Download Set 2 Astronomy questions

Astronomy Set 2 questions
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
As of the summer of 2001, what planet was shown to have the most known moons orbiting it in
our solar system?
ANSWER: SATURN
See website for fun info.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/how-many-moons/en/
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is another name for minor planets, starlike bodies, or planetoids, the vast majority of which
have orbits roughly midway between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars?
ANSWER: ASTEROIDS
http://www.space.com/51-asteroids-formation-discovery-and-exploration.html
http://www.space.com/16105-asteroid-belt.html
http://www.passmyexams.co.uk/GCSE/physics/images/asteroids.jpg
TOSS UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What planet is the most distant gas giant from the sun?
ANSWER: NEPTUNE
https://theplanets.org/gas-giants/
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Refracting telescopes always contain which of the following:
W) mirrors
X) lenses
Y) television systems
Z) film
ANSWER: X) LENSES
YES!!! Crash course video talked about this.
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Which of the Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter is the most geologically active object in the entire
solar system, commonly referred to as the “pizza moon,” and has the longest diameter of 3,630
kilometers?
ANSWER: IO BONUS
http://lasp.colorado.edu/education/outerplanets/moons_galilean.php
20) ASTRONOMY
Short Answer The Tharsis bulge is the major geological feature of what planet?
ANSWER: MARS
http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/rwoclass/astr1210/marsImages.html
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Olympus Mons, one of the largest volcanoes in our solar system, is located on which planet:
W) Mars
X) Venus
Y) Titan
Z) Callisto
ANSWER: W) MARS
Yay! I knew this because I scanned the above website when looking at Tharsis.
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Name the Greek astronomer who ranked the naked-eye stars into six groups of relative
brightness in the second century B.C.?
ANSWER: HIPPARCHUS
http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072482621/student_view0/astronomy_timeline.html
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
How many Viking spacecraft have landed on Mars?
ANSWER: 2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_missions_to_Mars
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple choice
Which star is the next nearest neighbor to the Sun beyond the Alpha Centauri system having the
largest known proper motion of any star:
W) Wolf 359
X) Sirius
Y) Barnard’s Star
Z) 61 Cygni
ANSWER: Y) BARNARD’S STAR
http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast162/Unit1/motions.html
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
The geology of the surface of Venus appears to be dominated by:
W) volcanoes
X) plate tectonics
Y) erosion by flowing water
Z) old impact craters
ANSWER: W) VOLCANOES
Yay! Knew this from reading about Venus!
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
At the Sun’s distance of 8 kiloparsecs from the Galactic center, how many years would it take for
material here to complete one rotational circuit?
ANSWER: 225 MILLION
Need a formula.
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Containing roughly ten times more gas than Earth’s, why does Titan’s atmosphere extend some
ten times farther into space than does our own?
ANSWER: WEAKER GRAVITATIONAL PULL (ACCEPT: SMALLER MASS)
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the most common term for the imaginary band on either side of the ecliptic where the
path of the Sun, Moon, and planets are generally found?
ANSWER: THE ZODIAC
http://astro.wsu.edu/worthey/astro/html/im-sky/heliocentric-solar-motion.jpg
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What gas makes up most of the atmosphere of Mars?
ANSWER: CARBON DIOXIDE (ACCEPT: CO2)
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Longitude is to right ascension as latitude is to:
ANSWER: DECLINATION
https://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/Graphics-Geol/Astronomy/RA-Dec.gif
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the common astronomical term that derives its name from the Latin word meaning ocean
or ‘seas’ that is used to label the darker and smoother parts of the moon’s surface:
ANSWER: MARIA
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What celestial phenomenon most directly causes a comet's tail to point away from the Sun:
ANSWER: THE SOLAR WIND
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following planets is NOT known to have any orbiting satellites:
W) Venus
X) Mars
Y) Uranus
Z) Saturn
ANSWER: W) VENUS
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Cassini’s division is associated with what planet?
ANSWER: SATURN
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
How many degrees above the horizon will the north celestial pole be for someone standing at
latitude 53° North?
