Astro Quiz 4 and 5
Which of the following never goes in retrograde motion?
Mars
Jupiter
Venus
The Sun
Saturn
We can’t detect stellar parallax with naked-eye observations. Which of the following would make parallax easier to observe?
Speeding up the precession of Earth’s axis
Getting away from streetlights
Slowing down Earth’s rotational motion
Speeding up Earth’s rotational motion
Increasing the size of Earth’s orbit
At which lunar phase(s) are tides most pronounced (e.g., the highest high tides)?
Full Moon
New Moon
First quater
Both new and full Moons
Both first and third quarters
Suppose a lone asteroid happens to be passing relatively near Jupiter (but not near any of its moons), following a hyperbolic orbit as it approaches Jupiter. Which of the following statements would be true?
Any of these scenarios is possible.
Jupiter’s gravity would capture the asteroid, making it a new moon of Jupiter.
The asteroid would slowly spiral into Jupiter until it crashed into the atmosphere.
Jupiter would probably expel the asteroid far out into the solar system.
The asteroid’s orbit around Jupiter would not change, and it would go out on the same hyperbolic orbit that it came in on.
Imagine we have discovered a planet orbiting around another star, at a distance from the star of 1 AU and with an orbital period of 6 months. And thanks to future technology we find this planet has a small moon at the same distance from the planet as our Moon, but with an orbital period of 2 months. We can conclude that:
The star is less massive than the Sun and the planet is more massive than Earth.
We cannot answer the question without knowing the actual mass of the moon.
The star is more massive than the Sun and the planet is less massive than Earth.
Both the star and the planet are more massive than the Sun and Earth respectively.
Both the star and the planet are less massive than the Sun and Earth respectively.
The wavelength of a wave is
The distance between two adjacent peaks of the wave.
The distance between where the wave is emitted and where it is absorbed.
The distance between a peak of the wave and the next trough.
How strong the wave is.
Equal to the speed of the wave times the wave’s frequency.
From shortest to longest wavelength, which of the following correctly orders the different categories of electromagnetic radiation?
Gamma rays, X rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, radio
Visible light, infrared, X rays, ultraviolet, gamma rays, radio
Infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays, radio
Radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays
Gamma rays, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, radio
Which of the following statements about X rays and radio waves is not true?
X rays have shorter wavelengths than radio waves.
X rays and radio waves are both forms of light, or electromagnetic radiation.
X rays travel through space faster than radio waves.
X rays have higher frequency than radio waves.
X rays have higher energy than radio waves.
The shorter the wavelength of light, the higher its frequency.
True
False
X rays, because they have more energy, travel through space faster than visible light.
True
False
The astrology practiced by those who cast predictive horoscopes can be tested by
Comparing how often the predictions come true to what would be expected by pure chance.
Polling people to find out what percentage believe their horoscopes to be accurate.
Counting how many times the predictions come true.
Asking astrologers if it works.
How are wavelength, frequency, and energy related for photons of light?
There is no simple relationship because different photons travel at different speeds.
Longer wavelength means higher frequency and higher energy.
Longer wavelength means lower frequency and higher energy.
Longer wavelength means higher frequency and lower energy.
Longer wavelength means lower frequency and lower energy.
From lowest energy to highest energy, which of the following correctly orders the different categories of electromagnetic radiation?
Visible light, infrared, X rays, ultraviolet, gamma rays, radio
Infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays, radio
Radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays
Gamma rays, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, radio
Radio, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, gamma rays
Which of the following statements about X rays and radio waves is not true?
X rays and radio waves are both forms of light, or electromagnetic radiation.
X rays have shorter wavelengths than radio waves.
X rays have higher frequency than radio waves.
X rays have higher energy than radio waves.
Neither X rays nor radio waves can penetrate the earth’s atmosphere.
We can see each other in the classroom right now because we
Emit thermal radiation.
Emit infrared light.
Reflect infrared light.
Reflect visible light.
Emit visible light.
One of the "nails in the coffin" for Earth-centered universe was
The retrograde motion of the planets.
Galileo’s observation of stars in the Milky Way.
Eclipses of the Sun.
Galileo’s observations of the moons of Jupiter.
The phases of the Moon.
Without telescopes or other aid, we can look up and see the Moon in the night sky because it
Reflects visible light.
Reflects infrared light.
Glows through radioactive decay
Emits visible light
Emits infrared light
When Copernicus first created his Sun-centered model of the universe, it did not lead to substantially better predictions of planetary positions than the Ptolemaic model. Why not?
Copernicus misjudged the distances between the planets.
Copernicus used perfect circles for the orbits of the planets.
