Exploring The Universe

What phase is this?

New moon

Disc is dark and invisible. between sun and earth

What phase is this?

Waxing crescent

Sliver of the moon’s disc is visible

What phase is this?

First quarter

1/2 of the moon’s disc is lit

What phase is this?

Waxing gibbous

more than half the mood’s disc is lit and it’s shrinking

What phase is this?

Full moon

We see the entire face of the moon shining

What phase is this?

Waning gibbous

We can see roughly 3/4 of the moons disk

What phase is this?

Last quarter

½ of the moon’s disc is lit

What phase is this?

Waiting Crescent

We can only see a sliver of the moon disk

What is a solar eclipse?

occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s light from Earth.

What is a lunar eclipse?

Occurs when earth passes between the sun and moon, casting a shadow on the moon

What causes the tides?

(Rise and fall of ocean water every 12.5 h)

Gravitational forces of the sun and moon pull on earths water

What are spring tides?

Occur when the sun, Earth and moon or aligned, resulting in higher high tides and lower low tides

What are neap tides?

When the sun and moon are at right angles to earth, giving less extreme title differences

What are title bulges?

Bunches of water on opposite side, sides of earth caused by gravitational pull

How would large asteroid impact affect life on earth?

Can cause tsunami’s earthquakes wildfires, potentially leading to mass extinction affecting plant and animal life

What is a meteoroid?

Small rock or metallic body in outer space

What is a meteor?

Meteorite that enters earth atmosphere and burn up creating a streak of light (Shooting star)

What is a meteorite?

Meteor that survives it’s passage through the atmosphere and on earths surface

What are meteor showers?

Occur when earth passes through the debris trail left by a common

What are terrestrial planets?

Small rocky planets with solid surfaces (Mercury Venus earth and Mars)

What are gas giants?

Large planets mostly made of gas with no solid surfaces (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus Neptune)

What is a solar phenomena?

a natural event that occurs on the Sun, such as sunspots, solar flares, or solar eclipses.

What are solar flares?

Sudden inverse of energies and radiation from the sun

What are sunspots?

Darker cooler areas on the sun surface caused by magnetic activity

What causes the seasons on Earth?

The 23.5° tilt of Earth’s axis as it revolves around the Sun.

Why are models of the solar system difficult to make?

Because the planets are extremely far apart and their sizes and distances cannot be shown accurately at the same scale.

Why does the Moon have phases?

Because the Moon orbits Earth and we see different amounts of its sunlit side.

Name the eight phases of the Moon.

New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third (Last) Quarter, Waning Crescent.

What is a nebula?

A large cloud of gas and dust in space where stars form

What is a protostar?

The earliest stage of a star’s life.

What is a main sequence star?

A star that is fusing hydrogen into helium in its core

What happens when a low-mass star runs out of hydrogen fuel?

It expands into a red giant

What forms after a low-mass star becomes a red giant

A planetary nebula

What remains at the center of a planetary nebula?

A white dwarf

What is a white dwarf?

The hot, dense core left behind after a low-mass star dies

What is a black dwarf

A cooled white dwarf that no longer emits much heat or light

What happens when a high-mass star runs out of fuel

It expands into a red supergiant

what is a supernova

The explosion of a dying high-mass star

What is a neutron star

The extremely dense remnant left behind after some supernovas

What is a black hole

An object with gravity so strong that not even light can escape

Which stars can become black holes?

The most massive high-mass stars

What force causes gas and dust in a nebula to form a protostar?

Gravity

What is nuclear fusion?

The process where hydrogen atoms combine to form helium and release energy.

What is a terrestrial planet

A small, rocky planet with a solid surface

Name the terrestrial planets

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

What is a gas giant?

A large planet made mostly of gas with no solid surface

Name the gas giant planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

Which planet has the greatest temperature range?

Mercury

Which planet has the strongest hurricane-like storm?

Jupiter

Which planet has the most visible rings?

Saturn

What is an asteroid

A rocky object that orbits the Sun, mostly found in the asteroid belt

Where is the asteroid belt located

Between Mars and Jupiter

What is a comet

An icy object that orbits the Sun and forms a tail when near the Sun

What causes meteor showers

Earth passing through dust and debris left behind by a comet.

Why is space travel difficult and dangerous

Because of radiation, extreme temperatures, lack of air, and the vast distances involved

Name two dangers of living in space.

Exposure to radiation and limited supplies of food, water, and oxygen

What is a solar flare

A sudden burst of energy and radiation from the Sun.

How fast does light travel?

About 300,000 km/s.

What is a light-year?

The distance light travels in one year

Approximately how far is one light-year

About 9.5 trillion kilometres

What is a constellation

A group of stars that form a recognizable pattern in the sky.

What is Polaris?

The North Star, located at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper

Lifecycle of a low/medium mass star

Nebula → Protostar → Main Sequence → Red Giant → Planetary Nebula → White Dwarf → Black Dwarf

Lifecycle of a high mass star

Nebula → Protostar → Main Sequence → Red Supergiant → Supernova → Neutron Star or Black Hole