Astronomy Chapter 1 Flashcards

The totality of all space, time, matter, and energy.

Branch of science dedicated to the study of everything in the universe that lies above Earth's atmosphere.

The distance that light, moving at a constant speed of 300,000 km/s, travels in one year; one is about 10 trillion kilometers.

<p>A framework of ideas and assumptions used to explain some set of observations and make predictions about the real world.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An attempt to construct a mathematical explanation of a physical process or phenomenon within the assumptions and confines of a given theory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The set of rules used to guide science, based on the idea that scientific laws must be continually tested, modified, or replaced if inadequate.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A human grouping of stars in the night sky into a recognizable pattern.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Imaginary sphere surrounding Earth to which all objects in the sky were once considered to be attached.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Spinning motion of a body about an axis.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Projection of Earth's North or South pole onto the celestial sphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The projection of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The period of time between the instant when the Sun is directly overhead to the next time it is directly overhead.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The time needed between successive risings of a given star.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Orbital motion of one body about another, such as Earth about the Sun.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The apparent path of the Sun, relative to the stars on the celestial sphere, over the course of a year.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The 12 constellations on the celestial sphere through which the Sun appears to pass during the course of a year.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Point on the ecliptic where the Sun is at its northernmost point above the celestial equator, occurring on or near June 21.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Point on the ecliptic where the Sun is at its southernmost point below the celestial equator, occurring on or near December 21.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Changes in average temperature and length of day that result from the tilt of Earth's axis with respect to the plane of its orbit.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Date on which the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving southward, occurring on or near September 21.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Date on which the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving northward, occurring on or near March 21.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The time interval between one vernal equinox and the next.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The time required for the constellations to complete one cycle around the sky and return to their starting points, as seen from a given point on Earth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The slow change in the direction of the rotation axis of a spinning object, caused by some external gravitational influence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Appearance of the sunlit face of the Moon at different points along its orbit, as seen from Earth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Time required for the Moon to complete one trip around the celestial sphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Time required for the Moon to complete a full cycle of phases.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Event during which one body passes in front of another, so that the light from the occulted body is blocked.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Celestial event during which the Moon passes through the shadow of Earth, temporarily darkening its surface.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Celestial event during which only a part of the occulted body is blocked from view.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Celestial event during which one body is completely blocked from view by another.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Celestial event during which the new Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking the Sun's light.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Central region of the shadow cast by an eclipsing body.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Portion of the shadow cast by an eclipsing object in which the eclipse is seen as partial.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Solar eclipse occurring at a time when the Moon is far enough away from Earth that it fails to cover the disk of the Sun completely, leaving a ring of sunlight visible around its edge.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Time of the year when the Moon lies in the same plane as Earth and Sun, so that eclipses are possible.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Method of determining distance based on the principles of geometry.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Collection of indirect distance-measurement techniques that astronomers use to measure distances in the universe.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The distance between two observing locations used for the purposes of triangulation measurements.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The apparent motion of a relatively close object with respect to a more distant background as the location of the observer changes.</p> Signup and view all the answers