Space Science KEY 1.) What is the universe and how does this differ from what is called the "observable universe"? The universe is everything that exists. The observable universe are the parts of the universe that light has travelled to and so are potentially possible to see and measure. 2.) Explain how the Big Bang theory explains the beginning of the universe. The big bang theory says that the universe was once as small as a grain of snad that quickly expanded outwards and cooled to form all energy and matter (universe) as we know it today. 3.) What are three proofs that support the Big Bang theory. 1.) Universe is expanding causing galaxies to move apart (red shift) 2.) Cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) 3.) Relative Elemental Abundances (75% Hydrogen, 25% Helium) 4.) What are three other competing theories and briefly explain how they describe the beginning of the universe. 1.) Steady State universe – matter continues to be created to cause the expansion of the universe. The universe had no beginning and will have no end. 2.) Eternal inflation – after initial inflation from the big bang that inflation never stopped and continues to day creating multiple universes (multiverse). 3.) Oscillating universe – The idea that the universe began with a big bang and then will have expansion slow and shrink (big crunch) until it is super small again and then start all over. 5.) What is a colour shift and how does a red shift support the Big bang theory? Colour shift is the change of frequency of light rays as they are stretched by fast moving objects or compressed by slow moving objects. These compressions or stretching cause the colour of the light to change. When looking into deep space, astronomers only see light coming towards earth that is stretched to the red colour. This tells us that all objects are moving away from us (universe is expanding). 6.) How is the Doppler effect similar to a red shift. Doppler is the compression and stretching of sound instead of light rays. This causes pitch changes instead of colour changes. 7.) How can the space between galaxies be expanding at a rate faster than light? The space is not really moving faster than light. It appears to be because space (the universe) is expanding between the galaxies, while light is moving between the galaxy, stretching the diatnce light travels. This results, in light moving further than it could if space was not expanding. 8.) What is parallax and explain how this can be used to measure "relatively" close distances? KEY Parallax is the apparent shift in an objects position because of the difference in the viewers distance to that object. Astronomers use earth's orbit around the sun as the changing distance of the viewer to measure the apparent change. At six month intervals, the earth's orbit is on the otherside of the sun, allowing a large enough change is position of the viewer shift to allow for an apparent positional change of interstellar objects. 9.) How do astronomers measure distances to objects that are further than parallax can measure? Cephid Variables 10.) Astronomers use many tools to study space. Choose an astronomical tool and explain what this tool has taught/shown us and explain how this tool is being was/is being used to discern this information. LIGO CANADARM Various Probes Various Telescopes SETI etc.

Space Science Year End Review

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