epicycles, deferents |
In the Ptolemaic system, planets orbited in small circles called ________ while revolving along large circles called ________. |
seven |
According to the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, how many "heavenly" bodies could be observed wandering along the background of stars? |
Earth was in the center of the universe |
In the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, the ________. |
retrograde motion |
The apparent westward "drift" of the planets compared to the background stars is called ________. |
Ptolemy |
The Earth-centered system of the universe that was accepted for nearly seventeen centuries was presented in a treatise called the Almagest that was written by ________. |
Eratosthenes |
The first successful attempt to establish the size of Earth is credited to ________. |
retrograde motion |
The apparent westward drift of the planets as compared to the background stars is called ________. |
celestial sphere |
In the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, the stars are attached to the ________. |
geocentric |
The proposal that suggests that Earth is in the center of the universe is called the ________ view. |
retrograde |
The apparent westward drift of the planets as compared to the background stars is called ________ motion. |
inertia, gravity |
The planets stay in orbit around the Sun because of a balance between ________ and ________. |
ellipses |
One of the discoveries which led to the modern view of the solar system was that the orbits of the planets are ________. |
the two moons of Mars |
Galileo observed several features using the telescope. Which one of the following did he NOT discover? sunspots Jupiter’s four largest moons phases of Venus the two moons of Mars |
Nicolaus Copernicus |
The first modern astronomer to propose a Sun-centered universe was ________. |
Sir Isaac Newton |
This scientist determined the nature of the forces that kept the planets in their orbits. |
Galileo |
This scientist was the first to use the telescope in astronomy. |
Johannes Kepler |
Three laws of planetary motion were discovered by ________. |
Johannes Kepler |
The true shape of the planetary orbits was discovered by ________. |
Nicolaus Copernicus |
Who wrote the book entitled Of the Revolutions of Celestial Spheres (De Revolutionibus)? |
Galileo |
This scientist wrote a book that compared the Earth-centered system with the Sun-centered system entitled Dialogue of the Great World Systems. |
Sir Isaac Newton |
Which of these men formulated the Law of Universal Gravitation? |
perturbation |
Any variance in the orbit of a planet from its predicted path is referred to as ________. |
Sir Isaac Newton |
The law of universal gravitation was formulated by ________. |
stellar parallax |
apparent shift in the position of a nearby star when viewed from extreme points in Earth’s orbit six months apart is called ________. |
Nicolaus Copernicus |
The first modern astronomer to propose a Sun-centered universe was ________. |
astronomical |
The average distance from Earth to the Sun is called the ________ unit. |
heliocentric |
The proposal that contends that the Sun is in the center of the universe is called the ________ view. |
Sir Isaac Newton |
The Law of Universal Gravitation was formulated by ________. |
perturbation |
Any variance in the orbit of a planet from its predicted path is called a(n) ________. |
elliptical |
One of the discoveries that led to the modern view of the solar system was that the orbits of the planets are ________. |
Johannes Kepler |
Which astronomer developed the three laws of planetary motion? |
Zodiac |
The belt of constellations through which all the planets move is called the ________. |
constellations |
Patterns or configurations of stars named in honor of mythological characters are called ________. |
zodiac |
The belt of constellations through which all the planets move is called the ________. |
declination |
The angular distance north or south of the celestial equator is called ________. |
vernal equinox |
The ________ is at the point in the sky where the Sun crosses the celestial equator at the onset of spring. |
rotation, revolution |
The two primary motions of the Earth are ________ and ________. |
axial precession |
A very slow motion of Earth’s axis that requires 26,000 years to complete is called ________. |
ecliptic |
The apparent path of the Sun upon the celestial sphere is called the ________. |
sidereal |
The ________ day is the time it takes for Earth to make one complete rotation with respect to a star other than our Sun. |
ecliptic |
The planets, Moon, and the Sun lie along nearly the same plane and therefore move along the same region of the sky that is called the ________. |
January |
Earth is closest to the Sun in the month of ________. |
perihelion |
When Earth is closest to the Sun, its location is referred to as the ________ position. |
aphelion |
When Earth is farthest from the Sun, its location is referred to as the ________ position. |
precession |
A very slow motion of Earth’s axis that requires 26,000 years to complete is called ________. |
two weeks |
The length of daylight on the Moon is about ________. |
synodic |
The period of time required for the Moon to complete a cycle of phases is called the ________ month. |
Modern Astronomy
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