astronomy - final exam
What are new stars that are found in the spiral arms and formed from recycled dead star material known as?
population I stars
What is a planet that has its main orbit around a pulsar star, like PSR B1620-26 b, known as?
pulsar planet
Which of these terms is applicable in a discussion of accretion?
quasar
Galaxies differ in ________, ________, and ________.
shapes, sizes, number of stars
The ________ is an infinitely dense point inside of the event horizon.
singularity
Which part of a black hole is most like the core of the Earth?
singularity
Which of the following classes might you NOT take in high school if you were preparing for a career in the space sciences?
speech and drama
The term astronaut derives from Greek. What does it translate to in English?
star sailor
Once a star collapses upon itself and turns into a ________, a black hole may form due to the immense compression of matter.
supernova
Where does the halo of a galaxy expand from?
the bulge out to the edge of the disk
Black holes have three major parts that include:
the event horizon, singularity, and the chute located between the two.
Imagine that SpaceX also invented a way for your spacecraft to travel inside of a black hole and come back again, and to prove it, they wanted to build a tool—like a super-powerful telescope—for your friends and family to view your journey into and out of the black hole from their homes on Earth. From your family and friends' perspective, as you approached the black hole's event horizon, what would they see?
the spacecraft frozen for all eternity
What phrase has been used to describe the event horizon?
"the point of no return"
Translated, Via Lactea means
"the road of milk."
Scientists have estimated that our Milky Way galaxy is just over ________ in diameter.
100,000 light years
If it were possible to shine a flashlight from the outer edge of our galaxy, how long would it take for that beam of light to travel through the galactic web of stars, through the center, and out to the opposite side?
100,000 years
how old is the milky way?
13.5 billion years
A funny thing happens when black holes are detected: they appear to be ________
2-dimensional
PSR B1620-26 b is ________ times the mass of Jupiter.
2.5
Which of the following is a typical measurement of mass?
2000 kg
Sagittarius A* is located ________ away from Earth, which may make us wonder whether it will one day consume our galaxy—solar system and planet included
26,000 light-years
If a kiloparsec (kpc) is equal to 1000 parsecs, how many light years is a kiloparsec equal to?
3, 260 light years
The Andromeda Galaxy will appear in Earth's view in about _____ years, as predicted by NASA.
3.75 billion
Astronomers estimate that ________ galaxies exist within our universe
50 billion to one trillion
one light year is around ________ kilometers
9.6 trillion
One ________ is 149,598,000 kilometers (92,955,807 miles)
AU
Why are black holes important to study?
Because they can tell us about the beginnings of our universe, as well as what we can expect in the future.
________ is one of these elements that scientists can use as a "cosmic clock" to determine age
Beryllium
The supermassive black hole at the center of ________ is noticeable due to the massive ejections of energy which extend for about 13,000 light years from the black hole itself, a clear visual sign of the presence of a black hole.
Centaurus A
You are trying to teach your five-year-old brother about black holes at the dinner table and describe the event horizon like the edge of a plate and the singularity as a grain of rice in the middle of the plate. How could you improve this analogy to be more accurate to the nature of the event horizon and/or singularity?
Change your description of the singularity from a grain of rice to a speck of pepper.
What term refers to groups of closely grouped stars that are located along the spiral disk of a galaxy?
Closed clusters
________ are found through specific studies and calculations and are answers that are close to, or an approximation of, a correct answer.
Estimations
All astronauts must be represented by a NASA-sanctioned space lawyer before being allowed to participate in space missions.
False
Galaxies are classified by their shape and size into five major groups.
False
Galaxies stop changing after they settle on an initial shape.
False
In 1909, Galileo first looked at the Milky Way using very powerful binoculars.
False
In the sequence of steps in which a black hole is formed, a supernova occurs during the first two steps.
False
On space missions with international teams, every country involved wants the flight director to be chosen from their country because their national space organization receives a significant amount of funding if they lead the mission.
False
Our sun is in the exact center of our galaxy.
False
The United States space program began to take off in the 1970s after the Vietnam War was over and the country could then dedicate resources back to space exploration.
False
The moon orbits around the Sun, and the Sun orbits around the Earth.
False
When black holes are discovered, they appear to be 4-dimensional.
False
While there are some very old stars in the halo of our galaxy, the stars that make up the halo are about 50 percent of all the stars in the Milky Way.