Copernicus misjudged the speeds at which the planets orbit the Sun.
Copernicus placed the Sun at the center but did not realize that the Moon orbits Earth.
Copernicus placed the planets in the wrong order going outward from the Sun.
He discovered that Jupiter has moons.
Kepler
Aristotle
Ptolemy
Galileo
Tycho Brahe
How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?
It held that the planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around Earth.
It placed the Sun at the center so that the planets’ apparent retrograde motion was seen as Earth passed each one in its orbit.
It held that the planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around the Sun.
It varied the motion of the celestial sphere so that it sometimes moved backward.
It held that sometimes the planets moved backward along their circular orbits.
Modern telescopes are capable of seeing bright galaxies up to about
1 million light years away.
10 billion light years away.
1 trillion light years away.
10 million light years away.
1 billion light years away.
About where is our solar system located within the Milky Way Galaxy?
At the center of the galaxy
Near the far outskirts of the galactic disk
About two-thirds of the way from the center of the galaxy to the outskirts of the galactic disk
About 10 percent of the way from the center of the galaxy to the outskirts of the galactic disk
In the halo of the galaxy above the galactic disk
Suppose we look at a photograph of many galaxies. Assuming that all galaxies formed at about the same time, which galaxy in the picture is the youngest?
The one that is reddest in color
The one that appears smallest in size
The one that is bluest in color
The one that is closest to us
The one that is farthest away
Which scientists played a major role in overturning the ancient idea of an Earth-centered universe, and about when?
Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo; about 400 years ago
Aristotle and Copernicus; about 400 years ago
Aristotle and Plato; about 2,000 years ago
Huygens and Newton; about 300 years ago
Newton and Einstein; about 100 years ago
From the fact that virtually every galaxy is moving away from us and more distant galaxies are moving away from us at a faster rate than closer ones, we conclude that
The Milky Way Galaxy is expanding.
The farthest galaxies will eventually be moving faster than the speed of light.
The universe is shrinking.
The universe is expanding.
We are located at the center of the universe.
Approximately how fast are you moving with the rotation of the earth?
13,000 km/hr
130 km/hr
13 km/hr
1,300 km/hr
Not moving at all
Which of the following statements about the celestial sphere is not true?
The "celestial sphere" is just another name for our universe.
The earth is placed at the center of the celestial sphere.
When we look in the sky, the stars all appear to be located on the celestial sphere.
From any location on Earth, we can see only half the celestial sphere at any one time.
The celestial sphere does not exist physically.
What is the ecliptic?
The Moon's apparent path along the celestial sphere
The Sun's daily path across the sky
The constellations commonly used in astrology to predict the future
When the Moon passes in front of the Sun
The Sun's apparent path along the celestial sphere
When we look into the band of light in our sky that we call the Milky Way, can we see distant galaxies? Why or why not?
No, because the stars, gas, and dust of the Milky Way block us from seeing them.
No, because there are only galaxies above and below the plane of the Milky Way.
Yes, there are many other galaxies that we see inside the Milky Way.
No, we cannot see any other galaxies from Earth.
Yes, they appear as small, fuzzy patches on the other side of our galaxy.
What makes the North Star, Polaris, special?
It is the star directly on your northern horizon.
It is the brightest star in the sky.
It appears very near the north celestial pole.
It can be used to determine your longitude on Earth.
It is the star straight overhead.
You are standing on the earth's equator. Which way is Polaris, the North star?
Directly overhead
On the northern horizon
30 degrees up, due West
The answer depends on whether it's winter or summer.
The answer depends on what time of day (or night) it is.
Orion is visible on winter evenings but not summer evenings because of
The tilt of the earth's axis.
The precession of the earth's axis.
The location of the earth in its orbit.
Interference from the full moon.
Baseball on television.
Why do we have seasons on Earth?
The tilt of the earth's axis constantly changes between 0 and 23 1/2°, giving us summer when the earth is tilted more and winter when it is straight up.
Seasons are caused by the influence of the planet Jupiter on our orbit.
The earth's distance from the Sun varies, so that it is summer when we are closer to the Sun and winter when we are farther from the Sun.
As the earth goes around the Sun and the earth's axis remains pointed toward Polaris, the Northern and Southern hemispheres alternately receive more and less direct sunlight.
If the Moon is setting at 6 A.M., the phase of the Moon must be
Waning crescent
Third quarter
New
First quarter
Full
Suppose you live on the Moon. How long is a day (i.e., from sunrise to sunrise)?
A year
24 hours
About 18 years
23 hours 56 minutes
A lunar month
All of the following statements are true. Which one explains the reason why there is not a solar eclipse at every new moon?
