ASTRO 205 (Science) FINAL EXAM
STUDY QUESTIONS AND ACCURATE
SOLUTIONS RATED A.
1. What is the moon of Pluto called?
Correct Answer -Charon
2. What is an asteroid?
Correct Answer -a rock orbiting the sun that was left over when the
planets formed
3. What is the diameter of the largest asteroid in our solar system -
ceres?
Correct Answer -940 km - also classified as a dwarf planet due to its
size
4. What is a meteorite?
Correct Answer -a fragment of an asteroid from the solar system that
has fallen to earth's surface
5. What is the Kuiper belt?
Correct Answer -a region of the solar system beginning just beyond
the orbit of Neptune - similar to the asteroid belt, although far larger
6. What is the oort cloud?
Correct Answer -a hypothetical spherical cloud of comets that lie
roughly 50,000 AU from the sun
,7. Are "shooting stars" really stars?
Correct Answer -no - they are comets, an icy small solar body
8. why do comets have tails?
Correct Answer -when they come to the inner part of the solar
system, the sun vaporizes some of them leaving behind a tail
9. in what direction does a comet tail point? why?
Correct Answer -they point away from the sun - due to the solar
winds from the sun
10. could asteroids impact be dangerous for earth's life?
Correct Answer -yes - the effects could be catastrophic
11. the structure of a comet
Correct Answer -nucleus, coma, tail
12. what is the sun's photosphere?
Correct Answer -the visible surface of the sun
13. what is the approximate temperature of the visible surface of
the sun?
Correct Answer -5.800 K or 5,526.85 degrees celsius
14. what is the granulation of the surface of the sun?
Correct Answer -the cellular pattern - caused by convective motion of
plasma beneath the photosphere
, 15. why should you never look directly at the sun?
Correct Answer -damage the retina
16. what are sunspots?
Correct Answer -areas of gas on the sun's surface that are cooler
than the gases around them
17. what causes sunspots?
Correct Answer -"twisted" magnetic field lines trap pockets of gas on
the surface, stopping convection. gas cools off, gets darker. they
occur when the local magnetic field line bulges out of the sun's
surface. they come in pairs b/c one is where the lines leaves the sun
and one is where it reenters the sun
18. what is nuclear (or thermonuclear) fusion?
Correct Answer -the reaction of the formation of helium from
hydrogen - produces energy and luminosity from stars
19. what is the energy source for the sun?
Correct Answer -thermonuclear (nuclear) fusion in the core
20. from which fusion does the sun derive its power?
Correct Answer -hydrogen to helium
21. what is the total time that the sun will spend converting
hydrogen to helium in its core?
Correct Answer -about 10 million years
STUDY QUESTIONS AND ACCURATE
SOLUTIONS RATED A.
1. What is the moon of Pluto called?
Correct Answer -Charon
2. What is an asteroid?
Correct Answer -a rock orbiting the sun that was left over when the
planets formed
3. What is the diameter of the largest asteroid in our solar system -
ceres?
Correct Answer -940 km - also classified as a dwarf planet due to its
size
4. What is a meteorite?
Correct Answer -a fragment of an asteroid from the solar system that
has fallen to earth's surface
5. What is the Kuiper belt?
Correct Answer -a region of the solar system beginning just beyond
the orbit of Neptune - similar to the asteroid belt, although far larger
6. What is the oort cloud?
Correct Answer -a hypothetical spherical cloud of comets that lie
roughly 50,000 AU from the sun
,7. Are "shooting stars" really stars?
Correct Answer -no - they are comets, an icy small solar body
8. why do comets have tails?
Correct Answer -when they come to the inner part of the solar
system, the sun vaporizes some of them leaving behind a tail
9. in what direction does a comet tail point? why?
Correct Answer -they point away from the sun - due to the solar
winds from the sun
10. could asteroids impact be dangerous for earth's life?
Correct Answer -yes - the effects could be catastrophic
11. the structure of a comet
Correct Answer -nucleus, coma, tail
12. what is the sun's photosphere?
Correct Answer -the visible surface of the sun
13. what is the approximate temperature of the visible surface of
the sun?
Correct Answer -5.800 K or 5,526.85 degrees celsius
14. what is the granulation of the surface of the sun?
Correct Answer -the cellular pattern - caused by convective motion of
plasma beneath the photosphere
, 15. why should you never look directly at the sun?
Correct Answer -damage the retina
16. what are sunspots?
Correct Answer -areas of gas on the sun's surface that are cooler
than the gases around them
17. what causes sunspots?
Correct Answer -"twisted" magnetic field lines trap pockets of gas on
the surface, stopping convection. gas cools off, gets darker. they
occur when the local magnetic field line bulges out of the sun's
surface. they come in pairs b/c one is where the lines leaves the sun
and one is where it reenters the sun
18. what is nuclear (or thermonuclear) fusion?
Correct Answer -the reaction of the formation of helium from
hydrogen - produces energy and luminosity from stars
19. what is the energy source for the sun?
Correct Answer -thermonuclear (nuclear) fusion in the core
20. from which fusion does the sun derive its power?
Correct Answer -hydrogen to helium
21. what is the total time that the sun will spend converting
hydrogen to helium in its core?
Correct Answer -about 10 million years
