ASTRONOMY
COURSE 1010
FINAL
TEST
There
are 100 questions: the first 25 were taken from the first two tests,
and the last 75 cover the last material covered. Use only a Number 2
pencil. If you make a mistake and need to correct it be sure you
erase completely. Sometimes the scanner is not kind. Hint: None of
the "E" answers is correct!
You
should also be ready for a surprise quiz during your first summer
camping trip.
"Falsification"
refers to the possibility that a scientific theory
- is
based on false assumptions
- might
use false logic to deduce erroneous conclusions
- might
have faulty equipment used in the experiment
- can
be proven false by its predictions failing
- can
be used falsely to sell toothpaste
The
North Star is always in the north because
it
is near the North celestial pole
it
always rises due North
it
always sets due North
it
attracts the compass needle
Polaris
missiles are mostly pointed North.
When
the sun crosses the celestial equator on or about March 21, it is the
spring
solstice
equinox
Stonehenge
zodiac
Egg
Balancing Fiesta in Vernal, Utah
Seasons
are caused by
the
eccentricity of the solar orbit
the
earth getting nearer and farther away from the sun
the
23.5° tilt of the earth's axis
the
precession of the equinoxes
presidential
decree
The
set of 12 constellations around the ecliptic in which the planets are
found is called
zodiac
ecliptic
equator
horizon
house
of the rising sun
Even
though solar eclipses occur more often than lunar eclipses, why is it
more likely that you will see a lunar eclipse?
it
is easier to see eclipses at night
a
lunar eclipse is visible for only a small region of earth
a
solar eclipse is visible for only a small region of the earth
misleading;
lunar eclipses occur more often
lunatics
can only see lunar eclipses
Retrograde
motion of planets refers to the fact that
Mercury
and Venus sometimes appear to reverse phases
the
outer planets seem to loop backwards as the earth passes them in
orbit
the
inner planets appear to stand still at heliacal rising
the
outer planets as passed by the asteroid
the
planets reverse course when necessary to avoid collisions
Navigators
can find their latitude by observing the angle between
the
North Star and the horizon
the
celestial equator and the North celestial pole
the
celestial poles
the
zenith and the horizon
the
stars are of no use to find lattitude at sea because of wave motion
The
shift in the apparent position of a star due to the earth's motion is
termed the star's
terminator
parallax
deferent
phase
shiftiness
When
a planet is farthest from the sun, it travels
fastest
slowest
the
same speed as throughout the orbit
at
a rate proportional to its temperature
it
stops for gas
All
of the following are examples of electomagnetic radiation (light),
except for
gamma
rays and X-rays
alpha
rays and beta rays
microwaves
ultraviolet
and infrared light
AM
and FM radio
The
Doppler effect means that
an
object travelling away from you has blue-shifted light
an
object travelling away from you has red-shifted light
an
object travelling away from you has green-shifted light
an
object travelling away from you has no shift in the wavelength
an
object travelling away from you cannot emit light
Wien's
law states:
the
cooler an object, the bluer the radiation it emits
the
hotter an object, the bluer the radiation it emits
the
hotter the object, the redder the radiation it emits
temperature
is proportional to the emitted energy
the
wiener will fall out of the bun if possible
The
smallest and largest planets (excluding Pluto) are
Mars
and Jupiter
Mercury
and Jupiter
Mercury
and Saturn
Venus
and Jupiter
Stockton
and Malone
The
hottest planet is
Mercury,
because it is so near the sun
Venus,
because of the "greenhouse" effect
Mars,
because of its large magnetic field
Io,
because of Jupiter's tidal effects
Earth,
because it has the most action
Planets
nearly identical to the earth in certain respects are
Mercury
in rotation rate, Venus in temperature, Mars in size
Mercury
in size, Venus in density, Mars in temperature
Mercury
in temperature, Venus in rotation rate, Mars in size
Mercury
in density, Venus in size, Mars in rotation rate
Mercury
in swiftness, Venus in beauty, Mars in agression
The
planet which would float in water is
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
There's
no bathtub big enough, so there's no way to know
The
planet on which you would weigh the most is
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
You
weigh the same on every planet.
Which
is NOT a characteristic of the giant planets?
low
density
pronounced
greenhouse effect
they
all have rings
they
have many satellites
they
are named for mythological gods
The
fact that no object was known at the Bode's rule distance of 2.8 a.u.
led to the discovery of
the
moons of Mars
the
asteroids
the
ring around Jupiter
Neptune
Newton's
laws
One
planet which is both a morning and evening star is
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
the
same planet cannot be both the evening and the morning star
Jupiter
is
about
2 times the diameter of the earth
about
5 times the diameter of the earth
about
10 times the diameter of the earth
about
20 times the diameter of the earth
too
big to be seen in a telescope
Saturn's
ring is composed of
solid
rock
solid
ice
rock
chunks
ice
chunks
white
gold
Comet
tails
point
backward from the direction of orbital motion
point
away from the sun
point
toward the planet Jupiter
point
toward the sun
point
up when happy, and are dragging when sad
An
average meteor is about the size of
Mt.
