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Astronomy Midterm
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| A convenient method to write very large numbers is to use scientific notation. True or False | True (Chapter 1) |
| Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are only located at a distance of 1 AU or less from the Sun. True or False | False (Chapter 1) |
| The scientific method is a simple, mechanical way of grinding facts into understanding. True or False | False (Chapter 1) |
| The most widely accepted system of measurement is the metric system. True or False | True (Chapter 1) |
| Which best represents 5,362,000,000 kilometers in scientific notation? | 5.362 × 10^9 km |
| Which is the correct order of the planets, moving from closest to the Sun to farthest from the Sun? | Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune |
| What does the above image (Figure 1) represent? | A galaxy |
| Which of these planets is approximately the same size as Earth? | Venus |
| Since Mars is 1.5 AU from the Sun, how long would it take for sunlight to reach the surface of Mars? | 12 minutes |
| What process do scientists use to determine how nature works? | Scientific Method |
| The Big Bang is a theory describing the ____. | Beginning of the universe |
| What is Earth’s distance from the Sun? | 150 Million Kilometers |
| What is the very first step of the scientific method? | Form a hypothesis |
| The constellations are an ancient heritage handed down for thousands of years as ways to tell stories of mythical heroes and monsters. True or False | True (Chapter 2) |
| The scale of apparent visual magnitudes extends into negative numbers to represent the faintest objects in the sky True or False | False (Chapter 2 |
| The nadir marks the point of the celestial sphere directly above your head. True or False | False (Chapter 2) |
| The International Astronomical Union established 88 constellations that represent a defined area of the sky . True or False | True (Chapter 2) |
| Flux is a measure of the light energy from a star that hits a collecting area of one square meter in one second. True or False | True (Chapter 2) |
| The seasons are caused by Earth’s orbit moving closer to or farther from the Sun. True or False | False (Chapter 2) |
| Which is an example of an asterism | Big Dipper |
| Due to the cycle of precession, in 12,000 years, which star will replace Polaris as the guiding North Star? | Vega |
| Within the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox marks the start of ____. | Spring |
| . Day and night cycles are caused by the ____ of Earth. | Rotations |
| What is the apparent path of the Sun against the background of stars? | Ecliptic |
| Which planet is often called our most brilliant “morning star”? | Venus |
| . What is the name of constellations that appear to never rise or set? | Circumpolar constellation |
| As the illuminated part of the Moon grows larger from new to full, it is said to “wane” True or False (Remember: wax on, wane off) | False (chapter 3) |
| A “larger” Moon on the horizon is an optical illusion. True or False | True (chapter 3) |
| The Moon has a dark side that is never lit by the Sun. True or False | True (chapter 3) |
| There is one side of the Moon that can never be seen directly by observers on Earth. True or False | True (chapter 3) |
| In most months, there are no eclipses. True or False | True (chapter 3) |
| We landed on the moon. True or False | True (chapter 3) |
| What does a waning crescent moon mean? (Remember: wax on, wane off) | The changing Moon between third quarter and new moon |
| What are the two parts of a shadow during an eclipse? | Umbra and Penumbra |
| What does a waxing gibbous moon mean? (Remember: wax on, wane off) | A ¾ moon. When the moon is more than half way full. |
| What gives the Moon a coppery glow during a total eclipse? | Sunlight |
| During a total solar eclipse, what part of the Sun is often visible that we normally cannot see? | Sun's corona |
| At what point is the Moon farthest away from Earth? | Apogee |
| The diamond ring effect is a characteristic of which phenomena?(2 answers) | total and annular solar eclipses. |
| A solar eclipse can only occur when the Moon is ____. | when the moon blocks 100% of the solar disk. |
| A lunar eclipse can only occur when the Moon is ____. | when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow |
| What is the safest way or method to observe a solar eclipse? | through special-purpose solar filters, |
| Most Greek philosophers believed in a geocentric Universe. True or False | True (chapter 4) |
| Eudoxus of Cnidus (408–355 BCE), a student of Plato’s, applied the principle of heliocentric motion to produce a mathematical description of the motions of the Universe. True or False | False (chapter 4) |
| The most important idea in De Revolutionibus was placing the Sun at the center of the Universe. True or False | True(chapter 4) |
| Who is often considered the founder of trigonometry? | Hipparchus |
| What field of science focuses most on the connections between ancient celestial observations and such structures as the one seen in the accompanying figure (Figure 4-2)? | Stonehenge |
| The 99 years that revolutionized Astronomy ended with whose death? | Galileo. |
| Whose geocentric model of the Universe dominated astronomy for 2,000 years? | Aristotle |
| Kepler’s second law of planetary motion states “A line from a planet to the Sun sweeps over equal areas in equal intervals of ____.” | Time |
