Frontiers in Astronomy Exam 2 UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Planets detected via the Doppler technique have been mostly - CORRECT ANSWER -
Jupiter-mass, in very close orbits
The transit method of planet detection works best for - CORRECT ANSWER - big planets
in edge-on orbits around small stars
most of the planets discovered around other stars - CORRECT ANSWER - are more
massive than Earth and orbit very close to the star
why are many of the newly detected extrasolar planets called "hot Jupiters" - CORRECT
ANSWER - their masses are similar to Jupiter but they are very close to the central star
and therefore hot
how do we think the "hot Jupiters" around other stars were formed - CORRECT
ANSWER - they formed as gas giants beyond the frost line and then migrated towards
by what process does the sun generate energy - CORRECT ANSWER - nuclear fusion
what do we mean when we say that the sun is in gravitational equilibrium - CORRECT
ANSWER - there is a balance within the sun between the outward push of pressure and the
inward pull of gravity
the core of the sun is - CORRECT ANSWER - much hotter and denser than its surface
which of the following best describes why the sun emits most of its energy in the form of visible
light - CORRECT ANSWER - like all objects, the sun emits thermal radiation with a
, spectrum that depends on its temperature, and the sun's surface temperature is just hight for
emitting mostly visible light
the sun's surface seethes and churns with a bubbling pattern. Why? - CORRECT
ANSWER - we are seeing hot gas rising and cool gas falling due to the convection that
occurs beneath the surface
which of the following best explains why nuclear fusion requires bringing nuclei extremely close
together? - CORRECT ANSWER - nuclei normally repel because they are all positively
charged and can be made to stick only when brought close enough for the strong force to take
hold
if the sun's core suddenly shrank a little bit, what would happen in the sun? - CORRECT
ANSWER - the core would heat up, fusion rates would increase, the core would re-expand
why do sunspots appear dark in pictures of the sun? - CORRECT ANSWER - they
actually are fairly bright, but appear dark against the even righter background of the surrounding
photosphere
at the center of the sun, nuclear fusion converts hydrogen into - CORRECT ANSWER -
helium, gamma rays, and neutrinos
the light radiated from the sun's surface reaches earth in about 8 minutes. however, the energy of
this light was released by fusion in the sun's core how long ago? - CORRECT ANSWER -
several hundred thousand years
what observations characterize solar maximum - CORRECT ANSWER - there are many
sunspots visible on the surface of the sun
all stars are born with the same basic composition, yet stars can look quite different from one
another. Which two factors primarily determine the characteristics of a star? - CORRECT
ANSWER - mass they are formed with
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Planets detected via the Doppler technique have been mostly - CORRECT ANSWER -
Jupiter-mass, in very close orbits
The transit method of planet detection works best for - CORRECT ANSWER - big planets
in edge-on orbits around small stars
most of the planets discovered around other stars - CORRECT ANSWER - are more
massive than Earth and orbit very close to the star
why are many of the newly detected extrasolar planets called "hot Jupiters" - CORRECT
ANSWER - their masses are similar to Jupiter but they are very close to the central star
and therefore hot
how do we think the "hot Jupiters" around other stars were formed - CORRECT
ANSWER - they formed as gas giants beyond the frost line and then migrated towards
by what process does the sun generate energy - CORRECT ANSWER - nuclear fusion
what do we mean when we say that the sun is in gravitational equilibrium - CORRECT
ANSWER - there is a balance within the sun between the outward push of pressure and the
inward pull of gravity
the core of the sun is - CORRECT ANSWER - much hotter and denser than its surface
which of the following best describes why the sun emits most of its energy in the form of visible
light - CORRECT ANSWER - like all objects, the sun emits thermal radiation with a
, spectrum that depends on its temperature, and the sun's surface temperature is just hight for
emitting mostly visible light
the sun's surface seethes and churns with a bubbling pattern. Why? - CORRECT
ANSWER - we are seeing hot gas rising and cool gas falling due to the convection that
occurs beneath the surface
which of the following best explains why nuclear fusion requires bringing nuclei extremely close
together? - CORRECT ANSWER - nuclei normally repel because they are all positively
charged and can be made to stick only when brought close enough for the strong force to take
hold
if the sun's core suddenly shrank a little bit, what would happen in the sun? - CORRECT
ANSWER - the core would heat up, fusion rates would increase, the core would re-expand
why do sunspots appear dark in pictures of the sun? - CORRECT ANSWER - they
actually are fairly bright, but appear dark against the even righter background of the surrounding
photosphere
at the center of the sun, nuclear fusion converts hydrogen into - CORRECT ANSWER -
helium, gamma rays, and neutrinos
the light radiated from the sun's surface reaches earth in about 8 minutes. however, the energy of
this light was released by fusion in the sun's core how long ago? - CORRECT ANSWER -
several hundred thousand years
what observations characterize solar maximum - CORRECT ANSWER - there are many
sunspots visible on the surface of the sun
all stars are born with the same basic composition, yet stars can look quite different from one
another. Which two factors primarily determine the characteristics of a star? - CORRECT
ANSWER - mass they are formed with
