French physicist; found evidence that the Earth spins on its axis by using a pedulum
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Cosmology
The study of the structure and evolution of the Universe
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Which model did Ptolemy use? (100-170CE)
Geocentric Model
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Which model did Nicolaus Copernicus use? (1473-1543)
Heliocentric Model
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Galileo's telescopic observations contradicted?
the geocentric hypothesis.
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Who used their laws of motion and gravity to show why planetary orbits are elliptical?
Isaac Newton
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Who calcualted the cirumference of Earth?
The Greek Astronomer Era in Alexandria, Egypt
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What is the circumference of the Earth found by Astronomer Era?
39300 km (24,421 miles)
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What is the actusl circumference of Earth?
40,008 km
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What is the actual average distance from Earth to the Moon?
381,555 km
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What is the distance between the Sun and Earth?
149,600,000 km (93,000,000 miles)
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When was the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, found?
1838
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How close is Alpha Centauri (nearest star to Earth)?
40.85 trillion km away
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What is a light year?
The distance that light travels in one Earth year, equals about 9.5 trillion km (unit of distance, not time)
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What is the speed of light (in miles)?
186,000 miles per second
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Alpha Centauri is 4.3 light years away, so how old is the light that we see from the star?
4.3 years
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What is the edge of the visible Universe?
Lies 13 billion light years away
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Gravity pulls stars into \_____
Galaxies
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How many stars are in the MIlky Way?
over 300 billion stars
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What is the nearest galaxy to our?
Andromeda (2.2 million light years away)
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What is the Doppler effect?
The change in frequency of a wave, when the sources moves relaative to the observer
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What is an example of the Doppler Effect?
A moving train; As it moves away from you the frequency is shorter, wavelength longer. As it moves towards you the frequency is higher, wavelength shorter.
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What is the Doppler Shift?
As things move away from us, the light is red shifted; As things move towards us, the light is blue shifted
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What did Edwin Hubble observe when looking at the light from distant galaxies?
There was a red shift, meaning the universe is expanding away from us
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What is the Expanding Universe Theory?
All distant galaxies are moving rapidly away from us. (ex: chocolate chips in bread, while the bread bakes the chocolate chips spread out) WE ARE NOT IN THE CENTER OF THE EXPANSION
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How did the Universe form?
The Big Bang is the widely accepted theory
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When was the Big Bang?
13\.7 biillion years ago (Big Bang)
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What did the collapsed smaller galaxies form during the Big Bang?
The first stars
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What are Protogalaxies?
Galaxies that have no significant amounts of any elements besides H and He
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What are the 3 lines of evidence that tells us the age of the Universe?
Disovery of the expanding universe
Modeling formation of elements
Star evolution
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Recent work suggests that the rate of expansion has changed as time has passed. True or False?
True, it is expanding quicker
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How are heavier elements created?
By thermonuclear fusion reactions in stars
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What are Coronal Mass Ejections (CME)?
It is when the Sun send billions of tons of solar patricles into space and spread by stellar winds; It can reach Earth 1 to 3 days and affect electronic systems
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When were small atoms (H and He) formed?
During Big Bang
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When were larger atoms form?
Larger atoms are formed in stars and the largest are formed during explosions of stars
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How large is the Milky Way?
Over 100,000 light years across
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How many galaxies are there in our visible Universe?
Over 100 billion galaxies
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When was the Milky Way formed?
13.7 Billion Years ago
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What kind of galaxy is the Milky Way?
Spiral Shaped Galaxy; discs spins due to conservation of angular momentum
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When was our solar system completed?
4.5 billion years ago
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What is a nebula?
Interstellar clouds of dust and gases
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What are nebulas mainly made of?
Mostly H and He
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What is the Nebular Hypothesis?
That solar systems start as nebulas byt then condense to become planets
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The farther the planet is from the sun,
the less dense it is
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What are Chondrites?
Stony meteorites that provide info about the origin and age of the solar system
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How old is Earth?
4.54 Ga or Billion years ago
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What is a heliosphere?
It is the region of space where solar wind has a significant influence; It encompasses the entire solar system
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What is the Kuiper Belt?
