Final Review

Question 1

The Milky Way galaxy has a ___ shape.

Answer 1

spiral

Question 2

What is unusual about the tilt of Uranus?

Answer 2

Uranus is tilted almost 90 degrees, as if it were a barrel rolling around the sun.

Question 3

The time from new moon to new moon is ___.

Answer 3

29.5 days

Question 4

List the five planets that can be seen with unaided eyes:

Answer 4

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

Question 5

The Hubble Space Telescope has a mirror ___ in diameter.

Answer 5

8 feet

Question 6

Identify the constellation Ursa Major.

Answer 6

Question 7

The diameter of the moon is about __ the diameter of the earth.

Answer 7

¼

Question 8

A large hurricane has been raging on Jupiter for over 400 years. It can be seen through an Earth-based telescope and is known as ___.

Answer 8

The Great Red Spot

Question 9

Which is larger, Earth or Mars?

Answer 9

Earth

Question 10

Identify the constellation Leo

Answer 10

Question 11

Identify the star Arcturus

Answer 11

Question 12

Albert Michelson devised a way to measure the size of stars using interference of ___ ___.

Answer 12

light waves

Question 13

Extrasolar planets are planets that are ___ our solar system.

Answer 13

outside

Question 14

The average distance from the earth to the moon is ___ miles.

Answer 14

240,000 miles

Question 15

Name the astronomer who described the shape of a planet’s orbint with his first law.

Answer 15

Kepler

Question 16

What is the shape of a planet’s orbit?

Answer 16

elliptical

Question 17

The density of the Jovian planets is less or more than the density of earth.

Answer 17

less

Question 18

List the first four terrestial planets in order from the sun:

Answer 18

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

Question 19

The Little Dipper is part of the constellation ___ ___.

Answer 19

Ursa Minor

Question 20

During Edmund Halley’s time, the most mysterious objects in the solar system were ___.

Answer 20

comets

Question 21

How does the orbital period of the planets correlate to distance from the sun?

Answer 21

The farther the planet is from the sun, the longer it takes to orbit the sun.

Question 22

Astronomy photographs are often printed upside-down to match ___.

Answer 22

the inverted image seen in the telescope

Question 23

List the letters that make the mnemonic (memory aid) to name the planets in order from the sun. You can write the mnemonic if you prefer.

Answer 23

M,V,E,M,J,S,U,N (or My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos)

Question 24

What scientific instrument can determine chemical composition from light patterns?

Answer 24

spectroscope

Question 25

Identify the star Spica

Answer 25

Question 26

Identify the star Regulus.

Answer 26

Question 27

Other than the sun, the star closes to the earth is Proxima ___.

Answer 27

Centauri

Question 28

Identify the constellation Ursa Minor.

Answer 28

Question 29

Identify the constellation Virgo

Answer 29

Question 30

The average distance from the earth to the sun is ___ miles.

Answer 30

93,000,000

Question 31

___ gives Mars its red color

Answer 31

Iron oxide

Question 32

A difference between a star and a planet is that stars ___ heat and light, while planets ___ light.

Answer 32

produce (emails); reflect

Question 33

Which element was identified in the sun before being discovered on earth?

Answer 33

helium

Question 34

The “zone of life” is the region around a star known as the “Goldilocks zone” because it is neither too ___ nor too ___. On planets in this region, water can be found in ___ state.

Answer 34

hot; cold; liquid

Question 35

If a star is moving away from earth, its spectral lines are shifted toward the ___ end of the specturm.

Answer 35

red

Question 36

The first moon landing was in what location on the moon?

Answer 36

Sea of Tranquility

Question 37

The brightest object in the sky other than the sun and moon is ___.

Answer 37

Venus

Question 38

___ discovered the moons of Jupiter.

Answer 38

Galileo

Question 39

Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto using a device called a ___ comparator.

Answer 39

blink

Question 40

Which is brighter, -3.0 magnitude or 4.0 magnitude?

Answer 40

-3.0

Question 41

What type of star is our sun?

Answer 41

main-sequence G

Question 42

In addition to magnification, another purpose of a telescope is to ___ light.

Answer 42

gather

Question 43

Tye type of telescope that uses a glass lens to focus light is a ___.

Answer 43

refractor

Question 44

Most of the stars in the Big Dipper are ___ magnitude.

Answer 44

2nd

Question 45

What caused the delay in the eclipse of Io by Jupiter observed by Ole Roemer?

Answer 45

the time for light to travel from Jupiter to Earth

Question 46

The big dipper is not a constellation, but an ___.

Answer 46

asterism

Question 47

An eclipse of the sun can take place only when the moon is ___ the earth and the ___.

Answer 47

between; sun

Question 48

Many meteor showers come from the remains of ___.

Answer 48

comets

Question 49

Identify the constellation Boötes

Answer 49

Question 50

Which stars can be used as an optical yardstick to measure distance?

Answer 50

cepheid variables

Question 51

Identify the star Polaris.

Answer 51