Orion
Indian astronomer born in India in 476
Aryabhata
Aryabhata observed stars appear to move from _____ to _______ because Earth rotates from west to east.
east, west
The number of planets visible from Earth without a telescope
5
Cold mixture of dust and ice that gives up a long trail of light as it approaches the sun
comet
A pattern or group of stars that people imagined to represent a figure, animal, or object
constellation
The number of planets in our solar system
8
Constellation names used today are from ancient ______. They likely took these from Egyptians and Mesopotamians
Greeks
True or False? If false, make the correction.
Constellations and star patterns change from year to year.
False, they remain the same
A body that orbits a planet
satellite
It is possible to observe _________ stars using just your eyes.
2,000 - 3,000
Western culture recognizes ____ constellations.
88
Earth's only natural satellite
its moon
Bright streaks of shooting stars produced when a small object burns up entering Earth’s atmosphere
meteor
These are actually giant balls of hot gases composed of hydrogen and helium
stars
An object that orbits the sun
planet
The apparent motion of objects in the sky depends on the _______ ___ ________.
motions of Earth
The Big Dipper is actually part of the ____ _____ constellation
Ursa Major
One of Ursa Major's brightest stars is called Polaris or _____ ______ and is close to the North Pole.
North Star
Aryabhata wrote that the moon and planets shine because they _______ _______ from the _________.
reflect light; sun
½ of every month, this outshines everything else in the night sky
Earth's moon
All _______ orbit around the sun in the same plane resembling a narrow band. This band is known as the _______.
planets; zodiac
The planets visible from Earth without a telescope are:
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn
On clear nights you may see _____, ______, _______, _______, and _______ without the assistance of a telescope.
stars, the moon, planets, meteors, and comets
True or False? If false, make the correction.
Other than the moon, Venus is the brightest object in the night sky.
True
The 2 requirements to be considered a planet
Large enough to have become rounded by its own gravity
Has cleared the area of its orbit