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Unit 6 Review Homework
The Sun, Stars, and Galaxies
Name: __________________________
Period: ________
Our Sun
Write the letter of the description next to the solar feature it best describes.
_____ granule
_____ spicule
_____ chromosphere
_____ photosphere
_____ inner core
_____ corona
_____ convective zone
_____ transition zone
_____ prominence
_____ sunspot
_____ radiative zone
_____ solar flare
_____ coronal mass ejection
_____ plages
_____ filament
A. visible “surface” of the Sun
B. the “graininess” of the Sun’s surface, evidence of the lava lamp effect
C. dim layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, seen as a pink band during an eclipse
D. thin atmospheric layer where temperatures skyrocket
E. cooler, darker regions of the Sun’s surface
F. outer layer of solar atmosphere, hottest and least dense
G. white hot, extra bright patches of the solar surface
H. dark veins of cooler floating gas loops, seen head on
I. violent eruption of gas and plasma from the surface, ejected into space
J. where thermonuclear reactions take place
K. a fast, spikey portion of the chromosphere
L. under the photosphere, where hot gas and plasma rise up to release energy
M. cooler, darker loops of gas floating above the sun, seen from the side
N. where photons carry energy away from the core by bumping into everything
O. huge chunk of the corona being blown off the surface into space
1. How much longer (from right now) do we think the Sun will burn?
a) 10 billion years
b) 5 thousand years
c) 5 billion years
d) 13.7 billion years
2. What element is the end product from the Proton-Proton Sequence of the Sun’s thermonuclear fusion, besides two
more protons?
a) Hydrogen
b) Helium
c) Deuterium
d) Lithium
3. The time for one solarmax cycle to complete is:
a) 11 hours
b) 25 days
c) 27 years
d) 11 years
4. Deuterium is best described as:
a) one proton and two neutrons
b) one proton and one neutrino
c) one proton and one neutron
d) two protons and one neutron
What phenomenon inside the Sun causes a solarmax? What are the effects of a solarmax here on Earth?
Name and describe the two particles released from the first stage of the Proton-Proton Sequence, once two Protons
smash together to create a Proton and a Neutron.
What is hydrostatic equilibrium, and why does this explain why larger stars have shorter lifespans than smaller stars?
Stellar Lifecycles & HR Diagrams
1. A big, chemical-rich nebula where stars are formed.
a) Type II Supernova
b) super winds
c) giant molecular cloud
d) degenerate matter
2. These tiny stars have lifetimes of 100’s of billions of years, and are less than .4 solar masses.
a) black dwarf
b) red dwarf
c) white dwarf
d) blue dwarf
3. These objects are bigger than most planets, but just barely too small to ignite nuclear fusion. Don’t be rude and call
them “failed stars”!
a) black dwarf
b) overachieving planets
c) brown dwarf
d) red supergiants
4. These stars appear to blink with X rays on and off very rapidly (many times a second), like a lighthouse.
a) Cepheid Variables
b) RR Lyrae Varibles
c) Red Giants
d) Pulsars
5. The correct order for spectral classification is:
A) LMFAOJK
B) OMGROFL
C) OBAMKGF
D) OBAFGKM
6. More massive stars can be found where on the HR Diagram?
A) The top
B) The bottom
C) The center
D) In the corners
Draw an HR Diagram. Include the following:
1. The four measured aspects along each side, showing the direction of increasing value.
2. The regions on the diagram where one would find: white dwarfs, main sequence stars, giant stars, and supergiant
stars.
3. Add and label the following stars: Our Sun (G2V), Sirius A (A1 V), Betelgeuse (M2 Iab).
Number the following life stages of a high mass star in order from first (1) to last (8).
________ Red Supergiant
________ Core Bounce
________ Nebula/Giant Molecular Cloud
________ Main Sequence High-Mass Star
________ Protostar
________ Variable Star
________ Black Hole
________ Type II Supernova
Variable Stars & Groups of Stars
After what lifecycle stage do mid and high mass stars become variable stars? Why?
The pulse rate of a variable star is related to what intrinsic property of that star, as discovered by Henrietta Swan
Leavitt?
Why are variable stars like Cepheids and RR Lyraes so important to astronomers?
Why is it that younger, 3rd generation stars are said to be “metal-rich”? Why don’t older, 1st and 2nd generation stars
have as much heavier element material?
Compare and contrast the following qualities of Globular and Open star clusters.
Globular Clusters
Amount of stars in them
Age of stars (generation?)
Metal Content
Gravitational bond
Where are they found in the galaxy?
Galaxies
How many galaxies do we think exist in the observable universe?
A) 10
B) 170 Billion
C) 100 Trillion
D) 13.7 Billion
What is the name of the small “neighborhood” of galaxies to which ours belongs?
A) The Virgo Supercluster
B) The Andromeda Group
C) The Local Group
D) The Milky Way
What large object can be found in the center of most galaxies?
A) Galactus
B) Your Mom
C) Supermassive Black Holes
D) Pulsars
What is the name of OUR galaxy?
A) The Andromeda Galaxy
B) The Milky Way Galaxy
C) The Local Galaxy
D) The Whirlpool Galaxy
What is the name of the closest galaxy to us?
A) The Andromeda Galaxy
B) The Milky Way Galaxy
C) The Local Galaxy
D) The Whirlpool Galaxy
What is it called when two galaxies collide, and they merge together?
A) Galactic Cannibalism
B) Galactic Fusion
C) Galactic Bear Hug
D) Awesome
Open Clusters
The “Great Debate” of 1920 was over what issue?
A) Whether or not Dark Matter exists
B) Whether or not the galaxy spins
C) Whether or not the Andromeda Nebula was a part of our galaxy
D) Whether or not Einstein’s theory of relativity was right
Who is credited for solving the “Great Debate” two years later, with Cepheid Variables?
A) Curtis Shapley
B) Carl Sagan
C) Fritz Zwicky
D) Edwin Hubble
Draw and label a Hubble Tuning Fork diagram and show examples of each kind of galaxy classification.