ASTRONOMY 115

 1. Kepler’s Third Law involved which two properties of a planet? A.) its period and its semi-major axis B.) its mass and its size C.) its composition and its color D.) its mass and its energy   2. When Earth reaches perihelion (its closest point to the Sun) A.) Earth's orbital speed will be largest B.) Earth will begin to move in a straight line, according to Newton's Laws C.) it will be summer D.) it will be winter   3. In Ptolemy's model of the Solar System: A.) Planets moved on a small epicycle that orbited the Earth on a larger circle. B.) Planets would orbit in an ellipse, not a circle. C.) Venus would go through the complete set of crescent and gibbous phases, as observed by Galileo. D.) The Sun was located at the center of the known universe   4. Of two stars, the star with a LOWER apparent magnitude: A.) appears dimmer B.) must be farther from us C.) appears brighter D.) must be closer to us   5. The source of energy in the Sun is A.) The chemical combustion of Hydrogen B.) The nuclear fusion of Hydrogen into Helium C.) Nuclear fission of Carbon D.) Nuclear fission of Uranium   6. A star with a very large parallax angle must be: A.) very far away B.) very faint C.) very bright D.) very close to us   7. Kepler's First Law says: A.) Planets orbit the Sun in a circle B.) Planets orbit in ellipses, with the Sun at one Focus C.) For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction D.) the tilt of Earth's orbit causes the seasons   8. Where do the Sun and Moon rise and set? A.) the Sun rises in the east, but the Moon rises in the west B.) the Sun rises in the west but the moon rises in the east C.) both rise in the east and set in the west D.) both rise in the west and set in the east   9. Which process could be responsible for an absorption line at visible wavelength? A.) an electron jumping to a lower energy level B.) an electron jumping to a higher energy level C.) a neutron jumping to a higher energy level D.) a proton jumping to a lower energy level  10. The equation E = m c^2 is relevant to the energy production of a star.  In this equation “M” represents: A.) mass of matter converted into energy B.) mass of the star C.) magnitude of the star D.) meters  11. Most large research telescopes are ____________, which use _______________ A.) Refractors; X-rays B.) Reflectors; lenses C.) Refractors; mirrors D.) Reflectors; mirrors  12. If a star’s spectrum just shows bright lines at specific wavelengths, it is called: A.) a solar spectrum B.) a continuum spectrum C.) an absorption spectrum D.) an emission spectrum  13. Does an eclipse occur every New Moon? A.) No, because Moon's orbit is tilted B.) No, because the New Moon is too small to cause an eclipse. C.) Yes, and it is always a lunar eclipse D.) Yes, but it could be partial solar eclipse  14. On August 21st, 2017, over 200 million people in the US witnessed a total solar eclipse.  What phase was the Moon in on this day? A.) Crescent B.) New C.) First quarter D.) Full  15. The North Celestial Pole: A.) Is located on Earth B.) has been visited recently by a NASA spacecraft C.) is location in the sky directly above the Earth's North Pole D.) is located at the zenith for all observers  16. Which of the following spectral types of star has the coolest surface temperature? A.) Type B B.) Type K C.) Type O D.) Type A  17. A star has a measured parallax angle of 0.05 arc seconds.  Using the parallax formula: D = 1/P  we can compute the distance to the star to be: A.) 0.02 parsecs B.) 50 parsecs C.) 0.05 parsecs D.) 20 parsecs  18. The International Space Station orbits Earth 16 times a day.  How does it do this? A.) It burns fuel to keep itself in motion. B.) It falls under the force of gravity without expending energy. C.) It has solar panels that provide the energy required to orbit. D.) Its direct motion is compensated for by its retrograde direction.  19. How are all of the stars in a constellation (e.g. Orion) related? A.) they are all the same distance B.) they are all the same temperature C.) they are not related; they are simply in the same part of the sky D.) they are all the same spectral type  20. All of the energy of the Sun is generated in the A.) photosphere B.) chromosphere C.) core D.) corona  21. Which is true of Galileo? A.) His discoveries disproved the Geocentric Theory B.) He used the theory of gravity to explain planetary motions. C.) He discovered that planets orbit the Sun following ellipses D.) He was first to observe retrograde motion  22. Why did Kepler reject Copernicus' model of circular planetary orbits? A.) it disagreed with observations made by Tycho B.) Kepler didn't like Copernicus C.) it differed from an idea Kepler had previously proposed D.) it disagreed with church doctrines  23. What would be the best way to determine if a star contains the element Calcium? A.) determine the magnitude of the star B.) determine the color of the star C.) obtain its spectrum and compare it to a known spectrum of Calcium D.) determine the distance to the star  24. A star has a peak wavelength of 600 nm (nanometers). Use Wien's law to compute the temperature of the star.  