AS101 Final Exam

The name of the seven days of the week are based on the:
a.) the brightest stars in each of the seven largest constellations of the ancient world
b.) seven planets closest to the Sun
c.) seven brightest stars in the prominent constellatio Orion.
d.) most popular greek gods
e.) seven naked-eye objects that appear to move among the constellations.

The name of the seven days of the week are based on the:
a.) the brightest stars in each of the seven largest constellations of the ancient world
b.) seven planets closest to the Sun
c.) seven brightest stars in the prominent constellatio Orion.
d.) most popular greek gods
e.) seven naked-eye objects that appear to move among the constellations.

e.)

Ptolemy was important in the history of astronomy because he:
a.) developed the first scientific method of the universe
b.) was the first to create a model of the solar system that placed the sun rather than the Earth at the centre
c.) was the first to believe that all orbits are perfect circles
d.) developed a model of the solar system that made sufficiently accurate predictions of planetary positions to remain in use for many centries.
e.) was the first to believe in an Earth-centred universe

d.)

Galileo observed that Jupiter has moons. From this information you may conclude that
a.) Jupiter orbits Earth
b.) Jupiter orbits the Sun
c.) there are so called heavenly objects that do not orbit the earth and although its clear that the Moon orbits the Earth there is, then, no reason why the Earth-Moon combination cannot orbit the sun
d.) Jupiter is the centre of the solar system

c.)

How did keplers first law of planetary motion alter the copernican system?
a.) it removed the epicycles from the perfect circle
b.) it placed the sun at the centre of the ellipse
c.) it changed the perfect circles to ellipses
d.) it added epicycles to the perfect cycles
e.) it put the sun at one focus of the ellipse and the planet at the other focus.

c.)

Which of the following best describes the origin of ocean tides on earth?
a.) tides are caused by the difference in the force of gravity exerted by the Moon across the sphere of the Earth
b.) Tides are caused by the 23.5 tilt of the Earth's rotational axis to the ecliptic plane
c.) Tides are caused by the force of gravity exerted by the moon on earth
d.) The Moons gravity pulls harder on water than on land, because water is less dense than rock
e.) Tides are caused primarily by the gravitational force of the Sun, the Moon has nothing to do with it.

a.)

The scientific method is best described by which of the following
a.) a system of using other scientists data to refute theories and formulate new ones that suit your own beliefs and inclinations
b.) A system of collecting and analyzing data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis and reformulating the hypothesis as needed
c.) A system of using other scientists data and using deductive and inductive reasoning to prove theories
d.)a system of data collection involving new investigations which hopefully lead to a new, irrefutable theories resulting in Nobel prizes
e.) a system of collecting and analyzing data and reformulating hypothesis which lead to the dispelling of or proving old theories.

b.)

What determines the date of easter
a.) the second sunday after the spring equinox
b.) the sunday following the first new moon following the spring equinox
c.) the sunday following the first full moon following the spring equinox
d.) the first sunday after the spring equinox
e.) the sunday before the first new moon, following the spring equinox

c.)

Which statement of the cosmological principle is valid?
a.) it is based on only one tenet and that is the laws of physics and chemistry apply only to our solar system
b.) It is based on the two tenets involving the universality of the laws of physics and chemistry and the belief that there is nothing special about the Earth
c.) it is based on only one tenet that there is nothing special about earth
d.) it is based on two tenets involving uniqueness of Earth and the universality of the laws of physics and chemistry
e.) it is based on three tenets involving the uniqueness of Earth, the universality of the laws of physics and chemistry, and the concept that our galaxy is the centre of the Universe.

b.)

Which of the following is not an example of a pseudoscience
a.) tarot cards
b.) reading tea leaves
c.) astrology
d.) palm reading
e.) astronomy

e.)

Humans have been trying to determine the truth behind the workings of the heavens for years. Which of the following people show a record of interest in anything related to astronomy?
a.) The Mayans civilization in Central America
b.) The Chinese
c.). The Inuit people of northern Canada
d.) only a and B
e.) all of a B and C

E.)

