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GCSE Astronomy > Paper 2 Exam Questions > Flashcards

Paper 2 Exam Questions Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a sunspot

A

A dark patch on the surface of the Sun with a darker centre

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2
Q

What is a fuzzy patch of light with a tail, visible in the sky for several weeks?

A

Comet

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3
Q

What is a small group of several bright stars out of
-binary star
-constellation
-globular cluster
-open cluster

A

Open cluster

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4
Q

A student writes a description of how some objects look when viewed through a small telescope. Identify each object.
‘A planet with bright rings around it’

-Mars
-Mercury
-Neptune
-Saturn

A

Saturn

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5
Q

A student writes a description of how some objects look when viewed through a small telescope. Identify each object.
‘A star with a fuzzy ring of material around it’
-globular cluster
-black hole
-double star
-planetary nebula

A

planetary nebula

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6
Q

WHat is the smallest planet in the solar system
-Jupiter
-Mercury
-Uranus
-Venus

A

Mercury

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7
Q

What is the planet with the highest average surface temperature
-Jupiter
-Mercury
-Uranus
-Venus

A

Venus
`

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8
Q

What was the first planet to be discovered with a telescope
-Jupiter
-Mercury
-Uranus
-Venus

A

Uranus

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9
Q

The first planet to have some of its satellites to be discovered with a telescope
-Jupiter
-Mercury
-Uranus
-Venus

A

Jupiter

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10
Q

Which is the correct series for a star with a mass similar to the Sun’s

> main sequence->neutron star-> red giant
main sequence->red giant->supernova
main sequence->red giant->white dwarf
main sequence->white dwarf->black hole

A

main sequence->red giant-> white dwarf

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11
Q

Which is the correct series for a star with a mass 20x of the Sun

> main sequence->neutron star-> red giant
main sequence->red giant->supernova
main sequence->red giant->white dwarf
main sequence->white dwarf->black hole

A

> main sequence->red giant->supernova

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12
Q

Owen is observing Jupiter. Explain why Owen has chosen to use a telescope with aperture of 25cm

A

-Large aperture
-Gives high resolution for detailed image of small object
-

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13
Q

Owen is observing Jupiter. Explain why he has chosen to use a telescope with a focal length of 200cm

A

-It is a long focal length
-THis allows appropriate magnification and field of view

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14
Q

Ancient Babylonian descriptions of Venus from around 4000BCE sometimes refer to it as having ‘horns’
It has been suggested that this may mean that some Ancient Babylonian astronomers were able to see the changing shape of Venus
Evaluate the suggestion that ancient astronomers were able to observe the changing shape of Venus.

A

Any two from:
-At crescent shape, Venus is large enough to be seen
-This assumers perfect seeing
-Clear unpolluted skies in ancient times
-No light pollution in ancient times
-‘horned’ is very vague and may refer to something else

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15
Q

Explain how to safely observe the transit of Venus

A

-Telescope/ binoculars pointed towards the Sun
-Card/screen placed in line with telescope’s eye piece
-Card placed around tube to make a shadow

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16
Q

Alice and Bob observe a transit of Venus.
Alice is in the North Pole
Bob is in the South Pole.
Explain why their observations are more accurate than those of observer’s in 1761 stood a;
Newfoundland (Lat= 60North)
Cape of Good Hope (Lat = 34 South)

A

-Alice and Bob are further apart than the 1761 observers
-Larger difference of angle of position of transit

17
Q

In 1929 Edwin Hubble discovered that light from many galaxies is red shifted.
Light that has been red-shifted will appear to have a:
>greater brightness
>higher frequency
>higher speed
>longer wavelength

A

Longer wavelength

18
Q

In 1929 Edwin Hubble discovered that light from many galaxies is red shifted.
This red-shift was explained by the theory that the Universe
-began with a Big Bang
-is contracting
-is expanding
-will end with a Big Crunch

A

is expanding

19
Q

Explain why astronomers using earlier telescopes were not able to discover the red-shift of light from other galaxies
Use this data about the Hooker ‘100-inch’ telescope at the Mount WIlson Observatory where Edwin Hubble discovered red-shift:
Aperture: 2.5m
Focal length: 53m
Magnification: 2000x

A

-Earlier telescopes had smaller apertures
-Insufficient light grasp
-Only the more distant galaxies show large enough red shift

20
Q

Some observations showed that some galaxies has light that is blue-shifted.
THese include the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies
Explain why the light from these galaxies is blue-shifted

A

-They are part of our local group
-They are moving towards us

21
Q

How can light pollution affect images from optical telescopes such as Mount Wilson Observatory

A

-Objects appear fainter
-Objects appear with distorted shape
-Objects appear in different position
-Colour of object is changed

22
Q

State the reason why the dish in a radio telescope must be made from metal

A

-Metal reflects radio waves

23
Q

Explain why the dish of a radio telescope needs to have a diameter so much larger than the mirrors in the largest optical telescopes.

A

-radio waves have longer wavelength than light waves
-large diameter gives large aperture
-large aperture gives sufficient resolution

24
Q

The mullard radio astronomy observatory is made of 3 dishes spread out over 1600m. Each dish has a diameter of 18m. Explain why this radio telescope is made up of several smaller dishes, rather than a single dish

A

-This is an aperture-synthesis system
-Dishes spread out over large distance
-Giving large aperture and large effective collecting area

25
Q

The mullard radio astronomy observatory is made of 3 dishes spread out over 1600m. Each dish has a diameter of 18m. State 2 ways that the resolution of this telescope could be increased.

A

-Larger dishes
-More dishes in the same area
-Short operating wave length
-Increase baseline

26
Q

Identify each of the following stages in the life of a star from the description provided.
Where the inward pull of gravity is balanced by outward radiation pressure
>Black hole
>Main sequence star
>neutron star
>white dwarf star

A

main sequence star

27
Q

Identify each of the following stages in the life of a star from the description provided.
Where the inward pull of gravity is balanced by outward electron pressure
>Black hole
>Main sequence star
>neutron star
>white dwarf star

A

white dwarf star

28
Q

Identify each of the following stages in the life of a star from the description provided.
Where the inward pull of gravity is balanced by outward neutron pressure
>Black hole
>Main sequence star
>neutron star
>white dwarf star

A

Neutron star

29
Q

In the 17th century the dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens made the observations to compare the brightness of the star Sirius with the brightness of the Sun. State two practical difficulties in carrying out this experiment

A

-Can’t view objects simultaneously
-Can’t view objects against a similar background
-No reference stars available when viewing Sun
-Human eye is not very reliable measuring instrument for magnitudes
-Sun is too bright/unsafe

30
Q

The star Sirius has an absolute magnitude of 1.42. Explain the difference between absolute and apparent magnitude

A

-Apparent magnitude is measured from the star’s actual distance to Earth
-ABsolute magnitude is measured from the same distance for all stars 1- parsecs away

GCSE Astronomy (19 decks)

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