Study Guide Test 1 Astronomy

Study Guide Test 1 Astronomy

·  The heliocentric model states that the Sun is the center of the solar system and the planets and other objects of the solar system revolve around it.

·  Kepler’s first law of motion states that the planets orbit the Sun o=in elliptical orbits.

·  Newton is the scientist formulate the Law of Universal Gravitation

·  Earth’s day and night are caused by the rotation of Earth on its axis

·  Earth’s rotation on its axis takes 24 hours or 1 day Its revolution takes 365 days or 1 year

·  The moon goes through a complete phase cycle every 29.5 days

·  The seasons on Earth and caused by Earth’s tilt at 23.5 degrees and its revolution around the sun

·  When the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun we have summer when it is tilted away we have winter. The opposite season occurs in the southern hemisphere

·  An equinox occurs when neither the northern or southern hemisphere is pointed at the sun

·  We always see the same side of the moon because it’s rotation and revolution around Earth are the same 27.3 days

·  During the waxing phases of the moon we will see more of the moon each night. In the waning phases we see less of the moon each night. The cycle goes from new moon to full moon back to new moon.

·  The alignment for a solar eclipse is sun-moon-earth. For a lunar eclipse it is sun-earth-moon

·  The only phases that can produce an eclipse are Full moon (lunar) New moon ( solar)

·  Most places on Earth experience 1 high tide and 1 low tide every 12.5 hours

·  Rings are found at all of the outer planets Jupiter, Saturn Uranus, & Neptune

·  All of the inner planets have the same type of cores

·  The giant impact theory is the most accepted on how the moon formed. It states that a large Mars sized object hit the Earth creating the moon and giving Earth its current rotation and tilt

·  The capture theory for the formation of the moon does not work because it doesn’t explain how the moon could be slowed down and captured by earth’s gravity and it doesn’t explain why the chemical composition of both the Earth and the Moon are very similar

·  The age of the solar system is approximately 4.5 billion years old

·  Earth is unique among the planets because it has water oceans.

·  Newton proved the validity of the heliocentric model

·  Most comets have highly elliptical orbits being very long and narrow

·  The asteroid belt is found between Mars and Jupiter

·  Venus is hot enough to melt lead, geologically active, rotates clockwise and has an atmosphere that consists primarily of Carbon Dioxide

·  The surface of Venus is hot because of the high concentration of Carbon Dioxide in its atmosphere.

·  Earth’s orbital velocity is slowest on July 5th because it is at its greatest distance from the Sun.