Science and Space Science Review
With each pass of a comet about the Sun, its mass
is appreciably reduced
The Sun contains what percentage of the solar system`s mass?
over 99%
Of the sciences known as physics, chemistry, and biology, the most basic is
physics
The "Big Bang" refers to the
point in time in which the known (and perhaps knowable) universe came into being.
What event will eventually move an average star off the main sequence of the H-R diagram?
running out of hydrogen, causing gravitational influx, resulting in core temperatures high enough to begin fusing helium
The core of the Moon is
solid
The statement, "There are regions beneath Earth's crust that will always be beyond the reach of scientific investigation," is a
speculation
A pulsar is likely a
spinning neutron star.
The gold in Uncle Harry's teeth fillings originated in
stars that blew up eons ago.
If the Sun collapsed to a black hole, the time required for the Earth to orbit the collapsed Sun would
stay the same
Because a white dwarf is no longer burning fuel, it is more accurately described as being a
stellar remnant
Relativity is the
study of how space, energy, and mass are related to time
Asteroids orbit the
sun
Comets orbit about the
sun
We do not see stars in the daytime because
sunlight overwhelms starlight.
The elements found on Earth have much to do with
supernovae
"Cosmological Redshift" refers to
the expansion of space itself
What is the reference that astronomers use to denote the luminosity of stars?
the luminosity of the Sun
Summer and winter constellations are different because
the night sky faces in opposite directions in summer and winter.
Polaris is always directly overhead at
the north pole
A black hole is
the remains of a giant collapsed star
What is the star nearest Earth?
the sun
The event horizon of a black hole is
the surface below which no matter or energy can escape.
A star's size stabilizes when
thermal pressure and gravitational attraction balance each other
Pretend you are on a morning time mission on the surface of Venus. When looking out the spacepod window you are likely to see
thick, smog-like cloudcover.
A spinning cloud of interstellar gas tends to
to flatten
Technology is an important tool of science is sometimes the fruit of science, as in medicine that cures diseases is a human endeavor can be used to elevate or to diminish the human condition
true
Galaxies are aggregations of stars, stellar dust, and gas. Their masses
vary greatly from one galaxy to the next.
A person who says "That`s only a theory" likely does not know that scientific theory is a
vast synthesis of well-tested hypotheses and facts
The difference between lightwaves approaching and lightwaves receding is
when approaching, lightwaves have higher frequency; when receding their frequency is lower.
The parts of Saturn's rings with the greatest rotational speed are the
inner parts
The average distance from Earth to the Sun is
1 AU
About how many tons of meteorites strike the Earth on a daily basis?
200 tons
Part complete Compared to your weight on Earth, your weight on Jupiter would be about
3 times
What is the primary component of Venus' atmosphere?
CO2
The planets do not produce their own light because they
Do not undergo nuclear reactions
Where did Saturn's rings likely come from?
Either a moon that never formed, or a moon destroyed by tidal forces
The reason that the Moon takes on a crescent shape each month has to do with the
Sun's position.
What determines if a star becomes a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole?
The principal factor is mass.
Neptune was discovered by irregularities in
Uranus
How do the wind speeds of the Martian atmosphere compare with those of Earth?
about ten times more than Earth's
A truly educated person is knowledgeable about
all of the above
Which of the following involves passion, talent, and intelligence?
all of the above
Science, art, and religion do not contradict one another because
all three have different domains.
