‘Heliocentric’ means Sun-centred. Students of GCSE Astronomy must know the difference between constellations and asterisms. Venus Briefly, this phenomenon occurs whenever Earth “overtakes Mars on the inside” as these two planets move around the Sun. Introducing Past Papers for Edexcel GCSE Astronomy As you can see (above), only radio waves and visible light in the EM spectrum are able to penetrate all the way to ground-based observatories. By the time the Moon travels 360° around Earth, we’ve travelled about 30° in our solar orbit. The Moon goes through all of its phases in 29.5 days. minutes / 48 /100 Some are far more intriguing than our own. However, due to a quirk in the retina’s design, our rod cells receive more light from a source when looking slightly away from it, engaging the peripheral vision. He wrongly designated some stars brighter than others, and failed to give some stars a designation at all. What is a sundial? However, there’s much more you need to know about the planets. Many argue that ‘space’ money should be used to feed the poor. [last update: 8/3/18], Topic 12. Thankfully, Earth has far fewer volcanoes and is much less volcanically active. What is the Oort Cloud? RRP £14.95 PLUS £1.50 UK DELIVERY How is evidence for exoplanets obtained? The next point is subtle, but could make the difference between getting the marks or not. A basic working knowledge will suffice. Please note that different schools allocate different amounts of periods/week for teaching GCSE Astronomy. It’s diffuse, consisting mainly of electrons. As stated: dark patches on the Sun’s surface. Breaking it down, we’re given Saturn’s distance (r) as 9.5 AU. Sailing down from the North Pole, the Pole Star would get lower and lower in the sky. Also, for upper secondary education. Some scientists attribute this mystery to a combination of theories, not just one. So, a PHO is also an NEO, but an NEO isn’t always a PHO! GCSE Astronomy resources Coronavirus reopening Visitor notice : Royal Museums Greenwich will be closed from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December in line with government guidelines. “Horizon” — Apparent line where sky meets the land. Gone now are the need to complete two assessed projects, once visual, one unaided. The numbers involved are so complex that liberties are often taken to keep things looking smooth. Because the Moon is tidally locked, so its rotational period is the same as its orbital period — meaning we only see one side from Earth. Inclination to the ecliptical plane. It wasn't particularly mathematical and it had a good mix of topics. So, unlike the Moon missions, communication with Mars astronauts must be concise and efficient. My notes are offered as an aid to revision, not as a complete guide to the subject! The lowest point in the ‘U’ denotes the time when shadow length was shortest. Note: The GCSE Astronomy syllabus is changing from September 2017. NEOs that will pass within 0.05 AU (7.5 million km) of Earth. If you wanted to sound technical, you could say that the equation reconciles apparent solar time with mean solar time. Ultimately, on Mars, there will be an average delay of 20 minutes between transmissions. Take a look. One popular theory (the “cometary theory”) is that Earth formed without water molecules, but water later arrived thanks to icy comets ‘depositing’ it via impacts. How can the Hubble Constant determine the age of the Universe? What were the aims of the Apollo Space Programme? In 1967, a fire within the Apollo 1 spacecraft claimed the lives of three astronauts on the launch pad. But from every failing (big and small), valuable lessons have been learned for the future. FAQs. You may be surprised to know that even today, groups of people exist who believe and passionately argue that the world is flat! Well, let’s begin with the basics. 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