Astronomy 1010 - Practice Questions

Dr. Gudehus



1)
Stars are considered to be


(a)
outside the celestial sphere.
(b)
between the earth and the celestial sphere.
(c)
projected on the celestial sphere.
(d)
located at the poles of the celestial sphere.



2)
The ecliptic is


(a)
the path of the moon.
(b)
the path of all the planets.
(c)
the path of the meridian.
(d)
the path of the sun.



3)
Aristotle thought that the earth was


(a)
flat.
(b)
spherical.
(c)
revolving about the sun.
(d)
rotating.



4)
Tycho Brahe's observations were important because


(a)
no one had observed in the southern hemisphere before.
(b)
no one had used a telescope to observe the stars before.
(c)
no one had measured the diameter of the earth before.
(d)
no one had measured positions so accurately before.



5)
Kepler's first law of planetary motion states that


(a)
planets rotate faster if they are closer to the sun.
(b)
all planets have satellites.
(c)
planets describe elliptical orbits.
(d)
planets undergo retrograde motion.



6)
Stonehenge


(a)
marks the location of zero degrees longitude.
(b)
was Tycho Brahe's observatory.
(c)
was Copernicus's observatory.
(d)
is known to align with the rising summer sun.



7)
As you travel north, the north celestial pole becomes


(a)
lower in the sky.
(b)
higher in the sky.
(c)
doesn't change its altitude.
(d)
fainter.

8)
A total eclipse of the moon occurs


(a)
once per month.
(b)
once per year.
(c)
two weeks after a solar eclipse
(d)
only during full moon.



9)
The ratio of the diameter of the sun to that of the earth is about


(a)
10000.
(b)
1000.
(c)
100.
(d)
10.



10)
Today's constellations number


(a)
12.
(b)
400.
(c)
29.
(d)
88.



11)
Hipparchus is noted for


(a)
inventing magnitudes.
(b)
inventing the spectroscope.
(c)
measuring the temperature of the sun.
(d)
believing that the earth revolved about the sun.



12)
A heavenly object that never sets is said to be


(a)
ionized.
(b)
circumpolar.
(c)
magnetic.
(d)
undergoing retrograde motion.



13)
The earth's precession can be described as


(a)
a wobble of the axis of rotation.
(b)
a westward movement of the vernal equinox.
(c)
the reason the tropical and sidereal years are unequal.
(d)
all of the above.



14
The earth experiences seasons because


(a)
the earth's distance from the sun varies.
(b)
the earth's axis is tilted.
(c)
the polar regions are naturally cold.
(d)
of the sunspot cycle.



15)
The sun's path around the sky is called the


(a)
meridian.
(b)
ecliptic.
(c)
celestial equator.
(d)
perihelion.



16)
In winter in the northern hemisphere, the full moon


(a)
is higher in the sky than in summer.
(b)
is lower in the sky than in summer.
(c)
is never eclipsed.
(d)
is always farthest from the earth.



17)
The first quarter moon rises at


(a)
dawn.
(b)
noon.
(c)
sunset.
(d)
midnight.



18)
The synodic period of the moon is


(a)
27.3 days.
(b)
29.5 days.
(c)
30.5 days.
(d)
28 days, but 29 days during leap year.



19)
Spring tides occur only


(a)
during March.
(b)
during hurricanes.
(c)
at new and full moons.
(d)
at first and last quarter moons.



20)
The umbra is


(a)
outside the penumbra.
(b)
not as dark as the penumbra.
(c)
inside the penumbra.
(d)
is a penumbra occuring in winter.



21)
A total eclipse of the moon occurs


(a)
every new moon.
(b)
every full moon.
(c)
during a full moon in the eclipse seasons.
(d)
during a full moon 3 months before and after the eclipse seasons.



22)
If you experience an annular eclipse,


(a)
the moon was closer than usual.
(b)
the moon was farther away than usual.
(c)
it was not new moon.
(d)
it was full moon.



23)
The music of the spheres was invented by


(a)
Thales.
(b)
Pythagoras.
(c)
Ptolemy.
(d)
Tycho Brahe.



24)
The diameter of the earth was first measured by


(a)
Plato.
(b)
Eratosthenes.
(c)
Kepler.
(d)
Copernicus.



25)
Ptolemy explained retrograde motion by means of


(a)
deferents and epicycles.
(b)
precession.
(c)
ellipses.
(d)
conic sections.