A disc-shaped region of icy bodies- includes the dwarf planets and comets that are beyond the orbit of Neptune
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Which 4 planets have mountains, valleys, and plains?
Earth is the only planet that has distinct continents and ocean basins
continents and ocean basins
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The Earth's magnetic field is a dipole. True or False?
True because it has North and South poles
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What is the dynamo theory?
The magnetic field of Earth is caused by the motion of Earth's iron outer core
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How much does the inner core grow in radius each year?
1 mm
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Who proposed the model of dynamo theory?
Walter M. Elsasser in the 1940s
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What is the magnetosphere?
The region of Earth's magnetic field shaped by the solar wind.
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How is the magnetosphere formed?
By the interaction of solar wind and Earth's magnetic field which makes it teardrop pointing away from the sun
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What does the magnetosphere deflect?
Deflects Sol Wind, shield against lethal radiation
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What are the Van Allen Belts?
Belts of trapped particles that protect life on Earth from dangerous radiation
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What are the Van Allen Belts made up of?
Made of solar wind particles and cosmic rays
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What makes up Earth's atmosphere?
Nitrogen(78%) and Oxygen(21%) other gases(1%)
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The density and air pressure of gases increase towards..
The Surface
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Atmospheric pressure is alsso called \_________
Barometric pressure
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What is the lithosphere?
All of Earth's rock and sediment
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What is the hydrosphere?
The water on the Earth including both surface and ground water
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What is the cryosphere?
All frozen water on earth (snow, ice, ice caps, etc.
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What is the biosphere?
The planet's living organisms plus the abiotic (nonliving) parts they interact with
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How was the Earth dated?
Used radioactive isotopes
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How was Early Earth formed?
it is formed by accretion
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How was Molten Earth formed?
Heat from impacts and radioactive decay remelt most of the Earth
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How was Differentiated Earth?
Dense metals pulled toward the center as lighter, low-density minerals 'floated' outward to surface. Outgassing during melts creates the atmosphere and oceans.
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What was the surface of Early Earth like?
The surface was hot, lack of liquid water, lacked modern atmosphere. Inhospitable
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What was the 1st early atmosphere like?
Mostly made of H and He, no magnetic field
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What was the 2nd early atmosphere like?
Atmosphere is similar to modern volcanic gases (greenhouse gases). Only missing Oxygen
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Todays atmosphere has how much oxygen?
21% oxygen
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How do we know that the 2nd early atmosphere had no free oxygen?
Rocks of this age contain Pyrite and Uraninite sediments which only form in non-oxidizing environments
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What is bulk earth made up of?
Fe, O, Si, Mg
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What is bulk earth?
Proportions of elements by mass
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What are the Earth's layers?
asthCrust, mantle, liquid iron outer core, solid iron inner core
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Who is the father of modern geology?
James Hutton (1726-1797)
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What is the principle of Uniformitarism?
The process we see in action on Earth today have worked much the same way throughout the geologic past
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What is the Inner core mainly made up of?
Iron and Nickel
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What is the Mantle mainly made of?
Iron and Magnesium
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What is the crust mainly made of?
Oxygen and Silicon
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Temperature and pressure _____ as we go into Earth
increase
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Much of Earth's mass is concentrated where?
close to the center
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What is Earth's density?
5.5 g/cm^3
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What is the average density of crustal rocks like granite and basalt?
2.2-2.5 g/cm^3
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Earthquake waves travel at different velocities and through?
different materials
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What is the continental crust made of?
Granite
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What is the Oceanic crust made of?
Basalt
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What is a major component of volcanic gas?
water
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When was the 1st evidence of life found?
3.5-4 billion years ago
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What do Cyano-bacteria and Stromatolites do?
Photosynthesizes to provide oxygen for more advanced life forms.
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When did milti celled organisms appear?
1 billion years ago
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At the dawn of agriculture (8000 BC) what was the population of the world?
5 million
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When did the Human population reach 1 billion?
1818
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How many years did it take for the human population to reach the next billion (2 billion)?
It took 109 years to reach 2 billion in 1927.
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How many years did it take for the human population to reach the next billion (3 billion)?
It took 33 years to reach 3 billion in 1960
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How many years did it take for the human population to reach the next billion (4 billion)?
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