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Astronomy: explore STEM content (page 12 of 26) · openstem

All fields Software Mathematics Physics Chemistry Biology Engineering Astronomy Environmental Other Astronomy Astronomy groups

Explore STEM Content

Search the community's STEM library — free to study, yours to make your own.

Astronomy

Stars, orbits, cosmology and observation on openstem — flashcards, notes, quizzes and plots shared by the community. Study free, or clone anything into your library.

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Quiz7 questions

What is right ascension the sky's analogue of?

AAltitudeBLongitudeCLatitudeDAzimuth

Astronomy

Astronomy · L3 · Celestial Coordinates & Precession

@openstem

Astronomy · L3 · Celestial Coordinates & Precession

Quiz5 questions

What physical effect underlies gravitational lensing?

ALight is absorbed and re-emitted by massive objectsBMass curves spacetime, bending the path light followsCLight slows down near massive objects, changing colourDMagnetic fields deflect photons

Astronomy

Astronomy · L3 · Gravitational Lensing

@openstem

Astronomy · L3 · Gravitational Lensing

Flashcards8 cards

What is an active galactic nucleus (AGN)?1 / 8

An active galactic nucleus is the compact central region of a galaxy that outshines the rest of the galaxy's stars combined, powered not by starlight but by gravitational energy released as material falls onto a supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the galaxy's centre. AGN luminosity can vary dramatically on timescales of days, indicating an extremely compact emitting region.

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Active Galactic Nuclei, Quasars & Supermassive Black Holes

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Astronomy · L4 · Active Galactic Nuclei, Quasars & Supermassive Black Holes

Flowchart15 objects

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Supernova Classification: Light Curves & Spectral Types · flowchart

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Astronomy · L4 · Supernova Classification: Light Curves & Spectral Types · flowchart

Collection4 items

01Astronomy · L1 · Artemis: Returning to the Moon

02Astronomy · L1 · Artemis: Returning to the Moon

03Astronomy · L1 · From the Moon to Mars

+1 more

Astronomy

Astronomy · L1 · Artemis: Returning to the Moon

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Astronomy · L1 · Artemis: Returning to the Moon

Quiz4 questions

What type of galaxy is the Milky Way?

AAn elliptical galaxyBA barred spiral galaxyCAn irregular galaxyDA dwarf galaxy

Astronomy

Astronomy · L2 · The Milky Way and Other Galaxies

@openstem

Astronomy · L2 · The Milky Way and Other Galaxies

Collection3 items

01Astronomy · L3 · Exosolar System Architecture

02Astronomy · L3 · Exosolar System Architecture

03Astronomy · L3 · Exosolar System Architecture

Astronomy

Astronomy · L3 · Exosolar System Architecture

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Astronomy · L3 · Exosolar System Architecture

Quiz7 questions

Why are giant molecular clouds the only interstellar clouds able to collapse into stars?

AThey are the only clouds containing any hydrogen at allBThey are cold and dense enough that gravity can overcome the gas's internal pressureCThey are the only clouds located near existing starsDThey are heated by nearby supernovae, which triggers fusion directly

Astronomy

Astronomy · L3 · Star Formation & Molecular Clouds

@openstem

Astronomy · L3 · Star Formation & Molecular Clouds

Quiz4 questions

According to the Stefan-Boltzmann law, if a star's temperature doubles while its radius stays the same, its luminosity increases by a factor of:

A2B4C8D16

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Blackbody Radiation & Stellar L-R-T — 4 Q

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Astronomy · L4 · Blackbody Radiation & Stellar L-R-T — 4 Q

Flowchart9 objects

Astronomy

Astronomy · L2 · Light Pollution and Dark Skies · flowchart

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Astronomy · L2 · Light Pollution and Dark Skies · flowchart

Collection3 items

01Astronomy · L4 · Radio Astronomy: Single Dishes, Interferometry & the EHT

02Astronomy · L4 · Radio interferometry: from single dishes to the Event Horizon Telescope

