question

T/F Our sun is the most massive and luminous star in the milky way

answer

False

question

The invention of satellites advanced astronomy because telescopes on satellites can explore wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, such as x-rays, that cannot penetrate Earth's atmosphere

answer

True

question

Human Beings are composed almost entirely of the same elements that were created in the Big Bang.

answer

False

question

The word astronomy means

answer

patterns among the stars

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If there are about 6000 stars in the entire sky that can be seen by the unaided human eye, about how many stars would be seen at a particular instant on a given dark night from a single location with an uninterrupted distant horizon?

answer

3000

question

If an event were to take place on the sun, how long would it take for it to reach us?

answer

8 minutes

question

The distance to the nearest large spiral galazy, Andromeda, is 2.5 million light years. How long does it take light to travel from us to Andromeda?

answer

2.5 million years

question

The early universe was composed mainly of which 2 elements?

answer

Hydrogen and Helium

question

A light year is measured in units of

answer

Distance

question

If you compared the diameter of earth (13,000 km) to 1 second, what unit of time would be equivalent to the size of our galaxy, whose diameter is 1.5 X10^21 M_________ , which is the length of time between now and when ________

answer

4 billion years; the solar system was born

question

The cosmological principal states that:

answer

the universe looks the same everywhere as long as you look on large enough spatial scales

question

If you had a pen pal in another universe, what would your address be?

answer

earth the solar system the milky the local group virgo supercluster the universe

question

List the main steps in the scientific method

answer

1.Make a hypothesis 2.make a prediction based on your hypothesis 3. Test your prediction through experimentation or observation 4. Prove or disprove your original hypothesis 5. Revise your hypothesis if necessary

question

The nightly rotation of objects across our sky is caused by the:

answer

the rotation of earth on its axis

question

Are the constellations seasonal?

answer

Yes, on a summer night many of the constellations you see are different from the constellations you can see on a winter night. But there are some constellations you can see all year long.

question

What is the overall rationale for scientific investigation?

answer

Reality is comprehensible, and a limited number of fundamental principals governs the nature and behavior of the universe.

question

If you were going to send a spacecraft to circle the moon and photograph the entire far side, during which lunar phase would you do the photography?

answer

New moon

question

How much of the total surface of the moon is illuminated by the sun when it is at quarter phase?

answer

one half

question

A total lunar eclipse is visible in principle (assuming clear skies everywhere).

answer

to everyone in one hemisphere of earth

question

If the star polaris has an altitude of 35 degrees then we know that

answer

our latitudes is +35 degrees

question

The meridian is defined as a great circle in the sky on which lie the

answer

Zenith and the north and south celestial poles

question

If you go out at exactly 9 pm each evening over the course of one month, the position of a given star will move westward by tens of degrees. What causes this motion?

answer

The revolution of earth around the sun

question

Be able to label the celestial sphere with the celestial equator, ecliptic, north celestial pole and south celestial pole

answer

.

question

When is earth closest to the sun

answer

In winter in the northern hemisphere

question

Positions of the earth 4 times a year:(equinox and solstice)

answer

closest to observer- autumnal equinox right side (half lit)- winter solstice far side (full lit)-vernal equinox Left side (half lit)-Summer solstice

question

Earth experiences seasons due to the tilt of it's axis. What are the consequences of this tilt?

answer

Variation in the directness of the sun's rays, and variation in the length of day

question

When the sun is at the midnight position identify the phase of the moon if it is just setting in the West

answer

First quarter

question

When does each phase rise above your horizon? Sunrise: 3am: Midnight: 9am: Noon:

answer

Sunrise:New moon 3am:waning crescent Midnight:3rd quarter 9am:waxing crescent Noon:first quarter

question

If a person on earth currently views the moon in a waxing crescent phase, in what phase would the earth appear to a person on the moon?

answer

Waning gibbous

question

What is true about a comet that is on an elliptical orbit around the sun?

answer

The comet's speed is greatest when it is nearest the Sun

question

Why don't we have solar and lunar eclipses every month?

answer

Because the moon's orbit around the earth is tilted by about 5 degrees out of the ecliptic

question

Saturn has a semi-major axis of 9.537 AU. How long does it take for saturn to orbit once around the sun?

answer

29.5 years use keplers 3rd law P^2=A^3 and comparing earth's orbital period of 1 year and semimajor axis of 1 AU saturn;s P is equal to (p/1yr)^2=(9.537AU/1AU) gives us P=1 yr X (9.537)^3/2=29.5 years

question

Suppose an asteriod had an orbit with a semimajor axis of 4 au. How long would it take for it to orbit once around the sun?

answer

8 years

question

Atronauts orbiting earth in the space shuttle feel weightless in space because:

answer

they are in constant free fall around the earth

question

What 2 pieces of info do we need to know about the earth in order to calculate the mass of the sun?

