Modern Astronomy

The Modern Period of astronomy took place when?

• Before 500 BC
• 500 BC to 1400 AD
• 1400-1650
• 1650-Present Day

The Modern Period of astronomy is known for which of the following?

• Building monuments that aligned with the movement of the Sun, Moon, and stars
• Observing the night sky with instruments, and using mathematics and models
• Using telescopes to peer deep into the solar system and observe other galaxies
• Building of powerful, space-based telescopes that can look back nearly to the beginning of time

What is a comet?

• A round celestial body orbiting in an ellipse, which has cleared its own path around a star
• celestial objects made up of icy rock that exhibit a blazing tail as they move toward the Sun
• An enormous, luminous celestial object 
• Minor rocky celestial objects of irregular shapes found within the inner solar system

Who was the first man to ever predict the return of a short-period comet (sighted every 74-79 years)

• William Herschel
• Charles Messier
• Edwin Hubble
• Edmond Halley

Who was the French Astronomer who cataloged over 100 "nebulae", or fuzzy patches in the sky, over his lifetime? 

• William Herschel
• Charles Messier
• Edwin Hubble
• Edmond Halley

These "nebulae" were thought by all scientists at the time as being within the Milky Way galaxy. 

• True
• False

The Andromeda galaxy is our closest galactic neighbor, and it will collide with the Milky Way in about 5 billion years.

• True
• False

The Andromeda galaxy is also known as M21.

• True
• False

Caroline Herschel discovered Uranus.

• True
• False

How should you pronounce Uranus, the planet that William Herschel discovered in 1781?

• you-RAIN-us
• your-AIN-us
• YOUR-ann-us
• OOH-rhan-OOS