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Astronomy > Review Questions > Flashcards

Review Questions Flashcards

1
Q

What is the altitude of the north celestial pole for an observer located on the earth’s equator?

A

0 degrees

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2
Q

The zero point of longitude is

A

The prime meridian

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3
Q

The angle measured up from the horizon is called the

A

altitude

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4
Q

The point directly overhead is called the

A

zenith

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5
Q

The two coordinates of the “celestial equitorial coordinate system” are

A

right ascension and declination

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6
Q

What is the altitude of the north celestial pole for an observer standing on the north pole of the earth?

A

90 degrees

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7
Q

The angle that measures north and south from the celestial equator is called the

A

declination

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8
Q

Why were constellations essential for ancient peoples?

A

Constellations provided a calendar to support agriculture

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9
Q

Latitude measures up/down from

A

the equator

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10
Q

Describe how the stars in a constellation are connected to one another

A

They are completely unrelated to one another

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11
Q

Which of the following was not listed as an unexpected benefit of astronomy research?

New methods for treating cancer
Theme park ride engineering
Medical and scientific imaging
X-ray scanners for airport security

A

New methods for treating cancer

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12
Q

Professional astronomers, in general, know very few constellations in the night sky: T/F

A

True

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13
Q

The length of the day on an equinox is

A

12 hours

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14
Q

The change in seasons is caused by the change in the Sun’s

A

declination

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15
Q

The path of the Sun on the celestial sphere is called the

A

ecliptic

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16
Q

On the equator, the Sun will reach its highest point in the sky on

A

an equinox

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17
Q

Which phase comes between waning gibbous and waning crescent?

A

third quarter

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18
Q

If the moon is rising at midnight, what phase is it?

A

third quarter

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19
Q

Which phase comes between new and first quarter?

A

waxing crescent

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20
Q

If the moon is setting at noon, what phase is it?

A

third quarter

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21
Q

Over the course of the year, the right ascension of the Sun

A

increases

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22
Q

Which of the following planets exhibit the characteristic “back and forth” motion relative to the stars?

Venus
Jupiter
Saturn
All of the above

A

All of the above

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23
Q

Which phase comes between waning crescent and waxing crescent?

A

new moon

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24
Q

For an observer located on the equator, the azimuth of the stars due East will

A

stay the same

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25
Q

How can astronomers see stars right next to the sun?

A

with space telescopes

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26
Q

For an observer located on the North Pole, the altitude of the stars in the East will

A

stay the same

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27
Q

In the heliocentric model of the solar system, one planet passing another in its orbit gives rise to

A

retrograde motion

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28
Q

The time it takes a planet to orbit the Sun once and return to the same location in space is called the

A

sidereal period

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29
Q

Ptolemy’s model of the solar system was by far the simplest and most elegant model: T/F

A

False

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30
Q

Ptolemy improved the geocentric model by

A

adding epicycles and deferents

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31
Q

The size of the Earth could be measured accurately in ancient times by using

A

shadows on Earth

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32
Q

Copernicus’ heliocentric model was able to predict the location of the planets more accurately than Ptolemy’s geocentric model: T/F

A

False

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33
Q

Ptolemy’s improvements were important because they explained

A

retrograde motion

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34
Q

According to Newton’s Law of Gravity, if two objects were to move twice as far apart, the force of gravity between them would be

A

four times smaller

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35
Q

The statement: “Planets move in ellipses with the Sun at one focus.” is also known as

A

Kepler’s First Law

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36
Q

Virtually no one acknowledged Kepler’s work during his lifetime: T/F

A

True

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37
Q

The statement: “An object in motion will continue in motion unless acted on by an outside force.” is also known as

A

Newton’s First Law

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38
Q

Gravity between two objects is __________ proportional to the product of their masses and __________ proportional to the square of the distance between them

A

directly, indirectly

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39
Q

The key observation of Venus was that it exhibited a ________ phase

A

gibbous

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40
Q

The statement: “Planets sweep out equal area in equal time.” is also known as

A

Kepler’s Second Law

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41
Q

A complete physical theory to explain the motion of the planets was developed by

A

Newton

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42
Q

The statement: “A planet’s orbital period squared is equal to its semimajor axis cubed.” is also known as

A

Kepler’s Third Law

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43
Q

The first proof that the Earth orbits the Sun was provided by

A

Galileo’s observation of the phases of Venus

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44
Q

As you move farther away from a light source, its brightness will decrease at a rate

A

proportional to the distance squared

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45
Q

Which of the following regions of the electromagnetic spectrum has the greatest frequency?

