Chapter 21 : Origins of Modern Astronomy
The ancient Greeks proposed an ________-centered view of the universe.
Earth
In the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, ________.
Earth was in the center of the universe
________ discovered Jupiter's four largest moons
Galileo
________ was convicted of heresy for his views of the universe
Galileo
Tycho Brahe set out to disprove Copernicus, so why is he famous for developing modern astronomical theory
He made very precise measurements that were key data used by Kepler.
Earth is closest to the Sun in ________.
January
The true shape of the planetary orbits was discovered by ________.
Johannes Kepler
________ discovered the three laws of planetary motion.
Kepler
Alpha Centauri is a famous star because it is one of the closest stars to earth (other than the Sun of course). Where would you look in the night sky for Alpha Centauri?
Look for the brightest star in the constellation Centaurus.
Using the telescope, Galileo discovered that the planet ________ had polar ice caps not unlike those on Earth.
Mars
The first modern astronomer to propose a Sun-centered universe was ________.
Nicolaus Copernicus
Who wrote the book entitled Of the Revolutions of Celestial Spheres (De Revolutionibus)?
Nicolaus Copernicus
The Big Dipper is near the ________ celestial pole.
North
Why were planets called "wanderers" by early astronomers
They move relative to the stars.
The belt of constellations through which all the planets move is called the ________.
Zodiac
When Earth is the farthest from the Sun, it is said to be in the ________ position.
aphelion
A very slow motion of Earth's axis that requires 26,000 years to complete is called ________.
axial precession
The earliest astronomical records appear to have been made by the ancient Chinese, Egyptians, and Babylonians in order to ________
determine when to plant crops or hunt animals based on seasonal changes
Planets appear to move ________ each night, but occasionally they appear to stop and reverse direction
eastward
The apparent path of the Sun upon the celestial sphere is called the ________.
ecliptic
One of the discoveries which led to the modern view of the solar system was that the orbits of the planets are ________.
ellipses
A total eclipse of the Sun is only possible at ________.
new Moon
When the Moon appears as a thin crescent in the evening sky, just after Sunset, the lunar phase is ________.
new Moon
Think about the correlation of the celestial coordinate system, the tilt of Earth's axis, and the positions on Earth. If you are an observer in the Southern Hemisphere, 2 degrees north of the Tropic of Capricorn, What time of year will you be able to see the North Star?
on the Southern Hemisphere summer solstice, around Dec. 21
Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.
perihelion
Kepler said that the ________ go(es) around the ________ on ________ orbits.
planets; Sun; elliptical
According to the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, how many "heavenly" bodies could be observed wandering along the background of stars
seven
The ________ day is the time it takes for Earth to make one complete rotation with respect to a star other than our Sun.
sidereal
Which astronomical event is featured in this picture
the arrival of Haley's Comet
An eclipse of the Moon can be seen by anyone on ________.
the side of Earth facing the Moon at that time
Galileo observed several features using the telescope. Which one of the following did he not discover?
the two moons of Mars
The length of daylight on the Moon is about ________.
two weeks
