Term
| What are the 3 main pieces of evidence for the Big Bang? |
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Definition
| Redshift, Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, and the Distribution/Abundance of Elements |
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Term
| What are the long and short wave colors? |
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Definition
| Red is longer wave/lower energy, Blue is shorter wave/higher energy |
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Term
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Definition
| Total energy emitted is proportional to the temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| Peak electromagnetic radiation is inversely related to the temperature of a black body. |
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Term
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Definition
| A hot body emits more energy at shorter wavelengths. All bodies radiate energy over a range of wavelengths. |
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Term
| (Newton's) Inverse Square Law |
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Definition
| Solar flux is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the Sun |
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Term
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Definition
| Assumes that incoming radiation is equivalent to outgoing radiation. |
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Term
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Definition
| Reflectivity of the Sun's light of a specific surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| Complete absorption of radiation at specific wavelengths. |
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Term
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Definition
| Change in net (down minus up) irradiance at the tropopause |
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Term
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Definition
| The rate at which energy reaches a unit of area. |
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Term
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Definition
| Amount of energy radiated per unit of time. |
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Term
| What caused initial oxygen rise? |
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Definition
| Volcanoes going off, photosynthesis by early plants. |
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Term
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Definition
| Change in temperature by altitude. |
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Term
| How do the atmospheric layers' temperatures change? |
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Definition
| Troposphere: Temperature decreases with height. Stratosphere: Temperature increases. Mesosphere: Temperature decreases. |
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Term
| What are the terrestrial planet's atmospheres like? |
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Definition
| Venus: runaway greenhouse effect, Earth: just right, Mars: refrigerator. |
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Term
| What caused the decline in atmospheric CO2 in early earth? |
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Definition
| The weather of silicate rocks, such as granite, trapped CO2. |
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Term
| How did silicate rocks lower CO2 levels? |
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Definition
| Acid interacts with rocks, which strips the mineral apart and all the different components interact, leaving calcium carbonate. |
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Term
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Definition
| Atmospheric gas that absorbs in the longwave spectrum. |
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Term
| What determines the effectiveness of a Greenhouse Gas? |
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Definition
-Concentration of the gas in the atmosphere
-Frequency of the absorption band relative to the blackbody spectrum for Earth
-Lifetime |
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Term
| Why is the Greenhouse Effect of CO2 decreasing? |
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Definition
| It is decreasing because of band saturation, Co2 concentration is increasing, lowering the marginal Greenhouse Effect. |
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Term
| How is the greenhouse effect of H2O? |
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Definition
| It is greater than that of CO2 by about 4x. |
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Term
| What is the age of the Earth? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the age of the solar system? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the formula for the Force of Gravity? |
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Definition
| Gravitational constant(m1m2)/(r^2) |
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Term
| Asteroids, Meteoroids, Comets |
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Definition
| planetoids (less than planet/bigger than meteoroids), meteoroids are 10m or less across, comet is a collection of dust. |
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Term
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Definition
| The hypothesis that continents are mobile. |
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Term
| What does ozone do in the troposphere? |
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Definition
| In the troposphere, it's a GHG that is toxic to organisms, destroys nylon/rubber/and stuff |
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Term
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Definition
| Small particles or droplets in the atmosphere, usually on the size |
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Term
| What are the effects of aerosols? |
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Definition
Direct: Reflect and scatter incoming solar radiation.
Indirect: aerosols influence cloud properties. |
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Term
| Seasonal Changes in Aerosol Production |
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Definition
| Summer biomass burning in Southern Africa and Brazil, Industrial aerosols in Europe and US, Mineral dust from Africa. |
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Term
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Definition
| Compression or Relaxation of waves with relative motion. (Whistle of train) |
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Term
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Definition
| Shift in light froma star towards a longer/redder spectra due to Doppler Effect. |
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Term
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Definition
| Galaxies recede at a rate proportional to their distance: closer means slower, farther it is- faster it recedes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Rate of recession of astronomical objects per distance away. |
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Term
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Definition
| Approximately 13.9 billion years old. |
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Term
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Definition
| Unit for measuring distance to neary galaxies. |
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Term
| Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation |
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Definition
| Electromagnetic (microwave) radiation that fills the entire Universe and is a relic of the Big Bang. |
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Term
| When could light finally scatter after the Big Bang? |
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Definition
| Approximately 300,000 years later in an event known as the Surface of Last Scattering. |
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Term
| How long did it take CBR to reach Earth? |
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Definition
| Many billions of years due to the distance. |
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Term
| What is regular matter known as? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Energy responsible for inflation of the universe. |
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Term
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Definition
| Hypothetical matter that does not interact with light but does exert a gravitational force. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Cluster of galaxies including the Milky Way Galaxy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Barred spiral galaxy containing 200-400 billion stars. |
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Term
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Definition
| Mixture of gas, typically hydrogen and helium, and dust (solid particles of heavier elements). |
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Term
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Definition
| Region of dense interstellar dust. |
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Term
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Definition
| Balance between pressure and gravitational forces. |
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Term
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Definition
| Amount of energy radiated by a body per unit of time. |
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Term
| What is the general life cycle of a star? |
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Definition
| Protostar, Main Sequence, Red Giant, Planetary Nebula, White Dwarf. |
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Term
| How are heavier elements formed? |
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Definition
| Anything greater than Hydrogen and helim was formed through stellar nucleosynthesis, supernova, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| Iron is stable, so burning it produces no heat. Gravity overcomes the pressure without heat, so the Red Giant implodes. |
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Term
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Definition
| States that our solar system was formed from gravitational collapse of a giant interstellar gas cloud- the solar nebula. |
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