Test 1

Front 1

A galaxy contains
a. primarily planets.
b. large amounts of gas and dust but very few stars.
c. large amounts of gas, dust, and stars.
d. a single star and planets.
e. gas, dust but no stars.

Back 1

c. large amounts of gas, dust and stars.

Front 2

Scientific notation is used in science because
a. it makes it easy to write large or small numbers.
b. all astronomical distances are expressed only in metric units.
c. it makes conversions between units easy.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.

Back 2

a. it makes it east to write large or small numbers.

Front 3

The average distance from Earth to the sun is
a. 1 light-year
b. 1 million km
c. 1 million miles
d. 1 billion km
e. 1 Astronomical Unit (A.U.)

Back 3

e. 1 Astronomical Unit (A.U)

Front 4

The sun is
a. a star.
b. 1 AU from Earth.
c. more than 100 times the diameter of Earth.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.

Back 4

d. all of the above

Front 5

The Milky Way Galaxy
a. contains about 100 stars.
b. is the largest known object in the universe.
c. is about 75,000-100,000 light-years in diameter.
d. is located about 2.2 million light years from the sun.
e. Only a. and c. are correct.

Back 5

c. is about 75,000-100,000 light years in diameter.

Front 6

Which of the following is the largest?
a. the diameter of Earth
b. the diameter of the moon
c. the diameter of the sun
d. the diameter of Jupiter
e. the distance from Earth to the sun

Back 6

e. the distance from Earth to the sun

Front 7

Which sequence is correct when ordered smallest to largest in size?
a. Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, galaxy clusters
b. Solar System, Earth, galaxy clusters, Milky Way
c. Earth, Milky Way, Solar System, galaxy clusters
d. Galaxy clusters, Solar System, Milky Way, Earth

Back 7

a. Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, galaxy clusters

Front 8

How is a planet different than a star?
a. Planets are larger than stars.
b. Planets reflect light while stars produce their own light.
c. Stars move faster in the sky than planets.
d. Planets are brighter than stars.

Back 8

b. Planets reflect light while stars produce their own light.

Front 9

If we say that an object is 1,000 light-years away we see it
a. as it looked 1,000 years ago.
b. as it will look 1,000 years from now.
c. as it looked 1,000 light-years ago.
d. as it is right now, but it appears 1,000 times dimmer.

Back 9

a. as it looked 1,000 years ago.

Front 10

In one way of naming stars, a ______________ letter indicates its brightness relative to the other stars in the constellation.
a. English
b. Arabic
c. Greek
d. Cyrillic

Back 10

c. Greek

Front 11

A constellation must consist of a number of stars, all
a. at the same distance from the Earth.
b. at various different distances from the Earth.
c. within a boundary in the same general angular area of the sky.
d. Wrong! Constellations are made of planets only.

Back 11

c. within a boundary in the same general angular area of the sky.

Front 12

The popular names of the brightest stars usually come from
a. ancient Arabic.
b. ancient English.
c. Latin.
d. Russian.
e. Chinese.

Back 12

a. ancient Arabic.

Front 13

The magnitude scale
a. originated just after the telescope was invented.
b. can be used to indicate the apparent brightness of a celestial object.
c. is used to measure the temperature of a star.
d.. was used to determine the rate of precession.

Back 13

b. can be used to indicate the apparent brightness of a celestial object.

Front 14

Which star in the table to the right would appear the brightest to an observer on Earth?
a. Per
b. CMa
c. Nim
d. Dra

Back 14

b. CMa (with an apparent visual magnitude of -1.46)

Front 15

Which star in the previous table would not be visible to the naked eye?
a. Per
b. CMa
c. Nim
d. Dra

Back 15

c. Nim (with an apparent visual magnitude of 8.07, the naked eye limit is 6)

Front 16

Seen from the northern latitudes, the star Polaris
a. is never above the horizon.
b. always sets directly in the west.
c. is always above the northern horizon.
d. is never visible during the winter.
e. is the brightest star in the sky.

Back 16

c. is always above the northern horizon.

Front 17

The celestial equator is
a. a line around the sky directly above Earth's equator.
b. the dividing line between the north and south celestial hemispheres.
c. the path that the sun appears to follow on the celestial sphere as Earth orbits the sun.
d. a and b.
e. a and c.

Back 17

d. a and b.

Front 18

What causes summer here in the northern hemisphere? In the summer
a. the Earth is closer to the sun.
b. the Earth's northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun.
c. the Earth's northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun.

Back 18

b. the Earth's northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun.

Front 19

Precession of the rotation axis of Earth takes _______________to complete a cycle.
a. 24 hours
b. one year
c. 260 years
d. 26,000 years
e. 260,000 years

Back 19

d. 26,000 years

Front 20

The inclination of the axis of the earth varies from 22° to 24° degrees taking __________ to complete a cycle.
a. 24 hours
b. 1 year
c. 499 years
d. 41,000 years
e. Wrong! The Earth’s axis tilt is fixed at 23.50.

