ASTR 1020 FINAL EXAM
Which of the following is the smallest?
a) 1 AU
b) Size of a typical planet
c) 1 light-month
d) Size of a typical star - ANSWER b) Size of a typical planet
How are galaxies important to our existence?
a) Without galaxies, the universe could not be expanding
b) Without galaxies, there could not have been a big bang
c) Galaxies provide the gravity that prevents us from falling off Earth
d) Galaxies prevent planets from leaving their orbits around stars; e.g., our galaxy
prevents Earth from leaving its orbit
e) Galaxies recycle heavy elements produced in stars into future generations of stars
- ANSWER e) Galaxies recycle heavy elements produced in stars into future
generations of stars
How long does it take the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun?
a) The time it takes Earth to orbit the sun changes significantly from one orbit to the
next
b) one month
c) one year
d) one day
e) one week - ANSWER c) one year
A typical galaxy is a:
a) collection of a few hundred million to a trillion or more stars bound together by
gravity
b) nearby object orbiting a planet.
c) relatively small, icy object orbiting a star
d) large, glowing ball of gas powered by nuclear energy - ANSWER a) collection of
a few hundred million to a trillion or more stars bound together by gravity
Based on observations of the universal expansion, the age of the universe is about
a) 14 trillion years
b) 14 billion years
c) 14 million years
d) 14,000 years - ANSWER b) 14 billion years
When we look at an object that is 1,000 light-years away we see it
a) as it was 1,000 years ago
b) as it is right now, but it appears 1,000 times dimmer
c) looking just the same as our ancestors would have seen it 1,000 years ago
d) as it was 1,000 light years ago - ANSWER a) as it was 1,000 years ago
- our ancestors did not necessarily see it
,- light years are a measure of distance
When do the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of light?
a) On the spring and fall equinoxes
b) the two hemispheres never receive the same amount of light
c) On the winter solstice
d) on the summer solstice - ANSWER a) on the spring and fall equinoxes
What is the ecliptic?
a) the Moon's apparent path along the celestial sphere
b) the Sun's daily path across the sky
c) when the Moon passes in front of the Sun
d) the constellations commonly used in astrology to predict the future
e) the Sun's apparent path along the celestial sphere - ANSWER e) the Sun's
apparent path along the celestial sphere
When traveling north from the U.S. into Canada, you'll see the North Star (Polaris)
getting
a) lower in the sky
b) dimmer
c) brighter
d) higher in the sky - ANSWER d) higher in the sky
If you heat a gas so that collisions are continually bumping electrons to higher
energy levels, when the electrons fall back to lower energy levels the gas produces
a) an absorption line spectrum
b) radio waves
c) X-Rays
d) an emission line spectrum
e) thermal radiation - ANSWER d) an emission line spectrum
We can learn a lot about the properties of a star by studying its spectrum. All of the
following statements are true EXCEPT one. Which one?
a)We can identify chemical elements present in the star by recognizing patterns of
spectral lines that correspond to particular chemicals.
b) The peak of the star's thermal emission tells us its temperature: Hotter stars peak
at shorter (bluer) wavelengths.
c) The total amount of light in the spectrum tells us the star's radius.
d) We can look at Doppler shifts of spectral lines to determine the star's speed
toward or away from us. - ANSWER c) The total amount of light in the spectrum
tells us the star's radius.
Everything looks red through a red filter because...
a) the filter emits red light and absorbs the other colors
b) the filter absorbs red light and emits other colors
c) the filter transmits red light and absorbs other colors
d) the filter reflects red light and transmits other colors - ANSWER c) the filter
transmits red light and absorbs other colors
, Which forms of light are LOWER in energy and frequency than the light that our eyes
can see?
a) infrared and ultraviolet
b) visible light
c) infrared and radio
d) ultraviolet and x-rays - ANSWER c) infrared and radio
Gamma rays have a very small
a) Wavelength
b) Mass
c) Frequency
d) Energy - ANSWER a) Wavelength
(small wavelength = higher frequency)
T/F: A radio telescope and an optical telescope of the same size have the same
angular resolution - ANSWER False
What is the purpose of adaptive optics?
a) It is a special technology that allows the Hubble Space Telescope to adapt to
study many different types of astronomical objects.
b) It allows ground-based telescopes to observe ultraviolet light that normally does
not penetrate the atmosphere.
c) It allows several small telescopes to work together like a single larger telescope.
d) It reduces blurring caused by atmospheric turbulence for telescopes on the
ground. - ANSWER d) It reduces blurring caused by atmospheric turbulence for
telescopes on the ground.
Which of the following wavelength regions CAN be studied with telescopes on the
ground?
a) all light with wavelengths shorter than infrared wavelengths
b) all light with wavelengths longer than ultraviolet wavelengths
c) radio, visible, and very limited portions of the infrared and ultraviolet regions
d) Infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light - ANSWER c) radio, visible, and very limited
portions of the infrared and ultraviolet regions
Which of the following statements BEST describes the difference between a
refracting and reflecting telescope?
a) A refracting telescope produces refracted images while a reflecting telescope
produces reflected images.
b) It is much easier to make a large refracting telescope than a large reflecting
telescope.
c) A refracting telescope uses a transparent glass lens to focus light while a
reflecting telescope uses a mirror to focus light.
d) Reflecting telescopes make much clearer images than can refracting telescopes
of the same size. - ANSWER c) A refracting telescope uses a transparent glass
lens to focus light while a reflecting telescope uses a mirror to focus light
Suppose you have two small photographs of the Moon. Although both look the same
at small size, when you blow them up to poster size one of them still looks sharp
Which of the following is the smallest?
