Quiz 6

Which of the following is not an advantage of the Hubble Space Telescope over ground-based telescopes?

It is closer to the stars.

Which of the following is always true about images captured with X-ray telescopes?

They are always displayed in false color.

What do we mean by the diffraction limit of a telescope?

It is the best angular resolution the telescope could achieve with perfect optical quality and in the absence of atmospheric distortion.

Telescopes operating at these wavelengths must be cooled to observe faint astronomical objects.

Extreme infrared.

X-ray telescope mirrors are very similar to optical telescope mirrors.

False

What does the technique of interferometry allow?

It allows two or more telescopes to obtain the angular resolution of a single telescope much larger than any of the individual telescopes.

What is meant by spectral resolution?

It is a measure of how close two spectral lines can be distinguished.

What do astronomers mean by light pollution?

Light pollution refers to light used for human activities that brightens the sky and hinders astronomical observations.

Which of the following studies is best suited to a time monitoring experiment?

Studying whether a particular star's brightness is steady or variable.

Which of the following could not be determined by an observation that uses only spectroscopy?

The size of a distant galaxy.

Suppose the angular separation of two stars is smaller than the angular resolution of your eyes. How will the stars appear to your eyes?

The two stars will look like a single point of light.

Which of the following is not a good reason to place observatories on remote mountain tops?

To be able to observe at radio wavelengths.

What is the purpose of adaptive optics?

To eliminate the distorting effects of atmospheric turbulence for telescopes on the ground.

The angular resolution of a telescope is never less than its diffraction limit.

True