ANSWER: 53
I think this has to do with same size angle?
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What kind of celestial bodies have cores that consist primarily of neutral particles in a superfluid
state and are thought to have evolved from stars with masses more than about 1.4 times the
Chandrasekhar limit?
ANSWER: NEUTRON STARS (DO NOT ACCEPT: PULSAR)
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/neutron-stars/
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Adastea, Amalthea and Callisto are moons of what planet?
ANSWER: JUPITER
Yay! I knew because I knew Galilean moons.
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the standard distance a star would need to be placed for it to appear as bright as its
absolute magnitude?
ANSWER: 10 PARSECS (ACCEPT: 26 LIGHT YEARS)
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
At less than 8% solar mass, what is the common term for a potential star that does not gather
enough mass to initiate core nuclear fusion and become a main sequence star?
ANSWER: BROWN DWARF
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Why did ancient Greek astronomers ascribe the term “planet” to certain celestial objects?
W) they shined very brightly
X) they wandered in their paths through the heavens
Y) they were believed to be the home of the gods
Z) they did not twinkle
ANSWER: X) THEY WANDERED IN THEIR PATHS THROUGH THE HEAVENS
Planet means Wanderer! Easy. 
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the main part of the Small Bear constellation also
commonly called? ANSWER: LITTLE DIPPER BONUS 20) ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Which law states that galaxies are receding from one another at velocities directly proportional to
the distances separating them? ANSWER: HUBBLE’S LAW (ACCEPT: HUBBLE OR
HUBBLE’S)
TOSS-UP 4) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
The lunar maria are:
W) composed of granite
X) less than one billion years old
Y) between three and four billion years old
Z) older than the lunar highlands
ANSWER: Y) BETWEEN THREE AND FOUR BILLION YEARS OLD
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Based on what three physical properties do astronomers divide the planets into terrestrial and
Jovian:
ANSWER: MASS, SIZE, AND DENSITY
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
What is the most common name for the pattern found etched on samples of iron meteorites?
W) Widmanstätten pattern
X) Rhombic pattern
Y) Halley’s pattern
Z) Chondritic Rhombite pattern
ANSWER: W) WIDMANSTÄTTEN PATTERN
http://www.arizonaskiesmeteorites.com/Widmanstatten/
https://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/meteorite1.html
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
If the sidereal period “P” of a planet is measured in years, and the semi-major axis of the planet’s
elliptical orbit, “a”, is measured in astronomical units, then the equation governing the planet’s
motion given by the formula, P2 = a3 , is best known as what law?
ANSWER: KEPLER’S THIRD LAW
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the common astronomical name for areas where gravitational attraction of two or more
celestial bodies prevents objects in that area from maintaining an orbit, such as the spacings of
semi-major axes of orbits of asteroids in the asteroid belt?
ANSWER: KIRKWOOD GAPS
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the name for a lunar ditch where molten lava once flowed?
ANSWER: VOLCANIC RILLE
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Cepheid variables are a large and important group of:
W) yellow giants and super giants
X) red giants
Y) blue giants
Z) pulsating quasars
ANSWER: W) YELLOW GIANTS AND SUPER GIANTS
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the name of the simple astronomical instrument consisting of a vertical stick placed in a
sunny spot to cast a shadow?
ANSWER: GNOMON
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Who is the author of the book titled “On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres” which rejected
the Earth-centric universe?
ANSWER: COPERNICUS
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the Greek name meaning sparkling or scorching for the star, alpha Canis Majoris?
ANSWER: SIRIUS
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
One important difference between spiral and elliptical galaxies is that:
W) spiral galaxies contain Population II stars
X) spiral galaxies contain clouds of gas and are still forming stars
Y) spiral galaxies contain a massive black hole
Z) spiral galaxies are formed by a more rapid accumulation of mass
ANSWER: X) SPIRAL GALAXIES CONTAIN CLOUDS OF GAS AND ARE STILL
FORMING STARS
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
A first quarter Moon will cross the meridian at what time of the day or night:
W) midnight
X) sunrise
Y) sunset
Z) noon
ANSWER: W) MIDNIGHT
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the most common astronomical term for the angle analogous to geographical longitude?