Back 20

d. 41,000 years

Front 21

The elliptical shape of the Earth’s orbit varies with time and takes _______________to complete a cycle.
a. 24 hours
b. one year
c. 260 years
d. 26,000 years
e. 100,000 years

Back 21

e. 100,000 years

Front 22

In the Milankovitch theory, the elliptical shape of the Earth's orbit, its axis tilt, and axis precession vary with time. These combined at times to create ____________ on Earth.
a. day and night
b. seasonal temperature variations
c. daily temperature variations
d. ice ages
e. the constellations

Back 22

d. ice ages

Front 23

According to the theory of general relativity, gravity is caused by
a. the equivalence principle.
b. the change in mass of a moving body.
c. the curvature of space-time.
d. the constant speed of light.
e. none of the above.

Back 23

c. the curvature of space-time

Front 24

One of the first tests of the general theory of relativity was
a. the description of the orbit of the moon.
b. the determination of the speed of light to be constant.
c. the change in mass of a particle moving at a high speed.
d. the demonstration of a hammer and a feather falling at the same rate on the moon.
e. the determination of the rate of advance of the perihelion of Mercury's orbit.

Back 24

e. the determination of the rate of advance of the perihelion of Mercury's orbit.

Front 25

Due to the curvature of space-time by the sun, light from stars that passes near the edge of the sun will
a. be bent so that the stars appear further from the edge of the sun than if space-time was not curved.
b. be bent so that the stars appear closer to the edge of the sun
than if space-time was not curved.
c. be bent so that the stars are no longer visible.
d. not be affected by the curvature of space-time.

Back 25

a. be bent so that the stars appear further from the edge of the sun than if space-time was not curved.

Front 26

The force due to gravity between two objects depends on
a. the mass of each object.
b. the distance each object is from Earth.
c. the distance between the two objects.
d. the speed of light.
e. a and c

Back 26

e. a and c

Front 27

Which type of curve would accurately represent a closed orbit?
a. ellipse
b. hyperbola
c. parabola
d. straight line

Back 27

a. ellipse

Front 28

The second postulate of special relativity states that
a. observers cannot detect their uniform motion except relative to other objects.
b. observers cannot distinguish locally between inertial forces due to acceleration and uniform gravitational
forces due to the presence of a massive body.
c. the laws of physics are the same for all observers, no matter what their motion, as long as they are not
accelerating.
d. the speed of light is constant and will be the same for all observers independent of
their motion relative to the light source.
e. the acceleration of an object is proportional to the applied force and inversely proportional to its mass.

Back 28

d. the speed of light is constant and will be the same for all observers independent of their motion relative to the light source.

Front 29

____________ has (have) wavelengths that are longer than visible light.
a. Gamma-rays
b. Ultraviolet light
c. Infrared radiation
d. X-rays
e. a, b and d above

Back 29

c. Infrared radiation

Front 30

____________ has (have) wavelengths that are shorter than visible light.
a. Gamma-rays
b. Ultraviolet light
c. Infrared radiation
d. Radio
e. a and b

Back 30

e. a and b

Front 31

Astronomers build optical telescopes on tops of mountains because
a. there is less air to dim the light.
b. the seeing is better.
c. CCDs work better when there is less oxygen in the air.
d. all of the above
e. a and b

Back 31

e. a and b

Front 32

The ability of a telescope to resolve fine detail is known as the telescope’s ____________________.
a. light gathering power
b. focal
c. resolving power
d. telescope detailing
e. aberration

Back 32

c. resolving power

Front 33

Infrared astronomy is often done from high-flying aircraft because
a. infrared telescopes only need to get above the ozone layer.
b. infrared radiation is absorbed by water vapor low in Earth's atmosphere.
c. infrared photons are quite energetic.
d. infrared telescopes are not very heavy.
e. infrared sources are very bright.

Back 33

b. infrared radiation is absorbed by water vapor low in Earth's atmosphere.

Front 34

The technique called ______________ uses a high-speed computer to monitor atmospheric distortion and adjust the optics of a telescope to partially compensate for the seeing.
a. photometry
b. chromatic aberration
c. active optics
d. spherical aberration
e. adaptive optics

Back 34

e. adaptive optics

Front 35

A telescope that suffers from chromatic aberration and has a low light gathering power is most likely
a. a small diameter reflecting telescope.
b. a small diameter refracting telescope.
c. a large diameter refracting telescope.
d. a large diameter reflecting telescope.
e. the Hubble Space Telescope

Back 35

b. a small diameter refracting telescope

Front 36

A __________ is used to produce and analyze a spectrum. a. photo
b. spectrograph
c. photometer
d. charge-coupled device

Back 36

b. spectrograph

Front 37

The light gathering power of a telescope is directly proportional to
a. the diameter of the primary mirror or lens.
b. the focal length of the primary mirror or lens.
c. the ratio of the focal lengths of its primary mirror or lens and its eyepiece.
d. the length of the telescope tube.
e. the diameter of the eyepiece.