A

x-ray

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46
Q

As the wavelength of a light wave gets bigger, the frequency

A

gets smaller

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47
Q

What two colors of light would you combine to make the color yellow?

A

red and green

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48
Q

When we look into the night sky, we are literally looking

A

into the past

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49
Q

What is the typical dynamic range of an astronomical image?

A

60,000:1

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49
Q

Regular jpeg images have only 256 “levels” available in each pixel, so they are considered

A

8-bit images

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49
Q

A digital camera is composed of _________ tiny pixels

A

millions of

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49
Q

Why do astronomers only take black and white images?

A

to maximize the resolution of their images

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50
Q

Which color of visible light has the longest wavelength?

A

red

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51
Q

Light pollution has been linked to which of the following? (Select all that apply)

Survival of specific bat species
Breast cancer rates in women
Negative changes to bird migration
Sea turtle hatchling survival rates

A

Survival of specific bat species
Breast cancer rates in women
Negative changes to bird migration
Sea turtle hatchling survival rates

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52
Q

The number of waves passing a point each second is the

A

frequency

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53
Q

Sitting on the table is a red book and a blue book. Which one is hotter?

A

They are probably the same temperature

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54
Q

Kirchoff’s Laws suggest that emission lines in a spectrum are caused when

A

You are looking at a hot gas against a dark background

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55
Q

Star spectra contain

A

a continuous spectrum and absorption lines

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56
Q

The exact wavelength of the spectral lines of a gas cloud are determined by

A

the energy levels of the electrons within the gas cloud

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57
Q

A blackbody is a hypothetical object that…. (select all that apply)

is completely dark, giving off no light
absorbs all light that hits it
glows at a wavelength specified by its temperature
does not reflect any light

A

absorbs all light that hits it
glows at a wavelength specified by its temperature
does not reflect any light

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58
Q

The discovery of light “beyond the rainbow” is attributed to which scientist?

A

William Herschel

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59
Q

An an object gets hotter, it will

A

quickly get brighter

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60
Q

In order for an electron to move from one orbit to another, it must

A

emit or absorb light

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61
Q

In the sky, you see a red star and a blue star. Which one is hotter?

A

The blue star

62
Q

Where did Earth’s oceans come from?

A

Rain from water vapor in the early atmosphere

63
Q

Which of the following provides observational evidence that Mars has weather and an atmosphere?

eroded craters
wind streaks
dust devils
all of the above

A

all of the above

64
Q

Mercury has a network of strange wrinkles across its surface called

A

scarps

65
Q

What molecules dominated the Earth’s primordial atmosphere?

A

carbon dioxide and water vapor

66
Q

Where did the oxygen in our atmosphere come from?

A

photosynthesis of living organisms

67
Q

What factor most helps the Earth maintain a relatively constant temperature?

A

greenhouse gases

68
Q

What initiated the runaway greenhouse effect on Venus?

A

The gradual warming of the Sun

69
Q

The largest mountain in the solar system is

A

Olympus Mons

70
Q

The surface of the moon contains geologic evidence for ___________ on the moon in the past

A

volcanoes

71
Q

Which cities would be covered with water if the Greenland Ice Sheet melted completely?

A

Miami and Amsterdam

72
Q

Why doesn’t Mars have active volcanoes today?

A

the planet lost its internal heat to cold space

72
Q

Mercury gets incredibly hot and incredibly cold because

A

it does not have an atmosphere

73
Q

The bright circles around impact craters are called

A

ejecta

74
Q

The appearance of Earth’s moon is nearly identical to

A

Mercury

75
Q

The best time to observe the moon to see its crater is during a

A

crescent moon

76
Q

The discovery of _________ prompted astronomers to reconsider whether Pluto should really be called a planet

A

Eris

77
Q

How many asteroids (that we know of) are on a potential collision course with Earth?

A

300 - 500

78
Q

If a star is traveling toward you, its observed spectrum will be

A

blue-shifted

79
Q

The Jovian planets are composed mostly of _______ and _________

A

hydrogen …. helium

80
Q

If we could capture the spectrum of an exoplanet, we may find evidence for life on that planet in the form of

A

biosignatures

81
Q

Why do some astronomers object to the new definition of a planet that was adopted in 2006?