a) 1 AU
b) Size of a typical planet
c) 1 light-month
d) Size of a typical star - ANSWER b) Size of a typical planet
How are galaxies important to our existence?
a) Without galaxies, the universe could not be expanding
b) Without galaxies, there could not have been a big bang
c) Galaxies provide the gravity that prevents us from falling off Earth
d) Galaxies prevent planets from leaving their orbits around stars; e.g., our galaxy
prevents Earth from leaving its orbit
e) Galaxies recycle heavy elements produced in stars into future generations of stars
- ANSWER e) Galaxies recycle heavy elements produced in stars into future
generations of stars
How long does it take the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun?
a) The time it takes Earth to orbit the sun changes significantly from one orbit to the
next
b) one month
c) one year
d) one day
e) one week - ANSWER c) one year
A typical galaxy is a:
a) collection of a few hundred million to a trillion or more stars bound together by
gravity
b) nearby object orbiting a planet.
c) relatively small, icy object orbiting a star
d) large, glowing ball of gas powered by nuclear energy - ANSWER a) collection of
a few hundred million to a trillion or more stars bound together by gravity
Based on observations of the universal expansion, the age of the universe is about
a) 14 trillion years
b) 14 billion years
c) 14 million years
d) 14,000 years - ANSWER b) 14 billion years
When we look at an object that is 1,000 light-years away we see it
a) as it was 1,000 years ago
b) as it is right now, but it appears 1,000 times dimmer
c) looking just the same as our ancestors would have seen it 1,000 years ago
d) as it was 1,000 light years ago - ANSWER a) as it was 1,000 years ago
- our ancestors did not necessarily see it
,- light years are a measure of distance
When do the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of light?
a) On the spring and fall equinoxes
b) the two hemispheres never receive the same amount of light
c) On the winter solstice
d) on the summer solstice - ANSWER a) on the spring and fall equinoxes
What is the ecliptic?
a) the Moon's apparent path along the celestial sphere
b) the Sun's daily path across the sky
c) when the Moon passes in front of the Sun
d) the constellations commonly used in astrology to predict the future
e) the Sun's apparent path along the celestial sphere - ANSWER e) the Sun's
apparent path along the celestial sphere
When traveling north from the U.S. into Canada, you'll see the North Star (Polaris)
getting
a) lower in the sky
b) dimmer
c) brighter
d) higher in the sky - ANSWER d) higher in the sky
If you heat a gas so that collisions are continually bumping electrons to higher
energy levels, when the electrons fall back to lower energy levels the gas produces
a) an absorption line spectrum
b) radio waves
c) X-Rays
d) an emission line spectrum
e) thermal radiation - ANSWER d) an emission line spectrum
We can learn a lot about the properties of a star by studying its spectrum. All of the
following statements are true EXCEPT one. Which one?
a)We can identify chemical elements present in the star by recognizing patterns of
spectral lines that correspond to particular chemicals.
b) The peak of the star's thermal emission tells us its temperature: Hotter stars peak
at shorter (bluer) wavelengths.
c) The total amount of light in the spectrum tells us the star's radius.
d) We can look at Doppler shifts of spectral lines to determine the star's speed
toward or away from us. - ANSWER c) The total amount of light in the spectrum
tells us the star's radius.
Everything looks red through a red filter because...
a) the filter emits red light and absorbs the other colors
b) the filter absorbs red light and emits other colors
c) the filter transmits red light and absorbs other colors
d) the filter reflects red light and transmits other colors - ANSWER c) the filter
transmits red light and absorbs other colors
, Which forms of light are LOWER in energy and frequency than the light that our eyes
can see?
a) infrared and ultraviolet
b) visible light
c) infrared and radio
d) ultraviolet and x-rays - ANSWER c) infrared and radio
Gamma rays have a very small
a) Wavelength
b) Mass
c) Frequency
d) Energy - ANSWER a) Wavelength
(small wavelength = higher frequency)
T/F: A radio telescope and an optical telescope of the same size have the same
angular resolution - ANSWER False
What is the purpose of adaptive optics?
a) It is a special technology that allows the Hubble Space Telescope to adapt to
study many different types of astronomical objects.
b) It allows ground-based telescopes to observe ultraviolet light that normally does
not penetrate the atmosphere.
c) It allows several small telescopes to work together like a single larger telescope.
d) It reduces blurring caused by atmospheric turbulence for telescopes on the
ground. - ANSWER d) It reduces blurring caused by atmospheric turbulence for
telescopes on the ground.
Which of the following wavelength regions CAN be studied with telescopes on the
ground?
a) all light with wavelengths shorter than infrared wavelengths
b) all light with wavelengths longer than ultraviolet wavelengths
c) radio, visible, and very limited portions of the infrared and ultraviolet regions
d) Infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light - ANSWER c) radio, visible, and very limited
portions of the infrared and ultraviolet regions
Which of the following statements BEST describes the difference between a
refracting and reflecting telescope?
a) A refracting telescope produces refracted images while a reflecting telescope
produces reflected images.
b) It is much easier to make a large refracting telescope than a large reflecting
telescope.
c) A refracting telescope uses a transparent glass lens to focus light while a
reflecting telescope uses a mirror to focus light.
d) Reflecting telescopes make much clearer images than can refracting telescopes
of the same size. - ANSWER c) A refracting telescope uses a transparent glass
lens to focus light while a reflecting telescope uses a mirror to focus light
Suppose you have two small photographs of the Moon. Although both look the same
at small size, when you blow them up to poster size one of them still looks sharp
