Modeling the Solar System
100 points: What is the scale in mathematical modeling?
The scale in mathematical modeling is the ratio between the real size of something and its size in the model.
100 points: What is a galaxy?
A galaxy is a huge system of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity
100 points: Who was Edwin Hubble?
Edwin Hubble was an astronomer who discovered galaxies outside the Milky Way and classified them by shape.
100 points: What is a light-year?
A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, about 9.46 trillion kilometers.
200 points: How does scale help us understand large distances in the solar system?
Scale helps us understand large distances in the solar system by shrinking them down to a manageable size.
200 points: How did Galileo describe the Milky Way?
Galileo described the Milky Way as a collection of countless stars.
200 points: What are the four basic shapes of galaxies?
The four basic shapes of galaxies are spiral, elliptical, irregular, and lenticular.
200 points: How large is the Milky Way galaxy in light-years?
The Milky Way galaxy is about 100,000 light-years across.
300 points: What is one astronomical unit (AU) in kilometers?
One astronomical unit (AU) is about 150 million kilometers
300 points: What is the role of telescopes in observing galaxies?
Telescopes help us observe galaxies by collecting light and magnifying distant objects.
300 points: How does gravity affect galaxies?
Gravity holds galaxies together and can pull them toward each other.
300 points: What is the significance of the order of magnitude?
The order of magnitude shows the relative size or scale of numbers in powers of ten.
400 points: Give an example of a ratio in the solar system
An example of a ratio in the solar system is Earth's diameter compared to the Sun's diameter, about 1:109
400 points: What shape did William Herschel attribute to the Milky Way?
William Herschel thought the Milky Way had a disk-like shape.
400 points: What happens during galaxy collisions?
During galaxy collisions, stars pass by each other, but gas and dust collide, forming new stars.
400 points: How many stars are estimated to be in the Milky Way?
The Milky Way is estimated to have about 100 to 400 billion stars.
500 points: Why is it difficult to imagine distances in space and how does scale help?
Distances in space are hard to imagine because they are so vast, and using a scale makes them easier to visualize.
500 points: How do scientists estimate distances to stars
Scientists estimate distances to stars using methods like parallax and measuring light.
500 points: Why is it important to capture more light with telescopes?
Capturing more light with telescopes helps us see farther into space and find faint objects.
500 points: What does the eXtreme Deep Field photograph tell us about galaxies
The eXtreme Deep Field photograph shows that the universe contains billions of galaxies, even in tiny patches of the sky.