Kepler's third law of planetary motion states that
a.) The semi major axis of a planets orbit is directly proportional to its period of motion around the sun
b.) The square of the semi minor axis of a planets orbit is directly proportional to the cube of its period of motion around the sun
c.) The semi major axis of a planets orbit is directly proportional to the cube of its period of motion around the sun
d.) The cube of the semi major axis of a planets orbit is directly proportional to the square of its period of motion around the sun
e.) The square of the semi minor access of the planets orbit is directly proportional to its period of motion around the sun

d.)

Suppose a planet is discovered orbiting a star in a highly elliptical orbit well the planet is close to the star it. But while it is far away it. .
a.) rotate faster, rotate slower
b.) moves slower, moves faster
c.) moves faster, moves slower
d.) rotate slower, rotates faster
e.) moves slower, rotates faster

c.)

Which of the following is not part of newtons universal law of gravitation?
a.) The gravitational attraction between two objects depends directly on the distance between their centres of mass
b.) The gravitational attraction between two objects depends on the product of their masses
c.) if the suns mass were to suddenly be reduced to 50% of its present mass the force of gravity on the earth caused by the sun would be exactly half of what it is now
d.) The gravitational attraction between two objects depends inversely as the square of the distance between their centres of mass
e.) The force of gravity between earth and mars depends on both the mass of Mars and the mass of earth

C.)

When Copernicus first created his sun-centred model of the universe it did not lead to substantially better predictions of planetary positions than the Ptolemaic model, why not?
a.) Copernicus used perfect circles for the orbits of the planets
b.) copernicus placed to the planets in the wrong order going outward from the sun
c.) he misjudged the speed at which the planets orbit the sun
d.) he misjudged the distances between the planets
e.) he placed the sun at the centre but did not realize that the moon orbits the earth

a.)

Which of the following is not a unit of speed?
a.) Kilometer/light here
b.) meters/day
c.) light years/minute
d.) Centimeters/second
e.) Kilometers/hour

a.)

A skater can spin faster by pulling in her arms closer to her body or spin slower by spreading her arms out from her body. This is due to
a.) The conservation of angular momentum
b.) The conservation of momentum
c.) The small frictional force between her skates and the ice
d.) The conservation of energy because energy can't be created or destroyed
e.) The law of inertia

a.)

Which of the statements about Isaac Newton is not true?
a.) developed the mathematics of calculus
b.) develop the famous laws known as the laws of motion
c.) was born in the same year that Galileo died
d.) was born on Christmas day 1642
e.) grew up in Germany

e.)

Which of the following is not regarded as a heat transfer mechanism?
a.) segregation
b.) convection
c.) radiation
d.) conduction
e.) only a, B and c

a.)

What would happen if the space shuttle were launched with a speed greater than earths escape velocity?
a.) it would orbit the earth a a faster velocity
b.) it would be in an unstable orbit
c.) it would take less time to reach it's bound orbit
d.) it would travel in a higher orbit around the sun
e.) it would travel away from earth into the solar system

e.)

Which of the following statements is not one of the newtons laws of motion?
a.) The rate of change of momentum of an object is equal to the net force applied to the object
b.) in the absence of a net force, an object moves with constant velocity.
c.) for any force there always is an equal and opposite reaction force
d.) The net force applied to an object is equal to its mass times acceleration
e.) The net force applied to an object is equal to its mass times the length of time that the force is applied

e.)

radiative or radiant energy is
a.) light energy
b.) heat energy
c.) any energy connected with motion
d.) Energy from nuclear power plants
e.) Energy used in home radiators

a.)

A green apple looks green because
a.) it transmits green light and emits all other colours
b.) it emits green light and absorbs all other colours
c.) it reflects green light and absorbs all other colours
d.) it reflects all colours but green white
e.) it absorbs green light and emits all other colours

c.)

What does temperature measure?
a.) The total potential energy of particles in a substance
b.) The average kinetic energy of particles in a substance
c.) The average mass of particles in a substance
d.) The total number of particles in a substance
e.) The average size of particles in a substance

b.)

