PSU ASTRO 7N EXAMS SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔According to Newton's second law of motion, if the net force acting on the object
increases while the mass of the object remains constant, what happens to the
acceleration? - ✔✔acceleration increases
✔✔Longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - ✔✔June 21
✔✔Shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere - ✔✔December 21
✔✔What time of year is it dark all day (and night) at the South pole? - ✔✔June
✔✔Earth's Moon was Full on May 1, 2007. When was it next in the First Quarter phase
after this Full Moon? - ✔✔May 22
✔✔A moon orbits a planet in exactly the same plane as the planet orbits its star. How
often does this planet experience a solar eclipse? - ✔✔Once every orbit of its moon (its
month)
✔✔When is the best time for you to be able to see the constellation that is your sign of
the Zodiac? - ✔✔At midnight six months after your birthday
✔✔Constellations close to the North pole of Earth - ✔✔Move in a circle around the
North star, Polaris, over the course of a single night.
✔✔What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency? - ✔✔If the frequency
increases the wavelength decreases
✔✔Compare the frequency and wavelength of a gamma ray with that of visible light: -
✔✔gamma ray frequency is higher and its wavelength is lower
✔✔Fill in the blank. A photon's _________ can be measured to determine its energy. -
✔✔wavelength
✔✔Something glowing in visible light probably has a temperature of ___ Kelvin. - ✔✔a
few thousand
✔✔A star has a surface temperature of 50,000K. In which region of the electromagnetic
spectrum does its peak brightness occur? - ✔✔ultraviolet
, ✔✔The electrons in a cloud of hydrogen gas are making the transition from excited
states to the ground state. What does the spectrum of this cloud of gas look like? - ✔✔It
will consist of a few bright emission lines at a very specific wavelength
✔✔Which of the following is FALSE? - ✔✔The energy of a photon increases in
proportion to the wavelength of the radiation.
✔✔How long would one need to observe a star on a 10 meter telescope to collect the
same amount of light as one collects in one hour on a 5 meter telescope? - ✔✔15
minutes
✔✔Even the largest ground-based telescopes have resolution restrictions imposed by: -
✔✔atmospheric blurring of images
✔✔A ______ telescope uses ______ to focus light. - ✔✔- refracting: lenses
- reflecting: mirrors
✔✔Two planets have the same mass, but Planet A has 3 times the radius of Planet B.
How do the surface gravities of the two planets compare? - ✔✔Planet a has 1/3 the
surface gravity of Planet B
✔✔The surface gravity on Mars is 40 percent of the surface gravity on Earth. This
means.... - ✔✔You can jump higher on Mars than on Earth
✔✔Which of the following Solar System objects has the strongest surface gravity? -
✔✔Jupiter
✔✔When are the days and nights of equal length? - ✔✔March 21 in both hemispheres
✔✔When are the nights longest compared to the days? - ✔✔June 21 in the Southern
hemisphere
✔✔Which would have the shortest day and longest year? - ✔✔A planet that rotates
rapidly on its axis and orbits slowly around the Sun.
✔✔Two weeks after the Third Quarter Moon it is the - ✔✔first quarter moon
✔✔When does the New Moon set? - ✔✔sunset
✔✔What passes in front of the Sun during a Solar eclipse viewed from Earth? - ✔✔the
Moon
✔✔what time is the waxing crescent moon directly overhead - ✔✔3 pm
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔According to Newton's second law of motion, if the net force acting on the object
increases while the mass of the object remains constant, what happens to the
acceleration? - ✔✔acceleration increases
✔✔Longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - ✔✔June 21
✔✔Shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere - ✔✔December 21
✔✔What time of year is it dark all day (and night) at the South pole? - ✔✔June
✔✔Earth's Moon was Full on May 1, 2007. When was it next in the First Quarter phase
after this Full Moon? - ✔✔May 22
✔✔A moon orbits a planet in exactly the same plane as the planet orbits its star. How
often does this planet experience a solar eclipse? - ✔✔Once every orbit of its moon (its
month)
✔✔When is the best time for you to be able to see the constellation that is your sign of
the Zodiac? - ✔✔At midnight six months after your birthday
✔✔Constellations close to the North pole of Earth - ✔✔Move in a circle around the
North star, Polaris, over the course of a single night.
✔✔What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency? - ✔✔If the frequency
increases the wavelength decreases
✔✔Compare the frequency and wavelength of a gamma ray with that of visible light: -
✔✔gamma ray frequency is higher and its wavelength is lower
✔✔Fill in the blank. A photon's _________ can be measured to determine its energy. -
✔✔wavelength
✔✔Something glowing in visible light probably has a temperature of ___ Kelvin. - ✔✔a
few thousand
✔✔A star has a surface temperature of 50,000K. In which region of the electromagnetic
spectrum does its peak brightness occur? - ✔✔ultraviolet
, ✔✔The electrons in a cloud of hydrogen gas are making the transition from excited
states to the ground state. What does the spectrum of this cloud of gas look like? - ✔✔It
will consist of a few bright emission lines at a very specific wavelength
✔✔Which of the following is FALSE? - ✔✔The energy of a photon increases in
proportion to the wavelength of the radiation.
✔✔How long would one need to observe a star on a 10 meter telescope to collect the
same amount of light as one collects in one hour on a 5 meter telescope? - ✔✔15
minutes
✔✔Even the largest ground-based telescopes have resolution restrictions imposed by: -
✔✔atmospheric blurring of images
✔✔A ______ telescope uses ______ to focus light. - ✔✔- refracting: lenses
- reflecting: mirrors
✔✔Two planets have the same mass, but Planet A has 3 times the radius of Planet B.
How do the surface gravities of the two planets compare? - ✔✔Planet a has 1/3 the
surface gravity of Planet B
✔✔The surface gravity on Mars is 40 percent of the surface gravity on Earth. This
means.... - ✔✔You can jump higher on Mars than on Earth
✔✔Which of the following Solar System objects has the strongest surface gravity? -
✔✔Jupiter
✔✔When are the days and nights of equal length? - ✔✔March 21 in both hemispheres
✔✔When are the nights longest compared to the days? - ✔✔June 21 in the Southern
hemisphere
✔✔Which would have the shortest day and longest year? - ✔✔A planet that rotates
rapidly on its axis and orbits slowly around the Sun.
✔✔Two weeks after the Third Quarter Moon it is the - ✔✔first quarter moon
✔✔When does the New Moon set? - ✔✔sunset
✔✔What passes in front of the Sun during a Solar eclipse viewed from Earth? - ✔✔the
Moon
✔✔what time is the waxing crescent moon directly overhead - ✔✔3 pm
