Test your basic knowledge |

Subject : science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. The normal eastward movement of a planet against the background of hte distant stars.






2. When the Moon entirely blocks the Sun.






3. The era when the ratio of matter to energy greatly favored matter. (verses radiation dominated universe where it was opaque. Matter is now dominated by gravity not photons)






4. A star that is in the process of forming. It glows from gravitational contraction






5. Where is the center of the expansion






6. What are the three possible geometries of the universe?






7. In Ptolemy's geocentric solar system - the large circle on which a planet's epicycle moved around the Earth.






8. Where is the center of the expansion






9. When the Sun is farthest north of the celestial equator (about June 22)






10. Extends to a distance of 50000AU. Same objects as in the Kuiper belt-when they fall in toward the sun they become comets. Debris from comets hitting the Earths atmosphere cause meteor showers.






11. Why do Galaxies move very rapidly in the interiors of the dense clusters?






12. Half of the longest diameter across an ellipse






13. A high-pressure bulge in Neptune's southern hemisphere






14. Comglomerates of ice and rock that orbit the sun in highly elliptical paths






15. The mirror that gathers the light in a reflector






16. A word meaning 'the same in all directions.'






17. A huge sphere of tenuous gas surrounding the nucleus of a comet






18. The mass of an object divided by its volume






19. Infinitely long -> 10 cm






20. The crust of a meteorite caused by its entry into Earth's atmosphere






21. A small chunk of rock in space






22. A measure of the seasonal shifting of a star's position against farther stars or galaxies. The closer the star - the greater is the angular distance it shifts. We use it to find distances to stars that are up to 1000 pc away.






23. Formed rapidly - collapsed slower into disk shape - star birth rate is low but lasts longer and ongoing - contain higher mass blue stars.






24. We can infer the absolute magnitude of pulsating variable stars by measuring their pulsation periods. The longer the pulsations - the greater their luminosities. We then again measure their apparent magnitudes - compare it with their absolute magnitu






25. A planet orbiting about a distant star






26. Population 1- similar to the sun and 2% of elements are metal - Population 2- formed before gas was metal- only a fraction of mass is metal.






27. Large nebula consisting of very cold gas and dust






28. A very distant - star-like object with huge - broad emission lines. Probably the nucleus of a distant active galaxy.






29. The oldest part of the Milky Way






30. The layer of the sun just above the photosphere






31. We can infer the absolute magnitude of pulsating variable stars by measuring their pulsation periods. The longer the pulsations - the greater their luminosities. We then again measure their apparent magnitudes - compare it with their absolute magnitu






32. When a planet lines up with the sun inthe sky






33. The process similar to conduction by which energy moves from the solar core to the convective layer






34. Venus






35. A logarithmically scaled value for the measured brightness of a star.






36. A continuous spectrum of light missing energy at a few wave lengths.






37. Cold aggregates of gas - large and contain a huge amount of matter - so cold that molecules stick together to form molecules.






38. Sulfurous volcanoes - pools of liquid sulfur - surface resembles cheese pizza ACTIVE SURFACE






39. In Ptolemy's geocentric solar system - the small circle on which a planet moved.






40. Saturn






41. An empirical scheme for predictin ghe orbital distances of planets






42. The telescope configuration that has the focus placed at the back of the primary mirror






43. An evolved star - past the helium flash that is burning helium to carbon in it's cores






44. Sc galaxies where star formation and destruction is so rapid that supernova explosions are mainly responsible for compressing gas to create new stars.






45. Sa - Sb galaxies where two magnificent arms wind their way from nucleus out in a symmetrical manner.






46. The rotation period of the Earth measured relative to the Sun.






47. The movement of the Earth's crustal plates riding on top of the mantle.






48. Neptune or uranus






49. The entity responsible for spiral arms in grand-design spiral galaxies






50. Material that shoots rapidly out into space. Flares cause Auroras