What is the cause of Jupiter's extremely high-energy radiation belts?
an enormous magnetic field that captures high energy particles
The stars Procyon and Betelgeuse both appear equally bright to Earthbound viewers. Yet Betelgeuse emits 5000 times more light than Procyon. Why do they appear to be equally bright?
because Betelgeuse is much farther than Procyon
For what reason was Pluto demoted from full planetary status in 2006?
because of objects as large or larger than Pluto in the Kuiper belt
Why do comet's tails always point away from the Sun?
because of radiation pressure
Why should one not stare at the Sun during an eclipse?
because, whether there is an eclipse or not, the Sun's intense radiation can easily damage our eyes
In a scientific experiment, a control is
both of the above
Evidence for the Big Bang
both of these
The nebula theory is based on the observation that the solar system
follows patterns indicating that it formed progressively from physical processes
The Sun tends to bloat outward by nuclear fusion, and contract due to
gravitation
A major difference between pseudoscience and science is that pseudoscience
has no tests for wrongness
When the alignment of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth produce a solar eclipse, the body between the other two is the
moon
One of Edwin Hubble's discoveries is that the known universe is expanding. This means that
most all observable galaxies are moving away from each other.
If the Sun collapsed to become a black hole, the Earth's gravitational attraction to it would be
no different
The fact that one side of the Moon always faces Earth is evidence that while revolving about the Earth, it
rotates about its axis
Consider a huge rotating cloud of particles in space that gravitate together to form an increasingly dense ball. As the cloud shrinks in size, it
rotates faster.
Which one of these elements is normally the remnant of a supernova?
silver
How much greater is the atmospheric pressure of Jupiter than Earth's? More than
a million times
The evolution of life probably requires the presence of
a liquid medium.
A solar system contains
a single star and planets
What element do astrobiologists consider to be the most essential for the evolution of life?
carbon
What will be the predominant element within the Sun after it has died?
carbon
What are Saturn's rings composed of?
chunks of ice and rock
The temperature of a star is evidenced by its
color
When a contracting hot ball of gas spins into a disk shape, it cools faster due to
increased surface area
The Earth rotates about its axis once per 24 hours, while the Moon rotates about its axis once per
month
Scientists repeat experimental findings in order to
none of the above
Totally during a solar eclipse is not totally dark because
of the light from the solar corona.
Which body in the solar system has the highest level of volcanic activity?
Io
Cosmic background radiation refers to
Uniformly distributed residual radiation that resulted from the Big Bang
What is the likely cause of the 98° tilt of Uranus's axis?
a collision with a large body early in the solar system's evolution
The materials that compose most of Titan are completely different than those that compose Earth. Therefore, what were scientist surprised to see from space-probe images in a 2005 landing?
a landscape similar to Earth's
What aspect of Titan may hold clues as to what Earth was like before life arose here?
an intriguing soup of organic molecules
The carbon dioxide cycle is important to Earth because it
and the oceans are critical in moderating and regulating the Earth's temperatures.
The diurnal rotation of the stars refers to the
apparent rotation of the celestial sphere due to the rotation of the Earth.
The Solar System is like an atom in that both
are mainly empty space
An active galactic nucleus
arises from the gigantic black hole at the center of a galaxy
The "redshift" of a galaxy refers to the rate
at which is receding
Evidence of the solar wind on Earth is the
aurora borealis
The solar wind blows in a direction
away from the sun
Compared to most stellar objects, quasars are more
d. all of these
Cepheids are types of stars that regularly change how bright they are over a period of a few
days
As more and more mass falls into a black hole, the radius of its photon sphere
decreases
Each second, the burning Sun's mass
decreases
Most of the stars in colliding galaxies
do not make contact with one another
If a star collapses to a tenth its size, gravitation at its surface increases by
either 100 or 1000
The ecliptic
is the plane of Earth's orbit.
Is the rate of Earth's rotation increasing or decreasing?
it is decreasing
What is the determining factor in the stages a star will progress through from birth to death?
its mass
A star's color tells us
its surface temperature
The best evidence that the Sun is a newcomer in the universe is
its very existence in spite of its high burning rate. or the existence of heavy elements in its composition.
The planet closest in size to the Sun is:
jupiter
Compared to the density of water, the density of Saturn is
less
Our local group is composed of how many galaxies?
less than 100
If one had the opportunity to walk on Triton, Neptune's largest moon, what would you observe the geysers to be spewing?
liquid nitrogen
The longest-lived stars are those of
low mass
When the Sun passes between the Moon and Earth, we have
met our end