Which of the following statements correctly describes the law of conservation of energy?
a.) The fact that you confuse hydrogen into helium to produce energy means that helium can be turned into hydrogen to produce energy
b.) The total quantity of energy in the universe never changes
c.) Energy can change between many different forms such as potential kinetic and thermal but it is ultimately destroyed
d.) an object always has the same amount of energy
e.) it is not really possible for an object to gain or lose potential energy because energy cannot be destroyed

b.)

Betelgeuse and Rigel are two bright stars in the constellation Orion. Betelgeuse immense primarily red light while Rigel appears a blue color. What can you determine from this observation?
a.) Rigel is hotter
b.) Betelgeuse is more massive
c.) Betelgeuse is a binary star
d.) Betelgeuse is moving toward you and Rigel is moving away from you
e.) Betelgeuse is moving away from you and Rigel is moving toward you

a.)

upon what quantities does angular momentum depend?
a.) just the mass of an object
b.) three quantities an object weight, the acceleration of gravity, and it's radius
c.) Force and radius
d.) three quantities; an object's mass, its rotational speed, and its radius
e.) momentum and angular velocity

d.)

If your mass is 75 kg on earth, what would your mass on Saturn be? which is about 95 times as massive as earth
a.) about the same
b.) about 20 kg
c.) about 75 g
d.) 7125 kg
e.) 75 pounds

a.)

Why is an understanding of the concept and principles of light so important to astronomers?
a.) it's important that we understand that light works better at night because it is cooler then
b.) astronomers work only during the daylight hours because at night there is no light
c.) pretty much everything we know about our solar system, we know because of the light from distant objects we have observed and analyzed
d.) because the light is everywhere
e.) we only think we know all about light but what we do know is probably all a myth

c.)

The 29.5 day lunar month result in full moon dates that slowly change from month to month. Which of the following statements about the cycle is true?
a.) this so-called metallic cycle is a result of the earths rotational axis being tipped
b.) The dates for Easter are based on this cycle
c.) this cycle repeats every 19 years
d.) it is known as the Saros cycle
e.) this continual cycling of the lunar phase dates repeating on the same dates has been known since Galileo's time when the telescope was first developed

c.)

Which of the following statements best describes the principle advantage vantage of telescopes over eyes?
a.) telescopes can collect far more light with far greater magnification
b.) telescopes have much more magnification and better angular resolution
c.) telescopes can collect far more light with far better angular resolution
d.) telescopes can collect more light and are unaffected by twinkling
e.) telescopes can see farther without image distortion and can record more accurate colours

C.)

The wavelength of a wave is
a.) equal to the frequency of the wave divided by the wave speed
b.) The distance between two adjacent troughs of the wave
c.) The distance between where the waves is emitted and where it is absorbed
d.) How strong the wave is
e.) The distance between a peak of the wave in the next trough

B.)

Which of the following objects would not be considered an optical device?
a.) microscope
b.) telescope
c.) camera
d.) human eye
e.) bedroom window

E.)

Suppose the angular separation of two stars is smaller than the angular resolution of your eyes. How will the stars appear to your eyes?
a.) You will see only the larger of the two stars, not the smaller one
b.) you will not be able to see the two stars at all
c.) you will see two distinct stars
d.) those two stars will look like a single point of light
e.) The two stars will appear to be touching looking rather like a small dumbbell

D.)

Which of the following statements about the Hubble space telescope is false?
a.) it will eventually be replaced by the James Webb space telescope
b.) it operates 24 hours per day
c.) it operates mainly at visible light frequencies
d.) it orbits the earth well above the earths atmosphere
e.) it was designed by a famous astronomer named Edwin Hubble

e.)

what is the main problem that ground-based telescopes have to deal with?
a.) The earths atmosphere
b.) varying atmospheric conditions
c.) light pollution
d.) all of the above
e.) only a and B

D.)

Which of the following is not an advantage of the Hubble space telescope over ground -based telescopes
a.) stars do not twinkle when observed from space
b.) it can observe infrared and ultraviolet light as well as visible light
c.) it never has to close because of bad weather
d.) although it orbits the earth and is outside of earths atmosphere it is, after all, closer to the stars
e.) observers on the ground can use it at any time of the 24 hour day

d.)

