Chapter 6: Telescopes (Reading Quiz)

Which of the following is always true about images captured with X-ray telescopes? A. They are always shown with colors that are not the true colors of the objects that were photographed. B. They always have high angular resolution. C. They show us light with extremely long wavelengths compared to the wavelengths of visible light. D. They always are made with adaptive optics. E. They are always pretty.

A. They are always shown with colors that are not the true colors of the objects that were photographed.

When your eye forms an image, the _____ plays a role analogous to the detector in a camera. A. optic nerve B. retina C. pupil D. lens

B. retina

Which of the following wavelength regions can be studied with telescopes on the ground? A. radio, visible, and very limited portions of the infrared and ultraviolet regions B. all light with wavelengths longer than ultraviolet wavelengths C. infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. D. all light with wavelengths shorter than infrared wavelengths

A. radio, visible, and very limited portions of the infrared and ultraviolet regions

Which of the following is not one of the three main categories of observation generally used by astronomers? A. Spectroscopy to spread an object's light into a spectrum. B. Filtering to look at just a single color from an object. C. Time monitoring to track how an object's brightness varies with time. D. Imaging to get a picture of an astronomical objects.

B. Filtering to look at just a single color from an object.

What does angular resolution measure? A. The brightness of an image. B. The angular size of the smallest features that the telescope can see. C. The size of an image. D. The number of electromagnetic waves captured by an image.

B. The angular size of the smallest features that the telescope can see.

Which of the following statements best describes the difference between a refracting telescope and a reflecting telescope? A. A refracting telescope produces refracted images, whereas a reflecting telescope produces reflected images. B. Reflecting telescopes make much clearer images than can refracting telescopes of the same size. C. A refracting telescope uses a transparent glass lens to focus light, whereas a reflecting telescope uses a mirror to focus light. D. It is much easier to make a large refracting telescope than a large reflecting telescope.

C. A refracting telescope uses a transparent glass lens to focus light, whereas a reflecting telescope uses a mirror to focus light.

Suppose you want to determine the chemical composition of a distant planet or star. Which of the following will be most useful to have? A. High turbulence. B. High angular resolution. C. High spectral resolution. D. A radio telescope.

C. High spectral resolution.

Which of the following best describes what we mean by the focal plane of a telescope? A. It is the surface of the lens on the eyepiece, through which you would look to see objects in the telescope's field of view. B. It is the upper surface of the telescope's primary lens or mirror. C. It is the place where, if we mounted film or an electronic detector, we could get a clear (not blurry) image of an object viewed through the telescope. D. It is the lower surface of the telescope's primary lens or mirror.

C. It is the place where, if we mounted film or an electronic detector, we could get a clear (not blurry) image of an object viewed through the telescope.

What do astronomers mean by light pollution? A. Light pollution is a term used to describe the appearance of the sky in regions that are crowded with stars. B. Light pollution is a type of air pollution created by lightweight gases such as hydrogen and helium. C. Light pollution is light from human sources that makes it difficult to see the stars at night. D. Light pollution means contamination of light caused by chemicals in the Earth's atmosphere.

C. Light pollution is light from human sources that makes it difficult to see the stars at night.

What is the angular resolution of the human eye? A. about 1 arcsecond (1/3600 of a degree) B. about 1 degree C. about 1 arcminute, or 1/60 of a degree D. about 1 milliarcsecond

C. about 1 arcminute, or 1/60 of a degree

Which of the following effects is caused by atmospheric turbulence? A. diffraction of light B. magnification of images C. twinkling of stars D. light pollution

C. twinkling of stars

What is the purpose of interferometry? A. It allows two or more small telescopes to achieve a larger light-collecting area than they would have independently. B. It reduces the twinkling of stars caused by atmospheric turbulence. C. It is designed to prevent light pollution from interfering with astronomical observations. D. It allows two or more small telescopes to achieve the angular resolution of a much larger telescope.

D. It allows two or more small telescopes to achieve the angular resolution of a much larger telescope.

What do we mean by the diffraction limit of a telescope? A. It is the maximum size to which any telescope can be built. B. It describes the maximum exposure time for images captured with the telescope. C. It describes the farthest distance to which the telescope can see. D. It is the angular resolution the telescope could achieve if nothing besides the size of its light-collecting area affected the quality of its images.

D. It is the angular resolution the telescope could achieve if nothing besides the size of its light-collecting area affected the quality of its images.

What is the purpose of adaptive optics? A. It allows several small telescopes to work together like a single larger telescope. B. It is a special technology that allows the Hubble Space Telescope to adapt to study many different types of astronomical objects. C. It allows ground-based telescopes to observe ultraviolet light that normally does not penetrate the atmosphere. D. It reduces blurring caused by atmospheric turbulence for telescopes on the ground.

D. It reduces blurring caused by atmospheric turbulence for telescopes on the ground.

Which of the following statements best describes the two principle advantages of telescopes over eyes? A. Telescopes collect more light and are unaffected by twinkling. B. Telescopes can collect far more light with far greater magnification. C. Telescopes have much more magnification and better angular resolution. D. Telescopes can collect far more light with far better angular resolution.

D. Telescopes can collect far more light with far better angular resolution.