Atmosphere & Weather
This is the term for the state of the atmosphere at any given time or place.
What is weather?
This is the name of the model that places the Earth at the center of the solar system.
What is the geocentric model?
These are the four innermost, rocky planets of our solar system.
What are terrestrial planets?
This is the term for energy that travels in the form of waves, including visible light, radio waves, and X-rays.
What is electromagnetic radiation?
This unit is used to measure the vast distances to stars.
What is a light-year?
This gas in the atmosphere is essential for clouds and precipitation and absorbs heat.
What is water vapor?
This astronomer proposed the heliocentric model, placing the sun at the center of the solar system.
Who is Copernicus?
This planet is known for its extreme temperature variations.
What is Mercury?
Studying these in a star's spectrum helps identify the star's chemical composition.
What are spectral lines?
A star becomes this when its core reaches 10 million K and hydrogen fusion begins.
What is a protostar?
This is the transfer of energy between objects due to temperature differences.
What is heat?
Using Brahe's observations, this astronomer discovered the three laws of planetary motion.
Who is Kepler?
This is the most prominent feature of Saturn.
What is its ring system?
This type of telescope uses a lens to bend light and form an image.
What is a refracting telescope?
This is the term for a star that has collapsed due to gravity.
What is a black hole?
This is the mechanism of heat transfer that can travel through the vacuum of space.
What is radiation?
This astronomer formulated and tested the law of universal gravitation.
Who is Newton?
These objects lie mainly between Mars and Jupiter.
What are asteroids?
This is the visible surface of the sun.
What is the photosphere?
The name of our galaxy.
What is the Milky Way?
This factor, other than latitude, strongly influences temperature by affecting how much sunlight is reflected back into space.
What is cloud cover (or albedo)?
His precise observations of Mars were more precise than any made previously.
Who is Brahe?
These solar system bodies develop a tail when they approach the sun.
What are comets?
A star's temperature is indicated by this property.
What is color?
This theory explains the origin of the universe, starting from a hot, dense state.
What is the Big Bang theory?