Introduction to Space

Flashcards covering vocabulary and key concepts from the Introduction to Space lecture, including the scale of cosmic objects, light properties, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the Big Bang Theory.

Nebula

A cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter.

Scale of the Universe (smallest to largest)

Proton, water molecule, DNA, red blood cell, the smallest thing visible to the naked eye, Human, Statue of liberty, T-Rex, Halley’s Comet, USA, Earth, Jupiter, the Sun, Nebula, Milky Way Galaxy, Universe.

Doppler shift in light

By analyzing the color pattern of an object through a telescope, we can learn what it is made of, its temperature, its pressure, and its direction and speed of motion.

Radio wave wavelength and frequency

A wavelength of $10^3\,m$ and a frequency of $10^4\,Hz$.

Microwave wavelength and frequency

A wavelength of $10^{-2}\,m$ and a frequency of $10^8\,Hz$.

Infrared wavelength and frequency

A wavelength of $10^{-5}\,m$ and a frequency of $10^{12}\,Hz$.

Visible light wavelength and frequency

A wavelength of $10^{-6}\,m$ and a frequency of $10^{15}\,Hz$.

Ultraviolet wavelength and frequency

A wavelength of $10^{-8}\,m$ and a frequency of $10^{16}\,Hz$.

X-Ray wavelength and frequency

A wavelength of $10^{-10}\,m$ and a frequency of $10^{18}\,Hz$.

Gamma Ray wavelength and frequency

A wavelength of $10^{-12}\,m$ and a frequency of $10^{20}\,Hz$.

The Big Bang Theory

The theory that states the universe began when all matter and energy squished into a singularity exploded and began to expand.

Singularity

An infinitely small point where all the universe's matter and energy were concentrated before the Big Bang.

Estimated age of the universe

A period debated among astrophysicists, but agreed to be somewhere between 10 and 20 billion years old.