The Sun
What primarily is the sun composed of?
hydrogen
Why is the moon a nearly perfect sphere?
It rotates very slowly, so there isn't a bulge in the center
What is retrograde motion?
The optical illusion that superior planets appear to move one direction and then suddenly stop and change direction.
What is the difference between a meteoroid, meteor, and meteorite?
meteoroid: particles of rock and dust that orbit the sun
meteor: glowing meteoroids that have entered the atmosphere and begun to burn up
meteorite: meteors that survived the trip through the atmosphere and strike the earth's surface
What is the difference between a reflecting telescope and a refracting telescope?
reflecting: telescopes that use mirrors to collect incoming light, eye piece on the side. Large ones use mirrors made of many segments
refracting: telescopes that use lenses to collect incoming light, eye piece on the end
How do scientists believe sunspots are formed?
pairs of magnetic disturbances appear on the sun's surface
Why does the moon have such a thin atmosphere?
it has too little mass
What is a terrestrial planet?
a rocky planet that is dense and similar in mass to Earth.
What is the order of the planets, beginning with the sun.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
What is the difference between a lander and rover?
The lander is the shell that contains the rover and airbags to protect the rover upon landing. Examples are Viking 1 and 2 landers, which took the first surface photos of Mars.
What are solar flares?
severe solar storms that can disrupt telecommunications on Earth
What do scientists think lunar mountains appear to be?
uplift mountains from tectonic forces, extinct volcanoes, rims of impact basins
What is a Jovian planet?
A gascious planet with ice and great mass. Sometimes called "gas planets"
Where is the astroid belt?
Between Mars and Jupiter
Who gave a compelling speech that moved the US forward in the space race?
President Kennedy
What gasses make up most stars including our sun?
hydrogen and helium
In what lunar phase must the moon be in for a total solar eclipse? for a total lunar eclipse?
solar: new moon - solar eclipses are longer than lunar.
lunar: full moon
What is an inferior planet?
The planets between the sun and Earth (Venus and Mercury)
What was the primary advantage of the space shuttle?
It had a large cargo bay and robotic manipulator arms
What is the biggest challenge to human space flight?
Returning astronauts to Earth safely.
What do these terms mean in regards to the moon?
light side/near side and dark side/far side
Light side/near side: The side of the moon that reflects light from the sun and faces earth.
dark side/far side: The side of the moon that doesn't reflect light from the sun and is always dark and faces away from earth.
Be able to label the phases of the moon.
page 548 (know the names of each phase, not the number of days for each phase)
What is a superior planet?
The planets beyond Earth.
What is Salyut 1
The first successful space station
What was the purpose for each of these space US manned space capsules? Apollo, Gemini, Mercury, Voskhod
Apollo - exploring the moon and advancing technology
Gemini - test an astronaut's ablity to fly in space for a long period of time
Mercury - test launch and reentry systems
Voskhod - photo and video documentation