Star Systems and Patterns
Clue: This is a double star system consisting of two stars orbiting each other.
What is a binary star system?
Clue: A giant cloud of gas and dust located in space.
Answer: What is a nebula?
These massive cosmic systems are considered the major features of the entire universe.
What are galaxies?
Clue: This galaxy type is shaped like a pinwheel with reaching arms.
Answer: What is a spiral galaxy?
Clue: The name of our home spiral galaxy.
Answer: What is the Milky Way?
Clue: A group of stars that forms a recognizable shape or pattern in the night sky.
What is a constellation?
A star that suddenly grows much brighter in a burst of light before gradually fading.
What is a nova?
Clue: This invisible force holds together stars, gas, dust, and dark matter in a galaxy.
Answer: What is gravity?
Clue: This galaxy type is oval-shaped with no arms and contains older, less active stars.
Answer: What is an elliptical galaxy?
Clue: The nickname given to the collection of large galaxies located closest to ours.
Answer: What is "The Local Neighborhood"?
In a binary star system, this event occurs when one star passes directly in front of another, temporarily dimming its light.
What is blocking out light / a stellar eclipse?
Nebulae can mark the location of brand-new stars forming or be left behind by these stars.
What are dying (or dead) stars?
Clue: The total number of primary galaxy shape classifications.
Answer: What is three (3)?
Clue: These galaxies have no definite shape and are the least common type in the universe.
Answer: What are irregular galaxies?
Clue: Along with the Milky Way and Triangulum, this massive spiral galaxy is part of our local group.
Answer: What is Andromeda?
Clue: The way light is blocked in a binary star system is most similar to these two earth-based astronomical events.
Answer: What are solar and lunar eclipses?
After a nova explodes and reaches its peak brightness, it eventually does this.
Answer: What is fades back to normal brightness?
Clue: Besides stars, gas, and dust, galaxies contain this mysterious unobserved substance.
Answer: What is dark matter?
Clue: Elliptical galaxies contain very little of these two ingredients compared to spiral galaxies.
Answer: What are dust and gas?
Clue: Name all three major galaxies that make up our "Local Neighborhood."
Answer: What are Andromeda, Milky Way, and Triangulum?
Clue: Explain why a binary star appears to change brightness from Earth.
Answer: What is because one star passes directly in front of the other, blocking its light from reaching Earth?
Clue: Name the two different life cycle stages of stars that can produce or exist within a nebula.
What are the birth of new stars and the remains of dying stars?
Clue: List all four main components held together by gravity to create a galaxy.
Answer: What are stars, gas, dust, and dark matter?
Clue: Contrast elliptical galaxies and spiral galaxies using two key differences.
Answer: What is spiral galaxies have pinwheel arms and active star creation, while elliptical galaxies are oval, armless, older, and have very little gas or dust?
Clue: Describe the shape and classification of the galaxy we live in.
Answer: What is a spiral galaxy shaped like a pinwheel with reaching arms?