Astronomy Final Exam [PHYS 103]

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On the present Earth, the portable source of carbon that plants use to build complex organic compounds is

carbon dioxide.

The key advantage of Carbon over Silicon as the basic element for life is that

carbon forms more stable compounds than silicon.

The oxygen atom in a water molecule

carries a negative electrical charge.

The hydrogen atoms in a water molecule

carry a positive electrical charge.

At present (within the last few hundred years), the distance from Mars to the Sun

changes enough to make the intensity of sunlight vary by 40 percent.

At present (within the last few hundred years), the distance from the Earth to the Sun

changes enough to make the intensity of sunlight vary by 6 percent.

Milankovich cycles refer to

changes in the intensity of sunlight due to shifts in both the Earth's orbit and rotation axis.

In our Milky Way Galaxy, the Orion arm is the

closest one to our Sun

Stars usually come in clusters, all born at about the same time, because

collapsing interstellar clouds usually fragment.

The currently accepted theory of how the Moon formed is the

collision theory.

Relative to the distant stars, Mercury

completes 1.5 rotations each time it orbits the Sun.

Relative to the distant stars, Venus

completes less than one full rotation each time it orbits the Sun.

The ion tail of a comet

consists of straight streamers.

One observation that we are fairly sure helped to convince the Greeks that the Earth is spherical rather than flat is

constellations that could be seen from Egypt but not from Greece.

The motion of tectonic plates is driven by

convection currents in the Earth's mantle.

A main-sequence star with less mass than our sun will be

cooler and dimmer.

Most Kuiper Belt objects can best be described as

dirty snowballs or possibly flying icebergs.

Most comets can best be described as

dirty snowballs or possibly flying icebergs.

Uranus's magnetic North and South poles are

displaced from its rotation axis poles and also from the center of the planet

Neptune's magnetic North and South poles are

displaced from its rotation axis poles and also from the center of the planet.

An advantage of carbon dioxide as the starting form of carbon for use by living things is that it

dissolves in liquid water.

You may hear about an Earth Impact Warning at a certain level on the Torino Scale. That scale ranges from zero to

Suppose that a flash of lightning from a cloud 5000 meters away is followed by a clap of thunder two seconds later. Assume that the light arrived in a negligible time and calculate the speed of the sound waves.

2500m/s

The star pi3-Orionis is 8 parsecs from our Sun. The light from pi3-Orionis has been traveling for

26.4 years.

The time from one Full Moon to the next is 29.5 days. The length of a sidereal month is

27 days.

The star Kruger 60 shows a heliocentric stellar parallax of almost exactly 0.25 seconds of arc. The distance from our Sun to Kruger 60 is

4 parsecs.

Compared to the frequency of photons absorbed during a transition from a -5ev state to a -4ev state, transitions from the -5ev state to a -1ev state would correspond to absorbing photons whose frequency is

4 times as high.

Compared to the Earth, the planet Uranus is roughly

4 times as large.

A disadvantage of the gravitational tractor approach to deflecting an asteroid is that

a massive spacecraft is needed.

When the Earth passes through the orbit of a broken-up comet, we see

a meteor shower.

The word 'Parallax' in the term 'Spectroscopic Parallax' is used because that term refers to

a method for finding distances to stars.

One difficulty with the microfossils that were found in the martian meteorite ALH84001 is that they

are too small.

On the present surface of Mars, water has been confirmed to exist

as ice at the poles and water vapor in the atmosphere.

The Lunar Maria are actually

ancient lava flows.

Current theory says that the Moon formed when

another planet collided with the Earth.

Hydrated minerals on the Moon

are almost completely absent.

Kepler's Laws

are explained by a force that attracts each planet to the Sun.

The number of near-Earth asteroids is large because they

are kicked out of the asteroid belt by Jupiter's gravity.

The main reason that telescope mirrors can be much larger than lenses is that the mirrors

are lighter because they are thinner.

Had Jupiter ignited, we would be living in a multiple star system. Such systems

are quite common.

Convection currents in the Earth's Mantle

are responsible for moving the tectonic plates.

The magnetic field of Jupiter indicates that its core must contain large amounts of

a liquid that can conduct electricity.

The Celestial Sphere is

a map of the stars.

Comets that originate in the Outer Oort Cloud have orbits that are

at all angles to the plane of the solar system.

Because of the electrical repulsion between atomic nuclei, nuclear fusion happens only

at high temperatures.

The number of moons of Jupiter is

at least 62.

The Oort cloud of our Sun reaches

at least a quarter of the the way to the nearest star.

In a Hertsprung-Russel diagram,white dwarf stars such as Sirius B are

at the lower left.

A neutron star in orbit near a normal star is expected to emit

both a constant X-ray signal and X-ray bursts

When Galileo dropped a wooden ball and a heavier iron ball at the same time, he was expecting that

both balls would always hit at exactly the same time.

The source that is called Sgr A* emits

both infrared light and radio waves.

Suppose that you drop two objects from the same height at the same time. Both objects are heavy enough to be unaffected by air resistance. If one object is twice as heavy as the other, Galileo predicted that

both objects would hit the ground at the same time.

Pressure waves are transmitted through

both solids and liquids.

Galileo's approach to understanding moving objects was to

build things that he could measure.

Space probes often use gravitational slingshot maneuvers. The main purpose of these maneuvers is to

change the direction and speed of the probe without using rockets.

When a large interstellar cloud collapses, it usually

fragments into several smaller clouds which then form stars.

A spectrum is defined to be the set of

frequencies or colors present in a light source.

A main-sequence star with more mass than our sun will be

hotter and brighter.

The force of gravity explains

how the tides work but not how lightning works. how planets move and how the tides work.

The Troposphere is where one finds

hurricanes.

The statement that lunar material is much "dryer" than Earth material refers to the absence of

hydrated minerals.

The stars of the Milky Way are all near a great circle on the Celestial Sphere. This great circle

is none of the other things listed here

If the acceleration of an object is zero, its speed

is not changing.

The iron core of an evolved massive star collapses because

its temperature rise stops when iron nuclei come apart.

When ice melts, the resulting liquid water occupies

less volume than the ice did.

The most energy-efficient way to send signals across interstellar distances is thought to be

microwave radio.

The original source of energy for life forms that live near a black smoker is

often chemicals generated by the heat of the Earth's interior.

Complex hydrocarbons such as sugars are found

on Earth and in interstellar clouds.

A converging lens will send the light from a distant star through a point

on the side of the lens opposite the star.

The Moon rotates on its axis relative to the distant stars

once every sideareal month.

The distance from the Earth to the Sun is

one astronomical unit.

Carbon is

one of the four most common elements in the universe.

The part of a protostar where the density first becomes low enough for light to escape is called the

photosphere.

Mariner 10 was the first space probe to reach the

planet Mercury.

The formation of a new white dwarf is usually accompanied by a

planetary nebula.

The habitable zone of a planetary system is defined to be the region where

planetary surfaces permit the existence of liquid water.

On Earth, a stable carbon cycle could not exist without

plate tectonics recycling the sea floor into the Earth' interior.

The radiant of a meteor shower is the

point in the sky the meteors seem to be coming from.

The ancient Greeks were able to estimate the distance from the Earth to the Sun by using

the quarter phases of the Moon.

During a meteor shower, shooting stars seem to be coming from

the radiant

A star of spectral type M should look

red

A star that is cooling and swelling just enough to keep the same total brightness could be a

red subgiant

Space probes often visit several planets before getting to their final destinations. The main reason they do this is to

reduce the amount of rocket fuel needed.

When Copernicus published his final version of the Copernican System in 1543, it was

rejected by most astronomers as not really any better than the Ptolemaic System.

On Earth, the carbon that ends up as ocean sediment and limestone is

returned to the atmosphere by volcanos when the sea floor is pulled deep into the Earth.

Warmer air always.

rises.

Asteroids are usually made of

rock and possibly iron.

Venus

rotates backwards so that the Sun rises in the West.

Icy objects condensed from the outskirts of the Solar Nebula to form

the Kuiper belt.

Icy objects were ejected outward from the neighborhood of the Jovian planets to form

the Oort Cloud.

The time when the noon sun is highest in the sky is called

the Summer Solstice.

In Newton's Theory of planetary motion,

the Sun and Earth move around each other.

From the way that solar eclipses happen, the ancient Greeks concluded that

the Sun is farther from the Earth and larger than the Moon.

The term 'greenhouse effect' refers to

the absorbtion of infrared light by gases in the atmosphere.

In SETI programs, the "water hole" refers to

the range of signal frequencies between emissions caused by hydrogen and hydroxyl molecules.

The first indication that Cygnus X-1 might be a black hole was

the rapid fluctuations in its X-rays

The diffraction limit of a telescope refers to the effect of

the wavelength of light.

The fact that the International Space Station is above most of the Earth's atmosphere is important because it means that

there is no air friction to slow the space station down.

The spacecraft Galileo

went into orbit around the planet Jupiter and dropped a probe into its atmosphere.

Retrograde Motion refers to the

westward motion of the planets relative to the stars.

A disadvantage of the flat Earth model is that it fails to provide a complete explanation of

what holds up the surface of the Earth.

One advantage of the spherical Earth model is that it completely explains

what holds up the surface of the Earth.

A star that is approximately the size of the Earth is probably a

white dwarf star.

The Law of Inertia says that if an object is not acted on by any outside force, its acceleration

will always be zero.

The idea that a worthwhile model of a situation must predict what is actually observed seems to have started

with the ancient Greek philosophers.

If we wish to find life with a carbon-return process similar to the one here on Earth, we should look for planets

with thin, unstable surfaces.

Stars with more than 15 times the mass of our Sun usually evolve from the main sequence to red giants

without pausing while getting cooler at almost constant brightness.

In a region of the atmosphere in which the temperature rises with increasing altitude

you expect no changes.

In a region of the atmosphere in which the temperature falls with increasing altitude

you expect rapid changes.

If an object is moving at constant speed in a straight line, its acceleration is

zero.

The density of water is 1000kg/mł while the density of rock is 3000kg/mł. Which of the following values is a plausible value for the density of a jovian planet? (A) 700kg/mł (B) 3000kg/mł (C) 5000kg/mł. (D) 10,000kg/mł

(A) 700kg/mł

All of the following elements occur in living things. Which one is essential for forming complex compounds? (A) Carbon (B) Hydrogen (C) Oxygen (D) Nitrogen

(A) Carbon

Which of these planets is the farthest from the Sun? (A) Mars (B) Mercury (C) Venus (D) Earth

(A) Mars

Which of the following planets can be said to have almost no atmosphere? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Earth (D) Mars

(A) Mercury

Which of the following planets has a magnetic field whose intensity is about 1% of the intensity of the Earth's magnetic field? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Saturn

(A) Mercury

Which of the following planets has no moons at all? (A) Mercury (B) Earth (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Neptune

(A) Mercury

Which of the following substances is the largest fraction of our atmosphere? (A) Nitrogen (B) Oxygen (C) Water (D) Argon (E) Carbon Dioxide

(A) Nitrogen

Which of the following statements is falsifiable? (A) Passenger pigeons are extinct. (B) Passenger pigeons are not extinct. (C) Passenger pigeons taste good. (D) Passenger pigeons taste terrible. (E) Passenger pigeons were pests.

(A) Passenger pigeons are extinct.

Which of the following statements is falsifiable? (A) There are no green fish in Lake Nyak. (B) All of the fish in Lake Nyak are ugly. (C) There are green fish in Lake Nyak.

(A) There are no green fish in Lake Nyak.

Which of the following objects is the largest moon of Saturn? (A) Titan (B) Titania (C) Triton (D) Ganymede (E) Callisto

(A) Titan

Which of the following planets has no moons at all? (A) Venus (B) Earth (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Neptune

(A) Venus

Which of the following types of radiation has the lowest frequency on this list? (A) red light. (B) infrared light. (C) green light. (D) Radio waves. (E) heat radiation.

