Mid-term Practice 1. What is the meaning of the following words: cosmos, galaxy, solar system, local group, super cluster? 2. Using the ideas discussed in your textbook to expand on the comment that “we are star stuff" 3. Relative to the age of the universe, how old is our solar system? How old is the Earth? 4. Why do astronomers infer that the universe is expanding? 5. When did humans learn that the Earth is not the center of the universe and what evidence supported this revelation of thought? 6. Which of the following correctly describes the meridian in your local sky? 7. What do the following terms mean: zenith, meridian, latitude, declination, longitude, ecliptic, zodiac, and constellation. 8. Explain how we describe a location on Earth's surface. 9. Describe why we have seasons on Earth using the following terms: solstice, equinox, aphelion, perihelion, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn. 10. Explain why we have phases of the moon, what the different phases of the moon look like to an Earth observer, and how much time is takes to go between each phases. 11. Which of the following have the greatest frequency of occurrence: lunar eclipse or solar eclipse? 12. True or False: An observer on Earth can see the entire surface of the moon over 365 day period. Support your answer with reasoning from the textbook and Mastering Astronomy. 13. Explain an eclipse of the moon and sun occur. 14. Why were the following individuals important to astronomy? Ptolemy, Brahe, Kepler, Newton, Copernicus, Eratosthenes. 15. Why do the ancient Greeks get a lot of attention for their contributions to science? 16. What were the major observations made by Galileo that were used to advance astronomy of the time? 17. Can you apply an understanding of Kepler’s Laws to astronomical principles stated in your textbook