Astronomy Test 3

Question 1

What type of star is the sun?

Answer 1

Main Sequence

Question 2

What type of fusion occurs in the sun?

Answer 2

Nuclear Fusion

Question 3

Core

Answer 3

Center of the sun; produce energy by fusing hydrogen into helium.

Question 4

Radiative Zone

Answer 4

Located outside the core where energy moves outwards via radiation

Question 5

Convective Zone

Answer 5

Hot gas rises and cools

Question 6

Photosphere

Answer 6

Surface of the sun that we can see

Question 7

Chromosphere

Answer 7

Inner layer of sun’s atmosphere

Question 8

Corona

Answer 8

Thin outer atmosphere; easiest to see during a solar eclipse

Question 9

Sunspots

Answer 9

Dark lower temperature spots on the sun’s photosphere

Question 10

Solar Flare

Answer 10

Explosion of light and energy on the sun

Question 11

Solar Wind

Answer 11

Stream of charged particles released from the sun

Question 12

Prominence

Answer 12

Loops of gas that rise out of the sun’s corona

Question 13

Granules

Answer 13

Bright regions formed by hot gases rising to the photosphere, spreading and cooling and falling back again

Question 14

Why is it important to predict when sunspots and solar flares increase?

Answer 14

They affect astronauts, satellites, power grids, and communication devices.

Question 15

What is a comet?

Answer 15

Icy ball that orbit the sun.

Question 16

Meteor

Answer 16

passing through Earth’s atmosphere.

Question 17

Meteorite

Answer 17

Portion of a meteroid that makes it through the atmosphere and strikes the earth.

Question 18

Meteroid

Answer 18

Rock or icy fragments smaller than an asteroid. (in space)

Question 19

What causes a comet’s tail?

Answer 19

As a comet approaches the sun it forms a gas/dust coma (or the tail) due to solar wind.

Question 20

what direction does a comet’s tail point and why?

Answer 20

Away from the sun due to solar wind.

Question 21

What is the name of the early model of our Universe that was Earth centered? Who came up with this model?

Answer 21

Geocentric; Ptolemy

Question 22

What does Heliocentric Universe mean? Who came up with this model?

Answer 22

Sun-centered; Copernicus

Question 23

What planet has the hottest surface temperatures caused by a dense atmosphere trapping heat (runaway greenhouse effect)?

Answer 23

Venus

Question 24

What is an asteroid? Where are most asteroids found?

Answer 24

Solid rock-like mass that orbits the sun; most can be found in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Question 25

What are Kepler’s 3 Laws of Planetary Motion?

Answer 25

1st
Planets move in ellipses with sun at one of the foci.

2nd
Planets in their orbits sweep out equal areas in equal time.

3rd
Periods of an orbit (in years) squared is equal to the semi-axis of the orbit (in AU) cubed.

Question 26

What is Olympus Mons? Where is it found?

Answer 26

Volcano (shield); MarsVolcano (shield); Mars

Question 27

Define Rotation

Answer 27

An object spins on its axis.

Question 28

Define Revolution

Answer 28

An object moves around another object (such as the sun).

Question 29

Which planet has the shortest day?

Answer 29

Jupiter

Question 30

Which planet is tilted on its side?

Answer 30

Uranus

Question 31

Which planet has a day longer than its year?

Answer 31

Venus

Question 32

What is the largest moon in our Solar System?

Answer 32

Ganymede

Question 33

What type of satellite completes one orbit of the Earth in about 24 hours?

Answer 33

Geostationary. It travels with the earth’s rotation.

Question 34

Discuss the contributions of the space program to technology and society.

Answer 34

The space program helps advance technology and increase public safety in cars and aircrafts.

Question 35

What type of satellite passes over a different portion of the Earth’s surface each orbit?

Answer 35

Polar satellite (travels around the earth from North to South Pole).

Question 36

Name the 5 largest moons in the Solar System (hint: four are the Galilean moons of Jupiter, and the fifth is the Saturn’s large moon).

Answer 36

Jupiter’s 4 moons: Ganymede, Io, Gallisto, Europa, and Saturn’s moon: Titan