(A) red light.

Which of the following magnitudes corresponds to the dimmest star? (A) +3.4. (B) +5.6. (C) +2.1. (D) -1.5. (E) +1.2

(B) +5.6.

Which of the following temperatures is closest to what you might expect on the planet Jupiter? (A) - 150ºF. (B) - 250ºF. (C) 50ºF. (D) - 350ºF. (E) 100ºF.

(B) - 250ºF.

Which of the following temperatures is closest to what you might expect on the planet Saturn? (A) -150°F (B) -250°F (C) 50°F (D) -350°F (E) 100°F

(B) -250°F

Which of the following statements is falsifiable? (A) There are fish in Lake Nyak. (B) All of the fish in Lake Nyak are green. (C) All of the fish in Lake Nyak are beautiful.

(B) All of the fish in Lake Nyak are green.

Which of the following planets does the moon Callisto orbit? (A) Mars (B) Jupiter (C) Saturn (D) Uranus (E) Neptune

(B) Jupiter

Which of the following planets has a system of rings that consists of dark rocks that are difficult to see? (A) Mars (B) Jupiter (C) Saturn

(B) Jupiter

Which of the following planets or moons has an atmosphere consisting mainly of Hydrogen and Helium? (A) Venus. (B) Jupiter (C) Titan (D) Mars

(B) Jupiter

Which of the following space probes made detailed three dimensional maps of Venus using radar from orbit around the planet? (A) Pioneer 10 (B) Magellan (C) MESSENGER (D) Mariner 10 (E) Pioneer 11

(B) Magellan

Mercury is closer to the Sun than Earth. Which of the following statements is true? (A) Mercury takes less time to go around the Sun but moves slower than the Earth because it does not have as far to go. (B) Mercury takes less time to go around the Sun and moves faster than the Earth. (C) Mercury takes more time to go around the Sun but moves faster than the Earth because it keeps getting confused. (D) Mercury takes more time to go around the Sun and moves slower than the Earth.

(B) Mercury takes less time to go around the Sun and moves faster than the Earth.

Which of the following objects has a surface feature that looks like a giant check mark? (A) Titan (B) Miranda (C) Oberon (D) Ganymede (E) Titania

(B) Miranda

Which of these Moons rises in the West as seen from its primary planet? (A) Earth's Moon (B) Phobos (C) Deimos (D) Ganymede (E) Europa

(B) Phobos

Which of the following planets has a hexagon-shaped pattern of clouds near its North Pole? (A) Jupiter (B) Saturn (C) Uranus (D) Neptune (E) Venus

(B) Saturn

Which of the following planets or moons has an atmosphere consisting mainly of Hydrogen and Helium? (A) Venus (B) Saturn (C) Titan (D) Uranus

(B) Saturn

Which of these planets has a rotation axis that is inclined in much the same way as that of Earth? (A) Jupiter (B) Saturn (C) Uranus (D) Mercury

(B) Saturn

Which of the following types of radiation has the lowest frequency on this list? (A) ultraviolet light. (B) green light. (C) infrared light. (D) X-Rays. (E) red light.

The temperature on Neptune is

Much colder than anywhere on Earth.

The temperature on Saturn is

Much colder than anywhere on Earth.

Which of the following statements is falsifiable? (A) There is intelligent life on other stars. (B) The Moon is made entirely of cheese. (C) Isaac Newton was the greatest scientist. (D) There is beauty in a sunset. (E) There is cheese on the Moon.

(B) The Moon is made entirely of cheese.

A book, weighing 10 Newtons, sits on a table. Which of the following pairs of forces is an action-reaction pair? (A) The force of gravity on the book and the force that the table exerts on the book. (B) The force that the book exerts on the table and the force that the table exerts on the book. (C) The force of gravity on the book and the force that the book exerts on the table. (D) The force of gravity on the book and the force of gravity on the table. (E) The force that the book exerts on the table and the force of gravity on the table.

(B) The force that the book exerts on the table and the force that the table exerts on the book.

Which of the following objects has a magnetic field whose North and South poles are displaced from its rotation axis poles and also from the center of the planet.? (A) Venus (B) Uranus (C) Mercury (D) Jupiter (E) Saturn

(B) Uranus

Which of the following objects has a magnetic field whose origin is not explained by any currently accepted model? (A) Venus (B) Uranus (C) Mercury (D) Jupiter (E) Saturn

(B) Uranus

Which of the following planets has no magnetic field of any kind? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Saturn

(B) Venus

Which of the following planets has the highest surface temperature? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Earth (D) Mars

(B) Venus

Which of the following planets or moons has an atmosphere with about 90 times the surface pressure of Earth's. (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Mars (D) Titan

(B) Venus

Which of the following spacecraft was the second to fly past Saturn and the first to target the moon Titan? (A) Mariner 9 (B) Voyager 1 (C) Pioneer 11 (D) Pioneer 10 (E) Viking 1

(B) Voyager 1

Which of the following types of radiation has the lowest frequency on this list? (A) ultraviolet light. (B) microwaves. (C) infrared light. (D) X-Rays. (E) red light.

(B) microwaves.

It has been argued that hydrogen-powered automobiles can solve our energy problems because we can get all of the hydrogen that we need from sea water. Which of the following comments about the energy needed to separate the hydrogen and oxygen in water is correct? (A) It is less than the energy released when the hydrogen is burned, so we get a net gain of energy. (B) It is the same as the energy released when the hydrogen is burned, so we get no net gain of energy. (C) It is the greater than the energy released when the hydrogen is burned, so we get a net loss of energy.

(B) nuclei touch each other.

Einstein's Theory of Relativity has passed every observational test for over 100 years. Among other things, it predicts that no material object can go faster than the speed of light. Fred Zveistein (twice as smart as Einstein) has a new theory that predicts that some material objects can go faster than light. Fred presents his new theory at a scientific meeting (in 2009). These meetings have several talks going on at the same time, so people normally move from one room to another to hear the talks they are interested in. When Fred gets up to talk, everyone leaves the room to go to other talks. The reason for this behavior is that (A) the other scientists are angry with Fred for challenging the established theory. (B) there is no interest in replacing a theory that has passed every observational test. (C) there is no interest in seeing the established theory proven wrong.

(B) there is no interest in replacing a theory that has passed every observational test.

Which of the following temperatures would be most likely at noon on the hottest day of the year in the warmest part of Mars? (A) -150F. (B) -200F. (C) 50F. (D) 100F.

Which of the following computer programs is the most likely to be considered a scientific model: (A) An animated screen-saver that shows waves crashing on the beach. (B) A simulation game in which people can spend a day at the beach. (C) A simulation,using currently accepted physical laws, of waves crashing on the beach.

Which of the following planets or moons has an atmosphere whose temperature and pressure permit all three forms of water? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Earth (D) Mars (E) Titan

Gary the ghostbuster takes his crew, with a truckload of cameras and electronic instruments, to a house that is supposed to be haunted. Sure enough, the ghost shows up and does an on-camera interview while the instruments record all sorts of odd readings. After Gary's press conference and TV show, a skeptical scientist takes the same sort of equipment to the same house on a similar evening and records nothing but cricket noises and dogs barking. Gary's evidence is ignored by the scientific community because (A) Gary does not belong to the scientist club. (B) Scientists would not believe in ghosts no matter what the evidence. (C) Gary's observations were not reproduced. (D) Gary's observations were not convincing.

Which of the following statements is most likely to be a reproducible observation? (A) I saw the Sun set at 4:55 pm. (B) I saw the Sun set at 4:55pm in Richmond, VA. (C) I saw the Sun set at 4:55pm on December 22 in Richmond VA. (D) I saw the Sun set twelve hours after it rose.

The Ptolemaic System continued to be accepted long after such people as Aristarchus and Copernicus had proposed alternatives. All of the following reasons why it lasted so long are at least partly true. Which reason is the one that would be stressed by the philosophy of science that we have been discussing? (A) Church authorities supported it and did not want it replaced. (B) It was easier to understand and people do not like to learn new things. (C) It correctly predicted what was observed and thus did not need to be replaced.

Which of these planets has a rotation axis that is almost in the plane of its orbit so that its ring system can sometimes be seen as near-circles. (A) Jupiter (B) Saturn (C) Uranus (D) Neptune

In addition to measuring the positions of all the planets all the time, Tycho Brahe measured them to an accuracy of

1/60 degree of arc.

Joseph Weber designed a series of devices to detect ripples in spacetime, called gravitational waves. After several years of effort, Joe announced that he had detected gravitational waves. He built several versions of his devices and they all detected the waves. When other people tried to build similar devices, none of them detected anything at all. Joe's evidence was ignored by the scientific community because (A) Joe was an Electrical Engineer and did not belong to the physicist club. (B) Scientists would not believe there was a possible source for gravitational waves strong enough to register on Joe's detectors. (C) Joe's observations were not reproduced. (D) Joe's observations were sloppily done and not convincing.

Which of the following planets is 11 times the size of the Earth? (A) Venus (B) Mars (C) Jupiter (D) Uranus (E) Neptune

Which of these sequences places the outer planets in the correct order from the Sun, from the closest to the farthest. (A) Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus (farthest). (B) Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune (farthest) (C) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (farthest) (D) Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus (farthest)

Which of the following spacecraft went into orbit around Mars only to find the surface totally obscured by a planet-wide dust storm? (A) Pioneer 10 (B) MESSENGER (C) Mariner 9 (D) Mariner 10 (E) Pioneer 11

Which of the following objects has no overall magnetic field except for small regions due to magnetized ore deposits? (A) Mercury (B) Earth's Moon (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Saturn

Which of the following planets has a moon that rises in the West? (A) Venus (B) Earth (C) Mars (D) Mercury

Which of the following planets has just two moons? (A) Venus (B) Earth (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Neptune

Which of these planets has a solar day that is very close to an Earth day in length? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Saturn

Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth. Which of the following statements is true? (A) Mars takes longer to go around the Sun than the Earth because it has farther to go, but actually moves faster than the Earth. (B) Mars takes longer to go around the Sun than the Earth because it has farther to go, but actually moves at the same speed as the Earth. (C) Mars takes longer to go around the Sun than Earth and moves more slowly than the Earth does. (D) Mars takes less time to go around the Sun than the Earth and moves much faster. (E) Mars takes less time to go around the Sun than the Earth does but moves slower because the Earth keeps making rest stops.

Which of the following objects has a magnetic field whose North and South poles are displaced from its rotation axis poles and also from the center of the planet? (A) Venus (B) Mercury (C) Neptune (D) Jupiter (E) Saturn

Which of these planets has a rotation axis that is inclined in much the same way as that of Earth? (A) Jupiter (B) Uranus (C) Neptune (D) Mercury

Which of these planets is the farthest from the Sun? (A) Jupiter (B) Saturn (C) Neptune (D) Uranus (E) Mars

Sarah reports that she saw a green star close to the star Betelguese. Actually she did not even look there. The most likely outcome of her fraud is that: (A) Nobody bothers to check her observation and she becomes famous as the discoverer of the first green star. (B) Nobody bothers to check her observation and nobody believes her either. (C) Other people look near Betelgeuse. They do not see the green star, and attack her report as a mistake or a fraud. (D) Other people look near Betelgeuse. They see the star and confirm her report. She becomes famous as the discoverer of the first green star.