03Astronomy · L4 · Radio Interferometry & the EHT — 4 Q

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Radio Astronomy: Single Dishes, Interferometry & the EHT

@openstem

Astronomy · L4 · Radio Astronomy: Single Dishes, Interferometry & the EHT

Flashcards8 cards

What is the patched conic approximation, and why do mission designers use it?1 / 8

The patched conic approximation splits an interplanetary trajectory into separate two-body segments — departure (dominated by Earth's gravity), heliocentric cruise (dominated by the Sun), and arrival (dominated by the target body) — solving each segment as a simple Keplerian conic and 'patching' them together where one body's gravitational influence hands off to the next. It is far less computationally demanding than integrating the true many-body gravitational field, and gives an accurate enough first-pass trajectory for mission planning.

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Interplanetary Trajectory Design

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Astronomy · L4 · Interplanetary Trajectory Design

Collection7 items

01Astronomy · L2 · The Life Cycle of Stars

02Astronomy · L2 · The Solar System

03Astronomy · L2 · Solar and Lunar Eclipses

+4 more

Astronomy

Astronomy · L2 · Solar System & Stars

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Astronomy · L2 · Solar System & Stars

Note~326 words · 2 min

From Merger to Heavy Elements When two neutron stars (or a neutron star and a black hole) merge, tidal forces and hydrodynamic shocks in the final milliseconds strip and eject a small but astrophysically crucial amount of extremely neutron-

Astronomy

Astronomy · L5 · Compact Object Mergers: Kilonovae and r-Process Nucleosynthesis

@openstem

Astronomy · L5 · Compact Object Mergers: Kilonovae and r-Process Nucleosynthesis

Flowchart13 objects

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Radio interferometry: from single dishes to the Event Horizon Telescope · flowchart

@openstem

Astronomy · L4 · Radio interferometry: from single dishes to the Event Horizon Telescope · flowchart

Flashcards8 cards

What was the geocentric model?1 / 8

The idea that Earth sits at the center of the universe, with the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars all orbiting around it. It was the accepted view for roughly 1,400 years.

Astronomy

Astronomy · L2 · The Copernican Revolution

@openstem

Astronomy · L2 · The Copernican Revolution

Quiz4 questions

The patched conic approximation makes interplanetary trajectory design tractable by:

AIgnoring gravity entirely during the heliocentric cruise phaseBSplitting the trajectory into separate two-body segments, each dominated by one body's gravity, and matching them at each sphere-of-influence boundaryCAssuming every planet has an identical sphere of influenceDRequiring a full numerical integration of every body's gravity simultaneously

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Interplanetary Trajectory Design — 4 Q

@openstem

Astronomy · L4 · Interplanetary Trajectory Design — 4 Q

Flowchart11 objects

Astronomy

Astronomy · L2 · Comparative Planetology · flowchart

@openstem

Astronomy · L2 · Comparative Planetology · flowchart

Collection4 items

01Astronomy · L1 · Spotting the Milky Way

02Astronomy · L1 · Spotting the Milky Way

03Astronomy · L1 · Why the Milky Way Looks Like a Band

+1 more

Astronomy

Astronomy · L1 · Spotting the Milky Way

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Astronomy · L1 · Spotting the Milky Way

Flowchart15 objects

Astronomy

Astronomy · L3 · Choosing an Exoplanet Detection Method

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Astronomy · L3 · Choosing an Exoplanet Detection Method

Flashcards8 cards

What causes gravitational lensing?1 / 8

Mass curves the spacetime around it, as described by general relativity, so light passing near a massive object follows a curved path — bending the apparent position, and sometimes the shape, of anything behind it.

