The Sun
The core
A sudden release of energy from the Sun's surface
Solar Flare
The law that relates a planet's orbital period to its orbital distance from the Sun
Kepler's Third Law
The percentage of the universe made of ordinary visible matter
5%
This best describes what is happening to the universe today
Space itself is expanding
The region around a star where liquid water may exist
The Goldilocks Zone
The primary fuel used in the Sun's fusion reactions
Hydrogen
Large eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)
This type of orbit allows spacecraft to move between planets or orbits using the least fuel possible
Hohmann Transfer Orbit
Dark matter is detected mainly through these effects
Gravitational effects
This occurs when light bends around a massive object
Gravitational Lensing
SETI primarily searches for these
Alien Radio Signals
The visible surface of the Sun
Photosphere
Colorful lights near Earth's poles caused by charged particles from the Sun
Auroras
Launch windows are important because they maximize this
Fuel efficiency
Astronomers first suspected dark matter existed because galaxies did this
Rotated faster than expected
The future scenario in which the universe becomes cold and dark forever
Big Freeze
Telescope used to study exoplanet atmospheres and possible biosignatures
James Webb Space Telescope
The outermost layer of the Sun
One way a CME can affect Earth
Disrupting satellites, GPS, power grids, or communications
A Hohmann transfer orbit is designed to accomplish this
Reaching another orbit using minimum fuel
The mysterious force believed to cause the accelerated expansion of the universe
Dark Energy
This observation provides evidence for dark matter because galaxies contain more mass than we can see
Galaxy Rotation Curve
This technique allows scientists to identity gases in an exoplanet's atmospher
Spectroscopy
Sunspots appear dark because they are this compared to surrounding areas
Cooler
Name the six major layers of the Sun from the center outward
Core, radiative zone, convective zone, photosphere, chromosphere, and corona
Why don't spacecraft launch to Mars on any random day?
The planets must be properly aligned for an efficient launch window
Compare dark matter and dark energy
Dark matter adds gravity and helps hold galaxies together, while dark energy causes the universe's expansion to accelerate
Give two pieces of evidence supporting dark matter
Galaxy rotation curves and gravitational lensing
Name three characteristics that could make a planet potentially habitable
Liquid water, suitable temperatures, and an atmosphere