Download Test#1

The angular distance of an object from the horizon is its
a) latitude, b) declination, c) altitude, d) right ascension
What time is it when the Sun is on the meridian?
a) noon, b) midnight, c) sunset, d) sunrise
The ecliptic is the
a) projection of the Earth's equator on the celestial sphere
b) plane of the Earth's orbit projected onto the celestial sphere
c) apparent path of the moon on the celestial sphere
d) projection of the north celestial pole on the zodiac
What time of day does the first quarter Moon rise?
a) sunset, b) sunrise, c) noon, d) midnight
A hypothetical planet orbits the Sun a distance of 3 AU. What is its orbital period if you know P 2=a3,
where P is the period and a is the semi-major axis?
a) 2.8 years, b) 3.0 years, c) 5.2 years, d) 9.0 years
A shift in the direction of an object caused by a change in the position of an observer is called
a) parallax, b) precession, c) the Coriolis effect, d) epicycle motion
In the course of a year, how much of the universe could you see from the North pole
a) about one fourth, b) one half, c) about three fourths, d) all of it
If the Earth were inclined less on its axis than it currently is, what would be the consequences?
a) more drastic seasons, b) less drastic seasons, c) global warming, d) no solstices or equinoxes
Which constellation contains stars which "point" to the north star
a) Big Dipper, b) Orion, c) Little Dipper, d) Northern Cross
I wake up in the middle of the night and notice that it is 12:00 midnight and that the Moon is on my west
horizon. What is the phase of the Moon that I see?
a) new Moon, b) first quarter, c) full Moon, d) third quarter
Given the equation FG = GMm/d2 , if two objects suddenly become separated by half their distance, what
happens to the gravitation force between them
a) stays the same, b) increases by a factor of four
c) decreases by a factor of four, d) increases by a factor of two
A wave has a speed 20 m/s and frequency 5 Hz. What is its wavelength if C =, where C is the
velocity, is the frequency, and  is the wavelength?
a) 80 m, b) 20 m, c) 5 m, d) 4 m
A police officer tells me that I my red shift velocity exceeded posted limits. What does he mean?
a) you were speeding away from him, b) you were speeding toward him,
c) you were stopped, d) you were going too slow
What is "seeing"?
a) It is a measure of the quality of a telescope's optical system.
b) It is a measure of the image quality due to the stability of the air.
c) It is a standard by which astronomers compare and contrast their own eyesight
d) It is a difference related strictly to cold- and warm-weather observing.
What is the approximate azimuth (az) elevation (el) of a star which is high in the East.
a) az= 180o, el= 90o b) az= 90o, el= 60o c) az= 270o, el=60o d) az=0o, el=10o
When the Moon casts its shadow on the Earth, this is called a
a) lunar eclipse, b) solar eclipse, c) new Moon, d) Full Moon
Retrograde motion is when
a) planets stop their forward motion in their orbit and perform a loop in the sky
b) planets that orbit the Sun in a clockwise direction
c) the apparent loop a planet makes in the sky when overtaken by another planet
d) when planets are held back one grade instead of advancing
A light year is
a) the characteristic size of light , b) the distance the Earth travels around the sun in one year
c) the distance light travels in one year, d) the time it takes light to travel around the Earth's orbit
The observed changing positions of the stars during a night is the result of the
a) tilt of the Earth's axis , b) rotation of the Earth on its axis
c) rotation of the stars on their axes, d) revolution of the Earth around the sun
Paris is about 1/4 of the way around Earth from Chicago. On a night when people in Chicago
see a first quarter moon, people in Paris see
a) a new moon, b) a first quarter moon, c) a full moon, d ) a third quarter moon
The apparent path of the sun around the celestial sphere against the background of the stars
during the year is the
a) celestial meridian, b) ecliptic, c) sun's diurnal circle, d) celestial equator
Large telescopes are reflecting rather than refracting because
a) the light gathering power of mirrors is greater than that of lenses
b) lenses more accurately bend light rays to the focus
c) mirrors are easier to support than lenses
d) the Show Me center has an exclusive contract with Pepsi
Star “a” appears bluish white in color, while star “b” appears reddish in color. This tells you that
a) star a is less luminous than star b, b) star a is hotter than star b,
c) star a is more luminous than star b, d) star a is cooler than star b
On the first day of Spring, the Sun is at the
a) solstice, b) equinox, c) nadir, d) zenith
When looking down upon the Earth from the North Celestial Pole, in what direction does it rotate?
