Chapter 4 Test Study Guide Origins of Astronomy

1. Why did Copernicus hesitate to consider alternatives to the Ptolemaic Universe? It contradicted Christian Theology at the time

Earth’s position in the universe 2. What was the most controversial issue about eh nature of the universe? Earth’s position in the universe

3. What was the name of Copernicus’ book? De Revolutionimbus

4. His geocentric model dominated astronomy for 2,000 years. Aristotle

5. Define First Principle Something that is held obviously true and needs no further examination.

6. Most Greek philosophers accept this as a first principle. Earth was the unmoving center of the universe.

7. Why did early astronomers believe the earth did not move? Because they saw no parallax.

8. What are the small circles called that Ptolemy used to describe the motions of planets? Epicycles

9. Philolaus believed this about the universe. Earth moved around a central fire

10. Galileo was a strong supporter of this astronomer Copernicus

11. The occasional westward motion to the planets is called Retrograde motion

12. Whose death ended the 99 years that revolutionized astronomy? Galileo

13. What are Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion? 1. The orbits of the planets are ellipses with the Sun at one focus. 2. A line form a planet to the Sun sweeps over equal areas in equal intervals of time. A planet’s orbital period squared is proportional to its average distance form the Sun.

14. Which planet goes through a complete set of phases like our moon? Venus

15. The transit of Venus disproves this astronomers model Ptolemy

16. He found no parallax with the discovery of a new star disproving the Ptolemaic Theory. Tycho

17. Tool Galileo is known for using Telescope

18. First person to point the telescope at the sky Galileo

19. Believed heavens were perfect with perfect spheres rotating at a constant rate carrying objects in circles. Plato

20. Who discovered four of Jupiter’s moons? Galileo

21. He calculated Earth’s radius by verifying the position of the Sun in two cities and the distance between those two cities. Eratosthenes

22. Determined that the orbits of planets around the Sun are ellipses. Kepler

23. Who said the Milky Way was made up of stars too faint to see with the naked eye? Galileo

24. List the four Galilean moons Io Callisto Ganymede Europa

25. Who was excommunicated from the church and placed on house arrest? Galileo

26. Define archeoastronomy Science field focused on connections of ancient celestial observations and structures

27. Explain the Geocentric Universe Model Model of the universe with the Earth at the center

28. Explain the Heliocentric Universe Model The model of the universe with the Sun at the center.

29. He was Tycho’s assistant Kepler

30. She arranged the star classification system to reflect temperature Annie Jump Cannon

31. He had a pet moose Tycho

32. First astronomer to study Cepheid Variable Stars Henrietta Leavitt

33. Wrote books in Italian instead of Latin Galileo

34. Classified stars according to spectral type, A through Q Williamina Fleming

35. Huge change in peoples thinking from geocentric to heliocentric Copernican Revolution

36. Law that helped establish that the universe is expanding Hubble’s Law

37. His books were banned and he was put on house arrest Galileo

38. First to explain why Earth has seasons Copernicus

39. Label the Diagram