ANSWER: RIGHT ASCENSION (ACCEPT: ASCENSION)
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Because of precession, the celestial pole traces out a complete circle on the sky about every:
W) 26,000 years
X) 12,000 years
Y) 6,000 years
Z) 600 years
ANSWER: W) 26,000 YEARS
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
The ecliptic is:
W) the line that divides the sky into the northern half and the southern half
X) the Sun's apparent path across the celestial sphere
Y) the point directly overhead
Z) the line on the celestial sphere directly above the celestial equator
ANSWER: X) THE SUN'S APPARENT PATH ACROSS THE CELESTIAL SPHERE
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
According to Kepler's second Law of planetary motion, in which season in North America does
the Earth currently move the fastest in its orbit about the Sun?
ANSWER: WINTER
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the brightest star in the Northern sky?
ANSWER: ARCTURUS (ACCEPT: ALPHA BOÔTES)
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Which planet is 14.5 times the Earth’s mass, has a rotational rate of 17.2 hours, and a year length
of 84 Earth years?
ANSWER: URANUS
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What are generally considered the most common and most primitive type of meteorites?
ANSWER: CHONDRITES
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following was NOT known to be a planet until 1781 AD:
W) Saturn
X) Venus
Y) Mercury
Z) Uranus
ANSWER: Z) URANUS
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What law states that the total amount of energy radiated per unit time from the surface of a body
is related to the fourth power of its temperature?
ANSWER: STEFAN-BOLTZMANN LAW (ACCEPT: STEFAN'S LAW)
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
A circle with a dot in the center is most commonly the astronomer’s symbol for what?
ANSWER: SUN
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the name for the constellation with the brightest star?
ANSWER: CANIS MAJOR (ACCEPT: THE BIG DOG)
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following is believed to be the most likely composition of cosmic dust:
W) carbonaceous, silicate or iron-bearing materials with some frozen gases
X) hydrogen, helium and lithium crystals
Y) thorium, uranium and lead particles from dead stars
Z) pure ice crystals with small amounts of ionized hydrogen
ANSWER: W) CARBONACEOUS, SILICATE OR IRON-BEARING MATERIALS WITH
SOME FROZEN GASES
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
The precise measurements of Wilson and Penzias of cosmic background radiation was in what
region of the electromagnetic spectrum?
ANSWER: MICROWAVE (ACCEPT: 7.35 CM)
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
The angular distance of a star east of the Prime Meridian is most commonly referred to as the
star’s:
W) deviation
X) gnomon angle
Y) zenith point
Z) right ascension
ANSWER: Z) RIGHT ASCENSION
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
The nominal galactic center lies on the galactic plane in the direction of what constellation?
ANSWER: SAGITTARIUS (ACCEPT: THE ARCHER)
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
The total amount of energy of a star’s surface radiated into space each second is most commonly
referred to as what?
ANSWER: ABSOLUTE LUMINOSITY (ACCEPT: LUMINOSITY, INTRINSIC
BRIGHTNESS, OR ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS)
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
If you could shrink the Earth to a quarter its present diameter while maintaining its mass, by
what factor would the escape velocity change?
W) the escape velocity would be doubled
X) the escape velocity would be four times larger
Y) the escape velocity would remain unchanged
Z) the escape velocity would be reduced by half
ANSWER: W) THE ESCAPE VELOCITY WOULD BE DOUBLED (Solution: escape velocity
~ (M/R)1/2; Ve = √2GM/r)
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
When a one solar mass star becomes a red giant for the first time, its energy comes mainly from
the fusion of helium forming into what final element?
ANSWER: CARBON
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following distance-measuring techniques measures the farthest:
W) radar ranging
X) stellar parallax
Y) variable stars
Z) standard candle/Tully-Fisher relation
ANSWER: Z) STANDARD CANDLE/TULLY-FISHER RELATION
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer In North America, what is typically the most spectacular meteor
shower in the month of August?