The orbital plane of the Moon is tilted by about 5° to the ecliptic plane.
The Moon is the primary cause of tides on the earth.
The Moon rotates synchronously with its revolution about the earth.
The sidereal month is shorter than the lunar month.
The nodes of the Moon's orbit precess with an 18-year period.
What conditions are required for a lunar eclipse?
The phase of the Moon must be full, and the nodes of the Moon's orbit must be nearly aligned with the earth and the Sun.
The phase of the Moon can be new or full, and the nodes of the Moon's orbit must be nearly aligned with the earth and the Sun.
The phase of the Moon must be new, and the nodes of the Moon's orbit must be nearly aligned with the earth and the Sun.
The phase of the Moon must be full, and the Moon's orbital plane must lie in the ecliptic.
The phase of the Moon must be new, and the Moon's orbital plane must lie in the ecliptic.
What causes the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?
When planets are farther from the Sun, they move slower than when they are nearer the Sun; it is during this slower period that they appear to move backwards.
Apparent retrograde motion is an illusion created by turbulence in the earth's atmosphere.
The other planets never really appear to move backward; the background stars shift due to the earth's revolution around the Sun.
As the earth passes another planet, its gravitational pull slows down the other planet so that it appears to be traveling backward.
As the earth passes another planet, the other planet appears to move backward with respect to the background stars, but the planet's motion does not really change.
We can't detect stellar parallax with naked-eye observations. Which of the following would make parallax easier to observe?
Increasing the size of the earth's orbit
Speeding up the earth's orbital motion
Getting away from streetlights
Speeding up the precession of the earth's axis
Slowing down the earth's orbital motion
Which of the following statements best describes the two principal advantages of telescopes over eyes?
Telescopes can collect far more light with far greater magnification.
Telescopes can collect far more light with far better angular resolution.
Telescopes collect more light and are unaffected by twinkling.
Telescopes can see farther without image distortion and can record more accurate colors.
Telescopes have much more magnification and better angular resolution.
When white light passes through a cool cloud of gas, we see
Visible light.
Infrared light.
An absorption line spectrum.
An emission line spectrum.
Thermal radiation.
Suppose a lone asteroid happens to be passing relatively near Jupiter (but not near any of its moons), following a hyperbolic orbit as it approaches Jupiter. Which of the following statements would be true?
The asteroid's orbit around Jupiter would not change, and it would go out on the same hyperbolic orbit that it came in on.
Jupiter's gravity would capture the asteroid, making it a new moon of Jupiter.
The asteroid would slowly spiral into Jupiter until it crashed into the atmosphere.
Jupiter would probably expel the asteroid far out into the solar system.
Any of these scenarios is possible.
Which of the following best describes the origin of ocean tides on Earth?
Tides are caused primarily by the gravitational force of the Sun.
Tides are caused on the side of the earth nearest the Moon because the Moon's gravity attracts the water.
The Moon's gravity pulls harder on water than on land, because water is less dense than rock.
Tides are caused by the 23 1/2° tilt of the earth's rotational axis to the ecliptic plane.
Tides are caused by the difference in the force of gravity exerted by the Moon across the sphere of the earth.
The orbital period of a geosynchronous satellite is
23 hours 56 minutes.
24 hours.
365.25 days
12 years
26,000 years
According to the universal law of gravitation, if you triple the distance between two objects, then the gravitational force between them will
Increase by a factor of 3.
Decrease by a factor of 3.
Decrease by a factor of 6.
Decrease by a factor of 9.
Increase by a factor of 9.
Changing the orbit of a spacecraft by firing thrusters is an example of
Newton's first law of motion.
Newton's third law of motion.
Newton's second law of motion.
The universal law of gravitation.
None of the above
When we see Venus in its full phase, what phase would the earth be in as seen by a hypothetical Venetian?
New
First quarter
Third quarter
Full
Waning crescent
Which of the following statements about scientific theories is not true?
A theory can never be proved beyond all doubt; we can only hope to collect more and more evidence that might support it.
A theory cannot be taken seriously by scientists if it contradicts other theories developed by scientists over the past several hundred years.
If even a single new fact is discovered that contradicts what we expect according to a particular theory, then the theory must be revised or discarded.
A theory must make predictions that can be checked by observation or experiment.
A theory is a model designed to explain a number of observed facts.
What do the structures of Stonehenge, the Templo Mayor, the Sun Dagger, and the Big Horn Medicine Wheel all have in common?
They all can be used as lunar calendars.
They were all used by ancient peoples for astronomical observations.
They were all built on the orders of ancient kings.
They were all places used for religious sacrifice.
All of the above
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