Geoscience U2

What characteristics can be used to classify the different types of EM waves?

Frequency, wavelength, and energy

Core

Innermost layer of the Sun where nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium occurs to create Sun’s energy

Radiative Zone

Second innermost layer of the Sun. Energy from core is carried outwards by photons

Convective Zone

Third Innermost layer of the Sun. Energy is transported by the movement of plasma

Photosphere

The visible surface of the Sun. The coolest layer and where we see sunspots

Chromosphere

The layer above the photosphere. Has spicules and prominences

Corona

The Sun’s outermost layer. Superheated plasma only visible during the solar eclipse

What characteristics can be used to classify stars?

Temperature, luminosity, and color

Star Spectrum

The light a star emits split into colors and wavelengths

Big Bang Theory

The theory for the origin of the universe.The universe started as one hot, dense point and has since cooled and expanded

According to the Big Bang Theory, how old is the universe?

13.7 billion years old

Singularity

The theory that all matter and energy in the universe was once contained in a single point

What two elements does the universe mostly consist of?

Hydrogen and Helium

Cosmic Microwave Background

Residual heat from the Big Bang

Hubble’s Law

A galaxy’s velocity is directly proportional to the distance from us

Doppler Effect

As the source of a wave and observer move closer together, the frequency of a wave increases

Redshifted

Moving away from us, long wavelengths

Blueshifted

Moving towards us, short wavelengths

Kepler’s 1st Law

Each planet’s orbit is an ellipse

Kepler’s 2nd Law

A planet’s orbit sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals. A planet moves faster when it’s closer to the Sun

Perihelion

Point in a planet’s orbit which is closest to the Sun

Aphelion

Point in a planet’s orbit which is furthest from the Sun

Eccentricity

How much an orbit deviates from a perfect circle

Foci

The two fixed points in a planet’s orbit that defines its shape. The Sun always sits at one of the two points

Refraction

The bending of a wave