ANSWER: PERSEIDS
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
A bolometer (pronounced: bowl-O-meter) is used to:
W) measure the energy output of the Sun
X) measure the length of a bowling alley
Y) measure the size of celestial bodies
Z) standardize the azimuth of a sextant
ANSWER: W) MEASURE THE ENERGY OUTPUT OF THE SUN
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following constellations can be seen highest in the November sky of the northern
hemisphere?
W) Orion
X) Cassiopeia
Y) Mensa
Z) Cancer
ANSWER: X) CASSIOPEIA
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
The Stefan-Boltzman Law states that the energy emitted from a black body varies with what
power of the temperature?
ANSWER: FOURTH
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
How many degrees of arc are in 6 hours of right ascension?
ANSWER: 90 DEGREES
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Which 2 of the following 5 minor planets have the largest diameters: Eros, Juno, Ceres, Amor,
Apollo
ANSWER: CERES AND JUNO
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Tripling the distance to a star will typically reduce its apparent brightness by about how many
times?
ANSWER: 9
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Assuming that the Hubble constant = 40 km/sec/megaparsec, how far away, in megaparsecs, is a
galaxy whose red shift is 20,000 km/sec?
ANSWER: 500 MEGAPARSECS (Solution: d = v/H0; = 20,000/40 = 500)
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Most astrophysicists believe that the universe is:
W) isotropic and homogeneous
X) isotropic and non-homogeneous
Y) anistotropic and homogeneous
Z) anisotropic and non-homogeneous
ANSWER: W) ISOTROPIC AND HOMOGENEOUS
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Of the following 5 planets, name all that can be in opposition to the Sun: Venus, Saturn,
Mercury, Mars, Jupiter
ANSWER: SATURN, MARS, AND JUPITER (accept in any order) (Solution: Only superior
planets can be in opposition)
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple choice
What planet is usually obscured by the sun and never seen against a dark sky:
W) Mars
X) Venus
Y) Mercury
Z) Jupiter
ANSWER: Y) MERCURY
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple choice
In which of the following illustrative techniques would sunspots occur nearer the solar equator as
the cycle of sunspot activity progresses:
W) Kirkwood’s chart
X) Maunder’s diagram
Y) Hubble’s chart
Z) HR diagram
ANSWER: X) MAUNDER’S DIAGRAM
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
To a stargazer in Ohio, a star far enough south of the celestial equator to be circumpolar such as
Miaplacidus is:
W) only seen for about 6 hours
X) only seen briefly for about half an hour on the horizon
Y) only seen on the winter solstice
Z) never seen
ANSWER: Z) NEVER SEEN
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Non-circumpolar stars that lie north of the celestial equator when viewed from Michigan will:
W) spend less than 6 hours above the horizon
X) spend more than 6 hours but less than 12 hours above the horizon
Y) spend more than 12 hours but less than 24 hours above the horizon
Z) spend 24 hours above the horizon
ANSWER: Y) SPEND MORE THAN 12 HOURS BUT LESS THAN 24 HOURS ABOVE THE
HORIZON
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
What shape do interstellar dust particles have since the light emitted by stars is dimmed and
partially polarized:
W) sphere
X) cube
Y) disk
Z) rodlike
ANSWER: Z) RODLIKE
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What astronomical instrument, used to determine the position of celestial bodies, uses light in
parallel rays falling on a mercury surface, which then pass through a prism and into a telescope?
ANSWER: PRISMATIC ASTROLABE (ACCEPT: ASTROLABE OR IMPERSONAL
ASTROLABE)
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following is not a characteristic of the terrestrial planets:
W) low average density
X) closely spaced orbits
Y) craters in old surfaces
Z) very few moons
ANSWER: W) LOW AVERAGE DENSITY
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following is NOT true of Kepler’s works in astronomy:
W) Kepler gathered most of his data from his monitoring of the planets with a quadrant
X) Kepler very seldom observed the planets and looked through a telescope only a few times in
his life
Y) many of Kepler’s computations were based on data gathered by Tycho Brahe
Z) Kepler assumed planetary motion was not circular
ANSWER: W) KEPLER GATHERED MOST OF HIS DATA FROM HIS MONITORING OF
THE PLANETS WITH A QUADRANT
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
If it were to be renamed today based on what constellation the sun is in on December 22nd, what
would the new name be for the Tropic of Capricorn?
