Mastering Astronomy Final Exam
Review Question and answers 100%
correct 2025
The asteroid belt is located ________.
between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn
between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
between the orbits of Earth and Mars
beyond the orbit of Neptune - correct answer ✔between the orbits of Mars
and Jupiter
What is a protostar?
a star in its final stage of life
a star that is still in the process of forming
an intermediate-mass star
a star that has planets - correct answer ✔a star that is still in the process of
forming
Compared to the distance between Earth and Mars, the distance between
Jupiter and Saturn is ________.
much larger
much smaller
about the same
just slightly less - correct answer ✔much larger
,The overall result of the proton-proton chain is ________.
4 H becomes 1 He + energy
6 H becomes 1 He + energy
p + p becomes 2H + energy
individual protons are joined into long chains of protons - correct answer ✔4
H becomes 1 He + energy
What is the most abundant molecule in interstellar clouds besides molecular
hydrogen?
methane
ammonia
water
carbon monoxide
molecular helium - correct answer ✔carbon monoxide
Which of the following is furthest from the Sun?
Pluto
a comet in the Kuiper belt
a comet in the Oort cloud
an asteroid in the asteroid belt
Neptune - correct answer ✔a comet in the Oort cloud
,How does the diameter of the disk of Milky Way Galaxy compare to its
thickness?
The diameter is about 10 times as great as the thickness.
The diameter is about 100 times as great as the thickness.
The diameter and thickness are roughly equal.
The diameter is about 100,000 times as great as the thickness. - correct
answer ✔The diameter is about 100 times as great as the thickness.
Current estimates place the age of the universe at about ________.
10 billion years
4 1/2 billion years
14 billion years
10 million years - correct answer ✔14 billion years
Which of statement below about black holes is not true?
If you watch someone else fall into a black hole, you will never see him (or
her) cross the event horizon; you'll only see him fade from view as the light he
emits or reflects becomes more and more redshifted.
Although we are not 100% certain that black holes exist, we have strong
observational evidence in favor of their existence.
If you fell into a black hole, you would experience time to be running normally
as you plunged rapidly across the event horizon.
, A spaceship passing near a 10 solar mass black hole is much more likely to
be destroyed than a spaceship passing at the same distance from the center
of a 10 solar mass main-sequence star. - correct answer ✔A spaceship
passing near a 10 solar mass black hole is much more likely to be destroyed
than a spaceship passing at the same distance from the center of a 10 solar
mass main-sequence star.
Although the entire universe may be much larger than our observable
universe, we can see only within our observable universe. The "boundary" of
our observable universe is called ________.
the Big Bang
the lookback time
the Hubble Deep Field
the cosmological horizon - correct answer ✔the cosmological horizon
The jovian planets in our solar system are ________.
Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto
Pluto and Eris
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars - correct answer ✔Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
and Neptune
Where is our solar system located within the Milky Way Galaxy?
in the halo of the galaxy
roughly halfway between the center and the edge of the visible disk of the
galaxy
Review Question and answers 100%
correct 2025
The asteroid belt is located ________.
between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn
between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
between the orbits of Earth and Mars
beyond the orbit of Neptune - correct answer ✔between the orbits of Mars
and Jupiter
What is a protostar?
a star in its final stage of life
a star that is still in the process of forming
an intermediate-mass star
a star that has planets - correct answer ✔a star that is still in the process of
forming
Compared to the distance between Earth and Mars, the distance between
Jupiter and Saturn is ________.
much larger
much smaller
about the same
just slightly less - correct answer ✔much larger
,The overall result of the proton-proton chain is ________.
4 H becomes 1 He + energy
6 H becomes 1 He + energy
p + p becomes 2H + energy
individual protons are joined into long chains of protons - correct answer ✔4
H becomes 1 He + energy
What is the most abundant molecule in interstellar clouds besides molecular
hydrogen?
methane
ammonia
water
carbon monoxide
molecular helium - correct answer ✔carbon monoxide
Which of the following is furthest from the Sun?
Pluto
a comet in the Kuiper belt
a comet in the Oort cloud
an asteroid in the asteroid belt
Neptune - correct answer ✔a comet in the Oort cloud
,How does the diameter of the disk of Milky Way Galaxy compare to its
thickness?
The diameter is about 10 times as great as the thickness.
The diameter is about 100 times as great as the thickness.
The diameter and thickness are roughly equal.
The diameter is about 100,000 times as great as the thickness. - correct
answer ✔The diameter is about 100 times as great as the thickness.
Current estimates place the age of the universe at about ________.
10 billion years
4 1/2 billion years
14 billion years
10 million years - correct answer ✔14 billion years
Which of statement below about black holes is not true?
If you watch someone else fall into a black hole, you will never see him (or
her) cross the event horizon; you'll only see him fade from view as the light he
emits or reflects becomes more and more redshifted.
Although we are not 100% certain that black holes exist, we have strong
observational evidence in favor of their existence.
If you fell into a black hole, you would experience time to be running normally
as you plunged rapidly across the event horizon.
, A spaceship passing near a 10 solar mass black hole is much more likely to
be destroyed than a spaceship passing at the same distance from the center
of a 10 solar mass main-sequence star. - correct answer ✔A spaceship
passing near a 10 solar mass black hole is much more likely to be destroyed
than a spaceship passing at the same distance from the center of a 10 solar
mass main-sequence star.
Although the entire universe may be much larger than our observable
universe, we can see only within our observable universe. The "boundary" of
our observable universe is called ________.
the Big Bang
the lookback time
the Hubble Deep Field
the cosmological horizon - correct answer ✔the cosmological horizon
The jovian planets in our solar system are ________.
Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto
Pluto and Eris
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars - correct answer ✔Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
and Neptune
Where is our solar system located within the Milky Way Galaxy?
in the halo of the galaxy
roughly halfway between the center and the edge of the visible disk of the
galaxy
