Introduction to Astronomy Practice Exam: Questions on Planets, Stars, and Solar System, Exams of Astronomy

Download Introduction to Astronomy Practice Exam: Questions on Planets, Stars, and Solar System and more Exams Astronomy in PDF only on Docsity! PHYS 1040 – Introduction to Astronomy PRACTICE EXAM It took nearly 2000 years for ancient astronomers to solve this "mystery" of the night sky. What was it? (a) phases of the Moon (b) cause of the seasons (c) retrograde motion of the planets (d) annual motion of the Sun Radio waves differ from visible light, in that they: (a) have a much longer wavelength (b) travel much faster (c) are not electromagnetic waves like visible light (d) travel much slower (e) have a much shorter wavelength What force holds Jupiter in orbit around the Sun? (a) the strong force (b) the electric force (c) the weak force (d) the gravitational force (e) the magnetic force The law of inertia (Newton's First Law) states that: (a) objects generally move in ellipses unless forces act on them (b) planets move in circles around the Sun (c) objects remain at rest or in motion with a constant speed unless a force acts on them (d) planets move in ellipses around the Sun (e) none of the above A light-year (ly) is defined as: (a) the distance from the Earth to the Sun (b) the distance from the center of the Milky Way to the Sun (c) the distance from the Earth to the Moon (d) the distance light travels in 1 Earth year (e) a year at the north pole Seasons are caused by: (a) the changing of Earth's distance from the Sun (b) the changing brightness of the Sun during the Sunspot cycle (c) the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis (d) the rotation of the Earth Choose the list that correctly orders the Solar System objects from the center outward. (a) Earth, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (b) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Sun, Neptune, Uranus (c) Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (d) Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus Which of the following did Galileo discover by observing the heavens with a telescope? Circle all that apply. (a) craters on the Moon (b) Moons of Jupiter (c) spots on the Sun (d) phases of Venus (e) Moons of Pluto (f) evidence for Saturn's rings (g) all of the above Copernicus suggested searching for stellar parallax, but for hundreds of years astronomers failed to find any. Why? (a) angle-measuring instruments were too crude (b) no telescopic instruments were available (c) stars are much further away than they anticipated (d) nobody knew which stars were closer to Earth (e) all of the above Which has the highest energy? (a) a photon of red light (b) a photon of ultraviolet light (c) a photon of x-ray light (d) a photon of microwave light (e) a photon of blue light Which star is hotter? (a) Rigel (blue-white) (b) a red dwarf (only detectable at infrared wavelengths) (c) Betelgeuse (red) (d) the Sun (yellow) This man made accurate and continuous observations of the positions of stars and planets. (a) Isaac Newton (b) Galileo Galilei (c) John Dalton (d) Tycho Brahe (e) Aristarchus This moon is the largest moon in the solar system. (a) Io (b) Titan (c) Triton (d) Ganymede (e) Charon What produces aurorae? (a) reflection of sunlight by clouds (b) chemical reactions in the atmosphere (c) collisions of high-energy particles with atmospheric gases (d) meteor showers (e) none of the above Which of the following have been observed on the surface of Mars? (a) volcanic landforms (b) vast canyons (c) dry riverbeds (d) polar caps (e) all of the above The “minimum safe distance” beyond which a moon could be torn apart is called the: (a) Chandrasekhar limit (b) Roche limit (c) Coriolis deflection (d) Schwarzschild radius