ANSWER: TROPIC OF SAGITTARIUS (ACCEPT: SAGITTARIUS)
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
How many arc-seconds wide, rounded to the nearest whole number, would Galileo have been
able to resolve with his telescope, if one assumes that its 1.7 inch diameter lens was free of
optical aberrations?
ANSWER: 3 (Solution: For radiation to which our eyes are most sensitive, then = 0.25 (0.55
µm)/0.04318 m; = 3.2)
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Members of the “Key Project”, while working with the Hubble space telescope, are using
observation primarily of what specific type of celestial object to calculate the Hubble constant?
ANSWER: CEPHEIDS (ACCEPT: CEPHEID VARIABLES)
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Rounded to the first decimal place, how many synodic months are in an accurate calendar year if
a tropical year is 365.2 days?
ANSWER: 12.4 (Solution: 365.2/29.5 = 12.4)
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
The two points where the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator are known as what:
ANSWER: EQUINOXES
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
If a star were to be 9 times farther away than it originally was, how many times fainter would it
appear to be if all other things remain constant?
ANSWER: 81 TIMES (Solution: inverse square law…92 = 81)
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following is the most likely reason that the Pleiades stars were all formed together:
W) they are all the same size, luminosity, and spectral class
X) they all orbit a common larger neutron star
Y) they are in the region of a black hole Z) they are all concentrated in a small region
ANSWER: Z) THEY ARE ALL CONCENTRATED IN A SMALL REGION
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Compute the estimated temperature, in Kelvin, of a stellar body’s surface that emits light with a
spectrum that peaks at 145 nanometers:
ANSWER: 20,000 (Solution: Wein’s Law T = 2.9 × 10-3 m.k/λ Æ 2.9 × 10-3 m.k / 145 × 10-9m
= .02×106 =20,000K)
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What are probably the only particles emitted by stellar cores without being influenced
appreciably by the outermost layers of the stars, and are detected by an instrument in the
Homestake gold mine?
ANSWER: NEUTRINOS
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
In the solar neutrino detector in Lead, South Dakota, when a neutrino emitted in positron decay
in the sun is captured by a Chlorine-37 nucleus, what isotope is most likely formed?
ANSWER: ARGON-37
TOSS-UP 20)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following planets cannot come into quadrature with Earth:
W) Mars
X) Saturn
Y) Uranus
Z) Venus
ANSWER: Z) VENUS
BONUS 20)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Order the following planets from the one with the least number of known moons to the one with
the most: Saturn, Neptune, Mars, Uranus A
NSWER: MARS, NEPTUNE, URANUS, SATURN
TOSS-UP 4)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Which of the following eyepieces is a modified Ramsden eyepiece with an achromatic lens:
W) Huygens
X) orthoscopic
Y) Kellner
Z) Erfle
ANSWER: Y) KELLNER
BONUS 4)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
Which two of the following five celestial bodies are not moons of Jupiter: Io, Charon, Titan,
Ganymede, Callisto
ANSWER: CHARON AND TITAN
TOSS-UP 12)
ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice
Crux, Ara, Reticulum, and Tucana are all best known as:
W) craters on the moon
X) canals on mars
Y) constellations
Z) maria on the moon
ANSWER: Y) CONSTELLATIONS
BONUS 12)
ASTRONOMY Short Answer
What is the total magnifying power of a refracting telescope that has an objective lens focal
length of 12 meters and an eyepiece focal length of 0.3 meters?
ANSWER: 40X (ACCEPT: 40 TIMES OR 40) (Solution: m = 12m / 0.3m = 40X)