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Astronomy > Final Review > Flashcards

Final Review Flashcards

1
Q

What is the most abundant element in the solar system?

A

Hydrogen

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2
Q

What is the primary reason for the flat, disk-like shape of the solar system?

A

Angular momentum conservation during the solar nebula’s collapse

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3
Q

Which planet in the solar system has the highest axial tilt?

A

Uranus

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4
Q

What distinguishes a dwarf planet from a regular planet?

A

Dwarf planets have not cleared their orbits of other debris

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5
Q

Which planet has the largest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons

A

Mars

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6
Q

What is the significance of the asteroid belt in understanding the solar system’s history?

A

It is evidence of a planet that never formed

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7
Q

What type of planet is most likely to have a thick hydrogen and helium atmosphere?

A

Jovian Planet (Gas Giant)

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8
Q

Which of the following is NOT a defining characteristic of terrestrial planets?
A) High density
B) Thin atmospheres
C) Few or no moons
D) Extensive ring systems

A

D) Extensive ring systems

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9
Q

Why is Mercury’s surface heavily cratered?

A

Lack of an atmosphere to protect it

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10
Q

According to the evolutionary theory of the solar system, why are the inner planets rocky
and the outer planets gaseous?

A

The sun’s heat caused lighter elements to evaporate in the inner solar system

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11
Q

Which terrestrial planet has the densest atmosphere?

A

Venus

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12
Q

What is the main reason Venus experiences a runaway greenhouse gas effect?

A

High levels of Cardon dioxide in its atmosphere

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13
Q

Which terrestrial planet has the largest known volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons?

A

Mars

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14
Q

Which planet has the slowest rotation period, with one day lasting longer than its year?

A

Venus

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15
Q

What geological features dominate Venus’s surface?

A

Vast plains of volcanic rock

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16
Q

Why does Mercury have such extreme temperature variations between day and night?

A

It has no atmosphere to retain heat

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17
Q

Which terrestrial planet is most similar to Earth in size, mass, and density?

A

Venus

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18
Q

Which terrestrial planet shows evidence of water in its past, including dry riverbeds and polar ice caps?

A

Mars

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19
Q

Which planet has the Caloris Basin, one of the largest impact craters in the solar system?

A

Mercury

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20
Q

Why does Venus lack a magnetic field?

A

Its slow rotation prevents the generation of a dynamo effect

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21
Q

What is the primary component of Jupiter’s atmosphere?

A

Hydrogen

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22
Q

Which Jovian planet has the most extensive and complex ring system?

A

Saturn

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23
Q

What is the Great Red Spot on Jupiter?

A

A storm system that has lasted for centuries

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24
Q

What gives Uranus and Neptune their blue color?

A

Methane absorption of red light

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25
Q

Which Jovian planet’s axis rotation is tilted at 98 degrees, causing it to essentially roll along its orbit?

A

Uranus

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26
Q

What is the primary reason Saturn’s rings are so visible compared to those of other planets?

A

Their high reflectivity due to water ice

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27
Q

What is unique about Saturn’s moon Titan?

A

It has a thick atmosphere, primarily composed of nitrogen

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28
Q

Which Jovian planet has faint rings that were only discovered after observations with spacecraft?

A

Jupiter

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29
Q

What is the Roche limit?

A

The distance at which tidal forces prevent objects from accreting into a moon

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30
Q

Which planet was discovered using mathematical predictions before it was observed directly?

A

Neptune

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30
Q

What is the Kuiper Belt?

A

A region of icy bodies beyond Neptune

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30
Q

What is the primary characteristic that distinguishes a dwarf planet from a planet?

A

Dwarf planets have not cleared their orbital path of debris

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31
Q

Which Dwarf planet is the largest in the Kuiper Belt?

A

Pluto

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32
Q

Which of the following is true about the asteroid belt?
A) It lies between Jupiter and Saturn
B) It contains several moons of Earth
C) It lies between Mars and Jupiter
D) It was formed from a single destroyed planet

A

It lies between Mars and Jupiter

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33
Q

What causes the tail of a comet to always point away from the sun?

A

Interaction with the solar wind

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34
Q

What is the primary composition of a comet’s nucleus?

A

Ice and dust

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35
Q

What is the primary source of most meteoroids?

A

Broken pieces of comets and asteroids

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36
Q

What is a meteor?