The speed of light is 300,000 km/second, why is it so important to know this value so precisely?
a.) It's the speed of light and astronomers rely on the light to know pretty much everything about our universe
b.) it is the natural speed limit in the universe nothing moves faster than this
c.) if you multiply the wavelength of light by the frequency of light you get the speed of light
d.) all of a, B and C are true
e.) only a and B are true. C is a false statement

D.)

what do astronomers mean by light pollution?
a.) light pollution refers to light used for human activities that brightens the sky and hinders astronomical observations
b.) pollution caused by light industry as opposed to heavy industry
c.) The lights that must be used inside major observatories
d.) harmful gases emitted by common street lights
e.) another name for sunlight

a.)

Spectroscopy can be used to
a.) determine the surface temperature of a planet in our solar system
b.) determine the atmospheric composition of a planet in our solar system
c.) determine the surface colour of a planet in our solar system
d.) determine the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars
e.) all of the above

E.)

Suppose there are two monochromatic light games. Beam 1 has 1/4 of the wavelength of Beam 2. How do their frequencies compare?
a.) beam one has four times the frequency of beam two
b.) beam one has two times the frequency of beam two
c.) beam one has a quarter of the frequency of beam two
d.) beam one has half the frequency of beam two
e.) they have the same frequency

a.)

Which of the following statements about the Jovian planets is not true?
a.) Jupiter and Saturn have over 100 moons
b.) all the Jovian planets have a ring systems
c.) Saturn is the least dense planet, having a density less than water
d.) The outer most Jovian planets, Uranus, is also the least massive
e.) The largest Jovian planet is Jupiter

d.)

according to our theory of SolarSystem formation, what is the origin of astroids and comets?
a.) astroids and comments are both left over planetesimals that formed between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
b.) they represent material from interstellar space that was captured in a solar nebula by gravity
c.) asteroids are chunks of pure metal that condensed in the solar nebula and comets are chunks of pure rock that condensed in the solar nebula
d.) astroids are leftover planetesimals of the inner solar system, and comets are the leftover planetesimals that formed beyond the frost line
e.) astroids are the remains of a terrestrial planet that shattered, and comets are the remains of a jovian planet that shattered.

d.)

We have determined the age of the solar system through:
a.) taking measurements of tree rings
b.) radioactive dating
c.) The study of rocks and the determination of their composition
d.) The analysis of the sand on various beaches around the earth
e.) all of the above

b

which of the following characteristics of the Jovian planets are correct?
a.) they have varying sizes, Jupiter is one size, Neptune about half as big and mercury is quite small
b.) they are relatively large, low density objects with solid surfaces
c.) they are closer to the sun from in the terrestrial planets
d.) both a and B are correct
e.) none of a, B or C are correct

E

The rotation of the planets are:
a.) all in the same direction with the exception of Venus and Neptune
b.) all in the same direction -counterclockwise
c.) all in the same direction with the exception of mercury
d.) all in the same direction with the exception of Venus and Uranus
e.) all in the same direction -clockwise

d

Which of the following statements about comets is false?
a.) most comets come from the Kuiper belt or the Oort Cloud
b.) cometary orbits can be elliptical, parabolic and hyperbolic
c.) comet tails consist of two parts, a plasma tail and a dust tail
d.) The nucleus of a comet is quite large about 100 km across
e.) Halley's Comet has an elliptical orbit returning to the solar system every 76 years

D

Which of the following characteristics of the terrestrial planets is correct?
a.) they are relatively small, low density bodies with solid surfaces on which to walk
b.) they have a relatively small, high density objects with solid surfaces on which to walk
c.) they have varying sizes, earth is one size but large Jupiter is also terrestrial and you can walk on it surface
d.) they are all closer to the sun than the Jovian planets
e.) all of the above are correct

B

Which of the following statements about meteorites is true?
a.) they are often called shooting stars
b.) they are the same thing as an astroid
c.) they become a meteoroid once it hits the earth surface
d.) A meteorite is what's left of a meteor when it hits the earth surface
e.) A meteorite is the same thing as a meteoroid

d.)

