Astronomy and Planetary Science: Surface Gravity, Orbits, and Spectra

What two properties of a planet affect the gravity we feel on its surface?

A: radius and distance from the Sun

B: radius and temperature

C: mass and distance from the Sun

D: mass and radius

E: mass and temperature

D: Mass and Radius

Two planets have the same radius. If Planet A is 5 times more massive than Planet B, how does gravity differ on the surfaces of the two planets?

A: gravity is 5 times stronger on Planet B

B: gravity is 5 times stronger on Planet A

C: gravity is 25 times stronger on Planet A

D: gravity is 25 times stronger on Planet B

E: gravity is equal on Planet A

B: Gravity is 5 times stronger on Planet A

Say that there was a planet X in our Solar System with a mass 1/4 the mass of Earth and a radius 1/2 the radius of Earth. How will the gravity on its surface compare to the surface gravity of Earth?

A: surface gravity on planet X is 2 times weaker than on Earth

B: surface gravity on planet X is 2 times stronger than on Earth

C: surface gravity on planet X is the same as on Earth

D: surface gravity on planet X is 8 times stronger than on Earth

E: surface gravity on planet X is 4 times weaker than on Earth

C: Surface gravity on planet X is the same as on Earth

4. A planet in a nearly circular orbit with its rotation axis tilted by 5 degrees relative to its orbital plane around its star would ...

A: have longer days and nights than those of Earth

B: have very severe seasons compared to Earth

C: have shorter years than those of Earth

D: have shorter days and nights than those of Earth

E: have seasons that are not very different from each other as compared to

Earth.

E: have seasons that are not very different from each other as compared to Earth

The rotation axis of the Earth is ...

A: tilted so that it is always pointed directly at the Sun

B: is sometimes parallel and sometimes perpendicular to the axis of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

C: tilted at about 23 degrees relative to the axis of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

D: perpendicular to the axis of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

E: parallel to the axis of the Earth's

C: tilted at about 23 degrees relative to the axis of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

A planet has its rotation axis tilted by 88% so that it is in the plane of its orbit around its star. It rotates once every 46 hours. For how many hours a day is it dark in the winter on its South pole?

A: 24 hours

B: 23 hours

C: 0 hours

D: 46 hours

E: 92 hours

D: 46 hours

When is the waning gibbous moon highest in the sky?

A: about 9am

B: about 3am

C: about noon

D: about midnight

E: about 3pm

B: about 3am

If the Moon phase is full, what phase would the Earth appear to be in when viewed from the Moon?

A: Full

B: First Quarter

C: New

D: Third Quarter

E: Waxing Gibbous

C: New

what time will the Moon set on the day of a Solar eclipse?

A: Sunrise.

B: Noon.

C: Sunset.

D: Midnight.

E: It will not set at all. It will be up for 24 hours.

C: Sunset.

Stars that are in the same constellation ...

A: appear in all different directions around the sky.

B: are all at close to the same distance from us.

C: are likely to be at very different distances from us.

D: are all in our Solar System.

E: are all in orbit around the same larger star.

C: are likely to be at very different distances from us.

The North star is a star in the constellation of Ursa Minor, which lies just above the North pole of Earth. Which of the following is true?

A: Ursa Minor is a Zodiac constellation in the winter but not in the summer.

B: Ursa Minor is a Zodiac constellation in the summer but not in the winter.

C: Ursa Minor is not a Zodiac constellation.

D: The Zodiac constellations are located near the axis below the South pole.

E: Ursa Minor is a Zodiac constellation all year.

C: Ursa Minor is not a Zodiac constellation

A particular Zodiac constellation is high in the sky at midnight in April. Where will it be in October?

A: high in the sky at midnight

B: near the Sun in the daytime sky

C: near the horizon a couple of hours after sunset

D: near the horizon a couple of hours before sunrise

E: visible at midnight, but only from the Southern hemisphere

B: near the Sun in the daytime sky

What do you expect the spectrum of an object that is 1,000,000 Kelvin to be like?

A: It should peak at radio wavelengths.