a) counter clockwise, b) clockwise, c) cannot determine, d) does not appear to rotate
What was one of the hardest thing about the planets motion for the geocentric model of the solar system to
explain.
a) the daily motion of rising in the east and setting the west
b) the number of years it took for the planets to circle the Sun
c) the number of moons the planets had
d) their retrograde motion
Newton's second law of motion states F = Ma; where F equals the applied force, M is the mass, and a
equals the acceleration. If I have two masses M1 and M2 and I apply the same force to both of them but M 1
accelerates three times faster than M2. What can I say about M1 compared to M2?
a) M1 is three times more than M2, b) M1 is three times less than M2,
c) M1 is nine times more than M2, d) M1 is nine times less than M2
A planet in a highly elliptical orbit has its slowest speed when
a) it is closest to the Sun, b) when it is furthest from the Sun
c) when the Sun is on the equator, d) when the Sun is on the
solstice
What do we call the event when the Sun is located 23.5o north and south of the celestial equator.
a) solstices, b) equinox, c) day of dawns, d) solar eclipses
Which one of Kepler's laws explains what happens when a twilling ice skater brings their arms towards
their center?
a) the planets follow ellipses, b) P2 = a3,
c) equal areas in equal times, d) Fg=GMM/d2
A shift in the direction of an object caused by a change in the position of an observer is called
a) parallax, b) precession, c) the Coriolis effect, d) epicycle motion
Newton invented this to help him solve Kepler's equations
a) algebra, b) calculus, c) trigonometry, d) protractor
At anyone given time, how much of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun?
a) 1/2, b) all, c) 1/4, d) depends on its phase
The tropic of cancer is the imaginary line north of the Equator where it appears the Sun is overhead during
the summer solstice. In degrees of Latitude, how far from the equator in the Tropic of Cancer?
a) 33.33 degrees, b) 23.5 degrees, c) depends on the season, d) 23.5 radians
Why are there seven days of the week on our current calendars?
a) seven was the only number which was easily divided into the number of months of the year,
b) seven was considered a "magic" number,
c) that was how many celestial objects in the sky moved with respect to other objects,
d) the Roman kingdom of the time had seven regions
Why are there 12 months in a year on our current calendar?
a) the year is easily divisible into 12 parts, b) 12 was considered a "magic" number,
c) there are 12 lunar cycles in a year, d) because there are 12 Zodiac signs in the sky
The ability of a telescope to image faint objects depends on the area of its lens. If I double the size of a
circular telescope, what happens to its ability to image faint objects?
a) remains the same, b) increases by two, c) increases by four, d) increase by five
What prevents large ground-based telescope from achieving the same angular resolution as the Hubble
Space Telescope (HST)?
a) they're not as big as HST, b) atmospheric seeing,
c) HST is a reflecting telescope, d) HST can observe 24 hours per day.
1.
What is the range of values that the coordinate declination can have?
a. -90 to +90 degrees
b. 0 to 360 degrees
c. 0 to 180 degrees
d. 0 to 24 hours
e. -12 to +12 hours
2.
What are constellations?
a.
Groups of galaxies seen clustered in the night sky.
b.
Groups of stars that make an apparent pattern in the sky.
c.
d.
Groups of stars that are gravitationally bound to each other.
Relics of the past, unrelated to modern-day astronomy.
3.
Polaris, the North Star, does not appear to move in the sky because:
a.
The stars are fixed relative to each other.
b.
It lies approximately over the northern axis of the Earth.
c.
It is too nearby for its motion to be discernible.
d.
It is located directly overhead for everyone on Earth.
4.
Polaris is about how many degrees above the horizon from Paris (49 degrees north latitude)?
a.
0
b.
41. degrees
c.
49. degrees
d.
90. degrees
5.
The vernal equinox occurs in the month of
a.
December
b.
March
c.
June
d.
August
6.
The sun is highest (greatest declination) at the
a.
vernal equinox
b.
winter solstice
c.
autumnal equinox
d.
summer solstice
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7.
Which of the following stars should be brightest (based upon its name)?
a.
gamma Orion
b.
beta Leo Minor
c.
delta Leo
d.
zeta Ursa Major
8.
During the course of the night, a star's celestial coordinates:
a.
increase
b.
remain constant
c.
decrease
d.
none of the above
9.
Viewed looking down upon the North Pole, the Earth would be seen rotating:
a.
clockwise
b.
counter-clockwise
c.
neither, it doesn't rotate
10.
How many astronomical units are there between the Earth and sun?
a.
One
b.
Ten
c.
One million
d.
Six trillion
11.
Which of the following is one of the many contributions made by Galileo to astronomy?
a.
