Download Study Questions for Test 2

Study Questions for Test 2
Chapters 6, 8, 19 and 20
What forms of electromagnetic radiation have wavelengths shorter and longer than
visible light?
How is the energy of a photon related to its wavelength?
The largest optical telescopes in the world today are what type?
What are observational advantages of locating a telescope on a mountain top?
Which forms of electromagnetic radiation reach Earth’s surface and which forms are
blocked by ozone and water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere?
What are the three “powers” an optical telescope? Rank their importance.
What is adaptive optics? What is chromatic aberration?
Define in detail the following features of the Sun: granulation, photosphere, sunspot, flare
and corona?
What solar feature has the greatest effect on Earth?
Where is energy generated in the Sun? What is the process of energy generation?
When can the Sun’s corona be observed?
What is the sunspot cycle?
What is the Nebular Theory of the origin of the Solar System? Who first proposed the
Nebular Theory? What is the Passing Star Theory? Who proposed the Passing Star
Theory?
How old do astronomers believe the Solar System is?
What evidence supports the Nebular Theory?
How old are the oldest Earth rocks?
Where is volcanism most likely to occur on Earth?
How is the Earth’s magnetic field generated? What is a magnetic reversal?
What are the three parts of Earth’s interior?
How was oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere primarily generated?
What are the characteristics of the Terrestrial and the Jovian planets?
What is a meteor?
What is the Condensation Sequence and what does it suggest about the origin of the
planets?
What are planetesimals and what do they resemble?
What forces cleared the solar nebula of residual materials after the planets formation?
Describe the process of planetary formation. Describe the process of Earth’s
development.
What characteristic do most extra-solar planets discovered so far have in common?