Big Bang, Redshift, CMBR, Hubbles Law

What is the Big Bang and what does it tell us about the Universe?

an explanation of the early development of the Universe

What are the main pieces of evidence for the Big Bang?

Hubble's discovery in the 1920s of a relationship between a galaxy's distance from Earth and its speed.

What was produced in the very first few minutes after the Big Bang?

hydrogen and helium along with a tiny trace of lithium.

What is Hubble’s Law?

a galaxy's velocity (or as is sometimes plotted, its redshift) is directly proportional to its distance

What are the parts of a wave?

The highest part of the wave is called the crest. The lowest part is called the trough.

What is the equation for the speed of light?

v = c n

What are redshift and blueshift?

used by astronomers to work out how far an object is from Earth.

What is CMBR and what does it tell us about the universe?

carries information about the very early universe.

What is the Singularity?

the center of a black hole, a point of infinite density and gravity within which no object inside can ever escape, not even light.

What is the Doppler effect and what does it tell us in terms of both sound and how the Universe is moving?

microwave radiation that fills all space in the observable universe

What is the transit method and what can we learn from it?

A transit occurs when a planet passes between a star and its observer.

What are exoplanets?

a planet that orbits a star outside the solar system.

What is the Drake equation and what can we learn from it?

a mathematical formula for the probability of finding life or advanced civilizations in the universe

Describe the life cycle of a star.

Starts as dust that compacts together to make a protostar.

Where is the sun in its life cycle?

a little less than halfway through its lifetime

What will happen to the Earth and other planets when the Sun dies?

it will be burnt up

In a star’s life cycle, how do luminosity and lifespan relate to each other? (for example, will a more luminous star have a shorter lifespan or a longer lifespan?

a star's lifetime is proportional to its Mass divided by its Luminosity.

Know how to interpret the HR Diagram, what are on the axes?

X is Luminosity and Y is Temperature.

In the HR diagram, what section is the Sun in?

Main sequence

What are the temperature and luminosity of the Sun?

1 L and 15,000K