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the terrestrial planets?
a.) smaller than the Jovian planets
b.) solid surfaces
c.) higher density's
d.) more closely spaced together
e.) many moons

E

What is a comet?
a.) it has no core but has two beautiful wispy tails which always point to the sun
b.) it's an astroid that has been shot out from the astroid belt because of the influences of Jupiter
c.) it's an astroid that has come to close to the sun
d.) The nucleus of a comet is a collection of various ices mixed with dust and tiny bit of rocky debris
e.) it's a brand of bathroom cleaner

D

Which of the following statements about the moons of the solar system is false?
a.) Jupiter has the most moons in our solar system
b.) all planets have moons except mercury
c.) moons vary in size from quite small to very large
d.) Mars has two small moons which are irregularly shaped
e.) Earth has one moon, named Moon, and no rings that we know of

B

When we examine the types of planets making up the solar system we notice the following
a.) there was just one type of planet round, small and rocky
b.) there are three types of plants; terrestrial, Jovian, and snowball
c.) there are two types of planets; terrestrial and Jovian
d.) there seems to be no general category of planets
e.) all planets making up the solar system are like Pluto

c.)

What is the origin of the atoms of hydrogen, oxygen and sodium in the perspiration that exits your body during this astronomy test?
a.) all of these elements were synthesized inside stars more than 4.6 billion years ago
b.) The hydrogen nuclei were produced a few minutes after the Big Bang, the oxygen and sodium nuclei were synthesized inside stars more than 4.6 billion years ago
c.) all of these elements were produced in the first few minutes after the big bang event
d.) they were all fused deep inside earth
e.) they were synthesized during the early stages of the suns formation

B

According to our theory of summer formation why does the sun rotate slowly today?
a.) The sun once rotated much faster, but it lost angular momentum because everything slows down with time
b.) The sun wants rotate much faster, but it transferred angular momentum to charged particles caught in its magnetic field and then blew the particles away with its strong solar wind
c.) The sun once rotated much faster, but it lost angular momentum due to internal friction
d.) The sun once rotated much faster, but it transferred angular momentum to planets and other objects during close encounters.
e.) The sun was born rotating slowly because the solar nebula had very little angular momentum

B

The sticking together of small but solid particles is an important feature of the solar nebula theory. What is this process known as?
a.) accretion
b.) differentiation
c.) gluons
d.) gravitational collapse
e.) condensation

A.)

Which of the following solar system moons likely formed through the same processes as our solar system?
a.) the moons of Mars; phobos and Deimos
b.) Venus' small moon, dactyl
c.) Jupiter's Galilean moons
d.) Uranus's moon, triton
e.) all of a, c, and d

C.)

The terrestrial planets and the giant Jovian planets have different compositions because
a.) The giant Jovian planets are made mostly of solids
b.) The terrestrial planets have few moons
c.) The Jovian's are much larger
d.) The Jovian planets are closer to the sun
e.) The terrestrial planets are closer to the sun

E.)

Atmosphere was formed around some terrestrial planets because
a.) outgassing through volcanic activity plus a strong enough gravity kept the gas from escaping into space
b.) their gravity was great enough to capture atoms and molecules floating around in the solar nebula
c.) radioactivity from surface rocks produced oxygen and carbon dioxide in sufficient quantities to build up an atmosphere
d.) human activity produces carbon dioxide and plants produce oxygen which are the main constituents of an atmosphere
e.) all of the above

A.)

What is a planetesimal?
a.) One of the larger planets in the solar system
b.) A smaller building block of planets
c.) an object that is in orbit around a planet
d.) A rogue planet moving around in the solar system not attached any particular planet
e.) A smaller building block of a protostar

b.)

About how much of the solar nebula consisted of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium?
a.) 2%
b.) 10%
c.) 50%
d.) 25%
e.) 98%

A.)

Proto planets grow into planetesimals by which processes?
a.) colliding with other Proto planets
b.) gravitational pulling in in other protoplanets
c.). Attracting other planetesimals with the same charge
d.) A combination of a and B
e.) A combination of a, B and a C

D.)

How were the moons of the Jovian planets most likely formed?
a.) probably through the same process as the planets themselves formed
b.) they were all formed in the astroid belt between Venus and Jupiter
c.) early in their formation the planets spun wildly and flung off chunks of themselves which made moons
d.) gravitationally attracting astroids as a Protoplanet might form
e.) initially formed around Jupiter

A.)

