Astronomy 1101 LSU Homework #1

Rank the following in order of increasing size.

Earth > Sun > Solar System > Milky Way > Local Group > Virgo Supercluster > Universe

The process of making predictions and testing scientific models never ends, as there is always the possibility that some future experiment or observation will show that a previously well-accepted model doesn't actually work under all circumstances. However, if a hypothesis is backed up by a very large body of evidence and has never failed a test, it may be elevated to the status of a theory.

1. All theories have enough supporting evidence behind them that we can move forward under the assumption that they are correct unless some future test proves that this is not the case. 2. A theory has a higher probability of accurately modeling a natural phenomenon than a hypothesis does.

Study the figure, which shows how someone on Earth can view Jupiter's moon's eclipses when Earth is closer to or farther from Jupiter, and determine which of the following are correct.

1. If light has infinite speed, an eclipse would be seen to happen at the same time regardless of how far away Earth is from Jupiter. 2. If light has finite speed, it would take longer for it to travel from Jupiter to Earth when Earth is farther from Jupiter.

The bright, colorful "stripes" of a rainbow such as the one shown here follow a particular order. Rank each color of the rainbow by how much energy is carried by its electromagnetic waves, from highest to lowest.

Carries Most: Blue >Yellow > Orange > Red : Carries Least

The following are all potential explanations for the motion of sailing rocks, but not all of them are scientific hypotheses given the rules listed above. Which ones are not scientific hypotheses?

Magic, God, Ghosts

Drag each label denoting length of time it takes light to travel from one location to another to the correct target.

Moon to Earth: 1.2 Sec ; Earth to Sun: 8.5; Pluto to nearest star: 4.3 years; Across the length of the Milky Way galaxy: 100,000 years

How might you improve your chances of detecting the motion of light if it moves at finite speed?

Move farther away from the light source

Place the following two types of radiation in the appropriate place on the electromagnetic spectrum.

Radio Waves: Beginning of the Spectrum Gamma Rays: End of the Spectrum

Why don't we see cars as bluer when they approach and redder when they recede?

They are too slow.

The cosmological principle states that

on a large scale, the universe is the same everywhere at a given time.