Timpanogos (1 km)
the
Utah State Capitol building (100 meters)
a
Toyota car (1 meter)
a
grain of sand or head of a match (1 mm)
one
yard (one meteor = 39.37 inches)
The
sun like the earth rotates on its axis. When it rotates
it
rotates like a solid, all parts move together
the
surface gas near the poles moves faster
the
surface gas near the equator moves faster
the
main motion of the surface gas is from pole to equator
the
sun revolves, not rotates, around the earth
The
visible surface of the sun is the
photosphere
chromosphere
corona
prominence
top
The
outermost thin atmosphere layer of the sun is termed the
photosphere
chromosphere
corona
prominence
solar
bald spot
The
spectrum of the sun has
dark
absorption lines
bright
emission lines
no
lines; it is continuous as shown by a prism
only
Hydrogen lines
frowny
lines
The
charged particles (mostly electrons and protons) emitted by the sun
are called
photosphere
solar
wind
solar
emission
sun
spots
positive
vibs
Which
is NOT true of the solar corona?
a
possible source of the solar wind
much
hotter than the photosphere
much
less dense than the photosphere
it
contains the sunspots
visible
to the naked eye during total solar eclipses
Which
is NOT true of sunspots?
they
are hotter than the surrounding photosphere
they
appear in cycles
they
are stormy areas that can be the sites of solar flares
they
are areas of strong magnetism
they
can be used to measure the rotation rate of the sun
The
gnonom of a sundial, which causes the shadow, should be
made
of metal, so that it can cast a very sharp shadow
parallel
to the earth's axis, pointing to the celestial pole
pointing
to the spring equinox
pointing
to the analemma
inscribed
with a chant to the sun god Ra
The
sun is believed to be powered by
nuclear
reactions, changing helium into hydrogen
nuclear
reactions, changing hydrogen into helium
chemical
reactions, beginning with hyrdogen and ending with iron
gravitational
contraction
a
giant coal furnace big enough to make Geneva Steel's look like a
candle a light year away.
A
star moving away from the earth will have a spectrum containing
unshifted
lines
blue
shifted lines
red
shifted lines
weak
lines
telephone
lines
Parallax
would be easier to measure if
the
earth's orbit were larger
the
stars were farther away
the
earth moved faster along its orbit
the
stars were all exactly 1,000 parsecs from us
it
were easier to spell it
A
light year is
the
time it takes light to travel for one year
a
year in which the aurora borealis gives off extra light
the
distance that light can travel in one year
a
year that is slightly shorter because of perihelion advance
a
year without heavy happenings
Apparent
magnitude is
a
system of apparent stellar brightness originating in France
about
1 for bright stars and 6 for the dimmest stars visible to the unaided
eye
a
system of catagorizing stars by diameter
such
that a star 1 magnitude higher is about 2.5 times brighter
how
big you look in the mirror
Measuring
stellar distances by parallax is reliable for
The
nearest stars only
Binary
stars only
Stars
whose intrinsic brightness is known
Stars
up to a distance of about 10,000 light years away
All
visible stars
Giant
stars must be larger in diameter than the sun because
they
are more luminous even though they are often cooler
they
are less luminous but are hotter
have
the same luminosity but are less dense
have
the same luminosity but are relatively close
all
giant stars are in Hollywood
Stellar
masses can often be determined using laws of motion on
Giants
Dwarfs
Binary
stars
Cool
stars
Movie
stars
The
location of a star in the H-R Diagram is determined by its
color
and distance
temperature
and density
color
and luminosity
brightness
and distance
wealth
and beauty
In
the H-R diagram, 90 percent of all stars fall
in
the giant region
in
the super giant region
in
the instability strip
on
the main sequence
like
overripe figs in the wind
Betelgeuse
is a
blue
giant
main
sequence giant
red
supergiant
yellow
supergiant
stupid
cartoon
The
main sequence stage for a star is believed to begin at
protostar
contraction
core
hydrogen burning
hydrogen
shell burning
the
helium flash
post
puberty expansion
An
example of a blue-white supergiant is
Rigel
Capella
Betelgeuse
Sirius
Goliath
Main
sequence stars are denoted in the figure by
A
B
C
D
What
figure?
Super
giant stars are denoted in the figure by
A
B
C
D
They
are too big to be in the figure.