Wien's law can be expressed as:  T(K) = 3,000,000 nm /λmax A.) 5,000 K B.) 1,800,000,000 K C.) 500 K D.) 60,000 K  25. Which observation of the Moon helped Newton develop his Law of Gravity? A.) it does not move in a straight line, but curves under some force B.) it is large enough to eclipse the Sun C.) has phases that repeat every 29.5 days D.) it rises at sunset  26. What is special about Geostationary (or Geosynchronous) satellites? A.) they orbit other planets, but not the Earth B.) they leave the solar system C.) they remain above the same part of the Earth while orbiting D.) they orbit the Moon rather than the Earth  27. The Retrograde motion of a planet A.) occurs at either of the two solstices B.) causes it to temporarily fall out of its orbit C.) occurs when its course through the sky appears to reverse direction D.) causes electronics on Earth to malfunction  28. The Sun's photosphere: A.) is its primary source of the Sun’s energy B.) can only be seen during an eclipse C.) an only be seen with a space telescope D.) is the visible surface of the Sun  29. When the Moon is directly between the Sun and Earth, which phase is the Moon in? (Hint: make a drawing) A.) gibbous B.) New C.) Full D.) First Quarter  30. A light-year is defined as: A.) the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. B.) the speed at which light travels through space. C.) the time it takes light to reach us from a star D.) distance light travels in one year  31. The unit equal to the average distance from the Earth to the Sun is: A.) the parsec B.) the Astronomical Unit (AU) C.) the kilometer D.) the light year  32. A time of year when the night and day are of equal length is known as: A.) a solstice B.) the ecliptic C.) the equator D.) an equinox  33. The day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight is called A.) Winter Solstice B.) Summer Solstice C.) Vernal Equinox D.) Perihelion  34. 10 meter telescope can gather more light than a 5 meter telescope. How many times more?   (Note: C = 2 * π* r and A = π* r^2) A.) 4 times more B.) 25 times more C.) 2 times more D.) 10 times more  35. Which of the following people is given credit for the idea that the Sun at the center of the solar system? A.) Ptolemy B.) Copernicus C.) Tycho D.) Kepler  36. The Sunspot Cycle: A.) is responsible for Solar Eclipses B.) is caused by dramatic changes in the Sun's nuclear reactions C.) is an 11 year variation in activity on the surface of the Sun D.) causes the Sun to be brighter and dimmer every 365 days  37. Newton's realization that the Moon orbited the Earth due to gravity ultimately allowed him to: A.) Disprove the Heliocentric Theory B.) Discover that planets orbited the Sun in ellipses C.) Prove Kepler's Laws of planetary motion D.) Discover that planets orbited the Sun in circles  38. What is special about the constellations that make up the Zodiac? A.) they are located on the ecliptic, so the Sun passes "through" them every year B.) their stars are closer to us than the stars of other constellations C.) they determine people's destiny D.) they form a circle around the Earth from the North to South Celestial Poles  39. Why does Earth have seasons? A.) due to effects caused by the Moon B.) because the Sun’s energy output is constantly changing C.) because Earth is gets closer to the Sun in summer, and farther in winter D.) because Earth's axis is tilted with respect to the Ecliptic  40. What's the difference between blue light and red light? A.) blue light is brighter B.) red light is brighter C.) blue light has shorter wavelengths D.) red light has shorter wavelengths  41. The cause of aurorae (eg. Northern Lights) is A.) excess heat on the North Pole during summer solstice B.) particles from the Sun, deflected by Earth's magnetic field C.) light from the Moon D.) Kepler's first Law  42. Refer to the HR diagram figure for this question.   Which star could be a red giant? A.) 3 B.) 2 C.) 1 D.) 5  43. Refer to the HR diagram figure for this question.   Which stars are NOT on the main sequence? A.) just 3 B.) 1, 3 & 5 C.) 2 & 4 D.) 1 & 5  44. Refer to the HR diagram figure for this question.  The Sun occupies a location closest to: A.) 2 B.) 3 C.) 1 D.) 4