answer

The semimajor axis of earth's orbit is one au and the earth takes 1 year to orbit the sun

question

If the distance between the earth and the sun were cut in half, the gravitational forces between these two objects would

answer

increase by four

question

The arc of a thrown baseball at each point with lines pointing downward shows how gravity

answer

causes the ball to accelerate downward

question

Galileo discovered

answer

sunspots, many stars in the milky way, and the phases of venus

question

What is the wavelength of a 100-mhz (fm100) radio station

answer

3.0 m

question

What types of electromagnetic radiation from space will reach the surface of earth without being significantly absorbed by the earths atmosphere?

answer

Visible light and radio waves

question

All forms of light have what property in common?

answer

All forms of light are electromagnetic radiation

question

What is the one fundamental difference between x rays and radio waves?

answer

The wavelengths of x rays and radio waves are very different

question

By what factor is the amount of light gathered by the 10 m diameter keck telescope on mauna kea, Hawaii, greater than that gathered by the 2.5 diameter mount wilson telescope?

answer

16

question

Why was adaptive optics developed?

answer

to compensate for image distortion caused by earth's atmosphere

question

The primary reason professional observatories are built on the highest mountain tops is to

answer

reduce atmospheric blurring

question

Modern telescopes use mirrors rather than lenses because?

answer

large lenses are more difficult to make, light passing through lenses can be absorbed or scattered, mirrors can be computer controlled to improve resolution and large lenses can be very heavy (NOT because reflecting telescopes aren't affected by the atmosphere as much)

question

An advantage of CCDs over photographic film is

answer

CCD images can be developed faster, ccds are more light sensitive than film, they don't require chemical development and digital data is easily stored and transmitted

question

The Hubble space telescope offers sharper images than ground telescopes primarily because

answer

it orbits above the atmosphere

question

How do the wavelength and frequency of red light compare to the wavelength and frequency of blue light?

answer

red light has a longer wavelength and lower frequency than those of blue light

question

Which of the following photons carry the least amount of energy? A: A red photon in the visible spectrum, whose wavelength is 700 nm B: A blue photon of the visible spectrum, whose wavelength is 450 nm C: An infrared photon, whose wavelength is 10-5m D: A microwave photon, whose wavelength is 10-2 m

answer

D: A microwave photon, whose wavelength is 10-2 m

question

Order the different types of electro magnetic waves in increasing frequency : X-rays : Infrared : Microwave : Ultraviolet : Radio : Gamma rays : Visible

answer

Radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays

question

Resolution is improved by using

answer

Larger telescopes and shorted wavelengths

question

An FSU student is observing the phases of Venus with his 16 inch reflector telescope, and a UF student is doing the same with a 8 inch reflector telescope. How much more light gathering power does the FSU telescope have?

answer

4 times more

question

What is the max elongation angle for venus?

answer

46 degrees

question

Venus at four locations (a. furthest from earth, C. between earth and the sun, B. to the left of the sun, D. to the right of the sun)

answer

• Venus at a. superior conjunction • Venus at b. greatest (eastern) elongation • Venus at c. inferior conjunction • Venus at d. greatest (western) elongation

question

Identify when venus can be seen from earth when it is at b? when it is at d?

answer

b after sunset d before sunrise

question

The overall shape of the orbits of most of the planets in the solar system is?

answer

slightly elliptical but nearly circular

question

In order to see the dense clouds of the eagle nebula what wavelength of light must be used?

answer

Infrared

question

The most probable time sequence for the formation of the solar system was the following

answer

The Sun contracted first as a gas ball, and the planets and moons formed shortly afterward by accretion and condensation

question

The Earth has an average density of 5500 kg/m3, whereas the density of rock on its surface is about 3000 kg/m3. What conclusion can be reached about the Earth's core from this observation?

answer

The core is made of material far denser than surface rock.

question

How much mass was there in the protoplanetary disk out of which the planets formed, compared to the mass of the sun?

answer

<1 percent

question

What happens to the gravitational energy of gas as it falls towards and eventually hits the accretion disk surrounding a protostar?

answer

it is converted into thermal energy, heating the disk

question

Conservation of angular momentum slows a cloud's collapse:

answer

mostly along directions perpendicular to the cloud's axis of rotation

question

The major differences between the terrestrial and jovian planets involves

answer

mass and density

question

Which is true? A:Jupiter has the highest average density among the planets. B:The average mass of terrestrial planets is close to the average mass of the Jovian planets. C:Earth is the biggest planet. D:Earth is the most massive of terrestrial planets.

answer

D:Earth is the most massive of terrestrial planets.

question

determination of the chemical composition of the atmospheres of the planets is carried out most effectively by what type of study?

answer

spectroscopy-the measurement of absorption features in their spectra

question

Strong evidence for the existence of planetary systems in the process of formation around other stars comes from

answer

photographs and infrared observations of disks of dust

question

The mass of a planets is determined by what method?