B: It should peak at violet wavelengths.

C: It should peak at X-ray wavelengths.

D: It should give off less total light than the Sun.

E: It should give off about 10 times more total light than the

C: It should peak at X-ray wavelengths.

As compared to a cool star, a hotter star emits ...

A: shorter wavelength, lower frequency, bluer color

B: shorter wavelength, higher frequency, bluer color

C: longer wavelength, higher frequency, bluer color

D: shorter wavelength, higher frequency, redder color

E: shorter wavelength, lower frequency, redder

B: shorter wavelength, higher frequency, bluer color

Radio waves can travel large distances without interference because ...

A: they have shorter wavelengths than visible light

B: they have high energies than visible light

C: they have longer wavelengths than visible light

D: they travel at the speed of light

E: they travel slower than the speed of light

C: they have longer wavelengths than visible light

Compared to ultraviolet radiation, X-rays have a wavelength that is ...

A: the same

B: longer

C: shorter

D: sometimes shorter and sometimes longer

E: zero

C: shorter

Star A is 4000 K, and Star B is 8000 K. Which of the following is true?

A: The wavelength of the dominant light from Star A is shorter than that from

Star B.

B: The color of Star A is bluer than Star B.

C: The color of Star A is redder than Star B.

D: The two stars have the same color.

E: The frequency of the dominant light from Star A is larger/higher than that

from Star B.

C: The color of Star A is redder than Star B.

A star is a hot, dense gas surrounded by a cooler, low density atmosphere. What

type of spectrum will a star create?

A: blackbody spectrum

B: absorption spectrum

C: continuous spectrum

D: hydrogen spectrum

E: emission spectrum

B: absorption spectrum

An electron in a sodium atom absorbs a photon of light and moves to the next higher energy level. What will happen next?

A: The electron will remain in the next higher energy level forever.

B: The electron will fuse with a proton in the atom and create a new neutron.

C: The electron will emit a photon with twice as much energy as it absorbed

and move to an even higher energy level.

D: The electron will be freed from the atom and move through space on its

own.

E: The electron will eventually emit a photon with the same energy as the one it absorbed.

E: The electron will eventually emit a photon with the same energy as the one it absorbed.

What makes a transition from a lower energy state to a higher energy state when a photon is absorbed into an atom?

A: proton

B: photon

C: neutron

D: electron

E: graviton

D: electron

An emission line is produced when:

A: a proton passes from a higher to a lower energy level.

B: a proton passes from a lower to a higher energy level.

C: an electron passes from a lower to a higher energy level.

D: an electron passes from a higher to a lower energy level.

E: radiation passes through the outer layers of a st

D: an electron passes from a higher to a lower energy level.

Bright lines in an emission spectrum represent:

A: particular energies of light that are emitted from a distant object

B: photons absorbed when an electron jumps from a higher to a lower energy

C: flaws in the telescopes and spectroscopes that astronomers use to measure spectra

D: regions from which light travels more rapidly and reaches us more quickly

E: photons absorbed when an electron jumps from a lower to a higher energy level

A: particular energies of light that are emitted from a distant object

The faintness of an object that a telescope can observe is mostly determined by the?

A: wavelength of light being observed

B: eyepiece it uses

C: the expertise of the astronomer in focusing light

D: diameter of the opening of the telescope

E: magnification of the telescope

D: diameter of the opening of the telescope

In what ways does a 5 meter telescope outperform a 1 meter telescope?

A: All objects observed by the 5 meter will appear larger.

B: Its images are 25 times brighter than a 1 meter.

C: It will produce better "seeing" than the 1 meter.

D: It can observe light with a wavelength 5 times longer than the 1 meter.

E: It will not suffer from spherical aberration like the 1

B: Its images are 25 times brighter than a 1 meter.

A mountain top is a good location for optical telescopes because the site:

A: has cold weather which improves the performance of the instruments

B: is closer to astronomical objects

C: has warm weather which improves the performance of the instruments

D: is above much of the atmosphere

E: has high altitude which expands the glass in the mirror and makes it

smoother

D: is above much of the atmosphere