Galaxy and Universe Study Guide (Science Study Guide)
How long does it take for the sun to orbit the galactic center once?
220 million years
What is the electromagnetic spectrum and what is the order of the EM waves?
A table that goes from the weakest EM waves to the strongest (radiowaves, microwaves, infra-red, visible light, ultra violet, x-rays, gamma rays)
Can you identify the four galaxy shapes (spiral, barred spiral, elliptical, and irregular)?
Don't look below this until after you've made your predictions for what type of galaxy each picture is (under this is the answer key) Top left corner=elliptical Bottom left corner=spiral Top right corner=irregular Bottom right corner=barred spiral
True or false, not everything on the electromagnetic spectrum moves at the speed of light?
False
What is the name for a celestial body that consists of a huge group of individual stars, star systems, star clusters, and dust and gas bound together by gravity?
Galaxy
What is the name of the strongest ray on the electromagnetic spectrum that can penetrate DNA, cause cancers, and also cure cancers?
Gamma rays
What effect does gravity have on a developing star?
Gravity tries to pull the star into a smaller space
What is the name of the ray on the electromagnetic spectrum that causes heat?
Infra-red
What is the Big Bang Theory?
Initially, all the matter in the universe occupied a very small space. This tiny space was very dense, therefore it was very hot. Then, it exploded - space started expanding and the expansion is still going on and has been rapidly cooling
What is the name for adult stars fusing into hydrogen and helium (the more mass, the faster they use their fuel)?
Main sequence star
What is the name of the second least powerful ray on the electromagnetic spectrum that heats food and is used on radar guns?
Microwaves
What is the name of our galaxy? It has 200 to 400 billion stars
Milky Way
What is the name for a large cloud of gas and dust that spreads out over a large volume of space?
Nebula
What is the order of the stages for the lifecycle of a low mass star?
Nebula, Protostar, Main Sequence Star, Red Giant, Planetary Nebula, White Dwarf, Black Dwarf
What is the order of the stages for the lifecycle of a high mass star?
Nebula, Protostar, Main Sequence Star, Red Super Giant, Super Nova, Neutron Star or Black Hole
What is it called when a complex nuclear reaction (fusion) in stars which joins hydrogen atoms into helium atoms and gives off vast amounts of energy and pushes the star larger.
Nuclear (fusion) pressure
What effect does nuclear pressure have on a developing star?
Nuclear pressure tries to push stars out into a larger space
What is the name for a gas cloud that's contracting from gravity and heating up from heat energy?
Protostar
What is the name of the least powerful ray on the electromagnetic spectrum that is used on AM and FM radio, ham radios, and remote control cars?
Radiowaves
What is the name of our sun? It is one out of billions of stars in the Milky Way, it's made of 70% hydrogen and 28% helium gas, and is about halfway through its life as a main sequence star with about 5 billion years left.
Sol
What is the name of our star system?
Solar System
What is the name of our galaxy group? It is a cluster of about 45 to 50 galaxies bound together by gravity including the Milky Way.
The Local Group
What is the name of our supercluster? It is a collection of about 100 galaxy groups including the Local group.
The Local Supercluster or the Virgo Supercluster
What is the name of our universe? It contains all known matter, space and energy, and all galaxy clusters.
The Nearby or Observable Universe
What is the name of our galactic arm?
The Orion Spur Arm or Local Spur Arm
For a star to be stable and be the same size what must happen?
The nuclear pressure must match the gravitational pressure
What is the name of the ray on the electromagnetic spectrum that's rays can cause sun tans, sun burns, and skin cancer?
Ultra Violet
What is the name of the ray on the electromagnetic spectrum that has the colors humans can see (ROYGBIV)?
Visible light
What is the name of the second strongest ray on the electromagnetic spectrum that can penetrate skin but not bone?
X-rays
