Name: ______Date:______

Astronomy Comprehensive Test Study Guide

Earth Science

distance / 2 / winds / 50% / asteroids
Saturn is less dense / Tropic of Capricorn / it is experiencing summer / galaxies are moving away from each other in a constantly expanding universe / an inner planet
  1. The Southern Hemisphere is warmer in January than in July because It is experiencing summer
  1. What is the approximate percentage of the Earth that is illuminated by the sun at any given time?
  2. Which of the following best describes Earth's orbital position in our solar system? _Earth is an inner planet
  1. This model shows the Earth's position relative to the sun. At the time of year shown by the model, the areas receiving the most direct sunlight will be near the ______

5. The numerous rocks orbiting the sun between Jupiter and Mars are

______

6. A light-year measures ______

7. Photographs of the surface of Mars reveal the presence of sand dunes that shift over time. These dunes demonstrate the presence of what phenomenon on Mars? ______

8. In 1912, an astronomer at Arizona's Lowell Observatory noticed that the lines in the spectra of most galaxies shifted toward the red end of the spectrum. Another American astronomer, Edwin Hubble, later interpreted this discovery as evidence that ______

9. At what position would Earth be found in the solar system diagram shown above? ______

10. If matter from Saturn would float in water, while matter from Earth would sink in water, why would that happen? ______

They appear to be revolving around each other / stellar nebula / low density / Venus / fusion
Mercury / Core / distance from the Earth / gravity / distance from Earth

11. Which planet is often called "Earth's twin" because it is similar in mass and diameter to the Earth? ______

12. A star might be much brighter than it appears to be. This is called the star's absolute magnitude. The difference in apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude is due primarily to the star's ______

13. The sequence of pictures above shows the same portion of the night sky over a number of years. What appears to be happening with the stars on the left? ______

______-

14. A person weighs more on the Earth than on the moon because the Earth has a greater ______


15. What is the first stage in the life cycle of a star? ______

______

16. The sun emits energy by converting hydrogen into helium. What is this process called? ______

17. Saturn's volume is 762 times the volume of Earth, and yet its mass is only about 95 times that of Earth's mass. This is due to Saturn's ______

______

18. Orbital velocity is the average speed of a planet moving through space in its orbit around the sun. Which of the following planets has the fastest orbital velocity? ______

19. Parallax can be used to measure a star's ______

20. The planet Uranus is unusual because its axis of rotation lies almost in the plane of its revolution. If the axis is pointing toward the sun as in the picture, what would occur at point X when the planet turns once on its axis?

  1. the point would be in twilight for the full rotation
  2. the point would be in darkness for the complete rotation of the planet
  3. the point would be in daylight for half the time and in darkness for half the time
  4. the point would be in daylight for full rotation
  1. Which layer of the sun is the most dense? ______

______

is nearly stationary and on the horizon / one side of the moon to always face the Earth / liquid water / Apollo 11 / 50%
Venus / Jupiter / Winds / fusion / a comet

22. Photographs of the surface of Mars reveal the presence of sand dunes that shift over time. These dunes demonstrate the presence of what phenomenon on Mars? ______

23. Which of the above evolutionary stages of a massive star is called a supernova?

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

24. The first manned-mission to land on the moon was commanded by Neil Armstrong and was called ______

25. The pole star, Polaris, is nearly stationary and straight overhead when seen from the North Pole. When viewed from the Equator, it ______

______

26. Which of these elements does this star contain?

  1. Mercury
  2. Neon
  3. Sodium
  4. Calcium

27. Periodically, there are spectacular meteor showers on Earth. These showers usually occur because the Earth's orbit passes through the remains of ______

28. The moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that it revolves around the Earth. This causes ______

29. Because of the unique position of the Earth in the solar system, life has flourished due to the presence of ______

30. Which planet has the shortest day? ______

31. Which planet is often called "Earth's twin" because it is similar in mass and diameter to the Earth? ______

32. What process has occurred when atoms combine to form a new element and release energy? ______

33. What is the approximate percentage of the Earth that is illuminated by the sun at any given time? ______

fusion / corona / an inner planet / black dwarf / The orbit of Mars is outside that of the Earth’s orbit
The rotation of the Earth on its axis / asteroids / hydrogen / In clumps that are themselves unevenly distributed in space / there is no wind or rain

34. The numerous rocks orbiting the sun between Jupiter and Mars are

______

35. Which of these stars has completed its life cycle? ______

36. What powers stars? ______

37. What element is the main component of most stars? ______

38. Which layer of the sun is seen during a total solar eclipse? ______

39. Which diagram represents the placement of the sun, Earth, and moon during a lunar eclipse?

40. Which of the following best describes Earth's orbital position in our solar system? ______

41. When Venus passes between the Earth and the sun, it is visible as a tiny black dot on the sun's bright disk. Why is Mars never visible in this same way? ______

______

42. What causes days and nights? ______

______

43. How are stars distributed in space? ______

______

44. Why does erosion not occur on the moon? ______

______

Jupiter / the galaxies are moving away from each other / one day

45. Which of these facts is the best supporting evidence that the universe is expanding? ______

______

46. About how long does it take the Earth to make one complete rotation on its axis? ______

47. In the late 1920s, Edwin Hubble and Milton Humason determined the distance to a number of galaxies and the velocity of those galaxies relative to the Earth. The graph shows the early results that were obtained. What approximate ratio did the scientists calculate between velocity and distance based on these early findings?

  1. 150 kilometers per second per one million light years
  2. 300 kilometers per second per one million light years
  3. 450 kilometers per second per one million light years
  4. 600 kilometers per second per one million light years

48. Which planet has a fierce hurricane-like storm that is several times the size of Earth? ______