Why are the inner planets made of denser materials than the outer planets?
a.) in the inner part of the nebula, only rocks and metals were able to condense because of the higher temperatures, whereas hydrogen compounds, were only able to condense in the cooler outer regions.
b.) The suns gravity pulls denser materials toward the inner part of the solar nebula
c.) denser materials were heavier and sank to the centre of the nebula
d.) centrifugal force is flung the lighter material toward the outer part of the solar nebula
e.) Materials and actually segregated into bands and in our particular solar system the denser material settled near the sun while lighter materials are found in the outer part.

A

Which of the following is most likely to describe a comet but not an astroid?
a.) there really is no difference between them
b.)comets are partially but not totally composed of rocks and metals
c.) comics are mainly composed of ice and snow with some dust and Rocky bits
d.) comets reside with similar bodies in a sparsely populated belt
e.) comments are leftover planetesimals from the time when the planets were formed

c.)

The nebular theory of formation of the solar system successfully predicts all but one of the following. Which one does the theory not predict?
a.) The compositional differences between terrestrial and Jovian planets
b.) planets orbit around the sun in nearly circular orbit in a flattened disc
c.) astroids, Kuiper belt objects and comets
d.) The craters on the moon
e.) the equal number of terrestrial and Jovian planets

e.)

What is meant by the term "heavy bombardment"
a.) during the 500 to 700,000,000 years of the solar system existence there were plenty of larger objects roaming around in the solar disk. These larger objects constantly bombarded the terrestrial objects building up their surfaces and often leaving large craters that still exist today.
b.) it refers to a particularly interesting. About 65 million years ago when so many astroids hit earth that many animal species including the dinosaurs were wiped out
c.) during the second world war London England was heavily bombed by the German Air Force
d.) throughout the solar system existence the Jovian planets have been bombarded with rogue astroids leaving scars on their surfaces
e.) it refers to a period of human history known as the dark ages

A

The first solid grains or flakes formed in our solar system by the process of
a.) sublimation
b.) hydration
c.) accretion
d.) vaporization
e.) condensation

E

What is an exoplanet moon?
a.) an object orbiting a Kuiper belt object
b.) an object orbiting an exoplanet
c.) so far we have not detected any exoplanet moons so they don't exist
d.) an object orbiting an exostar
e.) an object orbiting an object other than earth

B.)

What does the exoplanet term "hot Jupiter" mean?
a.) it's the latest fast car made by Toyota
b.) it's an exoplanet just like Jupiter but orbiting much closer to its sun than 5AU
c.) its an exoplanet orbiting around a much bigger star than our sun
d.) it's an exoplanet the same size as Jupiter but with an extensive ring system
e.) it's an exoplanet just like Jupiter but orbiting much further away from its sun

B

Which of the following techniques has so far yielded the fewest detections of an exoplanet?
a.) gravitational lensing
b.) astrometric method
c.) Direct detection
d.) Doppler technique
e.) transit method

B

Which of the following three factors would affect the size of a star's doppler shift caused by an exoplanet?
a.) mass
b.) size of orbit
c.) composition
d.) only a and b
e.) all of a,b,c

D

Which statement best describes the Doppler technique for finding exoplanets?
a.) actually seeing the exoplanet
b.) observing the gravitational effects the orbiting exoplanet has on other nearby stars
c.) observing the slight side to side movement of the star in space caused by exoplanet orbiting it
d.) observing the slight dip in brightness of a star as the planet moves across its face
e.) observing the slight shifting of the frequency of the light as the star wobbles back-and-forth in space due to an exoplanet planets orbiting it.

E

Why is it easier to find exoplanets that are much more massive than the earth.?
a.) because they are mainly found around dimmer stars
b.) because they orbit more slowly
c.) because there aren't any exoplanets with masses lower than earth
d.) because their transits and tugging on their stars are easier to detect
e.) because the solar nebula theory predicts more massive exoplanets should exist

D.)

