Name: ______Date: ______
Astronomy Unit Test Study Guide
1. List the four terrestrial planets. What makes them “terrestrial?”
2. List the four gas giant planets. What makes them “gas giants?”
3. What planet would revolve the slowest around the Sun and why?
4. Explain the difference between revolution and rotation.
5. Which planets have more moons and why? Explain!
6. Draw a model of the relationship between the Sun, Earth and Moon.
7. What is the summer solstice? What is the date?
8. What is the winter solstice? What is the date?
9. Answer the questions below:
a. How long does the Earth take to rotate?
b. How long does the Earth take to revolve around the Sun?
c. How long does it take for the Moon to rotate around the Earth?
10. Draw a model of the Moon phases below. How long does it take between 1 full moon and the next?
11. Explain how the Moon lights up. Draw a picture if it helps!
12. Draw a model of a solar eclipse and explain what is occurring. Be sure to include the phase of the moon that must be present for it to happen.
13. Draw a model of a lunar eclipse and explain what is occurring. Be sure to include the phase of the moon that must be present for it to happen.
14. What happens to the gravitational force between two objects if the distance between them doubles? Explain why.
15. What causes the seasons? Explain your answer.
16. Define inertia and gravity. If the force of gravity between the Earth and the sun were greater than Earth’s inertia, what would happen to Earth? Explain your answer.
17. Draw a model below of the path of the Sun in the winter and in the summer. Explain the difference between the paths and why it occurs.
18. Explain why there is night and day on Earth. What causes this?
19. The Sun is much larger than the Moon. Explain why they appear the same size from Earth?
20. What two factors affect a planets revolution?
21. What characteristics do astronomers use to classify stars?
22. Label the diagram below with the seasons:
23. List 3 characteristics of main sequence stars.
24. List 3 characteristics of red giants.
25. List 3 characteristics of white dwarfs.
26. Put the colors of stars in order from coldest to hottest.
27. Which of the magnitude would be seen as the brightest? Magnitude of 0 or Magnitude of -4?
28. The majority of stars in our galaxy are which type?
29. Most stars are made in which type of galaxy and where in it?
30. Explain the life cycle of our sun starting with its formation to its death. Be sure to use the following terms: nebula, main sequence, white dwarf, red giant
31. Put these terms in order from largest to smallest:
Milky Way Galaxy, Sun, Solar System, Universe, Earth, Nebula, Local Group, Hubble telescope
32. While looking through a telescope, you see a galaxy with lots of main sequence stars in the outer regions and lots of white dwarfs and red giants near the center. What kind of galaxy do you think it is and why? Explain.
33. Explain the big bang theory. What evidence is there to support it?
34. Explain what is occurring in the picture below:
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35. How do planets form? Explain.
36. Draw the 3 types of galaxies and write one fact about each.
37. What causes tides? How many high tides and how many low tides are there per day? How many hours separate the high and low tides?
38. Which moon phases cause the highest high tides? Explain