PSY Quiz 1

The suns mass compared to the earth 

300,000 larger

superclusters are

collections of many clusters of galaxies

several hunfred billion stars our sun lives in

milky way

MKS system 

Meter kilogram seconds

In astronomy, the scientific method involves proposing ideas about only those things we can directly observe and measure. 

true or false

false

two nearest planets to earth

venus and mars

total number of planets

8

An idea, expressed with clear true/false parameters, that seeks to explain scientific observations is called a

hypothesis

The strongest fundamental force is gravity. 

true or false

false

The distance from the sun to the center of the Milky Way is approximately

25,000 ly

Venus' radius as compared to the Earth's radius is

.95

1. The Local Group represents a cluster of the closest galaxies to our Milky Way. 

   true or false

true

Once a hypothesis has been rigorously tested and reliably verified it may become a theory.

true or false

true

When comparing masses of the planets in our solar system, the planets with the smallest masses are located

in the inner solar system

A scientific law 

is based on widely tested hypotheses that have not been disproven.

can make accurate predictions even when new ideas overtake it.

Both a and b

If we were to compare the age of the Sun to the life cycle of a human, the Sun would be considered

middle aged adult

The idea that some properties, scientific principles and concepts operate in the same fashion throughout the universe is called the hypothesis of

universality

The smallest particle that still retains the properties of an element is called a(an)

atom

The Astronomical Unit is about 150 million km.

true

1. A schematic representation of a real system that illustrates its most essential relationships and interactions is a 

model

1. Earth is a planet

true

1. Earth serves as a model fo understanding other planets 

true

The term “plutoid” refers to

any dwarf planet orbiting beyond Neptune.

The changes that a star goes through during its life are called

stellar evolution

Within the Local Group, our galactic cluster, the Milky Way may collide with ________ in about a billion years:

M31—Andromeda Galaxy

Light is made of elementary particles called

photons

Density is

mass per volume

The astronomical unit is an appropriate measure for distances between galaxies.

true or false

false

A light year is about 10 trillion km (6 trillion miles).

true or false

true

The practice of switching to daylight savings time in the summer is now mainly practiced by

north america and europe

The motion of a body around another body is called revolution.

true or false

true

Time zones vary an average of one hour between consecutive zones regardless of their actual longitudinal time.

true or false

true

A.M. stands for Ante Meridian.

true or false

true

Declination on the celestial sphere is similar to ________ on the Earth

latitude

The north-south line that runs through the Royal Observatory is the mark of 180 longitude.

true or false

false

The majority of Earth’s 24 major time zones are centered every ________ degrees of longitude.

15

If you travel west from San Francisco, CA to Seoul, S. Korea, you will ________ a day when you cross the international date line, located at ________ degrees longitude.

add, 180

When a planet spins on its axis this is called rotation.

true or false

true

zodiac means

circles of animals

The nuisance of having different times across the globe can be solved by using

universal time

The Arctic circle begins at ________ north latitude.

66.5 degrees

Right ascension on the celestial sphere has this role on the Earth.

longitude

1. Precession takes about ________ to complete one full cycle.

26,000

We measure N-S coordinates on the Earth by longitude.

true or false

false

These stars always appear above the horizon.

Circumpolar

This divides the east and west halves of the sky.

meridian

A solar day is

the time it takes the Sun to go from its highest point in the sky one day, to its highest point in the sky on the following day.

The leap second is added to keep the clocks in agreement with the sun and stars.

true or false

true

The Earth orbits around the Sun. Another word for orbits is

revolves

A(n) ________ is a grouping of stars in the sky that is officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

constellations

The new usage for blue moon means

two full moons in same month

With respect to time, the abbreviation CE is beginning to replace what previous abbreviation?

AD

Leap years are necessary because the year is a little longer than 365 days. However, the extra day every four years is too much because

The year is a little shorter than 365 and ¼ days

A total solar eclipse is visible

Only for observers in the moons umbra

Stellar parallax was eventually observed by the ancient Greeks.

true and false

false

Today, for accuracy, we use this calendar

gregorian

The day Thursday comes from this god of ancient times.

thor

The week is seven days due to the number of stars in the Big Dipper

true or false

false

A penumbral eclipse is considered a partial lunar eclipse

true or false

true

The lunar phase cycle takes about 29.5 days to complete

true or false

true

Lunar eclipses can only occur when the moon is in the ________ position

full

When we say the moon is waxing, the illuminated part of the moon that we see is said to be

growing

One convincing reason for the belief in the geocentric model was the lack of

parallax

This Greek measured the size of the Earth very accurately with sticks and shadows.

Eratosthenes

Eratosthenes’ method for measuring the size of the Earth is based on the assumption that

Rays of sunlight are parallel 

The Julian calendar failed to use the leap year

true or false

false

How big an object looks is called its angular size.

true or false

true

This Greek estimated the size and distance to moon and sun.

Aristarchus

This person began the modern reintroduction of the sun-centered model.

Copernicus

A planet is in opposition when it is directly opposite the sun in the sky.

true or false

true

Using his model, Copernicus could determine the Earth's distance from the sun.

true or false

false

With respect to the stars, over several nights the usual motion of the moon and planets across the night sky is observed to be

west to east

This is a small circle on the larger circle used to describe orbits in the geocentric model.

epicycle

A star's azimuth is its angle above the horizon.

true or false

false

Galileo proved the planets moved in ellipses.

true or false

false

The equation of time gives the correction to the sundial time.

true or false

true

Kepler's third law is

the relationship between period and orbital size: P2 = A3.

This planet is usually referred to as the evening or morning star.

venus

Brahe collected data in order to prove the Copernican heliocentric model was correct.

true or false

false

According to Kepler's second law, a planet

travels fastest when it is closest to the Sun.

Eccentricity is used to describe the ________ of an elliptical orbit.

Degree of elongation 

The angle measured eastward from true North to a point on the horizon is

Azimuth

The ________ puts the Earth at a stationary point in the center of the universe.

Geocentric model 

1. Galileo observed which of the following is true?

   1. Jupiter's four largest moons

   2. Saturn appeared to be misshapen

   3. Craters on the moon

ALL ARE CORRECT 

Your thumb, held at arm’s length, measures about ________ across

2 degrees

Your thumb, held at arm’s length, measures about ________ across.

true or false

true

1. The Second Law of Motion is best described as

F=ma

A mass is being moved in a circle by a string. If the string breaks the mass will initially move

in a straight line in the direction that it was moving when the string broke.

According to Newton’s law, action-reaction forces are always equal and opposite. As a result of this interaction, acceleration between the two objects

depends on and is proportional to the masses of the objects.

To find the force of gravity between our Earth and moon we must ________ the masses.

Multiply

The standard measurement of mass is

Kilogram

Galileo’s experiments with inertia contributed to Newton’s laws of motion.

true or false

true

The rate of acceleration due to the Moon’s surface gravity is more than that on Earth.

true or false

false

Newton used the relationship between Earth and ________ to support his law of gravity.

the moon

The force of gravity strengthens with increasing distance.

true or false

false

The reason distance has a greater effect on the force of gravity between our Earth and moon is because the distance between them is

square

Mass and weight are the same thing.

false

The Third Law of Motion is best described as

action-reaction forces

Newton’s first law is best expressed as

a body that maintains the same velocity unless forces act on it

Newton's second law is expressed as F = ma.

true or false

true