Which of the following statements about exoplanets is true?
a.) The large majority of confirmed exoplanets orbit their stars at radii less than 5AU
b.) no planets have been found orbiting their stars at radii less than mercury's orbital radius
c.) a considerable number of exoplanets seem to have orbits that are quite elliptical
d.) All of a,b,c are true
e.) only A and C are true

E

What is the name of exoplanet that has been found that is closest to our solar system?
a.) Sirius
b.) Formalhaut b
c.) Kepler 56c
d.) Alpha Centauri Bb
e.) Rigel

D

So far, how many exoplanets have been discovered?
a.) 4000
b.) 150
c.) 700
d.) 75
e.) over 1500

E

Which statement best describes the astrometric technique for finding exoplanets?
a.) observing the slight side to side movement of the star in space caused by exoplanet orbiting it
b.) actually seeing the exoplanet orbiting the star through our more powerful telescopes
c.) observing the slight shifting of the frequency of the light as the star wobbles back and forth in space due to an exoplanet orbiting it
d.) observing the gravitational effects the orbiting exoplanet has on other nearby stars
e.) observing the slight dip in the brightness of a star as the exoplanet moves across its face

A

What type of exoplanet would you expect to cause the largest Doppler shift in the spectrum of its star?
a.) A massive planet that is close to the sun
b.) A low mass planet that is close to its sun
c.) an average mass planet that is at an average distance from its sun
d.) A massive planet that is far from its sun
e.) a low mass planet that is far from its sun

A

Which of the following statements about exoplanets is false?
a.) The large majority of confirmed exoplanets orbit their stars at radii less than 5AU
b.) no planets have been found orbiting their stars at radii less than mercury's orbital radius
c.) a considerable number of exoplanets seem to have orbits that are quite elliptical
d.) The masses of the large majority of confirmed exoplanets that we have been able to measure with any degree of certainty are larger than earths mass
e.) The information about exoplants we have been able to determine so far seems to indicate that most of them are similar to our own solar system component

B

what is so special about a star of known as 51 Pegasi
a.) it is the largest known white dwarf star
b.) it was the first star found with multiple planets orbiting it
c.) it is the first main sequence star (star is like our sun) found to have a planet orbiting it
d.) it was the first star found with a planet orbiting it that is known to support intelligent life
e.) it is a pulsar with planets orbiting around it

C

How long does it take light from the Sun to get Earth?
a.) sixteen seconds
b.) 45 minutes
c.) 8.3 minutes
d.) 8.3 hours
e.) several days

C

Which the following celestial phenomena is the smallest?
A. the orbit of Mars
B. the distance to Ceres, the largest asteroid the asteroid belt
C. the orbit of Mercury
D. the orbit of the Moon
E. the distance to Sirius, the dog star

D

Which of the following does use the term, light-year, correctly?
A. My professor is a little weird. He must be at least 50 light-years old.
B. All of the other answers to this question use the term, light-year, correctly.
C. It's going to take me at least a light-year to fix this car.
D. The nearest star is about 4.2 ly from our solar system.
E. How come you finished your assignment light-years after I completed mine? It wasn't that difficult.

D

Which of the following is largest?
A. size of Pluto's orbit
B. size of typical galaxy
C. distance to the nearest star (other than our Sun)
D. 1 light-year
E. 1 Astronomical Unit

B

In our journey outward from the Sun what is a feature you notice about the spacing of the planets?
A. The spacing between the planets is actually quite random with some spaces being small followed by a huge spacing outward to the next one and then a small spacing and so on.
B. They are all pretty much evenly spaced
C. The inner planets are grouped together and relatively close to the Sun while the planets from Jupiter out to Neptune are spaced much further apart.
D. The largest planets are closer to the Sun while the smaller Earth-like planets are much farther from the Sun.
E. What's most interesting is that some planets share the same orbit.

