EAPS 105 HW & QUIZ 10, EAPS HW
AND QUIZ 11 , EAPS HW AND QUIZ 12
To find exoplanets, how does the transit detection method work? - Correct Answers -b.
If a planet crosses in front of its parent star, then the observed visual brightness of the
star drops by a small amount.
Which of the following are weaknesses of the transit detection method? - Correct
Answers -a. Small exoplanets far from their stars will not cause significant dimming of
the star's light.
b. Planetary transits are observable only when the planet's orbit happens to be perfectly
aligned from the astronomers' vantage point.
c. False detections can be common requiring verification from longer duration
observations and other detection methods.
d. All the above
To find exoplanets, how does the radial velocity detection method work? - Correct
Answers -A star with a planet will wobble in response to the planet's gravity, causing it
to change the speed at which it moves toward or away from the Earth.
With the Doppler effect, what changes when there is relative motion between the source
of a wave and the observer? - Correct Answers -d. The frequency of the wave
What can only be determined by combining observations from the radial velocity
method with observations from the transit detection method? - Correct Answers -b. The
mass of the exoplanet
To find exoplanets, how does the gravitational microlensing detection method work? -
Correct Answers -d. The gravitational field of a star acts like a lens, magnifying the light
of a distant background star. If a planet is orbiting the foreground lensing star, it will
make a detectable contribution to the lensing effect.
What is the notable disadvantage of the gravitational microlensing method? - Correct
Answers -d. The lensing observation cannot be repeated
To find exoplanets, how does the direct imaging detection method work? - Correct
Answers -a. Blocking the light of a star reveals the reflected light of orbiting planets.
, In what ways is the James Webb Space Telescope superior to the Hubble Space
Telescope? - Correct Answers -a. It has a much higher resolution (sharper images).
b. It can observe high-redshift objects that are too old and too distant for Hubble.
c. It enables more detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable
exoplanets.
d. All the above
The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope or WFIRST, now named after the former
NASA Chief of Astronomy, provides a significant improvement over the Hubble Space
Telescope in what manner? - Correct Answers -b. It will have 100 times the imaging
field of view.
What is a hot Jupiter? - Correct Answers -c. A gas giant like Jupiter that orbits extremely
close to its star.
Which situations might generate a lava planet? - Correct Answers -a. A young terrestrial
planet just after its formation.
b. A planet that has recently suffered a large collision event.
c. A planet orbiting very close to its star.
d. All the above
What is a super-Earth? - Correct Answers -a. An exoplanet with a mass higher than
Earth's, but substantially below those of an ice giant.
If a star is much larger/brighter than our Sun, where will the habitable zone be located
relative to our Sun's habitable zone? - Correct Answers -b. Farther from the
larger/brighter star.
The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) characterizes how similar an exoplanet is to Earth. It
has a scale from zero to one, with Earth having a value of one. Which of the following
factors does the ESI not consider? - Correct Answers -b. The exoplanet magnetic field
What is so special about the exoplanet Proxima Centauri b? - Correct Answers -d. It is
the closest Earth-like exoplanet to our Solar System we will ever find.
How many planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system are potentially hospitable to life, having
orbits in the star's habitable zone? - Correct Answers -b. 4
The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) is an image of a small region covering only one
twenty-six-millionth of the total sky — equivalent to the area of a tennis ball viewed 110
meters away. The region chosen is one of the darkest patches of sky in any direction,
i.e., very few stars from our own galaxy. How many galaxies are visible in the HUDF? -
Correct Answers -d. 10,000
What does the Drake equation calculate? - Correct Answers -c. How many active,
communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy.
AND QUIZ 11 , EAPS HW AND QUIZ 12
To find exoplanets, how does the transit detection method work? - Correct Answers -b.
If a planet crosses in front of its parent star, then the observed visual brightness of the
star drops by a small amount.
Which of the following are weaknesses of the transit detection method? - Correct
Answers -a. Small exoplanets far from their stars will not cause significant dimming of
the star's light.
b. Planetary transits are observable only when the planet's orbit happens to be perfectly
aligned from the astronomers' vantage point.
c. False detections can be common requiring verification from longer duration
observations and other detection methods.
d. All the above
To find exoplanets, how does the radial velocity detection method work? - Correct
Answers -A star with a planet will wobble in response to the planet's gravity, causing it
to change the speed at which it moves toward or away from the Earth.
With the Doppler effect, what changes when there is relative motion between the source
of a wave and the observer? - Correct Answers -d. The frequency of the wave
What can only be determined by combining observations from the radial velocity
method with observations from the transit detection method? - Correct Answers -b. The
mass of the exoplanet
To find exoplanets, how does the gravitational microlensing detection method work? -
Correct Answers -d. The gravitational field of a star acts like a lens, magnifying the light
of a distant background star. If a planet is orbiting the foreground lensing star, it will
make a detectable contribution to the lensing effect.
What is the notable disadvantage of the gravitational microlensing method? - Correct
Answers -d. The lensing observation cannot be repeated
To find exoplanets, how does the direct imaging detection method work? - Correct
Answers -a. Blocking the light of a star reveals the reflected light of orbiting planets.
, In what ways is the James Webb Space Telescope superior to the Hubble Space
Telescope? - Correct Answers -a. It has a much higher resolution (sharper images).
b. It can observe high-redshift objects that are too old and too distant for Hubble.
c. It enables more detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable
exoplanets.
d. All the above
The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope or WFIRST, now named after the former
NASA Chief of Astronomy, provides a significant improvement over the Hubble Space
Telescope in what manner? - Correct Answers -b. It will have 100 times the imaging
field of view.
What is a hot Jupiter? - Correct Answers -c. A gas giant like Jupiter that orbits extremely
close to its star.
Which situations might generate a lava planet? - Correct Answers -a. A young terrestrial
planet just after its formation.
b. A planet that has recently suffered a large collision event.
c. A planet orbiting very close to its star.
d. All the above
What is a super-Earth? - Correct Answers -a. An exoplanet with a mass higher than
Earth's, but substantially below those of an ice giant.
If a star is much larger/brighter than our Sun, where will the habitable zone be located
relative to our Sun's habitable zone? - Correct Answers -b. Farther from the
larger/brighter star.
The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) characterizes how similar an exoplanet is to Earth. It
has a scale from zero to one, with Earth having a value of one. Which of the following
factors does the ESI not consider? - Correct Answers -b. The exoplanet magnetic field
What is so special about the exoplanet Proxima Centauri b? - Correct Answers -d. It is
the closest Earth-like exoplanet to our Solar System we will ever find.
How many planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system are potentially hospitable to life, having
orbits in the star's habitable zone? - Correct Answers -b. 4
The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) is an image of a small region covering only one
twenty-six-millionth of the total sky — equivalent to the area of a tennis ball viewed 110
meters away. The region chosen is one of the darkest patches of sky in any direction,
i.e., very few stars from our own galaxy. How many galaxies are visible in the HUDF? -
Correct Answers -d. 10,000
What does the Drake equation calculate? - Correct Answers -c. How many active,
communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy.
