Origin of the Universe
What do we call the study of the origin and evolution of the Universe?
Astronomy
What is the name of our galaxy?
The Milky Way
What does the Solar System consist of?
The Sun and the celestial bodies that orbit it
What are stars made of?
Gas, mostly hydrogen and helium
How can we describe the shape of the Earth's orbit?
Elliptical
What is the most widely accepted theory used by scientists to explain the origin of the Universe?
The Big Bang Theory
What is the most common galaxy shape?
Spiral
How do the planets move?
Rotate on their axes and revolve in orbit around the Sun
How does the Sun move?
It rotates counterclockwise on its axis
What characteristic of the Earth’s movement cause night and day?
Rotation
Is the Universe expanding or contracting?
Expanding
What are galaxies?
Groups of stars, nebulae, planets, dust, and gas held together by gravity
Name the planets in our solar system in order from closest to furthest from the Sun.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (Pluto)
What does a light year measure?
The distance light travels in a year
What characteristics of the Earth’s movement cause seasons?
Axis tilt and elliptical orbit
Is the Universe geocentric or heliocentric?
Heliocentric
What are the 3 main parts of a galaxy?
Halo, disk, and nucleus
Which planets have rocky surfaces, and which have gaseous or liquid surfaces?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars have rocky surfaces; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have gaseous or liquid surfaces
What determines the color of a star?
Surface temperature
What are solstices? What seasons do they introduce?
When the difference between the lengths of night and day is greatest; solstices mark the beginnings of winter and summer
What is the theory of inflation?
Immediately after the Big Bang, the Universe began expanding and cooling which led to the creation of atomic particles
What is the brightest part of a galaxy?
The nucleus
Which planet has the most moons?
Jupiter
What is the process occurring inside stars that releases energy in the form of light and heat?
Nuclear fusion
What are equinoxes? What seasons do they introduce?
When the day and night are the same length; equinoxes mark the beginnings of spring and autumn