Astronomy and Astrophysics: Stars, Constellations, and Galaxies, Quizzes of Astronomy

Download Astronomy and Astrophysics: Stars, Constellations, and Galaxies and more Quizzes Astronomy in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 One version of Orion's story goes that Scorpius was the scorpion that killed Orion, and now they are never found in the sky at t DEFINITION 1 July TERM 2 When is the best time for you to be able to see the constellation that is your sign of the Zodiac? DEFINITION 2 At midnight six months after your birthday. TERM 3 Why can gamma rays be used to treat cancer patients? DEFINITION 3 They carry a lot of energy and can actually kill cancerous cells. TERM 4 An electron in a sodium atom absorbs a photon of light and moves to its first excited state. What will happen next? DEFINITION 4 The electron will eventually emit a photon with the same energy as the one it absorbed. TERM 5 Star A is 4000K, and Star B is 8000 K. Which of the following is true about these 2 stars? DEFINITION 5 Star A will give off less total light than Star B TERM 6 Which is TRUE? -radio waves are higher energy than gamma rays -blue light has longer wavelength than red light -ultraviolet radi DEFINITION 6 Infrared radiation has a longer wavelength than blue light (b/c from high energy to low energy= gamma rays, x-rays, uv, optical (blue-->red), infrared, radio; shorter wavelength for high energy) TERM 7 Even the largest ground-based telescopes have resolution restrictions imposed by: DEFINITION 7 atmospheric blurring of images TERM 8 If the Moon orbited the Earth once every day instead of once every month: DEFINITION 8 We would see a full Moon once each day TERM 9 A solar eclipse can occur: DEFINITION 9 only during a New Moon TERM 10 A planet with its rotation axis tilted by 5 degrees relative to its orbital plane around its star would: DEFINITION 10 have seasons that are not very different from each other, as compared to Earth TERM 21 *Bright lines in an emission spectrum represent: DEFINITION 21 Particular energies of light that are emitted from a distant object TERM 22 If the mass of the Sun were tripled, how would the force between the Sun and the Earth change? DEFINITION 22 It would triple TERM 23 *A blackbody or continuous source of light produces: DEFINITION 23 a continuous spectrum with no absorption lines TERM 24 If I fire a cannonball from the top of a mountain, traveling parallel to the Earth's surface at 14,000 miles per hour, it travel DEFINITION 24 travels a smaller distance before falling to Earth TERM 25 The planet Saturn is composed mostly of: DEFINITION 25 Hydrogen and Helium TERM 26 Why is Mars' surface red? DEFINITION 26 Because the soil is iron-rich and the iron reacted with oxygen in the early atmosphere to make rust. TERM 27 How can the rock layers on the outside of the Earth move? DEFINITION 27 They are made of less dense rock, effectively floating on top of a denser fluid beneath. TERM 28 How would you describe the rotation of Uranus? DEFINITION 28 Its rotation axis is tilted so that its pole almost faces the Sun TERM 29 *Which of the following moon is most volcanically active? -Europa, Callisto, Io, Ganymede, Titan DEFINITION 29 Io TERM 30 Why do the orbits of the planets all lie in nearly the same plane? DEFINITION 30 The early solar nebula flattened into a disk. TERM 31 What kind of radiation does the Earth's surface re-radiate after it absorbs sunlight? DEFINITION 31 Infrared TERM 32 What is an asteroid? DEFINITION 32 A rock orbiting the Sun that was left over when the planets formed TERM 33 How many Earth years does it take Uranus to orbit the Sun? DEFINITION 33 84 TERM 34 What type of lunar surface -the maria or the highlands- is relatively young compared to the other? DEFINITION 34 The dark lunar maria are younger than the bright highlands TERM 35 Kuiper belt objects, some of which become short period comets, are also known as: DEFINITION 35 trans-Neptunian objects because they are beyond Neptune's orbit TERM 46 What object is this? (picture shown of a blue- colored gas giant) DEFINITION 46 Uranus TERM 47 *How many Earth years does it take Pluto to orbit the Sun? DEFINITION 47 248 TERM 48 Which planet has a temperature of 400 degrees Centigrade on the side facing the Sun and -180 degrees on the side opposite the Su DEFINITION 48 Mercury TERM 49 Which statement about the rotation of the inner planets is true? -All rotate in the same direction -All have rotation periods of DEFINITION 49 Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the three others TERM 50 Why is Venus' day so long (a day-night cycle on Venus lasts for as long as 243 Earth day and night cycles)? DEFINITION 50 Venus' rotation time is very long compared to the time it takes to go once around the Sun TERM 51 Comparing Mercury to Earth's Moon: DEFINITION 51 they both have little atmosphere and a similarly cratered surface (mercury is only a LITTLE bit bigger than earth's moon) TERM 52 *Which of the following would be an accurate description of the Great Red Spot? -the red spot has formed at the interface betwee DEFINITION 52 Both A&C--it has formed at the interface between two adjacent bands & it does rotate like a whirlpool (however it is not a solid feature on Jupiter--it is a giant storm on Jupiter) TERM 53 If not a single sheet, then the ring system of Saturn is best described as: DEFINITION 53 individually orbiting particles that are clustered around certain orbits TERM 54 Which of the following are terrestrial planets? DEFINITION 54 Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars (pluto is NOT one) TERM 55 The temperature of the photosphere of the Sun is closest to: DEFINITION 55 6000 K TERM 56 What is the main requirement for a habitable zone? DEFINITION 56 Liquid water TERM 57 Which of the following has the largest luminosity? -the most massive Main Sequence Star, the Sun, the coolest Main Sequence star DEFINITION 57 the most massive Main Sequence star TERM 58 How are globular and open clusters similar? DEFINITION 58 Cluster members are about the same distance from Earth, Cluster members formed about the same time, Cluster member colors and Main Sequence turnoffs indicate the cluster age, They are both made of stars held together by mutual gravitational attraction TERM 59 When using different points in the Earth's orbit as a baseline for a parallax experiment it is best to do the observations: DEFINITION 59 6 months apart TERM 60 What kind of aid is needed to see globular clusters? DEFINITION 60 A telescope TERM 71 What is at the center of a planetary nebula? DEFINITION 71 The core of a dying star & something that will eventually become a white dwarf TERM 72 What is the FIRST thing that happens when a main-sequence star runs out of fuel in the core? -The core contract and the core tem DEFINITION 72 the core contracts and the core temperature increases TERM 73 Which of the following is TRUE? -all stars form in isolation and none in binary systems -the interstellar medium is more dense t DEFINITION 73 A weak-lined T Tauri star emits strong X-rays TERM 74 Which of the following is TRUE about Bok Globules? -they are much larger than giant molecular clouds -they contain no gas -they DEFINITION 74 they contain significant amounts of dust TERM 75 Molecular clouds have "what it takes" to form stars, which is: DEFINITION 75 lots of Hydrogen, some Helium, more than 100 times the mass of the Sun TERM 76 A solar mass main sequence star is at a larger distance than a 0.3 solar mass main sequence star. Which star appears brighter? DEFINITION 76 We cannot tell with the information given (B/c it says its at a larger distance) TERM 77 Which of the following is FALSE? -We now have evidence that some form of life exists beyond Earth, at least in primitive form -P DEFINITION 77 We now have evidence that some form of life exists beyond Earth, at least in primitive form TERM 78 The corona of the Sun: DEFINITION 78 is visible during a solar eclipse TERM 79 A star is just under the mass needed to collapse into a black hole. What will that star's core become at the end of its life? DEFINITION 79 A neutron star TERM 80 What is Tritium, also known as Hydrogen-3? DEFINITION 80 1 proton and 2 neutrons TERM 81 What are stars made of? DEFINITION 81 Gases, primarily Hydrogen, then Helium TERM 82 Which of the following will have the shortest lifetime on the main sequence? -main sequence star with a mass 2 times that of the DEFINITION 82 Main sequence star with surface temperature 20000 K TERM 83 Have objects like Jupiter been found? How? DEFINITION 83 Yes, hot Jupiters have been found from the radial velocity method (star tugged towards and away from us through the gravity of a planet- like doppler effect) TERM 84 What is the lowest rung on the astronomical distance ladder? DEFINITION 84 the Solar System (b/c it includes both transits and radar) TERM 85 When astronomers first saw the spectrum of a quasar they did not recognize it because: DEFINITION 85 the lines were so far shifted towards red