Astronomy & Meteorology Final Exam Review

The regular cycle of the Moon's appearance in the sky, from New Moon to Full Moon and back again.

An event where the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth.

An event where Earth passes between the Sun and Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon.

The Earth's rotation on its axis, causing day and night.

The Earth's tilted axis, causing different hemispheres to receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the year, resulting in seasons.

The layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth's surface, where weather occurs.

The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere, containing the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation.

The layer of the atmosphere above the stratosphere, where temperatures decrease with altitude.

The Big Bang theory states that the universe began as a tiny, infinitely dense point that exploded outward, creating all the matter and energy in the universe. This event occurred around 13.7 billion years ago.

The Big Bang theory was first proposed by Georges Lemaître in the late 1920s.

After the Big Bang, the universe rapidly expanded and cooled. Within the first few minutes, the universe was filled with hot, dense energy. As it cooled, protons and neutrons formed and eventually combined to form atomic nuclei, primarily hydrogen and helium. This occurred about 3 minutes after the Big Bang.

Atoms, mainly hydrogen and helium, formed about several hundred thousand years after the Big Bang. This marked the end of the era when the universe was a dense plasma.

The formation of our solar system occurred approximately 4.5 billion years ago.

The first evidence of life on Earth dates back about 3.8 billion years. This suggests that life emerged relatively soon after the Earth formed.

The dinosaurs went extinct approximately 65 million years ago. This event marked a major turning point in Earth's history.

The first humans appeared around 200,000 years ago. This is a relatively short period compared to the age of the universe and the Earth.

The theory explaining the universe's evolution from a fraction of a second after its origin to the present, starting with an incredibly dense and hot state that expanded.

Stars are categorized based on their surface temperature. Red stars are cooler than blue stars.

The observation that galaxies are moving away from each other, indicating the universe is expanding. This was a major piece of evidence supporting the Big Bang Theory.

The Sun is a yellow star, which is considered an ordinary star in terms of its size and temperature.

A scientist who proposed that the universe was expanding and originated from a primeval "super-atom". This was a precursor to the Big Bang Theory.

An American astronomer who made the crucial observation in 1929 that galaxies were generally receding from us, providing strong support for the Big Bang Theory.

Sunspots are cooler regions on the Sun's surface caused by strong magnetic fields.

The apparent change in the frequency of a wave due to the relative motion between the source and the observer. It makes light from distant objects appear red-shifted, indicating they are moving away from us.

Solar flares are intense bursts of energy released from the Sun, often near sunspots.

The Big Bang Theory does not explain how or where the universe originated, but it explains its evolution from a fraction of a second after the Big Bang.

Kepler's Second Law states that a line connecting a planet to the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal amounts of time.

The Big Bang Theory describes the universe's expansion, not an explosion. It is a continuous process, like a balloon expanding, not a burst.

Kepler's Third Law states that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the Sun.

The Moon's phases are different appearances of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen from Earth.

The Big Bang Theory explains the universe's history from a tiny fraction of a second after its beginning to the present. It doesn't explain the origin itself.

The stages of a star's life are determined by its initial mass. A small star becomes a white dwarf, a larger star becomes a neutron star, and a very large star becomes a black hole.

Air pressure is the weight of the atmosphere pressing down on the Earth's surface.

High-pressure systems are associated with dry conditions and clear skies because the sinking air prevents cloud formation.

Low-pressure systems are associated with cloudy and rainy weather because the rising air cools and condenses, forming clouds.

Winds are caused by differences in air pressure. Air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.

Isobars are lines on a weather map that connect points of equal air pressure.

The Coriolis effect is the apparent deflection of moving objects (like wind) due to the Earth's rotation.

The United States is located in the zone of prevailing westerly winds, which blow from west to east.

The equator is a low-pressure zone because the warm, rising air creates a zone of lower pressure.

A large area of the troposphere characterized by uniform temperature and humidity.

A front where warm air pushes and replaces colder air, bringing warmer temperatures and humidity.

A front where colder air advances and displaces warmer air, causing a temperature drop and potentially stormy weather.

A front where warm air meets and rises over cold air, producing widespread precipitation and mild temperatures.

A front where a fast-moving cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass, causing a rapid drop in temperature, strong winds, and potential thunderstorms.

A weather station model is a symbolic representation of weather data used on maps to convey information efficiently.

A weather station model uses a specific format to represent air pressure. If the three-digit value is less than 500, a 10 is placed in front; if it's more than 500, a 9 is placed in front.

For a tropical cyclone to form, the ocean temperature must be at least 26.5°C (79.7°F) for a depth of at least 50 meters.