Astronomy

Astronomy · L3 · Gravitational Lensing

@openstem

Astronomy · L3 · Gravitational Lensing

Quiz11 questions

According to Kepler's third law, a planet with an orbital semi-major axis of 4 AU (from the Sun) has an orbital period of:

A4 yearsB8 yearsC16 yearsD64 years

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Astronomy Science — 10 Q

@openstem

Astronomy · L4 · Astronomy Science — 10 Q

Collection4 items

01Astronomy · L4 · Blackbody Radiation & the Luminosity-Radius-Temperature Relation

02Astronomy · L4 · Blackbody radiation: Stefan-Boltzmann, Wien's law, and stellar L-R-T

03Astronomy · L4 · From blackbody temperature to observable stellar properties

+1 more

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Blackbody Radiation & the L-R-T Relation

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Astronomy · L4 · Blackbody Radiation & the L-R-T Relation

Flashcards8 cards

What distinguishes a magnetar from an ordinary pulsar?1 / 8

A magnetar is a neutron star with a surface magnetic field of order B ~ 10¹⁴–10¹⁵ G, roughly 100–1000× stronger than a typical pulsar's ~10¹² G. Crucially, its emission is powered mainly by the decay and dissipation of this magnetic field, not by rotational spin-down energy — the rotational energy-loss rate is orders of magnitude too small to power the observed persistent X-ray luminosity and bursts.

Astronomy

Astronomy · L5 · Magnetar Physics

@openstem

Astronomy · L5 · Magnetar Physics

Collection4 items

01Astronomy · L4 · Comparative Planetary Atmospheres & Energy-Balance Climate

02Astronomy · L4 · Comparative planetary atmospheres and the energy-balance climate model

03Astronomy · L4 · From incoming sunlight to surface temperature: the energy-balance pathway

+1 more

Astronomy

Astronomy · L4 · Comparative Planetary Atmospheres & Energy-Balance Climate

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Astronomy · L4 · Comparative Planetary Atmospheres & Energy-Balance Climate

Note~227 words · 1 min

A Map Painted on an Imaginary Sphere Stars are scattered through space at wildly different distances, but from Earth they all appear to sit on the inside of one giant dome. Astronomers formalise this useful illusion as the celestial sphere

Astronomy

Astronomy · L2 · Navigating the Night Sky

@openstem

Astronomy · L2 · Navigating the Night Sky

Collection4 items

01Astronomy · L2 · Dwarf Planets and the Kuiper Belt

02Astronomy · L2 · Dwarf Planets and the Kuiper Belt

03Astronomy · L2 · Planet, Dwarf Planet, or Small Body?

+1 more

Astronomy

Astronomy · L2 · Dwarf Planets and the Kuiper Belt

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Astronomy · L2 · Dwarf Planets and the Kuiper Belt

Flashcards8 cards

Describe the core accretion model of planet formation.1 / 8

In core accretion, micron-sized dust grains in a protoplanetary disk collide and stick, growing through successive stages — grains to pebbles to planetesimals (km-scale) to protoplanets — via gravitational and collisional accumulation. Once a solid core reaches roughly 10 Earth masses, it can gravitationally capture a substantial gaseous envelope from the surrounding disk, triggering runaway gas accretion (if enough gas remains in the disk) and producing a gas giant; smaller cores simply remain as rocky/icy planets. This bottom-up process operates on a timescale of ~1–10 Myr, competing against the disk's own gas dissipation timescale.

Astronomy

Astronomy · L5 · Exoplanet Formation Theory and Demographics

@openstem

Astronomy · L5 · Exoplanet Formation Theory and Demographics

Flowchart11 objects

Astronomy

Astronomy · L2 · How GPS Trilateration Works

@openstem

Astronomy · L2 · How GPS Trilateration Works

Note~194 words · 1 min

A Pull You Can't See Gravity is an invisible force that pulls objects toward each other. The bigger and heavier something is, the stronger its pull of gravity. Earth is huge, so its gravity is strong enough to hold you, the oceans, and even

Astronomy

Astronomy · L1 · Gravity

@openstem

Astronomy · L1 · Gravity

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