Astronomy Midterm

Karl Jansky

The first radio telescope was built in the 1930’s by

a refracting telescope

which of the following is not a detector of radiation from space that astronomers have used

revolve around the sun in the same direction

all the planets without exception

latitude

the number of degrees of arc that your location is north or south of the equator is called your

the distances and periods of revolution

newtons reformulation of kepler’s third law allows us to measure the masses of bodies in orbit around each other, if we can measure

eccentricity

in an ellipse, the ratio of the distance between the foci and the length of the major axis is called

igneous

Any rock in the earths crust that has cooled from an originally molten state is called

When electrons change energy levels to produce the bakker series, the emitted light is the visible part of the spectrum to the lines were easy to see with our eyes

The banner series of lines in the hydrogen atom was very important in the history of physics and astronomy. What made it so important?

the latitude of the observer

In the northern hemisphere, the altitude of the north star is always roughly equal to the

the crater at the top of st helen’s volcano

Which of the following is NOT evidence that objects from space collide with earths

Aristarchus

Which ancient greek thinker suggested before copernicus that the earth is moving around the sun

will increase

A single star in the process of forming starts by spinning slowly, while it is quite large and relatively cool. as the star collapses under the pull of its own gravity, it’s size decreases as a result it’s rate of spinning

ecliptic

The suns orb around the celestial sphere

Two of the other factors

to figure out what you weigh on the surface of the moon, you need to know

measuring how seismic waves are transmitted through earth

an important way that scientist have been able to study the interior of the Earth is by

they bounce a radar beam off the surface of solid objects in our solar system

when astronomers do radar astronomy

Full moon

during what phase of the moon is the moon up only during the night hours and all night long

the troposphere

in what region of the earths atmosphere, have you spent most of your life?

radio

what type of telescope can be used routinely on the service of earth during the day?

a week

A dashing Romanian count asks his sweetheart to marry him. She says she will give her a reply when the moon is full if he asked when the moon was at first quarter how long will he have to wait?

look at the absorption lines in its spectrum

how do astronomers learn what elements are present in a given star

copernicus

the Renaissance astronomer who wrote the pioneering book that suggested the Earth probably orbit the sun was

a zone where rocky chunks orbit between Mars and Jupiter

the asteroid belt is

is refracted (bent)

when white light passes into the air into a different medium, such as glass it

a reflector doesn’t have to deal with the twinkling of the stars as a refractor does

which of the following is not an advantage that a reflector telescope has over a refractor telescope

A small asteroid

which of the following places is most likely not to be differentiated

Venus

on which planet besides the Earth, do we see a high level of geological activity on the surface today?

Yerkes observatory

the largest reflecting telescope in the world financed by a Chicago millionaire in the 1890s is at the

Sputnik

the first artificial satellite, the human race lofted into orbit was called

compensate for changes in the earths atmosphere and achieve better resolution

a new technique called adaptive optics allows astronomers to

the nucleus of an atom was tiny compared to the size of the whole atom

in 1911 Ernest Rutherford did a famous experiment using fast-moving alpha particles as bullets and very thin gold foil as a target. The results of this experiment showed that

it was first discovered in 1800 in an experiment, using sunlight and thermometers

which of the following statements about infrared radiation is true

planetesimals

the material that would eventually make all the major bodies in our solar system first gathered together as smaller pieces which astronomers call

hydrogen

the most common element in the universe is

temperature

Weins law relates the wavelength that which a star gives off the greatest amount of energy to the stars

asteroids

the smaller objects in the solar system made of rock and metal which most orbit between Jupiter and Mars are called

just as the sun is setting or just after

a friend of yours who takes her astronomy class very seriously challenges you to a contest to find the thin crescent moon you can find just after a new moon. What type of day is best for looking for this very thin crescent

perihelion

when a comment like Hale-Bopp comes close to the sun in its orbit, we say that it is at

the solar nebula

our best evidence in theoretical calculations indicate that the solar system began with a giant spinning system of gas and dust that scientist call

all of the statements are true

which of the following is a way we believe that the Earth atmosphere early is different from what it is today

making a black body curve in finding the wavelength of the peak

an astronomer discovers a new star and wants to measure its temperature

explained retrograde motion

which of the following is not done by Hipparchus, the great ancient astronomer

an asterism

within a constellation, a smaller recognizable pattern of stars as often called

granite

the type of rock we find predominant in the crust of the earths continent is called

refractors

the earliest telescopes were

heat

the energy of random atomic and molecular motion is called

Moves faster than average

when a planet in its orbit is closer to the sun

pluto

the planet in our solar system, whose orbit actually brings it inside the orbit of another planet

an airplane with an infrared telescope on board designed to fly above much of the water vapor in earths atmosphere

the sophia project is

the frequency of a wave to its energy

Planck’s constant relates

X-ray

which of the following types of telescopes can only be used above the Earth atmosphere

the nucleus repels the electrons which move around it

which of the following statements about the nucleus of a typical atom is false

Radar waves

I want to examine the surface of a planet that is covered by a thick atmosphere which wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. Would I be the smartest to use?

Galileo

the scientist, who first divide experimental test to demonstrate the validity of the heliocentric model of the solar system was

Venus

of the following planets what do you not have moons?

James Clark Maxwell

the scientist who worked out the mathematics of the connections between electricity, magnetism, and light in the 19th century was

A large metal dish

in a radio telescope the role that the mirror plays invisible, light telescopes is played by

explaining retrograde motion

which of the following was not done by Galileo

the moon

which celestial object has the fastest apparent motion in the sky

The discovery of a buried crater near chicxulub Mexico

in 1980s scientist suggested that the greatest mass extinction of 65 million years ago may have been caused by a large impact from space what discovery gives a big boost to this idea

the shuttle is falling around the earth (and everything aboard is in free fall)

Why do astronauts float around the shuttle instead of falling?

the sun blocks different constellations throughout the year

Which of the following is NOT an argument for showing that the earth must be round

none of the above

If you could somehow return to earth in many millions of years, which of the following would be different?

because the earth is going around the sun in the course of the year

Why is there a 4 minute difference between the solar vs sidereal day

the zodiac

The strips of sky through which the sun moon and bright planets move through in the course of a year is

the south pole

in what location could an eager math student not use her solar powered calculator at any time during a day in june