Earth Science 21

In the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, ________.

Earth was in the center of the universe

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

This scientist determined the nature of the forces that kept the planets in their orbits.

Sir Isaac Newton

Which of these men formulated the Law of Universal Gravitation?

Sir Isaac Newton

The concept that Earth was a sphere was established around the time of ________.

The Ancient Greeks

The concept that Earth maintained a circular orbit around the Sun was suggested during the time of ________.

The Renaissance

A statement you will sometimes hear people say is that a day is not 24 hours but is really 23 hr. 56 min. and 4 sec. What does this refer to?

This is sidereal time, not solar time; a solar day is 24 hours.

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

One of the discoveries which led to the modern view of the solar system was that the orbits of the planets are ________.

ellipses

When viewing the planets, Mars appears to move backwards, or retrograde, because ________.

it is rotating around the Sun slower than Earth's rotation

A total eclipse of the Sun is only possible at ________.

new Moon

Kepler said that the ________ go(es) around the ________ on ________ orbits.

planets; Sun; elliptical

The 5000 year old Stonehenge stone circle of Salisbury Plains, England, allows light shafts to come straight between two rocks on ________ in the Northern hemisphere.

summer solstice

The period of time required for the Moon to complete a cycle of phases is called the ________ month.

synodic

Question text During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon remains visible because ________.

the atmosphere of the Earth refracts light around its perimeter

A sidereal day is defined as ________.

the time for one complete revolution of the earth relative to the celestial reference

The length of daylight on the Moon is about ________.

two weeks

Relative to the celestial background, the Moon moves ________.

west to east