Across
- 1. A negatively charged subatomic particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom.
- 4. A set of beliefs and practices that concern humanity’s relationship with the spiritual, the supernatural, and reality.
- 6. The extremely dense and positively-charged region at the center of an atom that consists of protons and neutrons.
- 9. A unified account of the entire history of the Universe that uses evidence and ideas from many disciplines to create a broad context for understanding humanity; a modern scientific origin story.
- 11. The mass per unit of volume of a substance.
- 13. The customs, values, beliefs, and general patterns of behavior of a particular group of people.
- 14. A hypothetical form of energy whose negative pressure counteracts gravity and is assumed to be responsible for the universe expanding at an accelerating rate.
- 16. All the matter and energy in existence, as well as the space that contains it.
- 17. The speed at which light travels in a vacuum: roughly 186,000 miles per second.
- 21. The phenomenon in which light waves from distant galaxies are “stretched out,” which for visible light means a shift toward the red side of the spectrum.
- 22. The most common chemical element in the planet Earth, iron forms the majority of its inner and outer core
- 23. The explosion of a massive star at the end of its life; most chemical elements are created by supernova explosions.
- 26. Regular, recurring trends that exist in predictable patterns on the periodic table depending on an element’s atomic number and therefore its location on the table.
- 29. An electrically neutral subatomic particle present in the nuclei of most atoms.
- 30. A massive group of smaller galaxy clusters that together form some of the largest known structures in the Universe.
- 31. The study of past events.
- 32. An instrument used for viewing distant objects, including planets, stars, and galaxies.
- 33. The breakdown of an unstable atomic nucleus, such as uranium, through the spontaneous emission of subatomic particles.
- 35. The study of the properties and interactions of planets, stars, galaxies, and other astronomical objects.
- 37. Having or representing the sun as a center
- 39. The shift in frequency of acoustic or electromagnetic radiation emitted by a source moving relative to an observer as perceived by the observer
- 40. hole A region in space of such high density that its gravitational pull does not even allow light to escape.
- 44. Moments in the history of the Universe when specific ingredients under the right "Goldilocks Conditions" come together to create something new and more complex.
- 48. The scientific study of all living things.
- 49. A star that fluctuates in brightness and provides astronomers with a reference they can use to measure great distances in the Universe.
- 51. Properties of a complex system that are not present within its parts but that emerge only when those parts are combined.
- 56. A respectable or credible source; an expert.
- 57. Specific set of conditions necessary to enable greater complexity. The reference is to the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which Goldilocks looks for the "just right" objects
- 63. The use of strategies to decide whether a story or concept should or should not be trusted.
- 65. A measure of distance in space; the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year. It is equal to roughly 9.5 trillion kilometers, or 5.9 trillion miles.
- 67. The capacity to do work, associated with matter and radiation. Includes kinetic energy, potential energy, and chemical energy, among others.
- 68. The ability to share, preserve, and build upon ideas over time.
- 69. The physical material of the Universe, including subatomic particles, atoms, and the substances that are built out of them.
- 70. Low-energy radiation pervading the entire Universe, released about 380,000 years after the Big Bang.
- 71. A quantum of electromagnetic radiation, usually considered as an elementary particle that is its own antiparticle and that has zero rest mass and charge and a spin of one.
- 73. The fundamental force of attraction between any two objects that have mass.
- 74. A state of matter in which protons and electrons are not bound together. During the 380,000 years after the Big Bang, this was the state of the entire Universe; it is the normal state inside stars.
- 75. The spiral-shaped galaxy that contains our Solar System.
- 77. A method of expressing very large and very small numbers to avoid using the many zeros that would be required otherwise.
- 79. The unification of space and time into a single four-dimensional continuum or “fabric.”
- 80. An atom that has a different number of protons than electrons, giving it an overall positive or negative charge.
- 81. Electromagnetic radiation arranged in the order of its wavelength
- 82. The scientific study of elementary forms of matter and the interactions between them.
Down
- 2. Concrete, verifiable information that either supports or disproves a claim.
- 3. A point of a new beginning
- 5. An assertion that something is true.
- 6. An electrically neutral subatomic particle present in the nuclei of most atoms.
- 7. A narrative about the beginning of the Universe and humanity.
- 8. Components that are put together to form something new and more complex.
- 10. The combining of lighter atomic nuclei into heavier atomic nuclei. This process can release a great deal of energy, and is what powers most stars.
- 12. One possible end product of supernova. When a star much more massive than our sun runs out of fuel, its core collapses, all of its contents melting into a ball of neutrons more dense than anything else in the Universe.
- 15. A quality of an object or system that has diverse components precisely arranged in connection with one another (so that new properties emerge which did not exist in the components alone).
- 18. An approach to history in which time is divided into distinct and identifiable periods
- 19. The branch of science that deals with the Universe and the various objects, like stars, planets, and galaxies, that we find within it.
- 20. A chemical element with six protons that is formed in the death cycle of medium and large stars. Carbon is the basis for all known life on Earth.
- 24. A group of galaxies held together by their mutual gravitational pulls.
- 25. Study of wavelengths of light
- 27. A fundamental type of atom, distinguished by varying numbers of protons and electrons and having unique physical properties. Many elements are formed as products of dying stars.
- 28. A branch of instruction or learning
- 34. A theory, first articulated in the 1920s, proposing that the Universe started out extremely hot and dense and gradually cooled off as it expanded.
- 36. A huge cloud of simple matter held together by gravity.
- 37. The simplest of all chemical elements, hydrogen has one proton
- 38. The natural tendency of all things to move from order to disorder. (Note: Although often called the law of entropy, it is more accurate to refer to it as the second law of thermodynamics.)
- 41. A subatomic particle with a positive electric charge.
- 42. An approach to a subject that uses the viewpoints of many different kinds of scholars about the same topic.
- 43. A tabular arrangement of the chemical elements, ordered by their atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus), electron configurations, and recurring chemical properties.
- 45. The application of systematic reasoning to arrive at a conclusion.
- 46. Degrees of magnification, or perspective, used to measure time, space, and size.
- 47. The dark lines in the solar spectrum corresponding to wavelengths.
- 50. A hypothetical form of matter invisible to electromagnetic radiation, postulated to account for gravitational forces observed in the universe.
- 52. Change over time
- 53. Responsible for the interaction between electrically charged particles, including holding electrons and protons together to form atoms.
- 54. The scientific study of human culture including beliefs, customs, and archaeological records.
- 55. The smallest distinguishing unit of a compound, formed when atoms of different elements are held together by chemical forces.
- 57. Having or representing the earth as a center
- 58. A "gut feeling" that is not necessarily based on logic or evidence.
- 59. The distance in our Universe beyond which we cannot see (46-billion to 47-billion light-years from Earth). Light from beyond the cosmic horizon has not yet had enough time (in the history of the Universe) to reach us.
- 60. The process of gathering evidence to test and refine scientific theories.
- 61. One form of the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy may change forms but cannot be created or destroyed.
- 62. The study of the Universe on its largest scales, including its origin.
- 64. An approach to discovering knowledge about the natural world that relies on testing ideas through observation or experiment.
- 66. The idea that space and time (space-time) underwent an expansion at a rate much faster than the speed of light after the Big Bang.
- 72. The second simplest of all chemical elements
- 76. A large "society" of stars, held together by mutual gravitational pull.
- 78. A small unit of matter composed of protons, electrons, and usually neutrons.