terms to know:
Multistage Rocket
Wavelength
Frequency
Waxing/Waning
Crescent/Gibbous
Revolution/Rotation
Absolute/Apparent Brightness
Parallax
Protostar, Main Sequence Star, Red Giant, Supergiant, Planetary Nebula, Nebula, Supernova, White Dwarf,
Black Dwarf, Neutron Star, Black Hole
Light Year
1. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages to using both multistage rockets and space
shuttles?
2. What was the name of the first ship in space? Why was it significant? (who launched it and why did we
care??)
3. Where do our space shuttles currently go when they get launched into space?
4. List out the electromagnetic spectrum using energy levels from highest to lowest (or lowest to highest)
5. How does energy affect the frequency, wavelength, and speed of a wave?
6. Order the colors by their energy levels. What person can help you do this?
7. What is the Doppler Effect? What does it tell us about the Universe? How are red shift and blue shift
different?
8. What are the differences between asteroids, comets, meteoroids, meteorites, and meteors?
9. How are spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies different? What are the parts of a galaxy?
10. Approximately how many galaxies are there? How many stars are in a galaxy?
11. What is nuclear fusion? What does it produce?
12. Why are both density and temperature important for nuclear fusion to take place?
13. How are solar winds, solar flares, sunspots, and prominences different?
14. What causes a solar and lunar eclipse? Why don’t they happen every month?
15. What causes the earth’s tides? What is the difference between spring and neap tides? Be able to draw a
picture explaining why spring/neap tides happen.
16. What causes the seasons on Earth? Why are we soon going to have Summer? What season is it in the
Southern Hemisphere when we have Summer?
17. Moon’s phases – be able to name/draw the phases in order.
18. Be able to draw lines in a parallax diagram and show what the stars would look like from the Earth.
19. Know the life cycle of a star diagram and be able to put the stages in order and label each stage.
20. How are rotation and revolution different? How are they similar in the case of the Moon? Why is this
weird?
21. How are protostars different from main sequence stars?
22. How does the atmosphere protect us from dangerous forms of radiation? Which forms does it protect
us from? Be able to draw a diagram explaining how this happens.
23. Why are elliptical galaxies unlikely to form new stars?
24. How are apparent and absolute brightness different?
25. Describe how new stars form. How might supernovas and planetary nebulae contribute to new star
formation?
26. Explain why the Sun will have a longer life than a star like Betelgeuse. (Why do less massive stars live
longer?)
27. Why won’t the Sun end in a huge explosion like a supernova?
28. What is our energy source for the solar system?
29. Be able to put the planets in order by:1. Distance from the Sun 2. Planet diameter (size)
30. How are the inner and outer planets different?
31. How do gravity and inertia keep the planets in orbit? What two things affect the amount of gravity
between two objects?