Astro 7n Art Questions for Test 1

What object appears in these sketches — drawn as seen through one of the first telescopes, in the early 17th century — and who drew them? Earth's Moon, by Galileo Galilei Mercury, by Tycho Brahe Venus, by Nicholaus Copernicus Earth's Moon, by Sir Isaac Newton Mars, by Johannes Kepler

Earth's Moon, by Galileo Galilei

Why is Earth's sky blue, in daytime? Your eye over-corrects from the Sun's bright yellow light, to form a negative image in blue in every other direction. The sky is clear, but the color is a reflection of the blue of Earth's oceans back down towards the surface. The Sun emits only blue light; other colors are a result of energy lost through repeated scattering by atoms. Molecules in Earth's atmosphere scatter blue components of sunlight more than redder wavelengths, so we see blue in directions other than directly towards the Sun.

Molecules in Earth's atmosphere scatter blue components of sunlight more than redder wavelengths, so we see blue in directions other than directly towards the Sun.

Speculative futuristic human explorers aside, which of the paintings above more accurately represents the colors and terrain of Mars as we understand them today? Rawlings' (on the left) Bonestell's (on the right) Both are accurate; Bonestell's is of a site in Mars' southern hemisphere, and Rawlings' is of a location in the north. Neither of these is accurate; Mars' surface is flat and gray. Neither of these is accurate; Mars has no atmosphere so its sky would be black.

Rawlings' (on the left)

One of these cars is black and the other is red (really). They are illuminated by sodium lamps which have dominantly yellow light. Why do the cars both appear to be dark in color? The black car is absorbing the light being emitted by the red car. Blue light is not present in the light source, and so it cannot be reflected by the red paint as it would need to be in order to produce a red color. The red car would absorb all the red light and look red, but there is not any red light in the illumination source. Yellow light combines with the red and blue light coming from the Sun, and produces a dark color. Red light, which would be reflected from the red car, is not present in the light source.

Red light, which would be reflected from the red car, is not present in the light source.

How do we know what color sunsets are on Mars? We know that Mars has no atmosphere, so its sky is nearly black all the time. We know that Mars has an atmosphere just like Earth's, so its sky colors must also match. We do not know; artists just make it up based on their best guess. Robotic missions landed on the Martian surface have returned color images.

Robotic missions landed on the Martian surface have returned color images.

If the Sun is a "green star," why does it not look obviously green in the daytime sky? Green light from the Sun becomes red by the time it reaches the Earth, due to the expansion of space. Our eyes have not evolved to detect the specific green wavelengths of light emitted by the Sun. Earth's atmosphere absorbs green visible light before it can reach observers on the surface. Sunlight contains a mix of all visible colors, the combination of which looks yellow or white.

Sunlight contains a mix of all visible colors, the combination of which looks yellow or white.

The painting above was created in 1944 by artist Chesley Bonestell (U.S.A., 1888 - 1986), and is meant to portray Saturn's largest moon, Titan. What have learned about Titan since then, that renders this artist's depiction somewhat out-of-date? Titan is a gas giant, and has no solid surface at all. Titan is a hot, volcanic moon — covered with lakes of continuously molten rock. Titan is surrounded by a thick, orange, smoggy atmosphere, making it hard to see Saturn or stars from its surface. Titan actually orbits the planet Jupiter, not Saturn. Titan sits inside the rings of Saturn, so the view of them would stretch all the way across its sky.

Titan is surrounded by a thick, orange, smoggy atmosphere, making it hard to see Saturn or stars from its surface.

Why did NASA recruit artist Rick Guidice in the 1970s? To design rockets for the later Apollo missions. To illustrate possible future human colonies in space. To create the official NASA logo. To teach a series of painting workshops for NASA mission scientists. To create a series of portraits documenting the Apollo mission astronauts

To illustrate possible future human colonies in space.

What can reduce the speed at which a viewer looks at a photograph? A curved line Empty space Parallel lines A straight line Using a single object

a curved line

In the photo above, the duck adds _______ to the image: texture lines rhythm color depth

depth

What is the red-rimmed round black object in the sky of this painting by artist Lucien Rudaux (French, 1874 - 1947)? Venus Jupiter a black hole Earth's Moon Earth

earth

What color does a sunset cause scenery to take on before the sun sets, and right after the sun sets? Blue before and golden after Pink before and golden after Blue before and red after Red before and blue after Golden before and blue after

golden before and blue after

Which art movement influenced many modern astronomical artists, with an emphasis on large natural formations dwarfing any human elements in landscape scenes? Postmodernism Art Nouveau Dadaism Cubism Hudson River School

hudson river school

The position the bird was placed in this image was guided by: the law of thirds symmetry the need for balance framing rhythm

law of thirds

Which conditions would lead to the most vibrant colors in a sunset? low pollution, low humidity, high temperatures high pollution, high humidity, high temperatures low pollution, high humidity, low temperatures low pollution, low humidity, low temperatures low pollution, high humidity, high temperatures

low pollution, low humidity, low temperatures

The bales of hay in this photo are an example of regular rhythm radial balance random rhythm contrast symmetric balance

random rhythm

What type of weather conditions are generally best for sunset photos? Low level clouds that completely cover the sky Extremely overcast and pouring rain Completely cloud free sky Clouds on the opposite side of the sky but none anywhere near the sunset Some high or mid level clouds

some high or mid-level clouds

What color of light is scattered the most by the molecules in Earth's atmosphere? yellow green white violet red

violet