Back 37

a. the diameter of the primary mirror or lens.

Front 38

A light-year is the distance light travels in one year.

Back 38

A. True

Front 39

The sun is a star in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Back 39

A. True

Front 40

Hipparchus devised the magnitude system in the late 1700’s.

Back 40

B. False

Front 41

The moon and visible planets are always within a few degrees of the ecliptic.

Back 41

A. True

Front 42

As Earth spins on its axis each day, circumpolar stars appear to rotate around the north celestial pole.

Back 42

A. True

Front 43

The force due to gravity has the mathematical form:
F= - GMm/ r^2

Back 43

A. True

Front 44

The law of gravitation is termed universal because it is a property of all material objects.

Back 44

A. True

Front 45

The apparent positions of stars around the sun during an eclipse have been used to prove the general theory of relativity.

Back 45

A. True

Front 46

Light can behave as a particle or as a wave.

Back 46

A. True

Front 47

The amount of energy a photon carries depends on its wavelength.

Back 47

A. True

Front 48

The largest optical telescope ever constructed was a refracting telescope.

Back 48

B. False

Front 49

X-rays easily penetrate Earth's atmosphere and reach the ground from space.

Back 49

B. False

Front 50

The light-gathering power of a telescope increases as the size of the objective increases.

Back 50

True

Front 51

Which arrangement is in order of increasing size, left to right?
a. planet, galaxy, star, solar system
b. planet, star, galaxy, solar system
c. planet, star, solar system, galaxy
d. solar system, galaxy, star, planet

Back 51

c. planet, star, solar system, galaxy

Front 52

____ is the brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Majoris.

Back 52

Alpha Majoris

Front 53

The ______ produce(s) tides on the Earth.
a. moon alone
b. sun alone
c. both moon and sun

Back 53

c. both moon and sun

Front 54

The ______ is the point on the celestial sphere directly above any observer.
a. north celestial pole
b. south celestial pole
c. Zenith
d. celestial equator
e. Asterism

Back 54

c. Zenith

Front 55

An observer in the Northern Hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing?
a. straight north
b. straight east
c. straight south
d. straight west
e. straight up, directly overhead

Back 55

a. straight north

Front 56

Spring tides occur
a. at new moon and first quarter moon
b. at first quarter and third quarter moons.
c. at new moon and full moon.
d. at third quarter and full moons.
e. at noon and at midnight

Back 56

c. at new moon and full moon

Front 57

A solar system contain
a. primarily planets
b. large amounts of gas and dust but very few stars
c. large amounts of gas, dust and stars
d. a single star and planets.
e. thousands of superclusters

Back 57

d. a single star and planets.

Front 58

The sun moves ________ along the ecliptic among the stars.
a. eastward
b. westward
c. The sun does not appear to move

Back 58

a. eastward

Front 59

If the nearest star is 4.2 light-years away, then
a. the star is 4.2 million AU away.
b. the light we see left the star 4.2 years ago
c. the star must have formed 4.2 billion years ago
d. the star must be very young
e. the star must be very old.

Back 59

b. the light we see left the star 4.2 years ago

Front 60

The diagram below illustrates the orbit of a satellite around Earth. Which letter indicates the location of perigee?
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
e. Perigee is the time to complete an orbit

Back 60

c. C

Front 61

The apparent visual magnitude of a star is a measure of the star's
a. size
b. brightness
c. distance
d. color
e. temperature

Back 61

b. brightness

Front 62

A second magnitude star in Ursa Major is brighter than a fourth magnitude star in Orion.

Back 62

A. True

Front 63

The Local Group contain the sun and only about 2 dozed other stars.

Back 63

b. False

Front 64

A supercluster refers to a large group of stars within the Milky Way.

Back 64

b. False

Front 65

The lunar tides on Earth are making the moon recede from Earth.

Back 65

a. True

Front 66

Precession of Earth's axis causes the star we call Polaris to change.

Back 66

a True

Front 67

Reflecting telescopes are no longer popular with astronomers because they are expensive and suffer from chromatic aberration.

Back 67

b. False

Front 68

Polaris has always been the star nearest the north celestial pole.

Back 68

b. False

Front 69

The celestial equator always passes directly overhead.

Back 69

b. False

Front 70

Isac Newton invented the reflecting telescope.

Back 70

a. True