Chapter 22 Orgin Of Moden Astonomy Flashcards
The geocentric model of the solar system has the planets
and the moon and sun orbiting the earth
What does the heliocentric model of the solar system state?
Earth and the other planes orbit the sun
Which astronomer discovered that the planets orbit the sun in oval shaped paths called ellipses
kepler
Galileo's most important contribution to astronomy was his
description of the behavior of moving objects
Isaac Newton was the first person to formulate and test the law of
Universal Gravitation
What is precession
the slow change in the direction in which Earth's axis tilts
What causes the moons phases
changes in how much of the sunlit side of the moon faces Earth
The cycle of the moon through its phases, or the synodic month, is
29 1/2 days long
A solar eclipse occurs when
the moon cast a dark shadow on earth
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon
moves into Earth's umbra
What causes the erosion of rocks on the moon's surface?
impacts of particles from space
The most widely accepted model for the origin of the moon involves
a large body hitting earth and ejecting debris that became the moon
The average distance between the earth and the sun is about___ million km, or One ___ unit
150, astronomical
Earth is closest to the sun on about January 3 at____ and is farthest from the sun on about July 4 at___
Perihelion, aphelion
Because of ____________, the North Star will no longer be Polaris in several thousand years.
precession
The moon is closest to earth at_____ and farthest away at ______
Perigee, Apogee
most of the moon's surface is covered by _________ which are densely-pitted, light-colored areas
highlands
List three of Galileo's important discoveries
four satellites, moons surface isnt smooth, sun spots and dark regions
Explain why eclipses do not occur often
they are not always aligned