Which of the following spacecraft were the first to fly past Jupiter? (A) Mariner 9 and Mariner 10 (B) Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 (C) Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 (D) Viking 1 and Viking 2

Which of the following spacecraft was the first to fly past Saturn? (A) Mariner 9 (B) Voyager 1 (C) Pioneer 11 (D) Pioneer 10 (E) Viking 1

Which of the following planets does the moon Titan orbit? (A) Mars (B) Jupiter (C) Saturn (D) Uranus (E) Neptune

Which of the following planets has a system of rings made of ice-covered rocks? (A) Mars (B) Jupiter (C) Saturn

A horse is pulling a cart along a road. Which of the following pairs of forces is an action-reaction pair? (A) The force of the horse on the cart and the force of the road on the horse. (B) The force of the horse on the cart and the force of the horse on the road. (C) The force of horse on the road and the force of the road on the horse. (D) The force of the cart on the horse and the force of the horse on the road. (E) The force of the cart on the horse and the force of the road on the horse.

Einstein's Theory of Relativity has passed every observational test for over 100 years. Among other things, it predicts that no material object can go faster than the speed of light. Fred Zveistein (twice as smart as Einstein) has a new theory that predicts that some material objects can go faster than light. Fred presents his new theory at a scientific meeting (in 2009). Which of the following would be the most likely reaction of the scientists at the meeting to this new development? (A) There is great interest because the new theory proves that Relativity is wrong, so lots of scientists come to Fred's talk to congratulate him. (B) There is great hostility because the new theory challenges the established theory, so lots of scientists come to Fred's talk to debate the issue. (C) There is great disinterest because there is no need to replace a theory that has passed every observational test. Nobody at all comes to Fred's talk.

(C) There is great disinterest because there is no need to replace a theory that has passed every observational test. Nobody at all comes to Fred's talk.

Which of the following objects is the largest moon of Neptune? (A) Titan (B) Titania (C) Triton (D) Ganymede (E) Callisto

The current model for the way that planets acquire magnetic fields requires which of the following combinations of things? (A) rotation and an iron core. (B) only an iron core. (C) rotation and a core that contains a liquid electrical conductor. (D) only a core that contains a liquid electrical conductor. (E) rotation and a core that contains liquid iron.

At midsummers in Murmansk (the largest city in the Arctic Circle), you would expect to see the Sun (A) rise and set every day. (B) rise and set twice a day. (C) stay above the horizon all day, every day. (D) stay below the horizon, all day, every day.

Which of the following temperatures is closest to what you might expect on the planet Neptune? (A) -150°F (B) -250°F (C) 50°F (D) -350°F (E) -450°F

(D) -350°F

Which of the following temperatures is closest to what you might expect on the planet Uranus? (A) -150°F (B) -250°F (C) 50°F (D) -350°F (E) 100°F

(D) -350°F

Which of the following spectral types corresponds to a star on the main sequence? (A) K2III (B) G2IV (C) A2Ib (D) B4V (E) O2Ia

(D) B4V

Which of the following objects is the largest moon of Jupiter? (A) Titan (B) Titania (C) Triton (D) Ganymede (E) Callisto

(D) Ganymede

Which of the following is an observation of the natural world? (A) The Moon cannot be full and not full at the same time. (B) A full Moon is prettier than a crescent Moon. (C) The newspaper says that the Moon was full last night. (D) I saw a full Moon last night.

(D) I saw a full Moon last night.

Which of the following statements is an observation of the natural world? (A) There are no prime numbers that have zero for the last digit. (B) Galileo was the greatest scientist. (C) The U.S. Naval Observatory says that the Moon rose at 6:52 pm yesterday. (D) I saw the Moonrise at 6:52 pm yesterday.

(D) I saw the Moonrise at 6:52 pm yesterday.

Which of the following statements is most likely to be a reproducible observation? (A) I saw the Sun rise and set during the same 24-hour day. (B) I saw the Sun rise and set during the same clear 24-hour day. (C) I saw the Sun rise and set during the same clear 24-hour day in the United States. (D) I saw the Sun rise and set during the same clear 24-hour day in the continental United States.

(D) I saw the Sun rise and set during the same clear 24-hour day in the continental United States.

Which of the following objects has a magnetic field with about ten times the intensity of the Earth's field? (A) Mercury (B) Earth's Moon (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Saturn

(D) Jupiter

Which of the following planets has a magnetic field that is thought to be generated by liquid metallic hydrogen? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Uranus

(D) Jupiter

Which of the following planets has at least 62 moons? (A) Venus (B) Earth (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Neptune

(D) Jupiter

Which of these planets has a solar day that is shorter than half an Earth day in length? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Uranus

(D) Jupiter

Which of the following was the spacecraft that operated in Mars orbit for nine years, finding traces of water and an early magnetic field? (A) Mariner 9 (B) Viking orbiter 1 (C) Viking orbiter 2 (D) Mars Global Surveyor (E) Surveyor 1

(D) Mars Global Surveyor

Which of these sequences places the inner planets in the correct order from the Sun, from the closest to the farthest? (A) Venus, Mercury, Mars, Earth (farthest) (B) Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth (farthest) (C) Venus, Mercury, Earth, Mars (farthest) (D) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars (farthest)

(D) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars (farthest)

Which of the following planets or moons has an atmosphere consisting mainly of Hydrogen and Helium with some methane? (A) Venus (B) Saturn (C) Titan (D) Neptune

(D) Neptune

Sarah reports that she saw a green star close to the star Betelguese. She really saw it and was quite surprised. The most likely outcome of her report is that: (A) Nobody bothers to check her observation and she becomes famous as the discoverer of the first green star. (B) Nobody bothers to check her observation and nobody believes her either. (C) Other people look near Betelgeuse. They do not see the green star, and attack her report as a mistake or a fraud. (D) Other people look near Betelgeuse. They see the star and confirm her report. She becomes famous as the discoverer of the first green star.

(D) Other people look near Betelgeuse. They see the star and confirm her report. She becomes famous as the discoverer of the first green star.

Which of these planets has a solar day that is shorter than half an Earth day in length? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Mars (D) Saturn (E) Uranus

(D) Saturn

Which of the following planets or moons has an atmosphere with about 1.6 times the surface pressure of Earth's? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Mars (D) Titan

(D) Titan

Which of the following astronomers is regarded as an early example of government-supported Big Science. (A) Eratosthenes of Syene. (B) Aristarchus of Samos. (C) Copernicus. (D) Tycho Brahe.

(D) Tycho Brahe.

Which of the following planets is about 4 times the size of the Earth? (A) Venus (B) Mars (C) Jupiter (D) Uranus (E) Saturn

(D) Uranus

Which of the following planets or moons has an atmosphere consisting mainly of Hydrogen and Helium with some methane? (A) Venus (B) Saturn (C) Titan (D) Uranus (E) Mercury

(D) Uranus

Of the following methods for eliminating an asteroid threat, which one would be affected least by the unknown composition and condition of the asteroid? (A) Deflect or shatter the asteroid with a nuclear explosion. (B) Deflect or shatter the asteroid by crashing a missile into it. (C) Land on the asteroid and attach a rocket to it. (D) Use the gravitational attraction of a massive spacecraft to pull the asteroid off course.

(D) Use the gravitational attraction of a massive spacecraft to pull the asteroid off course.

The Greek theory of Gravity as a force pulling everything toward the center of the universe implied that the Earth should be fixed at the center of the universe. Which of the following models of the Solar System was in accord with that theory? (A) the model of Aristarchus that the Earth goes around the Sun. (B) the final version of the Ptolemaic System. (C) the Copernican System. (D) none of these models.

(D) none of these models.

The daily rising and setting of the Sun happens (A) every day, everywhere on Earth. (B) only north of the arctic circle and south of the antarctic circle. (C) only during the winter near the Earth's poles. (D) only south of the arctic circle and north of the antarctic circle.

(D) only south of the arctic circle and north of the Antarctic circle.

Which of these is a distinctive feature of the Earth's atmosphere? (A) the presence of nitrogen. (B) the presence of water vapor. (C) the presence of carbon dioxide (D) temperature and pressure permit all three phases of water. (E) temperature and pressure permit all three phases of methane.

(D) temperature and pressure permit all three phases of water.

Which of the following objects is a moon of Jupiter? (A) Titan (B) Miranda (C) Triton (D) Nereid (E) Callisto

(E) Callisto

Of all the things that might go wrong with distances found by using the method that astronomers refer to as the "distance ladder," which of these is the one that an astronomer would say is most likely? (A) The parallax-distance formula is incorrect. (B) The distance-distance modulus formula is incorrect. (C) The parallaxes of nearby objects have been measured incorrectly. (D) The apparent magnitudes of distant objects have been measured incorrectly. (E) Distant objects are not behaving the same as nearby objects.

(E) Distant objects are not behaving the same as nearby objects.

Which of the following planets does the moon Triton orbit? (A) Mars (B) Jupiter (C) Saturn (D) Uranus (E) Neptune

(E) Neptune

Which of the following objects has a magnetic field whose North and South poles are almost exactly in line with its rotation axis? (A) Venus (B) Uranus (C) Neptune (D) Jupiter (E) Saturn

(E) Saturn

Which of these planets has a solar day that is about 17 hours long? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Mars (D) Jupiter (E) Uranus

(E) Uranus

Which of the following spacecraft is the only one to have flown past Neptune? (A) Galileo (B) Voyager 1 (C) Pioneer 11 (D) Cassini-Huygens (E) Voyager 2

(E) Voyager 2

Which of the following spacecraft is the only one to have flown past Uranus? (A) Galileo (B) Voyager 1 (C) Pioneer 11 (D) Cassini-Huygens (E) Voyager 2

(E) Voyager 2

Which of the following types of radiation has the lowest frequency on this list? (A) red light. (B) infrared light. (C) green light. (D) X-Rays (E) heat radiation.

(E) heat radiation.

Which of the following magnitudes corresponds to the brightest star? (A) +3.4. (B) +5.6. (C) +2.1. (D) -1.5. (E) +1.2

-1.5.

The distance modulus of a star at a distance of 10 parsecs would be

The number of moons of Mercury is

The number of moons of Venus is

An ion rocket engine produces 1 Newton of thrust. What acceleration can it give to a space probe with a mass of 1000kg?

0.001 m/s².

An ion rocket engine produces 5 Newtons of thrust. What acceleration can it give to a space probe with a mass of 1000kg?

0.005 m/s².

A solar sail is a large sheet of light-reflecting plastic spread on an extremely low-mass framework and attached to a spacecraft. Sunlight exerts a force on the sail and moves the spacecraft. Suppose the spacecraft has a total mass of 1000kg (including the sail) and sunlight exerts a total force of 5N on the sail. What will be the acceleration of the spacecraft?

0.005m/s².

The mass of a carbon atom is 12.00amu while the mass of a helium-4 atom is 4.003amu. If three atoms of helium fuse to form carbon, how much mass is converted into energy?

0.009amu

A solar sail is a large sheet of light-reflecting plastic spread on an extremely low-mass framework and attached to a spacecraft. Sunlight exerts a force on the sail and moves the spacecraft. Suppose the spacecraft has a total mass of 100kg (including the sail) and sunlight exerts a total force of 2N on the sail. What will be the acceleration of the spacecraft?

0.02m/s².

The closest star to our sun is about four light years away. In the center of our galaxy, a typical distance between neighboring stars would be

0.04 light years

The mass of a carbon atom is 12.00amu while the mass of a deuterium atom is 2.014amu. If six deuterium atoms fuse to form a carbon atom, how much mass is converted into energy?

0.084amu

A star is seen to move by 0.2 seconds of arc between February 1, 1999 and August 1, 1999 and then back to its starting point on February 1, 2000. What is the parallax angle for this star?

0.1 seconds of arc.

A star is seen to move by 0.4 seconds of arc between March 1, 1999 and September 1, 1999 and then back to its starting point on March 1, 2000. What is the parallax angle for this star?

0.2 seconds of arc.

Our Sun is a G2V star with absolute magnitude 4.8. Suppose that a star of spectral type G2V is observed to have apparent magnitude -0.2. How far away is it?

1 parsec.