False
With the newest technology, ________ is working to create a detailed 3-D map of our region of the Milky Way for astrometry, which is precise measurements of the
GAIA
_____ is not only the farthest-away galaxy that we've been able to see but that logically makes it the oldest galaxy we've ever been able to see.
GN-z11
________ are enormous clusters of stars, dust, gas, and planetary systems bound together and shaped by gravity.
Galaxies
________ as theorized by Einstein shows matter and light bending around the larger mass of an object.
General relativity
The Johnson Space Center is located in which US city?
Houston
What issue can complicate the work of space lawyers?
It is still somewhat unclear where airspace ends and outer space begins.
What aspect of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope are astronomers most excited about?
It will house one of the world's largest cameras.
Which of the following is an example of a niche within the movie world?
Italian films
What causes us to perceive objects in three dimensions?
Light bouncing or reflecting off an object in different ways.
Imagine that it is three years in the future. You are in college, and your friend Hannah is thinking about switching her major. She was a physics major and planned for a career as an astronaut but has realized that she is probably better suited for a more routine job like a science teacher and will be changing her major to science education. However, she is worried that none of the skills she spent time studying in her physics classes will be applicable as a science teacher. What would you tell her?
Many of the skills she's learned are likely transferrable to other careers in the science field.
Why is it hard for us to understand how a singularity works?
Mathematical equations break down and return answers of infinity approaching a singularity.
PSR B1620-26 b has been given some loving, unofficial nicknames, such as ________ and ________
Methuselah; the Genesis Planet.
What is the Schwarzschild radius?
a measurement of how small a celestial body's radius would have to be in order to become a black hole
black hole
a point or area in space that gives off no light radiation.
How are galaxies created?
One says that galaxies were born when vast clouds of gas and dust collapsed under their own gravitational pull, allowing stars to form. ... The other, which has gained strength in recent years, says the young universe contained many small "lumps" of matter, which clumped together to form galaxies.
Planet ________ is estimated to be about 13 billion years old, almost as old as the Milky Way itself
PSR B1620-26 b
________ moved the concept of black holes from the fringes of astronomy to the forefront.
Pierre-Simon de LaPlace
________, a New Zealand-born mathematician, is credited with solving how a noncharged, rotating massive object (like a supermassive black hole) affects its gravitational field.
Roy Kerr
In fact, there is one in the center of the Milky Way, called ________, which is classified as a supermassive black hole.
Sagittarius A*
The ________ built upon Einstein's theory to determine that anything can become a black hole given enough compression.
Schwarzschild radius
Which of the following candidates would be most prepared for a career in academia?
Sharon, who has a PhD in chemistry and is willing to move to any city for a job
Why would Fornax A, a black hole with an estimated mass of 130-150 million solar masses, NOT be an example of a stellar-mass black hole?
Stellar-mass black holes have a solar mass of five to several tens of times the mass of the sun, so this black hole's mass is too large to be a stellar-mass black hole.
A group of scientists have just found a new object that looks like a star that emits extreme amounts of energy and appears as a large jet bursting from above and below a black object in space. This is an example of:
a quasar.
________ is the closest we have come to discovering habitable planets outside of our solar system.
TRAPPIST-1e
________ has been instrumental in determining the mass of planets and providing an eye into the depths of space.
The Hubble Space Telescope
Which of the following best describes the black hole status within the Milky Way?
There is a supermassive black hole that is about 15 million miles across.
Which of the following BEST describes the gravitational binding of galaxies?
They are found in clumps called clusters or superclusters.
Currently, scientists believe that nothing can escape a black hole. In theory, what would an object have to do to be able to escape the gravitational pull of a black hole toward its singularity?
Travel faster than the speed of light.
A globular cluster is a group of older stars that cluster together.
True
If an astronaut on the International Space Station harms another astronaut on the spacecraft, it is the responsibility of the victim's country to prosecute.
True
Just as we orbit the sun, PSR B1620-26 b orbits two burnt-out stars, a pulsar and a white dwarf.
True
Many galaxies' gravity source is in the form of black holes.
True
The European Space Agency (ESA) has started a mission to create the richest, most detailed star catalogue to date.
True
The habitable zone in Proxmia-b's case is actually 25 times closer to its sun than Earth's habitable zone is to our sun.
True
What characteristic may make you likely to pursue a career in data science?
