1 | Page
Astronomy 101 Midterm Exam Questions
and Correct Answers
Gamma rays have a very small ______. Ans: wavelength
Which of the following represents a case in which you are not
accelerating? Ans: Driving in a straight line at 60 miles per hour.
A net force acting on an object will always cause a change in the
object's _________. Ans: momentum
Imagine another solar system, with a star more massive than the
Sun. Suppose a planet with the same mass as Earth orbits at a
distance of 1 AU from the star. How would the planet's year
(orbital period) compare to Earth's year? Ans: The planet's year
would be shorter than Earth's.
Which planet has the most extreme seasons? Ans: Uranus
Suppose you kick a soccer ball straight up to a height of 10
meters. Which of the following is true about the gravitational
potential energy of the ball during its flight? Ans: The ball's
gravitational potential energy is greatest at the instant when the
ball is at its highest point.
How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde
motion of the planets? Ans: The planets moved along small circles
that moved on larger circles around the Earth.
You observe a full moon rising at sunset. What will you see at
midnight? Ans: A full moon high in the sky.
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
How are galaxies important to our existence? Ans: Galaxies recycle
material from one generation of stars to the next, and without this
recycling we could not exist.
In what way is Venus most similar to Earth? Ans: Both planets are
nearly the same size.
What is not true when studying a spectrum from a star. Ans: The
total amount of light in the spectrum tells us the star's radius.
What best describes the origin of ocean tides on Earth? Ans: Tides
are caused by the difference in the force of gravity exerted by the
Moon across the sphere of the Earth.
Which of the following best explains why the Moon's orbital period
and rotation period are the same? Ans: The Moon once rotated
faster, but tidal friction slowed the rotation period until it
matched the orbital period.
What facts can be used with Newton's version of Kepler's third law
to determine the mass of the Sun? Ans: Earth is 150 million km
from the Sun and orbits the Sun in one year.
The stars in our sky twinkle in brightness and color because of
______. Ans: turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere
Cosmos Ans: the universe seen as a well-ordered whole.
Galaxy Ans: system of millions or billions of stars, together with
gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.
Solar System Ans: Collection of eight planets and their moons in
orbit around the sun, together with smaller bodies in the form of
asteroids, meteoroids, and comets.
© 2025 All rights reserved
Astronomy 101 Midterm Exam Questions
and Correct Answers
Gamma rays have a very small ______. Ans: wavelength
Which of the following represents a case in which you are not
accelerating? Ans: Driving in a straight line at 60 miles per hour.
A net force acting on an object will always cause a change in the
object's _________. Ans: momentum
Imagine another solar system, with a star more massive than the
Sun. Suppose a planet with the same mass as Earth orbits at a
distance of 1 AU from the star. How would the planet's year
(orbital period) compare to Earth's year? Ans: The planet's year
would be shorter than Earth's.
Which planet has the most extreme seasons? Ans: Uranus
Suppose you kick a soccer ball straight up to a height of 10
meters. Which of the following is true about the gravitational
potential energy of the ball during its flight? Ans: The ball's
gravitational potential energy is greatest at the instant when the
ball is at its highest point.
How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde
motion of the planets? Ans: The planets moved along small circles
that moved on larger circles around the Earth.
You observe a full moon rising at sunset. What will you see at
midnight? Ans: A full moon high in the sky.
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
How are galaxies important to our existence? Ans: Galaxies recycle
material from one generation of stars to the next, and without this
recycling we could not exist.
In what way is Venus most similar to Earth? Ans: Both planets are
nearly the same size.
What is not true when studying a spectrum from a star. Ans: The
total amount of light in the spectrum tells us the star's radius.
What best describes the origin of ocean tides on Earth? Ans: Tides
are caused by the difference in the force of gravity exerted by the
Moon across the sphere of the Earth.
Which of the following best explains why the Moon's orbital period
and rotation period are the same? Ans: The Moon once rotated
faster, but tidal friction slowed the rotation period until it
matched the orbital period.
What facts can be used with Newton's version of Kepler's third law
to determine the mass of the Sun? Ans: Earth is 150 million km
from the Sun and orbits the Sun in one year.
The stars in our sky twinkle in brightness and color because of
______. Ans: turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere
Cosmos Ans: the universe seen as a well-ordered whole.
Galaxy Ans: system of millions or billions of stars, together with
gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.
Solar System Ans: Collection of eight planets and their moons in
orbit around the sun, together with smaller bodies in the form of
asteroids, meteoroids, and comets.
© 2025 All rights reserved