The apparent brightness of our Sun is roughly 1000 watts per square meter. At a distance of 30 times the Earth-Sun distance, the apparent brightness of our Sun would be

1.1 watts per square meter.

Suppose that you lift an object by exerting an upward force of 20 Newtons on it. If gravity exerts a force of 10 Newtons downward on the object, what is the total force on the object?

10 Newtons upward.

What total force will cause an object with a mass of 1kg to gain 10 meters per second every second?

10 Newtons.

What total force will cause an object with a mass of 2kg to gain 5 meters per second every second?

10 Newtons.

Jupiter rotates on its axis once in about

10 hours.

Saturn rotates on its axis once in about

10 hours.

The thickness of the Earth's crust is about

10 miles.

A star with a distance modulus of zero is at a distance of

10 parsecs

Compared to the Earth, the planet Jupiter is roughly

10 times as large.

A star is found to have absolute magnitude 4 and apparent magnitude 19. How far away is it?

10,000 parsecs.

A star is observed to have an apparent brightness which is 10-6 times its absolute brightness. How far away is it?

10,000 parsecs.

Our Sun is expected to last for about 10 billion years. Which of these is a likely lifespan for a star with 20 times the mass of our Sun?

10-15 million years.

Suppose that the color and behavior of a star identify it as a type that we know has absolute magnitude -3. If the star's apparent magnitude is found to be 2, how far away is it?

100 parsecs

Our Sun is a G2V star with absolute magnitude 4.8. Suppose that a star of spectral type G2V is observed to have apparent magnitude 9.8. How far away is it?

100 parsecs.

Suppose that the color and behavior of a star identify it as a type that we know has absolute magnitude 4.8. If the star's apparent magnitude is found to be 9.8, how far away is it?

100 parsecs.

The diameter of the Milky Way Galaxy is close to

100,000 light years.

A star is found to have absolute magnitude 4 and apparent magnitude 24. How far away is it?

100,000 parsecs.

An asteroid whose impact generates a planet-wide catastrophe, changing the climate everywhere, probably has a diameter of about

1000 to 10,000 meters.

The number of near-Earth asteroids that are more than one kilometer in diameter appears to be close to

1000.

Cruising far from the Sun, we notice that the Sun's apparent brightness has dimmed to 0.1 watts per square meter. We know that the apparent brightness at a distance of 1au is 1000 watts per square meter. How far from the Sun are we?

100au

Barnard's star shows a proper motion of 10.36 arc seconds per year. In 100 years, its position in the sky changes by

1036 seconds of arc.

A star at a distance of 1000pc should have an apparent brightness equal to its absolute brightness multiplied by

10^-4.

A star whose apparent brightness is 10-4 times that of a first magnitude star would have magnitude

11.

At 8pm, you see that the pointer stars of the Big dipper and the star Polaris are arranged in a vertical line. At what time, give or take a minute or so, would you see them arranged at 45 degrees to the vertical?

11:00 pm the same day.

Suppose that you lift an object by exerting an upward force of 22 Newtons on it. If gravity exerts a force of 10 Newtons downward on the object, what is the total force on the object?

12 Newtons.

Suppose that a sound wave has a wavelength of 12 meters and a frequency of 100Hz. What is the speed of sound?

1200 m/s

Suppose that a flash of lightning from a cloud 2500 meters away is followed by a clap of thunder two seconds later. Assume that the light arrived in a negligible time and calculate the speed of the sound waves.

1250m/s

The asteroid 2008 AF4 has one chance in 21,000 of hitting the Earth between the years 2078 and 2100. The asteroid is 390 meters in diameter compared to 250 meters in diameter for Apophis. Assuming that an impact could cause the death of 30,000,000 people the average death rate for this type of event is approximately

1500 people per event.

The Earth's distance from the Sun is defined to be 1 astronomical unit. Neptune is about 30 astronomical units from the Sun. An object in the Inner Oort Cloud might be at a distance from the Sun of

15000 astronomical units.

A star whose apparent brightness is 10-6 times that of a first magnitude star would have magnitude

Uranus rotates on its axis once in about

17 hours.

The first successful soft landing on the Moon was Surveyor 1 in

1966

The first human landing on the Moon was Apollo 11 in

1969

At 8pm, you see that the pointer stars of the Big dipper and the star Polaris are arranged in a vertical line. At what time would you see them arranged in a horizontal line?

1:59:00 am the next day.

The number of moons of Mars is

Suppose that you lift an object by exerting an upward force of 12 Newtons on it. If gravity exerts a force of 10 Newtons downward on the object, what is the total force on the object?

2 Newtons.

Compared to the frequency of photons absorbed during a transition from a -5ev state to a -4ev state, transitions from the -5ev state to a -3ev state would correspond to absorbing photons whose frequency is

2 times as high.

The star 36-Ophiuchus is six parsecs from our Sun. The light from this star in the "serpent holder" constellation has been traveling for approximately

20 years.

Suppose that a sound wave has a wavelength of 2 meters and a frequency of 1000Hz. What is the speed of sound?

2000 m/s

The velocity of sound waves is roughly the same for all wavelengths. Suppose that a sound wave has a wavelength of one meter and a frequency of 1000Hz. The wavelength of a 500Hz sound wave would then be

2m.

Compared to the frequency of photons absorbed during a transition from a -5ev state to a -4ev state, transitions from the -5ev state to a -2ev state would correspond to absorbing photons whose frequency is

3 times as high.

The star alpha-Centauri C has moved across the sky by 3853 seconds of arc during the last thousand years - slightly more than one full degree of arc. Its proper motion is

3.853"/yr.

The distance from our sun to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy is roughly

30,000 light years.

The asteroid 2007 VK184 has one chance in 2940 of hitting the Earth between the years 2048 and 2057. The asteroid is 130 meters in diameter or about half the size of Apophis. Assuming that an impact could cause the death of 1,000,000 people the average death rate for this type of event is approximately

350 people per event.

A suborbital rocket such as an intercontinental ballistic missile or perhaps a passenger rocket from North America to Australia is most likely to leave the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of

4 miles per second.

The Earth's distance from the Sun is defined to be 1 astronomical unit. Neptune is about 30 astronomical units from the Sun. An object in the Outer Oort Cloud might be at a distance from the Sun of

40,000 astronomical units.

You hear a 1000Hz tone from a radio that is 20 feet away from you and listen for 4 seconds. How many pressure maxima pass by your ear?

4000

The velocity of sound waves is roughly the same for all wavelengths. Suppose that a sound wave has a wavelength of one meter and a frequency of 1000Hz. The wavelength of a 250Hz sound wave would then be

4m.

Suppose that you try to lift an object by exerting an upward force of 5 Newtons on it. If gravity exerts a force of 10 Newtons downward on the object, what is the total force on the object?

5 Newtons downward.

What total force will cause an object with a mass of 1kg to gain 5 meters per second every second?

5 Newtons.

What total force will cause an object with a mass of 5kg to gain 10 meters per second every second?

50 Newtons.

There appear to be a bit less than 1000 near-earth asteroids that are more than

50 meters in diameter.

An asteroid whose impact generates an explosion similar to that of a typical nuclear weapon probably has a diameter of about

50 meters.

You hear a 1000Hz tone from a radio that is 10 feet away from you and listen for 5 seconds. How many pressure maxima pass by your ear?

5000

The density of water is 1000kg/m3 while the density of iron is 7800kg/m3. Which of the following values is a plausible value for the density of a terrestrial planet? (A) 500kg/m³ (B) 1000kg/m³ (C) 5000kg/m³ (D) 10,000kg/m³ (E) 20,000kg/m³

5000kg/m³

You see a waning quarter Moon high in the night sky. What time is it?

5:00am.

At 8pm, you see that the pointer stars of the Big dipper and the star Polaris are arranged in a vertical line. How long, give or take a few minutes, would you need to wait to see them arranged in a horizontal line?

6 hours.

The red line of a spectrum is normally at a wavelength of 656 nm. In the light of a star that is moving toward us, we might expect to see that red line at a wavelength of

650nm.

The red line of a spectrum is normally at a wavelength of 656 nm. In the light of a star that is moving away from us, we might expect to see that red line at a wavelength of

660nm.

In the Earth's atmosphere, the percentage that is Nitrogen is roughly

80%.

The star delta-Eridani shows a heliocentric stellar parallax of almost exactly 1/9 seconds of arc. The distance from our Sun to delta-Eridani is

9 parsecs.

The fact that the surface of Mars shows no tectonic activity means that one of the requirements for continuing life might be missing.

A carbon-return process.

Which of the following discoveries would lead to the conclusion that the universe is probably filled with life, both in our own solar system, and in the planetary systems of other stars?

A few microbes with a completely alien biochemistry are found beneath the soil of Mars.

Which of the following requirements for life appears to lacking on the planet Mars?

A global carbon-return process.

The temperature on Uranus is

Much colder than anywhere on Earth.

Aristarchus of Samos is known for a number of things. One of them was

A model in which the Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun.

Which of these is a statement of the Fermi Paradox?

Any long-lasting technological civilization should be obvious and might even be visiting us, so where are they?

Just after sunset, you might find

A waxing crescent Moon setting in the west.

A multiple star system close to the Earth that is known to have stable orbits in the habitable zones of each of its stars is

Alpha Centauri.

The brightest star in the constellation Centaurus might be named

Alpha Centauri.

The closest star to Earth (other than the Sun) is part of a multiple star system called

Alpha Centauri.

The first human landing on the Moon was

Apollo 11 in 1969.

Most of the ancient Greek astronomers believed that the Earth was fixed at the center of the universe. There was one, however, who thought that the Sun was fixed and a rotating Earth moved around the Sun. That was

Aristarchus of Samos.

The first generally accepted example of Sea-floor spreading was under the

Atlantic Ocean.

Which of the following spectral classes corresponds to the highest surface temperature (on this list)? (A) A (B) B (C) F (D) G (E) K

The first observed source to fit the predicted emissions from a black hole was

Cygnus X-1.

Which of the following colors indicates the hottest star?

Blue

You read in an Astronomy book that the temperature at the center of the Sun is 30,000,000 degrees Kelvin. How do you suppose this number was determined?

By using a model of the Sun that correctly accounts for everything that has been measured so far.

You would expect to see a waxing crescent Moon

Setting in the West right after the Sun.

Which of the following systems do most living things on Earth now use to reproduce themselves?

Each DNA molecules splits in half and each half acts as a pattern to complete its other half.

Which of the following substances is the smallest fraction of our atmosphere?

Carbon Dioxide

You see a reflecting telescope with a short, stubby tube and the eyepiece at the back. This telescope uses the

Cassegrain Focus.

The first spacecraft to go into orbit around Saturn was

Cassini-Huygens

The first spacecraft to put a lander on Titan was

Cassini-Huygens

A pair of sugar phosphate chains connected by pairs of nitrogenous base pairs describes a molecule of

DNA

In current Earth life, the self-copying molecule that contains the information needed to construct and operate a life-form is

DNA

In the 1990s astronomical telescopes began to switch from recording images on film to recording them digitally using Charge Coupled Devices. This led to the discovery of new asteroids at a rapid rate because

Digital images could be processed by computers.

The highest altitude layer of the atmosphere is the

Ionosphere.

Which of these answers describes the fundamental assumption that is behind all of the methods that astronomers refer to as the "distance ladder?" (A) It is possible to calculate the absolute magnitudes of nearby objects. (B) It is possible to measure the apparent magnitudes of distant objects. (C) Nearby objects show close relationships between absolute magnitude and spectral type. (D) Distant objects are similar to nearby objects.

Distant objects are similar to nearby objects.

Which of the following objects has no magnetic field at all?

Earth's Moon

The Sun usually rises in the ____________

East

Which of these moons has geysers of water shooting out through cracks in the moon, indicating a subsurface ocean?

