Exam #2 Mastering Astronomy (missed questions) – Flashcards
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The main reason that most professional research telescopes are reflectors is that:
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large mirrors are easier to build then large lenses
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Primary purpose of astronomical Telescope?
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to collect a lot of light and bring it to focus
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Most important advantage of CCD' over film is?
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they record much more light in a given exposure time
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Currently supplying high resolution X-ray images from space:
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Chandra
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Conservation of angular momentum means that a spinning body tends to:
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keep spinning
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Mass is easiest to measure when:
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they have natural satellites whose motions can be precisely measured
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Determine mass with Newton's law of motion and gravity:
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Moons
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Planetary orbits:
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are almost circular, with low eccentricities
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Objects in the Kuiper Belt:
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lie beyond the orbit of Neptune, and close to the ecliptic
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Where terrestrial planets form?
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anywhere between 0.03AU and the frost line
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Why do orbits of then planets all lie in the same space?
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early solar nebula flattened into a disk
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What might have made the original solar nebula begin to contract?
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the shock-wave from a nearby exploding star
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Future scientists determine which is better (core-accretion model vs gravitational inversion theory) by:
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measuring the mass of rocky material in the Jovian Planets' core
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How is the existence of Earth's unique atmosphere explained?
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The oxygen in earth's atmosphere is a result of early life on Earth
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Which part of Sun's radiation are responsible for heating Earth's Surface?
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The visible and infrared
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What is the hole in the ozone layer thought to be caused by?
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CFC's
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On a cloudless day, what happens to most of the visible light headed toward Earth?
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It reaches Earth's surface, where some is reflected and some is absorbed
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If seismometers registered P- and S-waves everywhere on the moon, they would suggest that the Moon had:
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No molten core
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Earth's average density
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It is higher than the density of surface rocks
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What natural phenomenon provides information on the structure of Earth's core?
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Earthquakes
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What has been the primary mechanism for the creation of the large-scale features of Earth's continents and crust?
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Drift of crustal plates due to convection in the asthenosphere
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When solar winds are displaced poleward by our magnetic field, we get:
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intense auroral displays
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Earth's Magnetic Field:
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prevents charged particles in the solar wind from reaching the surface
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What is the best description of the Earth's rotation over its entire history?
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It has slowed down very gradually at about 0.0015 seconds per century
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At what phase are the tides least noticeable?
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First and Third Quarter
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Lunar Mane are formed:
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almost entirely on Earth side, where the crust was thinner
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The Lunar Highlands are:
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more rugged, heavily cratered, and older than the Lunar Mare
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True about Lunar Highlands?
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They are the oldest part of the lunar surface
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The lunar mare are radioactively dated at:
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3.9-3.2 billion years old, forming after most of the bombardment was over
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Why are there more craters in Lunar Highland rather than the maria?
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The highlands are older than the maria