26)
De Revolutionibus was written by


(a)
Kepler.
(b)
Galileo.
(c)
Tycho Brahe.
(d)
Copernicus.



27)
Galileo's observations that Venus went through all the phases,


(a)
supported Ptolemy's theory.
(b)
supported Copernicus's theory.
(c)
could be explained by both Ptolemy's and Copernicus's theories.
(d)
contradicted Kepler's and Tycho Brahe's models.



28)
Tycho Brahe is best remembered for his


(a)
very good observing instruments.
(b)
sun centered theory of the solar system.
(c)
his sunny disposition.
(d)
his collaboration with Galileo.



29)
Kepler's second law of planetary motion states that


(a)
all planets spin on their axes.
(b)
all planets which have equal areas, have equal periods.
(c)
all planets sweep out equal areas in equal times.
(d)
all planets with equal masses have equal periods.



30)
Kepler's third law of planetary motion is


(a)
P3 = a2.
(b)
P2 = a3.
(c)
P3 = a/2.
(d)
P2 = a/3.



31)
Galileo's experiments with falling bodies demonstrated that


(a)
all bodies fall at a constant rate.
(b)
all bodies fall at a constant acceleration.
(c)
heavier bodies fall faster.
(d)
Aristotle's ideas were correct.



32)
A rocket which has insufficient velocity to escape from the earth and crashes into the ocean,


(a)
has a circular orbit.
(b)
has an elliptical orbit.
(c)
has a parabolic orbit.
(d)
has a hyperbolic orbit.



33)
Newton's second law of motion is


(a)
F = m/a.
(b)
F = a/m.
(c)
F = ma.
(d)
F = 1/(ma).



34)
The orbital velocity of the moon about the earth is approximately


(a)
100 km s-1
(b)
10 km s-1
(c)
1 km s-1
(d)
0.1 km s-1



35)
If the distance between two masses is doubled, the gravitational force between them


(a)
is tripled.
(b)
qudrupled.
(c)
halved.
(d)
reduced to a quarter.



36)
An Ångstrom unit is


(a)
larger than a micron.
(b)
the same as an electron volt.
(c)
smaller than a micron.
(d)
bigger than a millimeter.



37)
The sequence of colors in a spectrum is in the order of


(a)
red, violet, yellow.
(b)
green, blue, orange.
(c)
violet, red, orange.
(d)
red, orange, yellow.



38)
The electromagnetic force is


(a)
stronger than the nuclear force.
(b)
weaker than gravity.
(c)
stronger than the weak force.
(d)
agrees with all of the above statements.



39)
When light passes through a small opening, it undergoes


(a)
refraction.
(b)
interference.
(c)
dispersion.
(d)
diffraction.



40)
A simple lens focuses


(a)
red light closer to the lens than blue light.
(b)
blue light closer to the lens thatn red light.
(c)
red and blue light at the same point.
(d)
blue light but not red light.



41)
The focal length of a lens depends on


(a)
its diameter.
(b)
its thickness and index of refraction.
(c)
its diameter and thickness.
(d)
none of the above.



42)
Which is not a focal point of a telescope:


(a)
cassegrain.
(b)
newtonian.
(c)
prime.
(d)
double prime.



43)
In order to stay pointed at a star, a telescope must rotate once in


(a)
exactly 24 hours.
(b)
slightly less than 24 hours.
(c)
slightly more than 24 hours.
(d)
a siderial year.



44)
If a telescope is doubled in diameter, a star will appear


(a)
twice as bright.
(b)
the same brightness.
(c)
four times as bright.
(d)
half as bright.



45)
If a star is approaching us, its wavelengths are


(a)
shifted blueward.
(b)
shifted redward.
(c)
not shifted.
(d)
doubled.



46)
If the temperature of a blackbody is doubled, its radiated power


(a)
is increased twofold.
(b)
is increased fourfold.
(c)
is increased eightfold.
(d)
is increased sixteenfold.



47)
If the temperature of a blackbody is doubled, the wavelength of its peak output


(a)
is doubled.
(b)
is halved.
(c)
is unaffected.
(d)
is quadrupled.



48)
One way to search for young planetary systems around stars is to


(a)
measure the IR emission from warm dust.
(b)
measure the X-ray emission from hot gas.
(c)
apply the Titius-Bode rule.
(d)
None of the above are true.



49)
Which object has the lowest density?