Enceladus

Although most records from that time were lost in the burning of the Great Library at Alexandria, most historians say that the first actual measurement of the Earth's circumference was made in the 3rd century BCE by

Eratosthenes of Syene.

Which of these moons has patterns of cracks in the ice on its surface. indicating a subsurface ocean?

Europa.

The time from one solar noon to the next is

Exactly 24 hours.

Who discovered Newton's First Law of Motion?

Galileo.

A type M star that is known to have three terrestrial-size planets near its habitable zone is

Gliese 581.

The absorbtion and re-radiation of infrared light by gases such as carbon dioxide is the key process in the

Greenhouse Effect.

The possibility that increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air will raise the average temperature of the Earth is referred to as the

Greenhouse Effect.

A proton is the nucleus of an atom of

Hydrogen.

In a particular binary star system, we are able to determine the masses and diameters of both stars This system is most likely

The International Space Station (ISS) is in a roughly circular orbit near the surface of the Earth, moving at around 5 miles per second. Suppose that it is desired to raise it to a new circular orbit, farther from the surface by having the space shuttle give it one or more short boosts. Which of the following schemes will work?

Increase its speed to 6 miles per second and then give it another speed boost when its distance from the Earth stops increasing.

One requirement for a planet to support Earth-type life is that it be considerably larger than Mars. What is the reason for this requirement?

It is necessary for the planet to have active plate tectonics to close its carbon cycle.

A planet with a large system of moons would have to be a

Jovian Planet.

Pioneer 10 was an early space probe sent to fly past

Jupiter

The most likely candidate for a second star in our Solar system was

Jupiter.

Which of the following spectral classes corresponds to the lowest surface temperature (on this list)? (A) A (B) B (C) F (D) G (E) K

The statement that the orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus is due to

Kepler.

Short-period comets are thought to be

Kuiper belt objects deflected by Neptune.

The temperature on Jupiter is

Much colder than anywhere on Earth.

The second space probe to reach the planet Mercury was

MESSENGER.

The first space probe to reach the planet Mercury was

Mariner 10.

An example of a planet which may occasionally have liquid water but retains an atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide is

Mars

Mariner 9 was an early space probe sent to orbit

Mars

Which of the following planets or moons has an atmosphere with about 1% of the surface pressure of Earth's?

Mars

Which of the following statements best describes the presence of water on Mars?

Mars has water frozen in its ice caps and may have liquid water below its surface. Mars probably had liquid water flowing on its surface at some time in the past.

Changes in the intensity of sunlight due to shifts in both the Earth's orbit and rotation axis cause

Milankovich cycles.

In a solar day, the sun comes back to the same place in the sky but, in relation to the distant stars, the Earth actually rotates

More than one revolution.

In the surface Environment of Mars, water exists

Mostly as ice and water vapor.

Relative to the Milky Way family of stars, our sun is

Neither at the center nor at the edge.

Voyager 2 is the only space probe so far to have visited

Neptune

A unit of force is the

Newton.

You see a telescope with a long tube and the eyepiece sticking out the side near the top. This telescope uses the

Newtonian Focus

As seen from far above the Earth's North Pole, the Earth orbits the Sun counter clockwise and

No planet orbits the Sun clockwise

Tycho Brahe's careful observations of the planets agreed, to within observational error, with

None of these systems.

We can use the pointer stars in the Big Dipper to locate a point in the sky near the

North Celestial Pole.

Which of these was the Solar System model that assumed the Earth is fixed and the Sun, Moon, and planets all move on epicycles that, in turn move on circular orbits around the Earth?

Ptolemaic model.

Jupiter failed to become a star because

The Sun's final collapse blew all the gas away.

Which of the following systems is closest to the plan of most current Earth life-forms?

One DNA molecule is used to make RNA molecules which, in turn make the proteins and enzymes that construct and operate a life-form.

Our Sun's location in the Milky Way is closest to the

Orion Arm.

The star Sirius can be located by using the pointer stars in

Orion.

If we should find micro-organisms on Mars that reproduce using a DNA/RNA scheme and set of amino acids that are identical to those used in all Earth life-forms, that would support the

Panspermia Model.

The first space probe to test the air-bag landing system was

Pathfinder

The first space probe to place a robotic rover on the surface of Mars was

Pathfinder.

The largest dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt is

Pluto.

The closest star to the North Celestial Pole that is visible to the naked eye is

Polaris.

Within our own Milky Way Galaxy, our sun is a typical member of

Population I.

The Greek philosopher who guessed that the Earth is a sphere because that is the most elegant and simple shape was

Pythagoras.

Which of the following colors indicates the coldest star?

Red

The first space probes to land on another planet were from the

Russian Venera series.

The thickest part of the visible Milky Way is near the constellation

Sagittarius

Pioneer 11 was an early space probe sent to fly past

Saturn

Silicon atoms can bond to other silicon atoms to form silane molecules in much the same way that carbon atoms can bond to other carbon atoms to form sugars and other hydrocarbon molecules. What is the key difficulty with basing life on silicon and silanes instead of on carbon compounds such as glucose?

Silanes tend to explode in the presence of oxygen.

The magnetic field of Saturn is

Similar in intensity to the Earth's magnetic field.

The range of temperatures on Mars is

Similar to those in Antarctica.

The first telescope was (possibly) built by

Someone in the Netherlands.

We can use the pointer stars in Orion to locate a point in the sky near the

Star Sirius.

The first successful soft landing on the Moon was

Surveyor 1 in 1966.

The path of the Sun on the Celestial Sphere is called

The Ecliptic.

Which of Kepler's Laws governs how a particular planet speeds up and slows down?

The Equal Area Law.

A technological civilization that lasts for astronomically significant periods of time should make an obvious and visible impact on the galaxy and should have figured out how to visit us by now. That leads to the question "So, where are they"? This statement and question is usually referred to as

The Fermi Paradox.

A large vortex or hurricane on Jupiter has been named

The Great Red Spot..

Which of the following statements is falsifiable? (A) The Minoans were the first civilization on Crete. (B) The Minoans were the best civilization on Crete. (C) The Minoans were not the first civilization on Crete. (D) The Minoans were not the best civilization on Crete. (E) The Minoans were a civilization on Crete.

The Minoans were the first civilization on Crete.

When Newton calculated the magnitude of the acceleration of Earth's Moon, and compared it to the acceleration of falling objects on the surface of the Earth, he found that

The Moon's acceleration was smaller.

The Oort Cloud is located

Which of the following models for the formation of life on Earth would most likely apply if it turns out that the first step of forming a self-copying molecule is extremely difficult and improbable?

The Panspermia Model.

From his observations of the phases of Venus, Galileo concluded that

The Ptolemaic Model is wrong.

The average energy of motion of a atom or molecule in a gas is called its

Which layer of the Earth has a thickness of only about ten miles?

The crust.

An early measurement of noon Sun angles at the summer solstice at Alexandria and Syene needed one additional piece of information in order to determine the size of the Earth.

The distance between Alexandria and Syene.

The first spacecraft to go into orbit around Jupiter was

The frequency of a wave is defined to be

The number of crests that pass in one second.

The motion of the Moon around the Earth causes

The phases of the Moon.

Copernicus said that the Earth and planets orbiting the Sun caused

The retrograde motion of the planets.

The Viking Landers carried out several experiments on Martian surface soil. The final conclusion from those experiments was:

The surface of Mars is extremely hostile to all forms of organic matter.

Which of the following statements about the moons of terrestrial planets is currently accepted?

They sometimes capture moons by accident.

Voyager 1 was the first space probe sent to fly past

Titan

Which of these moons has landmarks that are not rotating with the rest of the moon, indicating a subsurface ocean?

Titan

Voyager 2 is the only space probe so far to have visited

Uranus

An example of a planet with no liquid water at all and a dense carbon dioxide atmosphere is

Venus

Which of the following three systems is regarded as the most normal for a terrestrial planet?

Venus, with no moons at all.

The temperature at the poles of Mercury is expected to be

Very hot all of the time on mountain peaks hit by the Sun and very cold all of the time in craters never hit by the Sun.

The first soft landing on Mars was by the

Viking landers.

You see the Moon almost directly in the south at 10pm. What phase is it?

Waxing gibbous.

The star Wemadeit shows a stellar parallax angle of 0.2 seconds of arc while the star Waytoofar shows a stellar parallax angle of 0.3 seconds of arc. From this, you can conclude that

Waytoofar is closer to our Sun than Wemadeit.

Suppose that we find a few microbes living in the liquid water below the permafrost layer of Mars. Which of the following consequences of this discovery is most likely?

We conclude that the universe is probably filled with life.

The star Wemadeit shows a stellar parallax angle of 0.4 seconds of arc while the star Waytoofar shows a stellar parallax angle of 0.3 seconds of arc. From this, you can conclude that

Wemadeit is closer to our Sun than Waytoofar.

The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft

Went into orbit around the planet Saturn. Went into orbit around the planet Saturn and dropped a probe into Titan's atmosphere.

The Sun sets in the _______________

West

One property of a model such as the shape of the Earth is the number of adjustable parameters it has --- the number of numbers that are needed to determine the model. If this number is very large, that is regarded as

a bad thing since it lets the model fit many possible measurements.

When an interstellar cloud fragment does not have enough mass to form a star powered by nuclear fusion, but gets hot enough to glow for a while, it is called

a brown dwarf

The Earth's core consists of

a central core of solid iron and an outer core of liquid iron.

An area of the sky that is marked by a recognizable pattern of stars is called

a constellation.

We see what appears to be a single star. However, when the light from the star is put through a spectrometer, we see two distinct spectra, shifting back and forth. The star is actually

a double-line spectroscopic binary system.

The Inner Oort Cloud is

a doughnut-shaped region with objects above and below the plane of the solar system.

A star that is named Delta Cepheus is most likely

a fairly dim star in the constellation Cepheus..

A sidereal day is

a few minutes shorter than a solar day.

A surface feature that is unique to Saturn is

a hexagon-shaped pattern of clouds at its North Pole.

The Great Red Spot is

a hurricane on Jupiter..

When a hydrogen atom on one molecule is attracted to an oppositely charged part of another molecule, the result is

a hydrogen bond.

An encounter between Earth and an iron asteroid fifty meters in diameter would most likely cause

a large explosion on the ground.

According to the currently accepted model of how planets generate magnetic fields, a rotating planet with a substantial magnetic field must contain

a liquid electrical conductor.

Carbon is essential for all life we know about because it

forms complex compounds.

The total luminosity, at all wavelengths, of the source Sgr A* is approximately

a million times the luminosity of our sun.

How many stars similar to our sun would need to be collected at one place to equal the power output of Sgr A*?

a million: 1,000,000

A steady X-ray signal with sudden bursts lasting a few second each is probably caused by

a neutron star in a binary system.

Which of the following objects is closest in size to a black hole formed from the collapse of a star?

a neutron star.

If an asteroid that is one kilometer in diameter strikes the Earth, the result is likely to be

a planet-wide catastrophe.

The idea that a supernova is preceded by a huge burst of neutrinos is

a prediction that has now been observed.

A star whose full spectral type is K2V is

a red main sequence star.

Underneath a place where the sea floor is spreading, one expects there to be

a rising convection current in the Earth's mantle.

A mirror that is supposed to bring light from a star directly overhead to a focus must be shaped like

a shallow bowl with the open part facing up.

The time it takes for the Celestial sphere to rotate once relative to the Earth is called

a sidereal day.

The Earth orbits nearly in the plane of the Sun's equator as do

all of the other planets.

We see what appears to be a single star. However, when the light from the star is put through a spectrometer, we see that its spectrum is shifting back and forth. The star is most likely

a single-line spectroscopic binary system.

In a particular binary star system, we are only able to determine a minimum mass for each star and cannot determine the angle between our line of sight and the plane of the stars' orbits. This system is most likely

a spectroscopic binary system.