White
dwarf stars are denoted in the figure by
A
B
C
D
Herzsprung
and Russell thought dwarfs couldn't contribute
Stars
that are more massive are usually
also
found to be less luminous
also
found to be more luminous
found
to have no relationship between mass and luminosity
always
in binary stars
always
on a diet
The
sun is brighter than
most
of the visible stars in the sky
most
of the stars in our stellar neighborhood
most
of the stars in the giant region
most
of the very massive stars
most
supernovas
The
longest stage in the lifetime of a star is
red
giant
protostar
T
Tauri
main
sequence
teenage
years
The
period of a cepheid variable star is directly related to its
temperature
luminosity
color
density
orbital
time around the earth
When
a super nova explodes in another galaxy, it
cannot
be seen from earth
may
make the star up to ten times brighter
can
be noticed only if the galaxy is nearby
may
outshine the entire galaxy in which it is found
can
be heard for miles around
The
force of gravity is continually trying to change a star as follows:
make
it larger
make
it smaller
make
it cooler
make
it less dense
make
it fall on its face
One
area which is believed to be an area of star formation is
the
Oort cloud
the
Orion Nebula
the
Ring Nebula
the
Hercules Globular Cluster
Hollywood
The
heaviest atom that can be formed by thermonuclear fusion in the core
of a very hot star is
helium
oxygen
carbon
iron
atoms
are never heavy
Which
kinds of stars are thought to go through a supernova reaction?
stars
like the sun
stars
less massive than the sun
stars
considerably more massive than the sun
white
dwarfs
stars
seeking a big thrill
Which
kind of star evolves fastest?
stars
like the sun
stars
less massive than the sun
stars
considerably more massive than the sun
white
dwarfs
Darwinian
stars
Giant
and super giant stars are rare because
they
do not form as often as main sequence stars
the
giant and super giant stage is very long
the
giant and super giant stage is very short
helium
is very rare
they
are on the endangered star list
A
nova is almost always associated with
a
giant star with a degenerate core
a
white dwarf in a close binary system
a
brown dwarf with a supernova remnant
a
helium rich Pop II star
a
PBS television show
A
white dwarf has as much mass as the sun packed into the size of
Jupiter
the
earth
a
comet
an
elephant
a
box of cereal
The density
of a neutron star is about the same as
the
earth
a
white dwarf
the
sun
an
atomic nucleus, being made of all neutrons
the
darkest fog
The
event horizon associated with a black hole
is
believed to be a singularity
is
a crystalline layer
is
the radius within which light cannot escape
marks
the inner boundary of a planetary nebula
consists
of events visible on our horizon
Which
is NOT evidence for first black hole's discovery
it
was seen in a red supergiant phase
it
gave off X-rays which were periodic with the orbital period
it
was determined to be about five times as massive than the sun
it
was part of a binary star
X-ray
variability showed it must be very small
A
nebula
is
an interstellar cloud of gas and/or dust
must
be dark
is
found only beyond our galactic boundaries
consists
of about a hundred billion stars
is
an undefined, nebulous concept
Neutral
hydrogen may be detected between the stars because it emits
a
glow
polarized
light
21
cm radio signals
x-rays
neutral
hydron cannot be detected
The
interstellar medium can make distant stars
look
redder
look
bluer
look
dimmer
look
brighter
look
stupider
Emission
nebula are red because
they
only occur near red giants
their
light comes from hydrogen alpha lines
they
have low temperatures
they
are rich in helium
they
are embarassed
The
sky is blue because
liquid
oxygen is blue
atmospheric
molecules and dust scatter blue light the most
polarization
of
strong hydrogen alpha emission
it
is having a bad day
Which
is NOT true of the Great Nebula in Orion?
it
is visible even in a pair of binoculars
it
is a striking example of an external galaxy
it
is dominated by hot, blue-white stars
it
is found in the middle of Orion's sword
it
is bigger than all the fog in London
Most
stars are
Single
stars like the Sun
Binary
or multiple stars
T-Tauri
stars
Cepheid
variables
protected
by the Stellar Privacy Act
Which
is NOT a way to detect binary stars?
periodic
Doppler shifts in the spectral lines
periodic
variations in the combined brightness
periodic
variations in combined mass
two
distinct images in photographs
periodic
variations in periodic variations
The star Mizar is many things, but it is NOT
an
optical double with Alcor
a
visual binary
a
spectroscopic binary
a
first magnitude star
at
the bend in the handle of the Big Dipper
Massive,
tightly-packed spherical, symmetrical groupings of stars are called
groupings
open
clusters
globular
clusters
associations
clumps
The
most useful method of measuring the distances of
distant
clusters uses
parallax
Cepheid
Variables
star
luminosities
cluster
diameters
Doppler
shifts
Which
star clusters lie in a spherical distribution about the center of the
galaxy?
