Astro 1 Final Exam PSU 2025 COMPREHENSIVE EXAM QUESTIONS |FREQUENTLY
TESTED QUESTIONS |RECENTLY TESTING REAL EXAM QUESTIONS|VERIFIED
SOLUTIONS (100% CORRECT)
When a star is moving away from us, what happens to its spectrum? - spectral lines are
shifted to the red end of the spectrum (to the right)
Why does each chemical element have a different set of spectral lines? - excited atoms emit
photons that correspond to certain colors of light
what is light gathering power? - ability to gather the most light and make objects appear
brighter
what is angular resolution? - ability to distinguish clearly between two small points in the
sky
Why does using a camera (detector or an astronomical instrument) in conjunction with the
telescope enable you to see fainter objects than you would with your eye? - detectors gather
much more light than our eyes, can take images with longer exposure time than our eyes
Why do we put telescopes in space? - earths atmosphere can distort the images since the
photons are traveling through the atmosphere and being redirected into the telescope
What wavelengths is the Earth's atmosphere transparent to? - visible and radio
What wavelengths is the Earth's atmosphere partly opaque? - infrared and uv
What wavelengths is the Earth's atmosphere completely opaque? - x ray and gamma rays
, characteristics of Jovian vs. Terrestrial planets - terrestrial: small, rocky, close to sun, few
moons, moderate atmospheres, slow rotation rate, no rings
Jovian: large, gaseous, far from sun, many moons and rings, thicccc atmospheres, fast rotation
rate
formation of the solar system why do all the planets lie in nearly the same plane? - formed
from a large spinning disk of gas and particles, all on same plane
Which exoplanet detection technique is the only technique that can allow us to measure the
size of an exoplanet? - transit, can find the radius of the exoplanet
Which technique allows us to measure the mass of the planet? - radial velocity
What are the properties of most exoplanets? What was surprising when they were first
discovered? - most are large, gaseous, large eccentric orbits
surprising that there were so many other planets outside our solar system
What is nuclear fusion? Why do the nuclear fusion reactions in the Sun produce energy? -
atoms being fused together into a bigger one, thermonuclear reactions in the core release energy
Write out the nuclear fusion reaction occurring in the core of the Sun right now - 4H--
>He+2v(neutrinos)+6y(gamma photons)
Why are the minimum and maximum masses of stars? - Low mass: .08-8Msun (too small
and no fusion)
High mass: 8-150Msun (too large and extreme radiation causes explosions)
How will the Sun end its life? - as a white dwarf that released a planetary nebula
TESTED QUESTIONS |RECENTLY TESTING REAL EXAM QUESTIONS|VERIFIED
SOLUTIONS (100% CORRECT)
When a star is moving away from us, what happens to its spectrum? - spectral lines are
shifted to the red end of the spectrum (to the right)
Why does each chemical element have a different set of spectral lines? - excited atoms emit
photons that correspond to certain colors of light
what is light gathering power? - ability to gather the most light and make objects appear
brighter
what is angular resolution? - ability to distinguish clearly between two small points in the
sky
Why does using a camera (detector or an astronomical instrument) in conjunction with the
telescope enable you to see fainter objects than you would with your eye? - detectors gather
much more light than our eyes, can take images with longer exposure time than our eyes
Why do we put telescopes in space? - earths atmosphere can distort the images since the
photons are traveling through the atmosphere and being redirected into the telescope
What wavelengths is the Earth's atmosphere transparent to? - visible and radio
What wavelengths is the Earth's atmosphere partly opaque? - infrared and uv
What wavelengths is the Earth's atmosphere completely opaque? - x ray and gamma rays
, characteristics of Jovian vs. Terrestrial planets - terrestrial: small, rocky, close to sun, few
moons, moderate atmospheres, slow rotation rate, no rings
Jovian: large, gaseous, far from sun, many moons and rings, thicccc atmospheres, fast rotation
rate
formation of the solar system why do all the planets lie in nearly the same plane? - formed
from a large spinning disk of gas and particles, all on same plane
Which exoplanet detection technique is the only technique that can allow us to measure the
size of an exoplanet? - transit, can find the radius of the exoplanet
Which technique allows us to measure the mass of the planet? - radial velocity
What are the properties of most exoplanets? What was surprising when they were first
discovered? - most are large, gaseous, large eccentric orbits
surprising that there were so many other planets outside our solar system
What is nuclear fusion? Why do the nuclear fusion reactions in the Sun produce energy? -
atoms being fused together into a bigger one, thermonuclear reactions in the core release energy
Write out the nuclear fusion reaction occurring in the core of the Sun right now - 4H--
>He+2v(neutrinos)+6y(gamma photons)
Why are the minimum and maximum masses of stars? - Low mass: .08-8Msun (too small
and no fusion)
High mass: 8-150Msun (too large and extreme radiation causes explosions)
How will the Sun end its life? - as a white dwarf that released a planetary nebula