answer

observation of its gravitational influence on an orbiting moon

question

The asteroid belt is believed by most astronomers to be composed of

answer

rocky debris left over from the formation of the solar system

question

what was the form of the material from which the solar system formed?

answer

a nebula made mostly of hydrogen and helium gas, but enriched in heavier elements from supernova explosions

question

suppose you go back in time and explore the early solar nebula during the formation of the solar system. If you were to travel outward from the protosun, the first solid material you would encounter would be?

answer

dust-sized grains of iron and rocky material

question

The primary atmospheres of planets are made mostly of?

answer

hydrogen and helium

question

Why do outer planets like Jupiter have huge gaseous atmospheres of hydrogen and helium while the inner planets do not?

answer

The outer planets grew massive quickly enough to gravitationally hold on to these gases before the solar wind dispersed the accretion disk.

question

What method of looking for extrasolar planets requires the planet to pass in front of the star?

answer

Transit method

question

An observer outside our solar system, who monitors the velocity of our Sun over time, will find that its velocity varies by ±12 m/s over a period of 12 years, because of

answer

jupiter's gravitational pull

question

When astronomers began searching for extra-solar planets, they were surprised to discover Jupiter-sized planets much closer than 1 AU from their parent stars. Why is this surprising?

answer

These planets must have formed at larger radius where temperatures were cooler and then migrated inward

question

Venus's rotation once about its axis

answer

takes longer than its orbit around the sun

question

Mercury can be seen easily from earth only

answer

when mercury is near the sun, just after sunset or just before sunrise

question

venus and earth probably evolved differently from earth because

answer

they orbit at different distances from the sun

question

The overall geography of mars can best be summarized as

answer

major volcanoes in the northern hemisphere, extensively cratered plains in the southern hemisphere, the hemispheres separated by one major valley system

question

Tectonic activity on venus differs from that on earth in that

answer

the lithosphere appears to be softer or more plastic and cannot support the creation and motion of solid plates (flake tectonics).

question

Mars has a crust that is everywhere thicker than earth's crust. What is the primary reason for this?

answer

Mars, being smaller, cooled more rapidly

question

polar ice caps on mars are most likely made up of

answer

water and CO2 ices

question

what is the origin of the majority of lunar craters?

answer

impacts by meteoric material

question

What force rivets the moon's near side constantly to face earth?

answer

Earth's tidal force

question

What is true of spring tides? A:The difference between low and high tides would be smallest B: The third quarter moon would be high overhead at noon. C: There would be one high and one low tide each day. D: The difference between low and high tides would be greatest. E: The Moon's phase will be either new or full quarter.

answer

D: The difference between low and high tides would be greatest

question

The main reason that deep P and S seismic waves do not travel in straight lines inside Earth is that

answer

their speed changes with changing density, causing the waves to refract

question

"continental drift" on earth is now thought to be caused by

answer

circulation currents in the deep interior causing slabs of Earth's crust to move more slowly

question

based on the number of impact craters observed per square meter on their surface, place the terrestrial planets in order of youngest to oldest surface:

answer

Earth, Venus, Mercury

question

Mars, Venus, and Earth are much less heavily cratered than Mercury and the Moon. This is explained by the fact that:

answer

Mars, Venus, and Earth were geologically active longer than Mercury and the Moon

question

The North American Plate and the Pacific Plate are sliding past one another at a rate of approximately 3 cm/year. San Francisco, which is located on the edge of the North American Plate, is sliding southward toward Los Angles, which is located on the Pacific Plate. If they are currently separated by a distance of 600 km, how many years will it take for the two cities to meet?

answer

20 million years

question

We suspect that Mars once had liquid water on its surface because:

answer

rovers have detected minerals that must have formed in the presence of liquid water, mapping satellites have detected dry river beds,mapping satellites have detected outflow channels coming from impact craters

question

Compare two blackbody objects, one at 200 K and one at 400 K. How much larger is the flux from the 400 K object, compared to the flux from the 200 K object?

answer

Sixteen times as much

question

What are the main processes that shape the surfaces of the terrestrial planets?

answer

Erosion, tectonism, and impact cratering

question

Name the terrestrial planets in order of increasing distance from the Sun.

answer

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

question

What are the terrestrial planets in order of increasing geologic age of their surface?

answer

Earth, Venus, Mars, and Mercury

question

Star A emits a continuous spectrum of light that peaks at a wavelength of 440 nm. Star B emits a continuous spectrum of light that peaks at a wavelength of 700 nm. What is the ratio of the temperature of star A to star B if the emissions from both stars follow Wien's law?

answer

1.59 In Wien's law, temperature is inversely proportional to the wavelength of peak emission: TA/TB = λpeakB/λpeakA = 700 nm/440 nm = 1.59.

ASTRONOMY Exam 1 (Ch 1-6) – Flashcards

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