Exploration of The Solar System Exam 1 (University of Iowa)

Which of the following Doppler shifts indicates the fastest approaching object?

-0.06 nm

Rank the following in order of decreasing wavelength: A. Gamma rays B. Visible light C. Infrared light D. Ultraviolet light E. Radio Waves

E, C, B, D, A

High-speed computers have become one of an astronomer's most important tools. Which of the following does not require the use of a high-speed computer?

Pointing a telescope from object to object

What would happen to everyone's mass if Earth's radius doubled, but it kept the same mass?

Remain the same

Which of the following is the biggest disadvantage of putting a telescope in space?

Space telescopes are much more expensive and riskier than similar ground-based telescopes

If Earth shrank to a smaller radius but kept the same mass, would the gravitational force between Earth and the Moon become

Stay the same

Which planet cannot be in opposition when seen from Earth?

Venus

Which planet moves faster around the Sun?

Venus

Which term characterizes the distance between two peaks of a wave?

Wavelength

If Earth's axis were tilted by 45 degrees instead of its actual tilt, how would the seasons be different than they are currently

Winters would be colder

Imagine a planet moving in a perfectly circular orbit around the Sun. Is this planet experiencing acceleration

Yes, because it is changing its direction of motion all the time.

No matter where you are on Earth, the stars appear to rotate about a point called the

Zenith

What is the point directly above your head in the horizon system?

Zenith

The orbit of the planets is an ellipse with the Sun at

a focus

How can spectra tell us the chemical composition of a distant star?

Atomic structure and the particle nature of light result in predictable absorption and emission lines. These lines act as fingerprints, revealing the composition of distant stars.

The average distance of Mars from the Sun is 1.5 AU. How bright is the Sun on Mars compared with it brightness on Earth?

About 2 times fainter

Which term characterizes the height of a wave?

Amplitude

When you look at the sky on a dark night and see stars of different colors, which is the hottest?

Blue

Rank the circular velocities of the following objects from smallest to largest A. A 5-kg object orbiting Earth halfway to the Moon B. A 10-kg object orbiting Earth just above Earth's surface C. A 15-kg object orbiting Earth at the same distance as the Moon

C, A, B

Place the following in order from largest to smallest semimajor axis: A. A planet with a period of 84 Earth days B. A planet with a period of 1 Earth year C. A planet with a period of 2 Earth years D. A planet with a period of 0.5 Earth years

C, B, D, A

CCD cameras have much higher quantum efficiency than that of other detectors. Therefore, CCD cameras

Can generate a signal from fewer photos

In practice, the smallest angular size that one can resolve with a 10-inch telescope is governed by the

Diffraction limit of the telescope

Rank the following in order of weakest to strongest total tides: A. New Moon in July B. First Quarter Moon in July C. Full Moon in January D. Third Quarter Moon in January

D, B, A, C

If we wanted to increase the Hubble Space Telescope's altitude above Earth and keep it in a stable orbit, what would we need to do?

Decrease its orbital speed

As wavelength increases, the energy of a photon ____________ and its frequency __________

Decrease: Decrease

Which of the following is not a tool that astronomers use to study the universe: A. Computers B. particle accelerators C. telescopes D. lasers E. all of the above are tools used

E. All of the above are used as tools

Which tidal effect is the greatest?

Earth on Moon

The planet Uranus will be observed in retrograde motion when

Earth overtakes Uranus in its orbit

Which of the following particles orbits the nucleus of an atom?

Electron

If the Moon rises just as the Sun is setting, what phase is the Moon in?

Full Moon

What is the lunar phase during a lunar eclipse?

Full Moon

Suppose that the astronomical cycles were even multiples of each other, so that a cycle of lunar phases was precisely 30 days and Earth's orbital period was precisely 12 months. In such a system, how would dates of "wandering" holidays, such as Chinese New Year or Ramadan change?

If the synodic period of the Moon phases were precisely 30 days, and Earth took precisely 12 months to orbit the Sun, the current "wandering" holidays would always fall on the same days from year to year.

What would happen to the gravitational force between the Sun and Earth if the mass of Earth doubled?

Increase by a factor of 2

If the distance between Earth and the Sun were cut in half, the gravitational force between these objects would

Increase by a factor of 4

Romer used the moons of which planet to calculate the speed of light?

Jupiter

Who discovered that planets do not orbit the Sun in circular orbits?

Kepler

Which of Galileo's astronomical observations were best explained by a heliocentric model?

Moons of Jupiter Apparent size and phase of Venus

What is the lunar phase during a solar eclipse?

New Moon

Which of these scientists had a mathematical theory with which he was able to explain astronomical discoveries and make predictions, as opposed to analyzing collected data?

Newton

Which place has the most circumpolar stars?

North Pole (latitude 90)

If the star Polaris has an altitude of 35 degrees, we know that

Our latitude is 35 degrees north

How did the ancients know the planets were different from the stars?

Planets move differently than stars

Which is not a reason that all large astronomical telescopes are reflectors

The glass doesn't need to be curved

Spacecraft are the most effective way to study planets in our Solar System because

They can collect more information than is available just from images from Earth

What is the lunar phase if the Moon is setting at noon?

Third Quarter

The Moon always keeps the same face toward Earth because of

Tidal locking

If the Moon were in its same orbital plane but twice as far from Earth, which of the following would happen?

Total eclipse of the Sun would not be possible

Which scientist made accurate observations of planetary positions?

Tycho

Through which material does light travel the fastest

a vacuum

According to Kepler's second law, where is the planet located when it moves the fastest?

closest to the star

What type of mission collects information about multiple planets?

flybys

Frequency is measured in what units?

hertz (hz)

If Earth shrank to a smaller radius but kept the same mass, would everyones weight change on earth

increase

Where are telescopes currently not located?

on the moon

Which of the following is analogous to longitude?

right ascension

Why is there a high tide on the side of Earth farthest away from the Moon?

the Moon pulls Earth closer than it than it pulls the water on the far side

Which of the following does not apply to reflecting telescopes?

they observe light that bends through a medium

Which of the following is not an advantage of CCD cameras over photographic plates?

they turn photons into protons

Newton's form of which on of Kepler's Laws can be used to calculate mass?

third