A

A fragment of an asteroid or comet entering Earth’s atmosphere

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37
Q

What is the largest known asteroid?

A

Ceres

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38
Q

What is the difference between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud?

A

The Kuiper Belt lies closer to the sun, while the Oort Cloud is much farther away

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39
Q

What is the primary source of energy in the sun?

A

Nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium

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40
Q

What is the approximate temp. of the sun’s core?

A

15 million K

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41
Q

Which layer of the sun is responsible for most of the light we see?

A

Photosphere

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42
Q

What causes the sunspots to appear dark compared to the surrounding photosphere?

A

They are cooler regions caused by magnetic field disturbances

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43
Q

Which of the following is a feature of the sun’s corona?

A

It is visible during a total solar eclipse

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44
Q

What is the approximate period of the sun’s sunspot cycle?

A

22 years

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45
Q

What is the solar wind?

A

A stream of charged particles ejected from the sun’s corona

46
Q

What happens in the sun’s core to maintain hydrostatic equilibrium?

A

Radiation pressure from nuclear fusion balances the force of gravity

47
Q

What is a coronal mass ejection?

A

A massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields from the sun’s corona

48
Q

Why is the temp of the sun’s corona hotter than the photosphere?

A

Magnetic heating processes transfer energy to the corona

49
Q

What is the most common method used to determine the distance to nearby stars?

A

Parallax

50
Q

If a star has a parallax angle of 0.3 arcseconds, calculate its distance in light years.

A

1/ parallax angle in arcseconds
Then equivalent conversion with 1 parsec = 3.26 light-years

1/0.3 = 3.33
3.33 pc * 3.26 ly/ 1 pc = 10.86

51
Q

What does the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram plot?

A

Luminosity vs. temperature

52
Q

What is the spectral class of a star primarily based on?

A

Its surfact temp

53
Q

What type of stars are found in the lower right region of the HR Diagram?

A

Cool, dim stars

54
Q

A star has an apparent magnitude of 6 and another star you are comparing it to has an apparent magnitude of -6. Which one seems brighter? How much brighter?

A

-6 seems brighter
2.25^6 = 129.75 difference

55
Q

Apparent Magnitude

A

How they look from the real position from Earth

56
Q

Absolute Magnitude

A

Brightness at 10 pc

57
Q

Which of the following is true for a red giant star?
A) It is cooler than the Sun
B) It is smaller than the Sun
C) It has a higher surface temperature than the Sun
D) It is fainter than the Sun

A

It is cooler than the sun

58
Q

What is a binary star system?

A

A system with two stars orbiting a common center of mass

59
Q

What is the relationship between a star’s mass and its lifetime?

A

More massive stars live shorter lives because they burn fuel more quickly

60
Q

What does the term main sequence refer to?

A

A relationship between a star’s luminosity and temp for most stars

61
Q

What is the primary component of interstellar matter?

A

Hydrogen

62
Q

Which type of nebula glows due to the ionization of hydrogen by nearby hot stars?

A

Emission nebula

63
Q

What triggers the collapse of a molecular cloud to form stars?

A

Gravitational attraction overcoming internal pressure

64
Q

What is the role of dust in interstellar space?

A

It absorbs and scatters light, making distant stars appear dimmer

65
Q

What type of star forms from the collapse of a molecular cloud?

A

A main-sequence star

66
Q

What is the primary reason star formation occurs in molecular clouds?

A

They are dense and cold enough for gravity to dominate

67
Q

What is the significance of the Orion Nebula for studying star formation?

A

It contains protostars in various stages of formation

67
Q

What prevents stars from continuously accreting material once they form?

A

Stellar winds and radiation pressure

68
Q

What is the primary fuel for a low-mass star during its main sequence phase?

A

Hydrogen

69
Q

What happens when a low-mass star exhausts the hydrogen in its core?

A

The core contracts, and the outer layers expand into a red giant

70
Q

What is the helium flash in a low-mass star?

A

The sudden fusion of helium in the core

71
Q

What is the primary product of helium fusion in a low-mass star?

A

Carbon and oxygen

72
Q

Which type of pressure supports a white dwarf against further collapse?

A

Degeneracy pressure of electrons

73
Q

What is a planetary nebula?

A

An expanding shell of gas ejected from a red giant

74
Q

What happens to a low-mass star after it expels its outer layers as a planetary nebula?

A

It becomes a white dwarf

75
Q

Why can’t a white dwarf support fusion in its core?

