PHY-105 Creighton University Exam All Possible Questions and Answers with complete solution

PHY-105 Creighton University Moon - an object which orbits a planet Asteroid - small rocky object which orbits a star Comet - small icy object which orbits a star Planet - large object in space that orbits a star and does not produce light of its own (reflected light) Solar System - a star and all the materials which orbit it - planets and moons Star - a giant ball of hot gas (ranges in color and sizes) Nebula - a large cloud of dust and gas in space Galaxy - a great island of stars in space, all held together by gravity and orbiting a common center (billions of stars) Universe - the sum total of all matter and energy (everything within and between all galaxies) Our Position - Earth > Solar System > Milky Way Galaxy > Local Group > Local Supercluster Carina Nebula - place where there is active star formations occurring in unusually dense locations (massive cloud) Quick Review of Position in Universe - 1. The solar system is far smaller than the galaxy. 2. The solar system contains only one star but the galaxy contains many billions.3. A solar system contains planets; a galaxy contains solar systems. 4. Solar systems seem to be very common. 5. There are billions of galaxies in the universe. 6. Within our Solar System, the Earth is a small planet. Andromeda Galaxy - the largest galaxy in the Local Group Super Moon - A "super moon" is an event in which a full moon occurs while the moon is close to its closest approach to Earth (within 10% of its perigee). At these times, the moon will appear to be larger and brighter - as much as 14% larger than it appears to be at apogee. Blue Moon - The term "blue moon" is most commonly used to refer to the second full moon which falls during any given month. Since full moons are separated by 29 1/2 days, these events are rare. (They take place about 7 times in 19 years, or roughly once every 2 1/2 years.) An alternative definition of the term is the 13th full moon which occurs in a calendar year. The Moon does NOT actually turn blue. Black Moon - This is the reverse of a blue moon - when the NEW moon occurs for a second time within a given month. They occur with the same frequency as blue moons, and are considered significant in some pagan religions. Blood Moon - During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon takes on a reddish color (see Lunar Eclipse, below), and is called a Blood Moon. Sometimes (more rarely) the term Blood Moon refers to an event in which four total lunar eclipses are visible from the same place in a space of two years. (This is rare, since only about one in three lunar eclipses is a total eclipse, and since a single location only sees four or five lunar eclipses during a decade.) Harvest Moon - The full moon which occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. Hunter's Moon - The full moon which follows the Harvest Moon. Wolf Moon - Full moon in JanuarySolar Eclipse - When the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, it sometimes blocks our view of the Sun - either fully or partially. Someone looking down from the Moon would see the Moon's shadow crossing the face of the Earth. Lunar Eclipse - When the Earth passes between the Earth and the Sun, it sometimes blocks the light from reaching the Moon; we see our shadow passing over the Moon. When that happens, some of the sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere is refracted (bent) so that it reaches the surface of the Moon - so the Moon still has a little shine to it, but the shine is very red, creating a Blood Moon. Moon Illusion - When people observe the moon close to the horizon, it often appears much larger than it appears when higher in the sky. This is because the presence of buildings and trees creates an illusion of closeness and size.