(a)
A meteoroid.
(b)
Mercury.
(c)
The moon.
(d)
Saturn.



50)
Which is the smallest?


(a)
Earth.
(b)
Jupiter.
(c)
Neptune.
(d)
Pluto.



51)
Which planets have no satellites?


(a)
Mercury and Venus.
(b)
Mars and Venus.
(c)
Pluto and Neptune.
(d)
All of the above.



52)
The age of the solar system is


(a)
4.6×106 years.
(b)
4.6×107 years.
(c)
4.6×108 years.
(d)
4.6×109 years.



53)
Which is most likely to have condensed in the inner part of the solar nebula?


(a)
Metal oxides.
(b)
Water ice.
(c)
Methane and water ice.
(d)
Argon and Neon ice



54)
The moon has no atmosphere because


(a)
it is too cold.
(b)
its gravity is too weak.
(c)
no comets ever hit the moon.
(d)
the earth captured it all.



55)
After the planets formed, the solar nebula was cleared away by


(a)
the solar wind and radiation pressure.
(b)
tidal forces from a nearby star.
(c)
the action of Jupiter.
(d)
a collision with a comet.



56)
The earth's equatorial diameter is greater than its polar diameter because


(a)
of tides.
(b)
of its rotation.
(c)
it formed that way.
(d)
of precession.



57)
The earth's magnetosphere


(a)
is a layer of magnetic particles.
(b)
contains charged particles.
(c)
is located in the core.
(d)
is responsible for convection in the earth's atmosphere.



58)
The aurora borealis occurs


(a)
in the oceans.
(b)
in the atmosphere.
(c)
in the mantle.
(d)
in the magnetosphere.



59)
The number density of craters on the moon can be used to


(a)
date the surface.
(b)
determine its composition.
(c)
measure its rotation.
(d)
measure the mass density.



60)
The earth's moon probably originated


(a)
by capture.
(b)
from the same material as the earth.
(c)
from an impact.
(d)
by fission.



61)
Plate tectonics does not operate on the moon because


(a)
there is no core.
(b)
the lithosphere is too thick.
(c)
there are too many rilles.
(d)
the maria prevent it from happening.



62)
A good time to see the planet Mercury is


(a)
at midnight.
(b)
just after sunset and just before sunrise.
(c)
at noon.
(d)
whenever there is an aurora.



63)
In one Mercury year, Mercury rotates


(a)
1 time.
(b)
2 times.
(c)
3 times.
(d)
3/2 times.



64)
The surface of Mercury is like that of the Moon except that Mercury


(a)
has more maria.
(b)
has more craters per unit area.
(c)
has scarps.
(d)
has rilles.



65)
The synodic period of Venus is


(a)
less than 1 year.
(b)
less than a Venusian day.
(c)
less than 2 years.
(d)
infinity.



66)
The clouds of Venus consist of


(a)
sulphuric acid.
(b)
CO2.
(c)
water.
(d)
nitrogen.



67)
The greenhouse effect on Venus makes its surface


(a)
cooler than Earth's.
(b)
as hot as the sun's.
(c)
hotter than Mercury's.
(d)
cooler than Mercury's.



68)
Which is not a Venusian volcanic feature?


(a)
Caldera.
(b)
Corona.
(c)
Lava dome.
(d)
Ejecta blanket.



69)
Mars's sidereal period is


(a)
less than its synodic period.
(b)
greater than its synodic period.
(c)
equal to its synodic period.
(d)
less than one earth year.



70)
Mars's atmosphere is mostly


(a)
water vapor.
(b)
carbon dioxide.
(c)
carbon monoxide.
(d)
argon.



71)
The Tharsis region is


(a)
covered with impact craters.
(b)
covered with runoff channels.
(c)
covered with outflow channels.
(d)
covered with volcanoes.



72)
On Mars, the northern hemisphere is on average several kilometers higher in elevation than the southern hemisphere.


(a)
True.
(b)
False.



73)
In Jupiter's atmosphere,


(a)
gas in the zones rises and gas in the belts sinks.
(b)
gas in the zones rises and gas in the belts rises.
(c)
gas in the zones sinks and gas in the belts sinks.
(d)
gas in the zones sinks and gas in the belts rises.



74)
Io is the primary source of what in Jupiter's magnetosphere?


(a)
Meteoroids.
(b)
Heavy ions.
(c)
Positive electrons.
(d)
Negative electrons.