Type II supernovas have the following properties:

a spectrum with hydrogen lines and a variable maximum brightness

Type I supernovas have the following properties:

a spectrum with no hydrogen lines and a standard maximum brightness.

Light that has been spread out to show the frequencies or colors that are present is called

a spectrum.

The overall shape of our Milky Way Galaxy is thought to be

a spiral somewhat like the nearby Andromeda Galaxy.

A planetary nebula forms when

a star becomes a white dwarf.

An example of a life form that does not get its energy originally from the Sun would be

a tube worm near a black smoker.

In a particular binary star system, we are able to determine the masses of both stars in the system as well as the angle between our line of sight and the plane of the stars' orbits but cannot determine the diameters or atmospheric compositions of the two stars. This system is most likely

a visual binary system.

A nova occurs when

a white dwarf steals fuel from a neighbor.

A type I supernova occurs when

a white-dwarf collapses

The magnetic field of Mercury is

about 1% of the Earth's magnetic field.

The magnetic field of Jupiter is

about 10 times the intensity of the Earth's magnetic field.

You see a waxing Gibbous Moon directly south. What time might it be?

about 10pm.

So far (as of 2008), the planet Venus has been visited by

about 20 successful space probes.

A star that evolves off the main sequence in about 10 million years probably has

about 20 times the mass of our Sun.

In comparison to the Copernican Theory, the Ptolemaic Theory made predictions that were of

about the same accuracy.

In comparison to the established, earth-centered theory, the Copernican Theory of planetary motion made predictions that were of

about the same accuracy.

What astronomers refer to as a "standard candle" is defined as a light source whose

absolute magnitude is known.

When the iron nuclei in the core of an evolved high-mass star start to come apart, they

absorb energy and limit the core temperature.

The ozone layer is where one finds

absorbtion of ultraviolet radiation.

Galileo's approach to science is best described as based on

active construction of simplified experiments.

Newton's explanation of Kepler's Laws relied upon a force that

acts on all objects.

After a comet's closest approach to the Sun, its tail points

ahead of its direction of motion.

The plane that contains the Earth's orbit around the Sun is also called the plane of the ecliptic. When you look for the planets in the sky, you expect to find

all of them near the ecliptic.

In addition to being accurate, Tycho Brahe's observations focused on measuring the positions of the planets

all the time.

Saturn's magnetic North and South poles are

almost exactly aligned with its rotation axis.

The rotation axis of Uranus is

almost in the plane of its orbit so that its ring system can sometimes be seen as near-circles.

Mercury has

almost no atmosphere.

In comparison to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, Newton's theory of Universal Gravitation predicted

almost the same motions but with corrections.

Jupiter has

an atmosphere of Hydrogen and Helium with no real surface. a few rings made of dark rocks.

Saturn has

an atmosphere of Hydrogen and Helium with no real surface. an extensive ring system made of ice-covered rocks.

Neptune has

an atmosphere of Hydrogen and Helium with some methane.

Uranus has

an atmosphere of Hydrogen and Helium with some methane.

Mars has

an atmosphere of carbon dioxide with about 1% the surface pressure of Earth's

Venus has

an atmosphere of carbon dioxide with about 90 times the surface pressure of Earth's.

Titan has

an atmosphere whose temperature and pressure permit liquid methane.

The ancient Greeks were able to calculate the distance from the Earth to the Moon by using a geometrical model of

an eclipse of the Moon.

Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion is that the orbit of each planet is

an ellipse with the Sun at one focus.

Once its rockets have ceased firing, an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile will follow a path that is best described as

an ellipse with the center of the Earth at one focus.

Kepler found that the orbit of Mars is best described as

an ellipse.

The first red giant stage of a one solar-mass star's life usually ends with

an explosion in the helium core.

In a Hertsprung-Russell diagram, the brightest stars are found

at the top.

Relative to the other layers of the atmosphere, the Ionosphere is

at the top.

In a Hertsprung-Russel diagram, Red Giant stars such as Betelgeuse are

at the upper right.

Adaptive optics is used to correct telescopes for

atmospheric turbulence.

The Viking Landers carried out several experiments on Martian surface soil in order to detect the presence of life. Those same experiments were also carried out on a control sample of Martian surface soil that had been sterilized by heat. The purpose of doing experiments on the control sample was to

avoid getting a false positive result.

The tail of a comet always points

away from the Sun.

A star with an apparent magnitude of 5.7 and an absolute magnitude of -1.2 would appear in our sky as a star

barely visible to the naked eye.

A necessary (but probably not sufficient) condition for a planet to have active plate tectonics is that it

be considerably larger than the planet Mars.

In Astronomy, the term "Microlensing" refers to the

bending of light from a distant star by the gravity of a nearer object such as a planet.

A star that forms an iron core most likely has a mass of

between 15 and 20 solar masses.

High protostellar winds of ejected gas occur

between the initial contraction and the ignition of nuclear burning

Asteroids are usually found in the asteroid belt, which is

between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

The objects of the Kuiper belt are mostly orbiting

beyond all of the Jovian planets.

The Inner Oort Cloud is located

beyond the Kuiper Belt.

The Kuiper Belt is mostly located

beyond the orbit of Neptune.

The Tau-Tauri wind from the Sun's final collapse toward ignition

blew away the fuel that Jupiter needed to become a star.

A large asteroid impact can affect the Earth's climate primarily by

blocking the sunlight with its smoke and dust.

A star of spectral type O should look

blue

From the way that lunar eclipses happen, the Ancient Greeks were able to

calculate the distance from the Earth to the Moon.

The problem of stars "twinkling" due to atmospheric turbulence

can be corrected by using a guide star.

A "rogue planet" or planetary mass objects that is not in orbit around any particular star

could be detected if its gravity magnifies the light from a.star. that it happens to pass in front of.

According to our current (very tentative) estimates, a spaceship travelling from our Sun to one of the nearest stars such as Alpha Centauri A probably

could make the trip in many short hops between rogue planets along the way.

If you are looking down over the north pole of the Earth, you will see the Earth rotate

counterclockwise.

The impacts of large objects on the surface of the Moon have caused

craters.

Copernicus said that the rotation of the Earth on its axis caused the

daily motions in the heavens.

The intense magnetic field of the Crab pulsar causes its rate of spin to

decrease

On a world with liquid water but no life, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would

decrease as the water dissolves it to form an acid that combines with surface rocks.

When a red giant star begins to burn helium, its diameter

decreases but not to its main sequence size.

The surface temperature of a white dwarf star

decreases from millions of degrees K to zero.

For Copernicus, a critical inconsistency in the final version of the Ptolemaic System was that it

did not really have anything fixed in place at the center of the universe.

The one-wave turning angle of a telescope mirror determines its

diffraction limit on its resolution.

The Outer Oort Cloud is

distributed in all directions.

A meteoroid is a medium-sized rock that is

drifting in space.

The red subgiant stage of a star is best described by

dropping temperature and constant brightness

Europe and North America are

each on a different plate and moving away from each other.

Copernicus said that the retrograde motion of the planets was caused by the

earth and the planets orbiting the Sun.

Copernicus said that the daily motions in the heavens were caused by the

earth turning on its axis.

Information about the structure of the Earth's interior comes mainly from

earthquake waves.

The edges of the moving plates on the Earth's surface are often where

earthquakes occur.

When tectonic plates move past each other, they usually cause

earthquakes.

Because the Earth goes around the Sun, we see the Sun move

eastward along the ecliptic.

Nuclei such as protons do not fuse at low temperatures because their speeds are not enough to overcome their

electrical repulsion.

Which of the following particles would be electrically attracted by a proton?

electron

The core of a red supergiant star stops shrinking because its

electrons touch each other.

Mars' orbit is currently

elliptical enough to make the intensity of sunlight vary by 40 percent.

Earth's orbit is currently

elliptical enough to make the intensity of sunlight vary by 6 percent.

Comets usually follow orbits which are

elliptical with aphelia far outside the orbit of Mars.

A brown dwarf shines primarily with

energy left over from its formation

The temperature of a gas measures the

energy of motion of its atoms or molecules.

The magnetic field of Earth's Moon is

essentially zero

The magnetic field of Mars is

essentially zero.

The magnetic field of Venus is

essentially zero.

One objection to a solar system model that has the Earth moving around the Sun is that we would then see nearby stars seem to shift back and forth relative to more distant stars. The correct answer to that objection is that

even the closest stars are so far away that the shift is very small.

The point at which even an outwardly directed light ray is pulled into a black hole is called the

event horizon.

A time of 24 hours is

exactly equal to a solar day.

Ancient astronomers were puzzled by the planets because they

execute retrograde loops.

Here is the Drake Equation: N = R*×fp×ne×fl×fi×fc×L In this equation, L stands for the

expected lifetime of a communication-capable civilization.

Aristotle pointed out that assuming that gravity pulls everything toward a common center

explains why the Earth is spherical.

Kepler was an early advocate of the Copernican Theory. When he applied it to Tycho's observations, it

failed but led to a better theory.

Protostars are

far brighter than typical stars because of their large surface area.

The primary mission of the Kepler Spacecraft is to

find planets in orbit around nearby stars.

The current effort to defend the Earth against space impacts consists of

finding most asteroids that are capable of global effects.

Most asteroids can best be described as

flying rocks or possibly flying mountains.

The International Space Station (ISS) is in a roughly circular orbit near the surface of the Earth, moving at around 5 miles per second. Suppose the Space Shuttle pushes it and quickly increases its speed to 6 miles per second. The ISS will then

follow an ellipse that rises and then descends again.

A constellation is a collection of stars that

form a pattern in our sky.

Stars that are much more massive than our Sun

form faster and burn out faster

Stars that are much less massive than our Sun

form more slowly and burn slower.

Liquid water tends to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of a planet by

forming an acid which reacts with calcium in rocks.

Tycho Brahe's work at Uraniborg was

funded by a large fraction of the national budget of Denmark.

In an evolved high-mass star, when the electrons combine with protons to form a pure neutron core, the reaction

generates a neutrino burst.

The main reason to suspect that Enceladus has a subsurface ocean of water is

geysers of water shooting out through cracks in the moon.

Freely falling objects with different masses fall with the same acceleration because

gravity exerts more force on the more massive object.

The density of rock is about 3000kg/m3. The density of the Earth is

greater than 3000kg/m³ because the Earth has an iron core.

The range of distances of a planet from its primary star that will permit the existence of liquid water on the planet's surface is called the

habitable zone.

According to our current (very tentative) estimates, a spaceship travelling from our Sun to one of the nearest stars such as Alpha Centauri A would probably be traveling through the Oort cloud of our Sun and that of Alpha Centauri A for a distance that is

half of the whole trip.

Near the end of the life of a massive star, an intense burst of neutrinos

happens when the electrons are eliminated.

Mars

has a solar day that is very close to an Earth day in length..

Mercury rotates so that it

has a solar day that last for two complete orbits around the Sun.

The moon Miranda is peculiar because it

has a surface feature that looks like a giant check mark.

If we detect that a star is sometimes moving toward us and sometimes moving away and also find that this pattern repeats at regular intervals, we know for sure that the star

has at least one object of unknown type orbiting around it.

The side of the Moon that faces away from the Earth

has only a few small lunar maria.

Black holes

have been detected because infalling matter emits X-rays

Cepheid variable stars with the same period

have similar luminosities.

Cepheid variable stars with the same luminosity usually

have similar periods.

Stars on the horizontal branch of the HR diagram are burning

helium at their centers.

The most common element in the universe is

hydrogen.

Comets are usually made of

ice and possibly frozen gas.

Kuiper Belt objects are usually made of

ice and possibly frozen gas.

The Kuiper Belt is thought to have originated when

icy objects condensed out just beyond Neptune.

The oceans and atmosphere of Earth are thought to have originated when

icy objects were ejected inward from among the Jovian planets.

