Astronomy 100 Exam 1 Study Guide Questions and Answers Already Passed
kepler's second law - Answers the orbital speed of a planet varies so that a line joining the sun
and the planet will sweep over equal areas in equal time interWith age, adolescents develop a
more sophisticated theory of mind, which is the ability to:
annular eclipse - Answers an eclipse in which the body in front does not completely cover the
other
celestial equator - Answers an imaginary line on the celestial sphere lying exactly above the
earth's equator
celestial pole - Answers an imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly above the north and
south pole
celestial sphere - Answers an imaginary sphere surrounding the earth representing the sky
constellation - Answers a group of stars in the night sky (88)
eclipse season - Answers the times of the year, separated by about 6 months, when eclipses are
possible
ecliptic - Answers the path that the sun appears to make around the celestial sphere as the
earth moves along its orbit
equinox - Answers the time of year the sun appears to cross the celestial equator
horizon - Answers the lines separating the sky from the ground
lunar eclipse - Answers the passage of the earth between the sun and the moon so that the
earth's shadow falls on the moon
model - Answers a theoretical representation of some object or system
phase - Answers the changing illumination of the moon or other body that causes the body's
apparent shape to change
precession - Answers the slow change in direction of the pole of a spinning body or of the
orientation of an orbit
rotation axis - Answers an imaginary line through the center of a body about which the body
spins
rotation curve - Answers a plot of the rotation velocity of the stars or gas in a galaxy at different
distances from its center
solar eclipse - Answers the passage of the moon between the earth and the sun so that our view
of the sun is partially blocked
, solstice - Answers the beginning of winter and summer; astronomically, it occurs when the sun
is at its greatest distance north (June) or south (December) of the celestial equator
zenith - Answers the point on the celestial sphere that lies directly overhead at your location
zodiac - Answers a band running around the celestial sphere in which the planets move
angular size - Answers a measure of how large an objects looks to you
ellipse - Answers a geometric figure related to a circle but flattened into an oval shape
epicycle - Answers a fictitious, small, and circular orbit superimposed on another circular orbit
and proposed by early astronomers to explain the retrograde motion of the planets
focus - Answers one of two points within an ellipse used to generate the elliptical shape
geocentric model - Answers models of the solar system centered on the earth
heliocentric model - Answers models of the solar system centered on the sun
moon illusion - Answers the illusion in which the moon appears larger when near the horizon
then when seen high in the sky
parallex - Answers the shift in an object's position caused by the observers motion
period - Answers the time required for a repetitive process to repeat
retrograde motion - Answers the drift of a planet westward against the background stars
semi-major axis - Answers half the long dimension on an ellipse
acceleration - Answers a change in an objects velocity
escape velocity - Answers the speed needed for an object to travel away from another body to
overcome its gravitational force exerted by one body on another
inertia - Answers the tendency of an object at rest to remain at rest and of a body in motion to
continue in motion in a straight-line at a constant speed
law of gravity - Answers a description of the gravitational force exerted by one body on another
mass - Answers measure of the amount of material an object contains
surface gravity - Answers the acceleration caused by gravity at the surface of a planet or other
body
astronomical unti is equal to... - Answers the distance between the earth and the sun
about what time of night would you expect to see a full moon highest in the sky - Answers
kepler's second law - Answers the orbital speed of a planet varies so that a line joining the sun
and the planet will sweep over equal areas in equal time interWith age, adolescents develop a
more sophisticated theory of mind, which is the ability to:
annular eclipse - Answers an eclipse in which the body in front does not completely cover the
other
celestial equator - Answers an imaginary line on the celestial sphere lying exactly above the
earth's equator
celestial pole - Answers an imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly above the north and
south pole
celestial sphere - Answers an imaginary sphere surrounding the earth representing the sky
constellation - Answers a group of stars in the night sky (88)
eclipse season - Answers the times of the year, separated by about 6 months, when eclipses are
possible
ecliptic - Answers the path that the sun appears to make around the celestial sphere as the
earth moves along its orbit
equinox - Answers the time of year the sun appears to cross the celestial equator
horizon - Answers the lines separating the sky from the ground
lunar eclipse - Answers the passage of the earth between the sun and the moon so that the
earth's shadow falls on the moon
model - Answers a theoretical representation of some object or system
phase - Answers the changing illumination of the moon or other body that causes the body's
apparent shape to change
precession - Answers the slow change in direction of the pole of a spinning body or of the
orientation of an orbit
rotation axis - Answers an imaginary line through the center of a body about which the body
spins
rotation curve - Answers a plot of the rotation velocity of the stars or gas in a galaxy at different
distances from its center
solar eclipse - Answers the passage of the moon between the earth and the sun so that our view
of the sun is partially blocked
, solstice - Answers the beginning of winter and summer; astronomically, it occurs when the sun
is at its greatest distance north (June) or south (December) of the celestial equator
zenith - Answers the point on the celestial sphere that lies directly overhead at your location
zodiac - Answers a band running around the celestial sphere in which the planets move
angular size - Answers a measure of how large an objects looks to you
ellipse - Answers a geometric figure related to a circle but flattened into an oval shape
epicycle - Answers a fictitious, small, and circular orbit superimposed on another circular orbit
and proposed by early astronomers to explain the retrograde motion of the planets
focus - Answers one of two points within an ellipse used to generate the elliptical shape
geocentric model - Answers models of the solar system centered on the earth
heliocentric model - Answers models of the solar system centered on the sun
moon illusion - Answers the illusion in which the moon appears larger when near the horizon
then when seen high in the sky
parallex - Answers the shift in an object's position caused by the observers motion
period - Answers the time required for a repetitive process to repeat
retrograde motion - Answers the drift of a planet westward against the background stars
semi-major axis - Answers half the long dimension on an ellipse
acceleration - Answers a change in an objects velocity
escape velocity - Answers the speed needed for an object to travel away from another body to
overcome its gravitational force exerted by one body on another
inertia - Answers the tendency of an object at rest to remain at rest and of a body in motion to
continue in motion in a straight-line at a constant speed
law of gravity - Answers a description of the gravitational force exerted by one body on another
mass - Answers measure of the amount of material an object contains
surface gravity - Answers the acceleration caused by gravity at the surface of a planet or other
body
astronomical unti is equal to... - Answers the distance between the earth and the sun
about what time of night would you expect to see a full moon highest in the sky - Answers