You feel most comfortable when you can present your ideas visually with charts, graphs, and reports.
What kind of galaxy appears as a flat disk that forms when the center of a spiral galaxy is elongated into a bar shape?
a barred spiral galaxy
A flattened combination of matter containing stars, gas, and dust in a spiral galaxy can be identified as:
a disk.
What are the four main parts of a spiral galaxy?
a halo, bulge, dish, and arms
When Galileo first looked at the Milky Way with a telescope, what did he observe that the band of light was actually made of?
numerous individual stars
Why is looking through a telescope to observe infant galaxies like looking back in time?
because it takes time for light to travel
Why have Cygnus and Sagittarius been downgraded to minor arms?
because they don't contain as many stars as the larger arms and have a lot of gases
What is one of the elements that scientists can use as a "cosmic clock" to determine age?
beryllium
A ________ consumes gases and light in a swirling pattern around it.
black hole
Everything in the universe, even light, can fall into a ________ with no possibility of escape, which is why more advanced methods are being used to find them.
black hole
there is a giant ________ in the center of the Milky Way, which is four million times the mass of the Sun.
black hole
How does the Milky Way compare with other galaxies within the universe?
brighter than most galaxies that we have been able to see. Second, the Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy; unlike typical spiral galaxies, barred spiral galaxies have flat discs in their centers.
What are so tiny that they are measured at only a few thousand light-years or less and astronomers think that there may be billions of them in our universe?
dwarf galaxies
How do gravity and dark matter shape the galaxies and affect their environment?
cause galaxies to take different shapes: spiral, elliptical, and irregular.
Which of the following lists correctly represents the typical career progression to full-time college professor?
college degree, master's degree, postdoc, professor
In addition to science courses like physics and chemistry, what other types of courses are becoming increasingly relevant to space science careers?
computer science
What are the range of values (like a min and a max) related to a certain test set or question that statisticians use called?
confidence intervals
What process allows galactic bodies to interact with each other by colliding and exchanging particles and matter?
cosmic spallation
Which type of galaxy is a spherical cluster of stars with extraordinary brightness and little dust and gas?
elliptical galaxy
Any matter passing through the ________ is pulled into the singularity.
event horizon
Imagine that SpaceX has created a spacecraft that allows travels to visit black holes safely. Which "part" of a black hole would you expect to see first on your "itinerary"?
event horizon
Which part of a black hole is analogous to the edge of a cliff?
event horizon
What term do we use to refer to planets that are not in our own solar system?
exoplanets
Abe is a high school senior who is set to graduate at the top of his class. He has excellent test scores, holds various positions of leadership in groups and clubs, and despite his impressive achievements is still known for being a compassionate communicator who is calm under pressure and can lead a team to victory. Which space career might Abe be best suited for?
flight director
What are irregular galaxies mostly filled with?
gas and dust
The goal of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope is to _____________.
give scientists a time lapse recording of the southern hemisphere
To estimate the Milky Way's age, astronomers measure the elements found in the oldest stars in the Milky Way's dense groupings of stars that make the halo shape, which are referred to as what?
global clusters
How was Hubble important to our understanding of galaxies?
he discovered the existence of galaxies other than our own, studied them and classified them, and found a direct relation between the size of a galaxy's redshift and the distance to the galaxy.
Astronomers have just discovered a new object that has appeared to "bend" space. What aspect of the object is responsible for the effect the object has on the fabric of space?
its gravitational force
A ________ is a unit of length used by astronomers to measure distances in space
light year
What unit of length is used by astronomers to measure distances in space?
light years
black holes are typically categorized by their ________
mass
In order to find the Schwarzschild radius, you just need to know the:
mass of the object.
Your close friend Justine just got a job offer from NASA and accepted the position. She tells you that she works in this big room and that she communicates with some of the spacecraft, sending signals back and forth. Using your knowledge of careers in this field, what most likely is her job?
member of the mission control team
During her presentation on exoplanets, Michelle explains to the class that while Proxima-b and TRAPPIST-1e may potentially be able to support life, with each of these planets, one side of the planet always faces the sun, making that side perpetually hot and the dark side eternally cool. What term does Michelle use to describe this?
tidally locked
When the Earth is on one side of the sun, a star's location is recorded. In six months, when the Earth is on the other side of the sun, the same star is observed and the distance between the first observation and the second is calculated. What is this an example of?
trigonometric parallax
