Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is responsible for causing the seasons on Earth?
What is responsible for causing the seasons on Earth?
- The spin direction of Earth
- The tilt of Earth's rotation axis to the plane of its orbit around the Sun (correct)
- The Moon's orbit about the Earth
- The crossing of the celestial equator by the Sun
What is the equivalent of celestial longitude fixed by?
What is the equivalent of celestial longitude fixed by?
- The summer solstice
- The vernal equinox (correct)
- The tilt of the celestial equator
- The crossing of the celestial equator by the Moon
Why are eclipses only possible when the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic plane?
Why are eclipses only possible when the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic plane?
- Because the Moon's phases are synchronized with this crossing
- Because this alignment ensures that the Moon, Earth, and Sun are in a straight line (correct)
- Because the Moon's orbit is perfectly aligned with the ecliptic plane
- Because the ecliptic is tilted 23.5º to the celestial equator
Who proposed a model of planetary motions with circular orbits about the Earth and epicycles?
Who proposed a model of planetary motions with circular orbits about the Earth and epicycles?
What is one major problem associated with the Ptolemaic model of planetary motion?
What is one major problem associated with the Ptolemaic model of planetary motion?
Why is understanding the Copernican Revolution considered important in science?
Why is understanding the Copernican Revolution considered important in science?
Where do comets with orbits that are not in the plane of the orbits of the planets come from?
Where do comets with orbits that are not in the plane of the orbits of the planets come from?
What are comets primarily made of?
What are comets primarily made of?
If Mars were to have an ocean at one point in time, where would it most likely have been located?
If Mars were to have an ocean at one point in time, where would it most likely have been located?
Why is the evidence for liquid water on Mars considered important?
Why is the evidence for liquid water on Mars considered important?
What regions in the outer solar system are populated by objects left over from the formation of the solar system?
What regions in the outer solar system are populated by objects left over from the formation of the solar system?
How might we establish if there has been life on Mars at some point?
How might we establish if there has been life on Mars at some point?
Why can we approximate a red star as a 'black body'?
Why can we approximate a red star as a 'black body'?
Why do spectral lines appear in emission when observed without intervening material?
Why do spectral lines appear in emission when observed without intervening material?
What allows us to determine how fast a distant object is rotating by examining the spreading out of spectral lines?
What allows us to determine how fast a distant object is rotating by examining the spreading out of spectral lines?
What do spectral lines appearing in absorption indicate?
What do spectral lines appearing in absorption indicate?
How do we determine the velocity of a distant object relative to us using spectral lines?
How do we determine the velocity of a distant object relative to us using spectral lines?
What does the Doppler shift allow us to determine?
What does the Doppler shift allow us to determine?
What is the main role of greenhouse gases in a planet's atmosphere?
What is the main role of greenhouse gases in a planet's atmosphere?
Why is the planet's solid surface heated by sunlight but at a lower temperature than the sun's surface?
Why is the planet's solid surface heated by sunlight but at a lower temperature than the sun's surface?
Why do small planets like Mercury cool faster than larger planets?
Why do small planets like Mercury cool faster than larger planets?
Which characteristic differentiates Venus from Mercury in terms of their atmospheres?
Which characteristic differentiates Venus from Mercury in terms of their atmospheres?
How does the rotation rate of Venus contribute to maintaining fairly even temperatures on its day and night sides?
How does the rotation rate of Venus contribute to maintaining fairly even temperatures on its day and night sides?
Why do greenhouse gases absorb and reradiate infrared light in an atmosphere?
Why do greenhouse gases absorb and reradiate infrared light in an atmosphere?
Why did the guiding centers for the epicycles in Ptolemy's model have to speed up and slow down on each circuit?
Why did the guiding centers for the epicycles in Ptolemy's model have to speed up and slow down on each circuit?
What suspicious feature of Ptolemy's model related to the planets Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn is mentioned in the text?
What suspicious feature of Ptolemy's model related to the planets Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn is mentioned in the text?
How did Copernicus' model address the features of Ptolemy's model that were considered questionable?
How did Copernicus' model address the features of Ptolemy's model that were considered questionable?
What was one unusual aspect of Ptolemy's model regarding the distance from Earth to celestial bodies?
What was one unusual aspect of Ptolemy's model regarding the distance from Earth to celestial bodies?
In Ptolemy's model, what was one reason given for not having epicycles for the sun and moon?
In Ptolemy's model, what was one reason given for not having epicycles for the sun and moon?
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