A

Degeneracy pressure prevents further heating

76
Q

What is the approximate upper mass limit for a white dwarf?

A

1.4 x mass of the sun (the Chandrasekhar Limit)

77
Q

What marks the end of a low-mass star’s red giant phase?

A

Helium fusion stops, and the outer layers are ejected

78
Q

What type of stars make up the majority of the main sequence stars in the galaxy?

A

Low-mass stars

79
Q

What is the fate of a low-mass star’s core after it becomes a white dwarf?

A

It cools and dims over time

80
Q

What is the ultimate fate of a white dwarf that has no more fusion?

A

It becomes a black dwarf

81
Q

What is the evolutionary path of a low-mass star from birth to death?

A

Protostar → Main sequence → Red giant → Planetary nebula → White dwarf

82
Q

What happens to a low mass stars luminosity as it enters the red giant phase?

A

It increases significantly

83
Q

Why do low mass stars have longer lifetime than high mass stars?

A

They burn their fuel more slowly

84
Q

What is the primary fuel for massive stars during the main sequence phase?

A

Hydrogen

85
Q

What happens when a massive star exhaust its core hydrogen supply?

A

It contracts, and helium fusion begins

86
Q

What element marks the end of fusion in the core of a massive star?

A

Iron

87
Q

What causes a supernova explosion in a massive star?

A

The sudden collapse of the core

88
Q

What is the Chandrasekahr Limit, and how does it relate to massive stars?

A

The mass above which a white dwarf collapses into a neutron star or black hole

89
Q

What are the two possible remnants left behind by a massive star after a supernova?

A

A neutron star or a black hole

90
Q

What is the typical size of a neutron star?

A

10 to 20 km

91
Q

What is a pulsar?

A

A rapidly spinning neutron star, emitting beams of radiation

92
Q

What is the event horizon of a black hole?

A

The point beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape

93
Q

What causes a neutron star to become a black hole?

A

When it’s mass exceeds the the Tolman-Oppenheimer – Volkoff limit

94
Q

What type of supernova is associated with the death of a massive star?

A

Type two

95
Q

What is the role of neutrinos in a supernova explosion?

A

They carry away most of the energy from the explosion

96
Q

What is the approximate mass of a black hole formed from a typical massive star?

A

3 to 10 masses of our sun

97
Q

What is a gamma ray burst, and how is it related to the deaths of massive stars?

A

A burst of radiation caused by the collapse of a massive star into a black hole

98
Q

Why can’t fusion of elements heavier than iron release energy in a stars core?

A

Fusion of heavier elements requires more energy than it releases

99
Q

What is the approximate diameter of the Milky Way galaxy?

A

Hundred thousand light years

100
Q

Where is the sun located within the Milky Way?

A

In the disk, about 27,000 light years from the center

101
Q

What evidence supports the existence of dark matter in the Milky Way?

A

The rotation curve of the galaxy remains flat, a large radius

102
Q

What is the primary method used to determine the structure of the Milky Way?

A

Radio observations of neutral hydrogen, ( 21 cm line )

103
Q

Recent observations have revealed a vast structure of young stars in gas in the Milky Way, known as

A

The Radcliffe wave

104
Q

Which type of galaxy is characterized by a lack of spiral arms in a smooth, featureless appearance?

A

Elliptical galaxies

105
Q

What is the significance of the Hubble tuning fork diagram?

A

It categorizes galaxies by their morphology

106
Q

What is a quasar?

A

An extremely luminous active galactic nucleus

107
Q

The discovery of the South Pole wall in 2020 revealed:

A

A vast structure of galaxy is stretching 1.4 billion light years

108
Q

The James Webb space telescope’s observations have challenged previous theories by discovering:

A

Galaxies with mature features existing only 300 million years after the Big Bang

109
Q

What does the cosmological principle state?

A

The universe is homogeneous and isotropic on large scales

110
Q

What is the significance of the cosmic microwave background radiation?

A

It provides a snapshot of the early universe

111
Q

What does Hubble’s law describe?

A

The relationship between a galaxy distance and its recessional velocity

112
Q

The concept of dark energy was introduced to explain:

A

The accelerated expansion of the universe

113
Q

Recent data from the Gaia spacecraft has provided:

A

A detailed 3-D map of the Milky Way

114
Q

Spectral Type of Earth

A

G2

Astronomy (11 decks)

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