A

By this definition, Earth, Jupiter, and other planets should not be considered planets

82
Q

The gas in the solar nebula began at a temperature of about

A

2000 K

83
Q

Which of the following parts of the formal definition of a planet does Pluto fail to meet?

It has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit
It is in orbit around the Sun
It is found in a roughly round shape
It is a celestial body

A

It has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit

84
Q

Jupiter weighs roughly

A

twice as much as all the other planets combined

85
Q

The _________ for discovering exoplanets looks for tiny dips in light as a planet passes in front of its star

A

Transit Method

86
Q

What two factors influence whether gas particles stay or leave a planet’s atmosphere?

A

gravity and heat

87
Q

Almost the entirety of Jupiter’s size is made up of

A

gas

88
Q

The planets closest to the Sun are known as the

A

terrestrial planets

89
Q

One way that we can observe changes in the overall magnetic dynamo of the sun is

A

the number of sunspots on the sun

90
Q

The full moon has an apparent magnitude of roughly

A

-12

91
Q

Sunspots were first observed

A

Before 300 B.C.

92
Q

Sunspots are caused by

A

magnetic fields

93
Q

Sunspots are dark because they are ___________ than the surrounding area

A

cooler

94
Q

The mass of the sun is composed of about ______ hydrogen

A

75%

95
Q

Every star, including our own sun, is powered by

A

nuclear fusion

96
Q

Why was the parallax of the closest stars not observed until 200 years after the invention of the telescope?

A

The change in a star’s position due to parallax is tiny and difficult to measure

97
Q

The part of the sun that we see with our eyes is called the

A

photosphere

98
Q

_____________ measures how bright an object would appear if it were exactly 10 parsecs away from earth

A

absolute magnitude

99
Q

Parallax measurements of distant stars were dramatically improved with the use of

A

space telescopes

100
Q

An HR Diagram of a star cluster shows that nearly all of the stars fall along the main sequence. From this information, we can tell that the star cluster must be

A

young

101
Q

The horizontal axis of the HR Diagram is

A

temperature

102
Q

What outward force balances against gravity in a star like our sun?

A

hot gas pressure

103
Q

On a standard HR Diagram, stars with the largest radius will appear in the _________ corner

A

upper-right

104
Q

What causes the bright beaming of radio waves coming from pulsars?

A

strong magnetic fields

105
Q

Which of the following factors influences the luminosity of a star? (Select all that apply)

Temperature
Radius
Distance
Local gravity

A

Temperature
Radius

106
Q

Pulsars appear to be rotating

A

hundreds of times per second

107
Q

Which of the following stellar spectral types corresponds to the hottest stars

B
F
A
G

A

B

108
Q

What is the key quantity that controls the evolution of a star?

A

mass

109
Q

The total energy that a star produces in one second is known as the

A

luminosity

110
Q

On a standard HR diagram, where would you find the most massive main sequence stars?

A

upper-left

110
Q

Which of the following stars will take the longest to go from a protostar to a compact object?

10 solar mass star
5 solar mass star
100 solar mass star
1 solar mass star

A

1 solar mass star

111
Q

The black hole at the center of the Milky Way has a mass of _________ solar masses

A

several million

112
Q

The diagonal line across the middle of the HR Diagram is known as the

A

main sequence

113
Q

The luminosity of a star can be determined by measuring the _____________ in the stellar spectra

A

width of the lines

114
Q

When a star explodes as a supernova, the expanding gas can pass through the interstellar medium triggering

A

formation of new stars

115
Q

Where could you find 300 billion of something in everyday life? (Select all that apply)

300 billion leaves on a tree
300 billion hairs on someone’s head
300 billion blades of grass in a typical yard
300 billion grains of sand at the beach

A

300 billion grains of sand at the beach

116
Q

If you do not account for ____________, you may conclude that the distribution of stars in the sky provides evidence that we are located at the center of the Milky Way

A

dust

117
Q

Dark matter is found in

A

in every type of galaxy

117
Q

Which of the following statements best describes the mass in the outer parts of the Milky Way (beyond the orbit of the sun)?

There is essentially no mass out there
The outer part of the galaxy is rapidly evaporating into intergalactic space
It emits a surprisingly small amount of light
Most of the mass is due to a super-massive black hole

A

It emits a surprisingly small amount of light

118
Q

Which equation(s) are used to detect the presence of dark matter in galaxies?