| Which statement best describes a theory? | A general description of some aspect of nature that has been thoroughly tested and widely accepted |
| What was the most controversial issue surrounding the nature of the Universe during the Renaissance? | The position of Earth in the Universe. |
| Why did Copernicus hesitate to consider alternatives to the Ptolemaic Universe? | because it contradicted christian theology at the time. |
| The Greek philosopher who proposed that Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun was _________. | Aristarchus of Samos |
| Which planet did Galileo observe go through a complete set of phases, thus proving the Ptolemaic model wrong? | Venus |
| Newton’s first law of motion is essentially a restatement of Galileo’s law of inertia. True or False | True (chapter 5) |
| Spring tides occur during the new and full lunar phases. True or False | True (chapter 5) |
| There is no gravity in space True or False | True (chapter 5) |
| The second postulate of special relativity states that the speed of light, when measured in a vacuum, is constant for all observers. True or False | True (chapter 5) |
| Newton’s third law states that forces occur in pairs acting in the same direction. True or False | True (chapter 5) |
| In contradiction to the teachings of Aristotle, Galileo found that an object with no forces (and no friction) acting on it will ____. | move at a constant speed forever |
| The ____ of an object is a measure of the amount of matter it contains. The ____ is a measure of the gravitational force on an object | Gravitational Force/Mass |
| A(n) ____ orbit is one where the orbiting object is always above the same location on Earth's surface. | geosynchronous |
| Spring tides occur at ___. | new moon and full moon. |
| Einstein revolutionized modern physics by ____. | providing an explanation of gravity based on the geometry of curved space-time |
| Kinetic energy refers to the energy of a(n)____. | that an object or a particle has by reason of its motion. |
| The energy involved in the gravitational attraction between a planet and the Sun is called _______ energy. | Potential |
| Refracting telescopes use a mirror to gather and focus light. True or False | False (chapter 6) |
| Radio telescopes are often located near populated areas. True or False | False (chapter 6) |
| Space-based telescopes carrying long-wavelength infrared detectors must carry coolant such as liquid helium to chill their optics to near absolute zero temperature. True or False | False (chapter 6) |
| The Greenbank Telescope is in WV. True or False | True (chapter 6) |
| Visible light with wavelengths at the long-wavelength end (λ = 700 nm) appears as which color? | RED |
| Which type of electromagnetic wave is the shortest? | GAMMA |
| Which form of electromagnetic radiation is able to easily reach Earth’s surface through an atmospheric window? | RADIO |
| Why are X-rays and gamma rays considered dangerous forms of light? | Photons of these wavelength have high energy |
| Which part of a telescope is responsible for magnifying an image? | Eyepiece |
| What does chromatic aberration separate within refracting telescopes? | color |
| The ____ of a radio telescope collects and focuses radiation. | DISH |
| Which is the longest surviving, and most successful, space telescope? | Hubble Space Telescope (HSP) |
| The Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico is an example of the use of which astronomical technique? (Remember: Transformers) | Fourier transform |
| What characteristic of a telescope controls the amount of light captured by the telescope? (Remember: Beginning ) | The diameter of its aperture, or opening |
| Which telescope is the largest refracting telescope in the world? | YERKES OBSERVATORY |
| Atoms are mostly empty space. True or False | False (chapter 7) |
| An atom that has gained one or more electrons is called an isotope. True or False | False (chapter 7) |
| The number of protons in the nucleus determines which element it is. True or False | True (chapter 7) |
| Blackbody radiation only occurs in stars. True or False | False (chapter 7) |
| The terms “temperature” and “heat” are synonymous. True or False | True (chapter 7) |
| If absorption lines of sodium are not present in a star’s spectrum, the star must not contain any sodium. True or False | False (chapter 7) |
| An atom that has lost or gained one or more electrons is called a(n) ____. | ION |
| Most of the mass of an atom is ____. | concentrated in the nucleus |
| A neutral atom must have ____ | the same number of electrons and protons. |
| The particle in an atom that carries a negative charge is the ____. | Electron |
| Atoms that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons are called ____. | Isotopes |
| An atom must emit a photon when a(n) ____. | electron moves from a higher to a lower energy level |
| The photons coming from an excited gas create a(n) ____ | Emission |
| A star like the Sun emits a(n) ____ spectrum. | Absorptions |
| The Doppler effect is useful in measuring the ____. | motion of an object toward or away from the observer |
| A spectrum that displays a smooth variation in intensity of all wavelengths without any breaks is a(n) ____ spectrum | Absorptions |
| The photons coming from an excited gas create a(n) ____ spectrum. | Emission |
| The star Betelgeuse appears red; the star Rigel appears blue. What accounts for this difference? | The surface of Betelgeuse is cooler than the surface of Rigel 1 |
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Aphardiman02
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