AST 2002C Chapter 1 Quiz

Light takes approximately one second to travel from the Earth to the Moon. This means that the Moon is approximately 1. 300,000 kilometers from the Earth 2. 1 light year from the Earth. 3. twice the distance from the Earth to the Sun. 4. 1 astronomical unit from the Earth.

1. 300,000 kilometers from the Earth

Light is the fastest-moving stuff in the universe. It travels at an incredible 300,000 km/s (3 × 105 km/s). So, in a year, light travels far. How far does light travel in 30 seconds? 1. 9 million km (9,000,000, or 9 E6 km) 2. 900 thousand km (900,000, or 9E5 km) 3. 10 thousand km (10,000, or E6 km) 4. 300 thousand km (300,000, or 3E5 km)

1. 9 million km (9,000,000, or 9 E6 km)

Which of the following statements does not use the term light-year in an appropriate way? 1. It will take me light-years to complete this homework assignment. 2. A light-year is about 10 trillion kilometers. 3. The Milky Way Galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter. 4. It's about 4 light-years from here to Alpha Centauri.

1. It will take me light-years to complete this homework assignment

Which of the following statements about the Milky Way Galaxy is not true? 1. Our solar system is located very close to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. 2. One rotation of the galaxy takes about 200 million years. 3. The galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter. 4. It contains between 100 billion and 1 trillion stars.

1. Our solar system is located very close to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Which of the following is smallest? 1. size of a typical planet 2. 1 AU 3. 1 light-second 4. size of a typical star

1. size of a typical planet

Our solar system is located about 27,000 light-years from the galactic center. How far does our solar system travel in one orbit?Hint: The solar system travels around a circle with the radius 27,000LY. The circumference of a circle is 2*pi*radius. Note: The E-format for scientific notation has been used. Ex: 1.23E+11 means 1.23 X 1011 1. 5.4 E17 km 2. 1.7 E18 km 3. E18 km

2. 1.7 E18 km

What is the Sun mainly made of? 1. nearly equal portions of all the elements 2. hydrogen and helium 3. oxygen and carbon 4. hydrogen and oxygen

2. hydrogen and helium

Which of the following is largest? 1. distance to the nearest star (other than our Sun) 2. size of a typical galaxy 3. size of Pluto's orbit 4. 1 light-year

2. size of a typical galaxy

Suppose we imagine the Sun to be about the size of a grapefruit (about 10 cm across). Which of the following describes the size and distance of Earth on the same scale? 1. Earth is the size of a golf ball about 15 meters away from the Sun. 2. Earth is the size of a point about 1 meter away from the Sun. 3. Earth is the size of a point about 15 meters away from the Sun. 4. Earth is the size of a marble about 25 miles away from the Sun.

3. Earth is the size of a point about 15 meters away from the Sun.

If we use 1 millimeter to represent 1 light-year, how large in diameter is the Milky Way Galaxy? 1. 10000 meters 2. 1 kilometer 3. 100 kilometers 4. 100,000 millimeters

4. 100,000 millimeters