Doppler shift equation
Kepler’s 3rd Law
Wien’s Law
A and B

A

A and B

119
Q

What evidence do we have that there is dark matter in the galaxy?

A

Flat rotation curves far from the center of the galaxy

120
Q

Which of the following provides clear evidence for dark matter? (Select all that apply)

gravitational lensing
supernovas
Cepheid variable stars
galaxy rotation curves

A

gravitational lensing
galaxy rotation curves

121
Q

Cold clouds of gas and dust between stars are called

A

molecular clouds

122
Q

The mass of our galaxy has been found by

A

applying Kepler’s Third Law to the Sun’s orbit

123
Q

The distance to the center of our galaxy can be found from

A

mapping the distribution of globular clusters

124
Q

How many stars are in the Milky Way?

A

300 billion

125
Q

Which of the following statements about interstellar dust is FALSE

dust makes distant stars look fainter than they should
dust scatters blue light from stars
dust makes distance stars look redder than they should
dust gives HII regions their red color

A

dust gives HII regions their red color

126
Q

When the sun passes through densest parts of the galaxy, we risk

A

other stars catapulting comets toward the earth

127
Q

Which of the following is NOT a possible explanation of dark matter?

A

Dark matter is so cold that it does not shine bright enough for us to see it

128
Q

The Hubble Tuning Fork diagram proves that galaxies gradually move from being elliptical galaxies to spiral galaxies over time: T/F

A

false

129
Q

Which of the following is NOT a type of galaxy identified by Hubble?

barred spiral
irregular
circular
elliptical

A

circular

130
Q

The cosmic distance ladder begins with the most direct measurements of distance, such as

A

parallax

131
Q

How can astronomers be sure that their measurements of distances to galaxies are accurate?

A

They measure the distance using multiple independent methods

132
Q

Supernovas are particularly useful as distance indicators because

A

they can be seen from very far away

133
Q

A galaxy that looks like a smooth squashed sphere would like be classified as a(n) __________ galaxy

A

elliptical

134
Q

If a galaxy were shrunk down to the size of a paper plate, then the next nearest galaxy would be

A

less than 100 ft away

135
Q

Which scientist used Cepheid variables to measure the distance to faint “nebulas” in our sky, proving they were actually whole other galaxies?

A

Edwin Hubble

136
Q

Cepheid variables make good standard candles because their period is closely related to their _____________

A

absolute magnitude

137
Q

The difference between the apparent magnitude and the absolute magnitude is known as the

A

distance modulus

138
Q

How did Hubble and others measure the speed of galaxies moving through space?

A

The Doppler Effect

139
Q

Hubble was able to prove that galaxies are very far away because he

A

discovered Cepheid variables in galaxies

140
Q

How can astronomers measure the age of the universe from the speed and distance of a single galaxy?

A

distance / speed

141
Q

The two engineers who discovered the cosmic microwave background worked for

A

a phone company

142
Q

Before Hubble’s measurement of the distances to galaxies, astronomers thought that the entire universe was the size of

A

The Milky Way Galaxy

143
Q

The cosmic microwave background allows us to talk about the “temperature of the universe.” What is roughly the temperature of the universe today?

A

3 Kelvin

144
Q

What are the three primary pieces of evidence supporting the big bang (select three)

The cosmic microwave background
Olber’s paradox
Universal expansion as shown by Hubble’s Law
The abundance of the lightest elements by initial fusion in the big bang

A

The cosmic microwave background
Universal expansion as shown by Hubble’s Law
The abundance of the lightest elements by initial fusion in the big bang

145
Q

Edwin Hubble single-handedly made all of the discoveries necessary to prove that our universe is expanding: T/F

A

false

146
Q

The idea of the big bang model was first proposed by

A

Georges Lemaitre

147
Q

What are the axes of the graph of Hubble’s Law?

A

velocity vs distance

148
Q

Most astronomers believe that space ends at the edge of the observable universe: T/F

A

false

149
Q

The curvature of space as a whole is primarily determined by

A

Omega-M

150
Q

According to astronomers’ best measurements, space appears to be

A

flat

151
Q

What source of data leads us to believe that the cosmological constant is not equal to zero?

A

supernovas

152
Q

According to the Carl Sagan music video, what is the first step in making an apple pie from scratch?

A

invent the universe

Astronomy (2 decks)

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