C

The order of the planets beyond Earth, away from the Sun, is
A. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
B. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
C. Mars, Venus upite Saturn, eptune
D. Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
E. Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus

A

The nearest star to the Sun (and us) is Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf in the Alpha Centauri system. How far away from the Sun is Proxima Centauri?
A. 4.2 light-years
B. 14.2 light-years
C. About 1000 AU
D. 100 light-years
E. One light-year; that's how a light-year is defined

A

Which of the following best describes the Milky Way Galaxy?
A. a spiral galaxy with a disk about a billion kilometres in diameter and containing between 100 million and 1 billion stars
B. A spiral galaxy with a disk about 80,000 light-years in diameter and containing between 100 billion and 1 trillion stars
C. a spherically shaped collection of about 10 billion stars that is about 100 light-years in diameter
D. a spherically shaped collection of stars including our solar system and about a dozen other solar systems, stretching about 4 light-years in diameter
E. a spiral galaxy with a disk about 80,000 light-years in diameter and containing about 100,000 stars

B

Which of the following statements does not use the term light-year in an appropriate way?
A. It's about 8.6 light-years from here to Sirius.
B. A light-year is about 10 trillion kilometres.
C. It will take the Voyager spacecraft about 20,000 years to travel just 1 light-year.
D. The Milky Way Galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter.
E. It will take me light-years to run this marathon.

E

Which of the following has your "address" in the correct order?
A. you, Earth, solar system, Local Group, Local Supercluster, Milky Way
B. you, Earth, solar system, Milky Way, Local Supercluster, Local Group
C. you, Earth, solar system, Local Group, Milky Way, Local Supercluster
D. you, Earth, solar system, Milky Way, Local Group, Local Supercluster
E. you, Earth, Local Group, Local Supercluster, solar system, Milky Way

D

On the Cosmic Calendar about when did the solar system begin to form?
A. January 1
B. Around the spring equinox - March 21
C. Somtime around Labour Day - September 1
D. Around the summer solstice - June 21
E. About mid-November

C

Which of the following objects within our solar system is the smallest?
A. Mars
B. Earth
C. Mercury
D. Мoon
E. Neptune

D

What is an Astronomical Unit (AU)?
A. The average distance between the Sun and the Earth.
B. 1.5 x 108 kilometres (km).
C. 1.5 x 1013 centimetres
D. 150 million kilometres
E. All of the rest

E

Which of the following statements about the ecliptic plane is not true?
A. It is the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth.
B. The nodes of the Moon's orbit lie in the ecliptic plane.
C. During a lunar eclipse, the Moon lies in the ecliptic plane.
D. During a solar eclipse, the Moon lies in the ecliptic plane.
E. It is the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

A

Each cycle of the Earth's precession takes about
A. 26,000 light-years
B. None of the others.
C. 2,600 years
D. 2,600 light-years
E. 26,000 years

E

Which of the following correctly describes the meridian in your sky?
A. a half-circle extending from your horizon due north, through your zenith, to your horizon due south
B. the boundary between the portion of the celestial sphere you can see at any moment and the portion that you cannot see.
C. the point directly over your head
D. a half-circle extending from your horizon due east, through the north celestial pole, to your horizon due west
E. a half-circle extending from your horizon due east, through your zenith, to your horizon due west

A

Imagine you are in Durban, South Africa (latitude - 30° or 30° S). You wish to walk north along a longitudinal line so that you've covered exactly one quarter of the Earth's circumference. What is the latitude when you arrive at your destination?
A. 60°
B. 90° - the North Pole
C. 0° - the equator
D. 30°
E. -90° - the South Pole

A

On the summer solstice in June, the Sun will be directly above __________________and all locations north of _____________________ will experience daylight all day.
A. The Tropic of Capricorn; the Arctic Circle
B. The Tropic of Cancer: the Arctic Circle
C. The Equator; Edmonton
D. The Tropic of Cancer; the Antarctic Circle
E. The Tropic of Capricorn: the Antarctic Circle

B

What happens during the apparent retrograde motion of a planet?
A. The planet moves backward through the sky.
B. The planet moves through constellations that are not part of the zodiac.
C. The planet rises in the west and sets in the east.
D. The planet appears to move westward with respect to the stars over a period of many nights.
E. The planet moves backward in its orbit around the Sun.

D

We can't detect stellar parallax with naked-eye observations. Which of the following would make parallax easier to observe?
A. decreasing the size of the Earth's orbit
B. increasing the size of the Earth's orbit
C. slowing down the Earth's orbital motion
D. speeding up the Earth's orbital motion
E. speeding up the precession of the Earth's axis

B