A2 Astronomy and Cosmology

Astronomical Unit (AU)

• distance from Earth to Sun-used to measure distances within our solar system (ex. distance between Mars and Jupiter)

• distance light travels in one year-used to measure distances outside our solar system (ex. measuring distances between stars/galaxies)

• Theory of early astronomers. Earth is at the center of the universe. The sun and planets would revolve around the Earth.

• Sun is at the center of the solar system.

Light Year

• distance from Earth to Sun-used to measure distances within our solar system (ex. distance between Mars and Jupiter)

• distance light travels in one year-used to measure distances outside our solar system (ex. measuring distances between stars/galaxies)

• Theory of early astronomers. Earth is at the center of the universe. The sun and planets would revolve around the Earth.

• Sun is at the center of the solar system.

'Spectrum of frequencies emitted due to electron transitions from a higher energy level to a lower one' is the definition of which key term?

• Continuous spectrum

• Absorption spectrum

• Transition spectrum

• Emission spectrum

Which of the following are evidence for the big bang?

• Cosmic microwave background radiation

• Doppler effect

• Static electricity

• Isotropic

What is a comet?

• Large rocky ball of ice that orbits the sun

• Cluster of billions of stars

• Lumps of rock or iron that orbit the sun

• Minor planets

Sirius and Canopus are the 2nd and the 3rd brightest stars after the Sun.

Canopus has a much greater luminosity than Sirius but is it is dimmer than Sirius. This is because Canopus is much ___________.

Which of the following is the correct relationship for Wein's displacement law?

The peak of the distribution of wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun is in the region of ________.

• infrared

• X-rays

• visible light

• microwave

What phenomenon leads to the idea that the Universe is expanding?

• redshift

• greenshift

• blueshift

• purpleshift

Light from almost all galaxies are red-shifted. This means that the galaxies _____ .

• are not moving

• are moving away from us

• are moving towards us

• are moving around us.