Intro to Astronomy Study Guide

What is astronomy?

• The study of animals on Earth

• The scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena beyond Earth

• The study of human history

• The study of weather patterns

Which of the following is NOT part of astronomy?

• Stars

• Planets

• Oceans

• Galaxies

What is the first step in the scientific method used in astronomy?

• Form a hypothesis

• Make observations

• Ask a question about the universe

• Analyze results

Who proposed the heliocentric model, placing the Sun at the center of the solar system?

• Galileo Galilei

• Isaac Newton

• Nicolaus Copernicus

• Johannes Kepler

Which astronomer formulated three laws describing elliptical orbits of planets?

• Edwin Hubble

• Johannes Kepler

• Carl Sagan

• Neil DeGrasse Tyson

What discovery did Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson make in 1965?

• The first exoplanet

• Cosmic microwave background radiation

• The law of universal gravitation

• The heliocentric model

Which astronomer used a telescope to observe moons orbiting Jupiter?

• Caroline Herschel

• Galileo Galilei

• Annie Jump Cannon

• Vera Rubin

What is one advantage of reflecting telescopes over refracting telescopes?

• They are smaller

• They don’t suffer from color distortion

• They use lenses instead of mirrors

• They are cheaper to build

Radio telescopes detect which type of waves?

• Visible light waves

• Sound waves

• Radio waves

• X-rays

Why are space telescopes important?

• They are cheaper to build

• They avoid atmospheric distortion

• They are easier to repair

• They only observe radio waves