associations
globular
open
the
Virgo cluster
stellar
gaggles
Which
star clusters lie nearly in the galactic disk (the plane of the
galaxy)?
groupings
globular
open
the
Virgo cluster
peanut
Which
is NOT true about most of the stars in the Big Dipper?
about
the same distance
part
of a distant cluster of cepheids
moving
in the same direction
part
of a close cluster of stars
about
the same brightness
Which
is NOT true of The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters?
are
an open cluster of mostly blue stars visible to the unaided eye
were
very important to many ancient people worldwide
are
beautiful in a pair of binoculars
are
an excellent example of a globular cluster
the
Japanese name for the Pleiades is "Subaru" (Check the
hubcaps)
Open
clusters and associations usually
contain
massive blue stars, and hence appear to be very young
rarely
contain gas and dust
are
never being disrupted by galactic tidal forces
are
always spherical in shape
found
only in external galaxies
Globular
clusters
contain
massive blue stars, and hence appear to be very young
contain
many red stars, and hence appear to be very old
rarely
contain more than 1,000 stars
are
clearly being disrupted by galactic tidal forces
are
only found very near the sun
The
fuzzy band of light in the night sky that we call the Milky Way is
a
band of gases
millions
of stars in the flattened part of the galaxy
an
illusion
an
extension of the Zodiacal Light
a
candy bar
The
sun's location in our Milky Way galaxy is
very
near the center or nucleus
in
the disk
in
the Orion globular cluster
in
the halo
the
sun is in Snickers, not the Milky Way
21
cm radio waves are used to map our galaxy's spiral arms because
the
arms have very high doppler shifts
the
gas in the arms is hot enough to emit ultraviolet photons
the
dust is denser in the arms
the
hydrogen gas is denser in the spiral arms
is
that AM or FM?
Where
is the center of the Milky Way galaxy?
near
Polaris, the Pole Star
near
the tip of the arrow of Sagittarius, the Archer
near
the heart of Leo, the Lion
near
the Pleiades
the
direction to the Milky Way's center is not known
Which
constellation is in the direction of our Milky Way spiral arm?
Orion,
the Hunter
Virgo,
the Virgin
Sagittarius,
the Archer
Perseus,
the Hero
the
Milky Way has no spiral arms
Our
galaxy is
a
solitary object in space, isolated from other galaxies
one
of two objects that form a binary galaxy
one
of the smallest members of our Local Group of galaxies
one
of the largest members of our Local Group of galaxies
called
the King of the Local Supercluster
The
Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are
Bright
diffuse nebulae in our galaxy where stars are forming
Dark
Bok globules where stars are forming
Huge
open clusters in the Milky Way's galactic plane
Small
satellite galaxies to our Milky Way galaxy
Famous
members of the London Fog
The
nearest spiral galaxy, which is called our "sister galaxy,"
is
The
Orion Nebula
The
Large Magellanic Cloud
The
Great Galaxy in Fornax
The
Andromeda Galaxy
The
planet Venus
The
reason that most people have never noticed the Andromeda galaxy is
It
looks just like a single star
It
requires high magnification in a telescope to see
It
is too dim
There
is too much air pollution
They
have never seen "The Andromeda Strain"
The
chief importance of the Magellanic clouds to modern astronomy is
they
are irregular galaxies
have
many O and B stars
show
that galaxies can have satellite galaxies
have
stars that are all about the same distance from us
they
were important only to Magellan
Usually,
the farther away a galaxy is from us, the more
red-shifted
its spectrum, and hence greater its speed toward us
blue-shifted
its spectrum, and hence greater its speed toward us
red-shifted
its spectrum, and hence greater its speed away from us
blue-shifted
its spectrum, and hence greater its speed away from us
there
is no relation between distance and spectral line shift
The
belief in an "Expanding Universe" is based largely on
Kepler's
Laws
Newton's
Laws
Einstein's
Theory of Relativity
Hubble's
Relation
No
one can stay on a diet very long
Quasars
often appear as
spiral
galaxies with extended nuclei
strong
radio sources, optically resembling a highly red-shifted star
strong
ultraviolet and infrared sources
X-ray
sources
spherical
globes, reddish in color
The
brightest star in the sky is
Betelgeuse
Vega
Arcturus
Sirius
Saturn
On
the map, the orange giant Arcturus is found at
A
B
C
D
Sorry,
it just rained too much this semester!
On
the map on the reverse side, the Great Nebula in Orion is found at
A
B
C
D
Is
the "reverse side" the same as the back of this page?
On
the map, the Andromeda Galaxy is found at
A
B
C
D
Galaxies
are too small to be found on the map.
On
the map, the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) are found at
A
B
C
D
The
Seventh Sister has never been found