He discovered that the planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits.
b.
He developed a theory of gravity that could explain orbital motion.
c.
He said that the Earth is not at the center of the universe.
d.
He used a telescope to observe the heavens, thereby reinforcing the notion of
heliocentricity.
e.
He made extensive and detailed observations of the positions of planets.
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12.
What was one of Newton's contributions to astronomy?
a.
He discovered that the planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits.
b.
He developed a theory of gravity that could explain orbital motion.
c.
He said that the Earth is not at the center of the universe.
d.
He used a telescope to observe the heavens, thereby reinforcing the notion of
heliocentricity.
e.
He made extensive and detailed observations of the positions of planets.
13.
The Moon is growing more full each night. This is called _____.
a.
gibbous
b.
waxing
c.
waning
d.
phases
14.
What geometric shape did Kepler introduce in modifying Copernicus' model?
a.
circle
b.
deferent
c.
epicycle
d.
ellipse
15.
The Earth's equator is tilted how much with respect to the plane of the ecliptic?
a.
0 degrees
b.
23 1/2 degrees
c.
45. degrees
d.
66 1/2 degrees
16.
Which of the following did Galileo NOT see with his telescope?
a.
Saturn's moons
b.
lunar craters
c.
sunspots
d.
phases of Venus
17.
A wave's frequency triples. By what factor is its wavelength changed?
a.
three
b.
one (no change)
c.
one third
d.
one ninth
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18.
The frequency at which the intensity of a star's light peaks depends on the _____ of the star. (Fill
in the blank.)
a.
Size
b.
Temperature
c.
Magnetism
d.
Speed toward or away from the observer
e.
Strength of gravity
19.
Which of the following properties is constant for all types electromagnetic waves in a vacuum?
a.
wavelength
b.
speed
c.
energy
d.
frequency
e.
color
20.
If an object is moving toward you, what effect do you observe in the spectrum of that object?
a.
It appears red-shifted.
b.
The light appears to be moving faster.
c.
All the spectral lines appear broadened.
d.
It appears blue-shifted.
e.
The light appears brighter.
21.
Wien's Law states that the wavelength at which the most radiation is emitted by an object is
inversely related to the following.
a.
luminosity of the object
b.
speed of light
c.
size of the object
d.
color of the object
e.
temperature of the object
22.
What is emitted from an atom when one of its electrons makes a transition from a higher energy
state to a lower energy state?
a.
proton
b.
photon
c.
graviton
d.
neutron
e.
electron
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23.
The line-of-sight velocity of a star is determined using:
a.
Newton's 3rd Law
b.
the Wien Law
c.
the Doppler effect
d.
Kirchhoff's Law
24.
What problem are adaptive optics used to correct?
a.
the opacity of the Earth's atmosphere
b.
defects in the optics of the telescope
c.
slight errors in the telescope's mount to compensate for the Earth's rotation
d.
effects of atmospheric turbulence
e.
reduce the amount of background noise in a CCD
25.
For what is an interferometer used?
a.
to decrease the effects of atmospheric seeing for optical telescopes
b.
to decrease the effects of light pollution in the images
c.
to increase the sensitivity of infrared telescopes
d.
to improve the angular resolution of radio telescopes
e.
to process images from a CCD
26.
What is "seeing"?
a.
It is a measure of the quality of a telescope's optical system.
b.
It is a measure of the image quality due to the stability of the air.
c.
It is a standard by which astronomers compare and contrast their own eyesight with that
of their colleagues.
d.
It is a difference related strictly to cold- and warm-weather observing.
27.
A mountain top is a good location for optical and infrared telescopes because the site:
a.
Is above much of the atmosphere.
b.
Is closer to astronomical objects.
c.
Has cold weather which improves the performance of the instruments.
d.
all of the above.
e.
none of the above.
28.
Refracting telescopes suffer from this type of defect. Light of different wavelengths is focused at
different positions.
a.
Diffraction limited
b.
Seeing
c.
Chromatic aberration
d.
Refraction
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29.
What is one advantage of large telescopes over small ones?
a.
Large telescopes have a wider field of view.
b.
Large telescopes collect more light than small ones.
c.
Large telescopes are easier to mount.
d.
Large telescopes are heavier and therefore more stable and accurate in pointing.
30.
All large modern telescopes are
a.
refractors
b.
Cassegrains
c.
Reflectors
d.
Coudes
31.
Who was the first to observe the heavens with a telescope and record his observations?
a.
Galileo
b.
Brahe
c.
Huygens
d.
Newton
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