The Oort Cloud is thought to have originated when

icy objects were ejected outward from among the Jovian planets

The circular structures on the surface of the Moon are the result of

impacts.

The presence of frozen water on Venus is

impossible because every part of it is too hot for water ice.

The stars of the Milky Way are found

in a band of stars stretching across the sky.

The early Earth probably had carbon

in the form of amino acids and other complex hydrocarbons.

In the Hertsprung Russel Diagram, a main sequence star might be found

in the lower right or upper left.

The rotation axis of Neptune is

inclined at an angle to the perpendicular that is similar to Earth's rotation axis.

The rotation axis of Saturn is

inclined at an angle to the perpendicular that is similar to Earth's rotation axis.

Seismic waves are used to determine the Earth's

interior structure.

When Newton calculated the magnitude and direction of the acceleration for a planet that was following Kepler's Laws, he found that the magnitude of the acceleration was

inversely proportional to the square of the planet's distance from the Sun.

An asteroid impact that leaves a huge crater is probably due to an asteroid that is made of

iron and nickel.

The Earth's Moon

is 1/4 the size of the Earth, which is unusually large for a moon.

The dust tail of a comet

is curved and fuzzy-looking.

The Moon's orbit around the Earth

is elliptical enough to give us an annular solar eclipse when the Moon is near its apogee.

Stars with more than 15 times the mass of our Sun usually evolve off the main sequence along a path in the HR diagram that

is mostly horizontal.

If the frequency of electromagnetic radiation goes from 2×1014Hz to 4×1014Hz, the energy of each individual photon in the radiation

is multiplied by 2.

If the frequency of electromagnetic radiation goes from 2×1014Hz to 6×1014Hz, the energy of each individual photon in the radiation

is multiplied by 3.

The range of signal frequencies between absorption bands caused by hydrogen and hydroxyl molecules

is referred to as the "water hole" and is the frequency band that SETI programs usually choose.

According to Newton's Law of Gravity, the gravitational attraction of the Earth for other objects, such as the Moon, apples on trees and space shuttles in low earth orbit,

is smaller for objects farther from the Earth but never vanishes entirely.

The Moon's orbit

is somewhat tilted relative to the plane of the Earth's equator.

The constellation Sagittarius is where the Milky Way

is thickest

The photosphere of a protostar

is where light is last scattered.

The Ptolemaic System was replaced when

it came into conflict with reproducible observations.

A planet with a thin, unstable surface floating on a hot liquid or semi-liquid interior would be a good place to look for life because

it could have a carbon-return process similar to Earth's.

The astronomers of Copernicus's time rejected his model of the Solar System mostly because

it did not account for observations any better than the Ptolemaic System

According to the current definition of a planet, Pluto is not regarded as a planet because

it has not cleared its neighborhood of other orbiting objects.

One reason that the Copernican System failed to fit Tycho's observations was that

it used circular orbits instead of ellipses.

In the original Solar Nebula, objects that condensed far from the protoSun tended to include large amounts of frozen gas and water ice because, in that part of the nebula

it was cold enough for gases and water to condense.

In the original Solar Nebula, objects that condensed near the protoSun tended to be mostly rock and iron rather than volatile gases and water because, in that part of the nebula

it was too hot for volatile gases and water to condense.

The Law of Inertia says that if an object is not acted on by any outside force,

its acceleration will be zero.

The planet Neptune was located because

its gravity disturbed the orbit of Uranus.

The reason that the Crab Pulsar is slowing down is

its magnetic field is dragging through nearby gas.

Galileo said that a moving object with nothing pushing or pulling on it will always

keep moving at the same speed.

The Law of Inertia states that a moving object will

keep moving if no force acts on it.

A unit of mass is the

kilogram.

The star Gliese 581 is of particular interest mainly because it is

known to have three terrestrial-size planets near or in its habitable zone.

The Russian Venera 9 space probe was sent to Venus, where it

landed on the surface and took pictures.

The main reason to suspect that Titan has a subsurface ocean of water is

landmarks that are not rotating with the rest of the moon.

The number of protostars that can be seen right now is

large because they are much brighter than ordinary stars.

The jovian planets typically have

large systems of moons.

In comparison to Cepheid variables, RR Lyra variable stars are

less luminous and more common.

The density of rock is about 3000kg/mł. The densities of the jovian planets are

less than 3000kg/m³ because they are mostly gas.

Aristarchus measured the angle between the Sun and the Moon when exactly half of the Moon was illuminated. If the Sun were actually just two or three times as far away as the Moon, he would have found that angle to be

less than 90 degrees by an amount that was easy for him to measure.

Aristarchus measured the angle between the Sun and the Moon when exactly half of the Moon was illuminated. He found this angle to be

less than 90 degrees by an amount too small for him to measure.

The number of maria on the side of the Moon facing away from the Earth is

less than on the side facing Earth.

Compared to a sidereal month, the time from one full Moon to the next is

longer by 2.5 days.

Ultraviolet light is sometimes described as either UV-A or UV-B. The UV-A variety is supposed to be less damaging to your skin. You can conclude that of the two types, the UV-A variety has the

lower frequency.

On a HR diagram, a visible white dwarf star is in the

lower left corner.

From the broadening of its spectral lines, one can determine a star's

luminosity class.

Tycho Brahe's main contribution to the understanding of planetary motion was to

make extensive observations.

The layer of the Earth's interior that consists of dense, semiliquid material is the

mantle.

Ancient lava flows on the Moon are called Lunar

maria.

The dark markings on the Full Moon that make up the face of the "Man in the Moon" are called Lunar

maria.

The motions of the stars near Sgr A* make it possible to determine its

mass

The X-rays that reveal the possible presence of a black hole are the result of

matter heating up as it falls toward the hole.

You hear a loud noise outside and go outside to find a smoking rock embedded in your driveway underneath your wrecked car. The object is probably a

meteorite.

The reason that most SETI programs choose to listen at microwave radio frequencies is that

microwaves are the most energy efficient way to send information.

Near the center of the Milky Way there is an intense radio source whose mass is approximately three

million solar masses within several light days of the center.

As compared to lower frequency electromagnetic radiation, higher frequency electromagnetic radiation will usually cause

more damage.

As the two foci of an ellipse are brought together, the shape of the ellipse becomes

more like a circle around the foci.

As the two foci of an ellipse are moved apart, the shape of the ellipse becomes

more like a line between the foci.

In comparison to RR Lyra variables, Cepheid variable stars are

more luminous and less common.

When water freezes, the resulting ice occupies

more volume than the liquid water did.

The arms of a spiral galaxy such as ours stand out because they contain

most of the brightest stars.

The epicenters of earthquakes are located

mostly along the edges of moving plates.

The stars that form the Big Dipper (in England it is called the Plough) are

mostly at nearly the same distance from the Earth, but with exceptions.

Comets that originate in the Inner Oort Cloud would be expected to have orbits that are

mostly close to the plane of the solar system.

In a spiral galaxy, long-lived stars such as our Sun

move in and out of spiral arms.

When compared to planets that are closer to the sun, planets that are farther from the sun

move slower on the average.

In one day, the position of the Sun on the Celestial Sphere

moves eastward along the ecliptic by 1°.

One conclusion that was drawn from the gradual slowing of the radio signals from the Crab Nebula was that they were probably

of natural origin

Suppose that a star has a spectrum that includes red, blue, and violet lines spaced in the pattern of the lines from hydrogen but the violet lines are at 444nm and 420nm instead of the usual 434nm and 410nm. From this evidence, you can conclude that the star is

moving away from us.

At midsummer in Murmansk (which is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle), the Sun stays above the horizon for several days. This observation would conflict with the predictions of a model of the Sun's motion that has the Sun

moving over and under a flat Earth.

Suppose that a star has a spectrum that includes red, blue, and violet lines spaced in the pattern of the lines from hydrogen but the violet lines are at 424nm and 400nm instead of the usual 434nm and 410nm. From this evidence, you can conclude that the star is

moving toward us.

At the center of our Milky Way galaxy, neighboring stars are typically

much closer together than neighbors of our sun.

In the Earth's atmosphere, the amount of carbon dioxide is

much less than the typical amount of water.

The Earth's motion around the Sun causes

nearby stars to shift back and forth once a year.

Which of the following particles has the smallest mass?

neutrino.

The first signal received from the 1987 supernova SN1987A came in the form of

neutrinos

Which of the following particles has the largest mass?

neutron.

Which of the following particles would be attracted to a proton through the strong force?

neutron.

As seen from North America, the constellation Casseopeia

never sets.

As seen from North America, the constellation Ursa Major

never sets.

One of the experiments carried out by the Viking Landers was to use a mass spectrometer to analyze the gas given off from a heated soil sample. The results of that experiment established that Martian soil contains

no carbon compounds at all.

As seen from far above the Earth's North Pole,

no planet orbits the Sun clockwise.

The earliest known measurement of the circumference of the Earth used

noon Sun angles at two locations to determine the angle between the Earth radii to those locations.

Near-Earth asteroids of the sort that caused the Tunguska blast and the Barringer Meteor Crater are

not likely to be located within the next few years.

The Viking Landers carried out several experiments on Martian surface soil. One of those experiments, the Pyrolytic Release Experiment gave a positive result for the presence of life forms. That result was interpreted to mean

nothing because a sterilized control sample gave the same result.

When a white dwarf star collects matter from a neighboring star, fusion reactions on the surface of the white dwarf cause

novas

Here is the Drake Equation: N = R*×fp×ne×fl×fi×fc×L In this equation, N stands for the

number of communication-capable civilizations in our galaxy.

Galileo is generally aknowledged to be the first to

observe the heavens with a telescope.

A star with an absolute magnitude of 5.7 and an apparent magnitude of -1.2 would appear in our sky as a star

of dazzling brightness.

For a spectroscopic binary star system, we can determine

only a minimum mass for each star.

In a star with 15 to 20 times the mass of our Sun nuclear burning at the center stops

only when an iron core develops.

Population I stars in our galaxy include

only younger stars such as our sun.

The Mars Global Surveyor

operated in Mars orbit for nine years until 2006.

The key argument against the Moon forming from the Earth alone, by breakup of a single object is that the Moon's

orbit is tilted relative to Earth's equator.

The Population II stars of our Milky Way

orbit the central bulge in all directions.

The Population I stars of our Milky Way

orbit the central bulge only within the disk.

Objects such as the Great Nebula in Andromeda were once called "extragalactic nebulae". It is now realized that they are actually

other galaxies much like our own

The portion of the Earth that is liquid iron and nickel is the

outer core.

The event horizon of a black hole is the point at which

outwardly directed light rays are pulled into the hole.

From the motions of nearby stars, the mass of the radio source Sgr A* is found to be spread

over a region less than a few light days across

The layer of the atmosphere that absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun is the

ozone layer.

The main reason to suspect that Europa has a subsurface ocean of water is

patterns of cracks in the ice on its surface.

which of the following particles would be repelled by a proton?

positron.

The presence of frozen water on Mercury is

possible because it has no axial tilt so that its poles never face the Sun

The ancient Greeks insisted that a worthwhile model of a situation had to

predict what really happens.

The formation of electron-degenerate matter in the carbon core of a solar-mass red super giant

prevents carbon-burning from starting

The Earth's magnetic field plays an essential role in

protecting the Earth from charged particles from the Sun.

An atom of ordinary hydrogen consists of an electron and a

proton.

The role of the DNA molecule in current Earth life is to

provide the patterns for the enzymes that carry out the chemical processes of life.

By making extensive observations of planetary motion, Tycho Brahe

provided only a lot of accurate data.

Neutron stars are often observed as

pulsars

The idea that science only deals with statements that are falsifiable, subject to possible disproof by observation, suggests that

science produces revisable facts.

The Earth's mantle is made of

semiliquid rock.