75)
Proceeding downward toward Jupiter's center, we pass successively through


(a)
ammonia ice, rock, and metallic sulphur.
(b)
water ice, metallic rock, and hydrogen.
(c)
ammonica ice, metallic hydrogen, and rock.
(d)
metallic hydrogen, gaseous hydrogen, and rock.



76)
Which satellite of Jupiter has the most impact craters?


(a)
Io.
(b)
Europa.
(c)
Ganymede.
(d)
Callisto.



77)
Saturn's diameter is


(a)
smaller than Jupiter's and Neptune's.
(b)
bigger than Jupiter's and smaller than Neptune's.
(c)
smaller than Jupiter's and Uranus's.
(d)
bigger than Neptune's and Uranus's.



78)
Saturn


(a)
radiates more heat energy than it receives from the sun.
(b)
radiates less heat energy than it receives from the sun.
(c)
radiates exactly the same amount of heat energy that it receives from the sun.
(d)
does not radiate heat energy.



79)
Cassini's division is located


(a)
in Saturn's atmosphere.
(b)
in Saturn's ring system.
(c)
in Saturn's satellite system.
(d)
on the surface of Saturn.



80)
Saturn's satellite Titan has an atmosphere


(a)
with a composition very much like Earth's.
(b)
containing mostly nitrogen.
(c)
exactly like Saturn's.
(d)
consisting of all methane.



81)
The unusual thing about Uranus's rotation axis is that


(a)
it is tilted at the same angle as Earth's.
(b)
it has no tilt at all.
(c)
it is tilted by more than 90 degrees.
(d)
it is tilted by about 180 degrees.



82)
Which of Uranus's moon's shows evidence of large-scale catastophic geological changes on its surface?


(a)
Umbriel.
(b)
Miranda.
(c)
Titania.
(d)
Oberon.



83)
In the atmosphere of Neptune Voyager 2 discovered the


(a)
Great Red Spot.
(b)
Great White Spot.
(c)
Great Dark Spot.
(d)
Neptune was spotless.



84)
Neptune was discovered


(a)
at the same time as Uranus.
(b)
by chance.
(c)
from observed purturbations in Uranus's orbit.
(d)
from spacecraft observations.



85)
Pluto is probably composed of mostly


(a)
rock plus frozen water and methane.
(b)
cold rock.
(c)
gaseous hydrogen.
(d)
sand.



86)
Pluto and its satellite are interesting because


(a)
the satellite has a thick atmosphere.
(b)
they escaped from Neptune.
(c)
the satellite is half the size of Pluto.
(d)
both have a magnetic field.



87)
Most asteroids


(a)
cross the earth's orbit.
(b)
are found beyond the orbit of Mars.
(c)
are frozen gas.
(d)
revolve retrograde about the sun.



88)
The biggest asteroid is


(a)
larger than the earth.
(b)
larger than the moon.
(c)
smaller than the moon.
(d)
as large as Halley's comet.



89)
A bolide is a


(a)
metorite composed of iron and nickel.
(b)
very bright meteor.
(c)
large meteorite.
(d)
large metallic meteoroid.



90)
The particles producing a meteor shower are


(a)
droplets of rain.
(b)
debris from comets.
(c)
asteroids.
(d)
meteorites.



91)
The Oort cloud


(a)
is located within the orbit of Pluto.
(b)
is located in the plane of the solar system.
(c)
is a reservoir of comets.
(d)
was discovered by Edmund Halley.



92)
Select the worst possibility. A periodic comet


(a)
can be at opposition.
(b)
cannot be the cause of a meteor shower.
(c)
can have both a gas and dust tail.
(d)
can shine by reflected sunlight.



93)
A comet's tail is most pronounced at aphelion.


(a)
True.
(b)
False.



94)
The early solar nebula


(a)
began to rotate faster as it collapsed.
(b)
began to rotate slower as it collapsed.
(c)
started out as a flattened disk.
(d)
consisted entirely of gas.



95)
The solar nebula


(a)
contained silicates in its inner part.
(b)
contained ammonia ice in its inner part.
(c)
was uniform in temperature.
(d)
had a uniform composition.



96)
The early earth obtained its volatile gases from


(a)
Jupiter.
(b)
impacts of icy bodies.
(c)
the solar nebula.
(d)
the sun.



File translated from TEX by TTH, version 2.21.
On 2 Jan 2000, 18:51.