The difficult part of a SETI program is that you do not know what frequency band the extraterrestrials are using, so you need to listen to them all. The SERENDIP IV program, running on the Arecibo radio telescope, accomplishes this task by

sending a batch of signals to each of several million home computers for analysis.

As seen from North America, the constellation Orion

sets in the west and southwest.

The Kuiper Belt is the origin of

short period comets.

One property of a model such as the shape of the Earth is the number of adjustable parameters it has --- the number of numbers that are needed to determine the model. For a model to be regarded as 'elegant', this number

should be small.

A black hole that has formed from the collapse of a star is expected to be

similar in size to a neutron star.

If an asteroid that is 50 meters in diameter strikes the Earth, the result is likely to be

similar to a nuclear explosion.

Colder air always

sinks.

Eratosthenes of Syene is generally credited with using the angle of the noon Sun at Alexandria and Syene to determine the

size of the Earth.

Earthquakes are often caused by

slipping tectonic plates.

Aristotle said that a moving earthly or 'mundane' object with nothing pushing or pulling on it will always

slow down and stop.

The "Little Green Men Standard Time" hypothesis for the repeating radio signals seen in 1968 was rejected partly because the repetition rate was

slowing down.

Planets that are in orbit around stars other than our own Sun are most often found by observing

small changes in starlight due to planetary transits.

The Kepler Spacecraft is designed to measure

small changes in starlight from nearby stars.

Planets that are in orbit around stars other than our own Sun are most often found by observing

small wobbles in their primary stars.

Extragalactic nebulae such as the Great Nebula in Andromeda were not immediately recognized as galaxies similar to our own Milky Way because they were thought to be

smaller, nearby objects.

The stratosphere is where one finds

smoke and dust lingering for years.

A large asteroid impact causes the extinction of whole species mainly by the effects of the

smoke and dust: It blocks the sunlight.

For the ancient Greeks, the most basic of several clues that the Sun is farther from the Earth than the Moon came from

solar eclipses.

Shear waves are transmitted through

solids but not liquids.

The magnetic field of Uranus is thought to be generated by

something that is not on this list.

Stars that appear close together in the sky are

sometimes close to each other in space.

When Galileo dropped a wooden ball and a heavier iron ball at the same time, he found that

sometimes the wooden ball hit first, sometimes the iron one hit first.

One observation that Aristotle used to justify a spherical model of the Earth was that

southern constellations were seen higher in the sky in Egypt than in Greece. the Earth casts a curved shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse.

Since the last Apollo mission to the Moon and the last Soviet LUNA sample-return mission

spacecraft began to be sent there again starting in 1990.

According to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, as planets orbit the sun, they

speed up when closest to the Sun.

Aristotle said that the amount of force on a moving earthly object determines its

speed.

A pulsar is really a

spinning neutron star.

The chlorophyll in plants uses sunlight to

split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Consider a light source whose absolute magnitude can be deduced from the properties of the light that reaches us from that source. Astronomers often refer to this sort of object as a

standard candle.

Spectroscopic parallax uses

stellar spectra to locate stars in the HR diagram.

The layer of the atmosphere that tends to retain dust and smoke for long periods of time is the

stratosphere.

The idea of a scientific fact presents difficulties for the falsificationist philosophy that we have been discussing because that philosophy insists that every scientific statement is

subject to change.

The microfossils that were found in the martian meteorite ALH84001 are

subject to continued argument because of doubts that they are of biological origin.

Green plants obtain the energy they need from

sunlight.

When the hydrogen fuel runs out at the center of a main sequence star, the star

swells up and becomes a red giant

When the helium fuel runs out at the center of a horizontal branch star, it

swells up and becomes a red supergiant.

A very large number of new asteroids have been discovered since 1990 primarily because

telescopes started using digital imaging instead of film.

Many primitive cultures have a model of the Sun's motion in which the Sun passes underneath a flat earth. This model predicts

that everyone on Earth sees the Sun rise and set each day.

The stars, as seen from the Earth, appear to be attached to

the Celestial Sphere, a sphere that surrounds the Earth.

In Newton's Theory,

the Earth and Moon move around a common point which, in turn, goes around the Sun.

An artificial satellite such as the International Space Station stays up because

the Earth curves out from under it as fast as it falls.

The observation that there are constellations that can be seen from Egypt but not from Greece convinced the ancient Greeks that

the Earth is round.

An annual meteor shower occurs when

the Earth passes through comet debris.

In the Ptolemaic model of the Solar System,

the Earth was fixed and the planets and the Sun moved on epicycles which, in turn, went around the Earth.

The Greenhouse Effect is important because it suggests an effect on

the Earth's climate.

Our Sun sends out intense streams of charged particle radiation. The radiation is prevented from hitting the Earth's atmosphere by

the Earth's magnetic field.

The size of a typical white dwarf star is comparable to the size of

the Earth.

The molecules of both liquid water and ice are held together by

the attraction between the hydrogen atoms on one water molecule and the oppositely charged oxygen atom on another. hydrogen bonds.

An astronomical unit is defined to be

the average distance from the Earth to the Sun.

The Kuiper Belt was named after Gerard Kuiper, who said that

the belt formed early in the history of the solar system but should not still be there because Pluto would have cleared its neighborhood of smaller objects.

During the Tau Tauri phase of a protostar's evolution,

the brightness decreases

The luminosity class of a star is determined by measuring

the broadening of spectral lines.

The recoil or 'kick' of a gun that is firing a bullet is a force exerted on the gun by

the bullet.

Aristotle pointed out that a spherical Earth would explain why

the constellations visible from Egypt are somewhat different than the constellations visible from Greece. the Earth's shadow on the Moon is curved during a lunar eclipse.

The wavelength of a wave is defined to be

the distance from one crest to the next.

By measuring the angle between the Sun and the Moon when the Moon was in its first or third quarter, the ancient Greeks were able to calculate

the distance from the Earth to the Sun.

The velocity of a wave is defined to be

the distance traveled by a crest divided by the time taken.

A hydrogen bond is the result of

the electrical attraction between a hydrogen atom on one molecule and an oppositely charged part of another molecule.

The force that acts on a rocket because its engine is firing is exerted by

the exhaust from the rocket.

The red supergiant phase of a star is caused by

the exhaustion of helium at its core.

The first red giant phase of a star is caused by

the exhaustion of hydrogen at its core

The 'helium flash' refers to

the explosive ignition of a star's helium core.

According to Galileo, a thrown spear keeps moving after it has left the spear thrower's hand because

the force of friction with the air is not enough to stop the spear.

According to Aristotle, a thrown spear keeps moving after it has left the spear thrower's hand because

the force of the air disturbed by the spear keeps it in motion.

the heavier object would hit the ground long before the lighter one.

Suppose that you drop a wooden ball and an iron ball, both the exact same diameter, from the same height at the same time. Aristotle would predict that

the iron ball would hit the ground long before the wooden ball.

Pluto is now regarded as

the largest dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt.

For an eclipsing spectroscopic binary star system, we can determine

the masses and diameters of both stars in the system.

For a visual binary star system, we can determine

the masses of both stars in the system.

Stellar Parallax is caused by

the motion of the Earth around the Sun.

The changing phases of the Moon are caused by

the motion of the Moon around the Earth.

The mass of Sgr A* has been determined by observing

the motions of stars near it.

Aristotle said that the spherical shape of the Earth was

the natural result of gravity pulling everything toward a center.

The Summer Solstice is the time when

the noon sun is highest in the sky.

The ecliptic is

the path of the Sun on the Celestial Sphere.

The first major failure of the Ptolemaic Theory to predict the results of observations was

the phases of Venus.

The focal point of a lens is

the place where it sends rays that are parallel to the axis.

Viking 1 and 2 were sent to explore

the planet Mars.

Mars retains a carbon dioxide atmosphere because

the pressure is very close to the triple point of water.

Suppose that an object with a mass of one kilogram and an object with a mass of two kilograms are both in free fall near the Earth's surface. As compared to the one kilogram object, the two kilogram object accelerates

the same because gravity pulls on it more strongly and it has more inertia.

The main difficulty with multiple star systems such as Alpha Centauri as places to look for life is that

the shifting gravitational fields of the orbiting stars might mean that there are no stable orbits in their habitable zones.

If we detect that the intensity of the light from a star is mostly constant but drops slightly to a new constant value for a while and then returns to its normal level and repeats this behavior at regular intervals, we can reasonably suspect that

the star has a planet in orbit around it.

The ancient Greeks argued that the Earth cannot be moving because such a motion would cause apparent shifts in the positions of stars. This argument was wrong because

the stars are so far away that the shifts due to the Earth's motion are extremely small.

A sidereal day is the time it takes for

the stars to come back to the same positions in the sky.

A Helium-3 nucleus consists of two protons and one neutron. The main force that holds it together is

the strong force.

One reason that temperatures are higher in the summer than in the winter is that

the sun is higher in the sky in the summer.

One reason that temperatures are lower in the winter than in the summer is that

the sun is lower in the sky in the winter.

Our sun is roughly at the center of

the visible part of the Milky Way.

Venus retains a dense carbon dioxide atmosphere because

there is no liquid water there.

The main reason that the SETI@home system needs to use the computing power of 5.2 million participating home computers is that

they are collecting and analyzing signals on millions of different radio channels.

You hear about an asteroid impact threat at level 10 on the Torino Scale. You should

think about ways to get off the planet.

Because mirrors only use one surface, they have a big advantage over lenses: They can be

thinner and larger in diameter.

Pythagoras proposed that the Earth was round probably because he

thought that the sphere was the simplest and most elegant shape.

In the ancient Greek theory of gravity, everything was attracted to the center of the universe. In Newton's theory of gravity, everything was attracted

to every other object in the universe.

The purpose of a scientific model is

to predict the results of observations on real systems.

In the picture that we used in class, with the Sun above the top of the picture and the Earth shown with its North Pole facing you, the part of the Earth that is experiencing sunset would be

to the left of the North Pole in the picture.

In the picture that we used in class, with the Sun above the top of the picture and the Earth shown with its North Pole facing you, the part of the Earth that is experiencing sunrise would be

to the right of the North Pole in the picture.

Pathfinder was the first

to use airbags to land on Mars. to place a robotic rover on the surface of Mars.

The Moon rotates on its axis so that it always keeps the same side

toward the Earth.

When Newton calculated the magnitude and direction of the acceleration of Earth's Moon, he found that the direction was

toward the Earth.

When Newton calculated the magnitude and direction of the acceleration for a planet that was following Kepler's Laws, he found that the direction of the acceleration was

toward the Sun.

The layer of the atmosphere where one would find hurricanes is the

troposphere.

The wavelength of the sound waves that correspond to middle-C is about 4 feet. If you are standing 8 feet away from a piano that is playing that note, then between you and the piano there will usually be

two regions of maximum pressure.

The Alpha Centauri star system consists of

two stars in close orbit around each other and a third star orbiting farther out.

So far (as of 2008), the planet Mercury has been visited by

two successful space probes.

A DNA molecule consists of

two sugar phosphate chains connected by pairs of nitrogenous bases.

When the core of a star collapses while inside the star, the result is a

type II supernova.

The strongest evidence that Earth life is all descended from a single self-copying molecule is that all Earth life

uses the same 4 nitrogenous bases to code for the same 20 amino acids. contains the same version of molecules that have different mirror-image forms.

Asteroids are

usually found in.the asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

The distance from the Earth to the Moon

varies enough that sometimes we get an annular solar eclipse.

A mirror that is shaped like a shallow bowl sitting on the table with its open end facing up will focus light that comes

vertically down from above.

Which of the following phases of the Moon would be seen high in the south at dawn?

waning quarter.

Astronomy is known for claiming to have measured many things that cannot possibly be probed directly. These measurements are made by combining actual measurements with

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