Astronomy Set 3

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the most common term for the celestial phenomenon thatcauses a comet's tail in our solar system to point away from the Sun?ANSWER: THE SOLAR WIND

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the BEST description of our Sun:W) a cool large star similar to Proxima CentauriX) a small-sized star about 6 billion years oldY) a mid-sized yellow dwarf starZ) a large-sized red giant about 4.7 billion years oldANSWER: Y) A MID-SIZED YELLOW DWARF STAR

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true:W) most of the meteorites that have been found have a high iron contentX) a bolometer is used to measure the energy output of the SunY) the celestial coordinate analogous to latitude is called ascensionZ) sunlight reflecting off the Earth is called EarthshineANSWER: Y) THE CELESTIAL COORDINATE ANALOGOUS TO LATITUDE IS CALLEDASCENSION

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes the zenith:W) the point in the sky that is at 180 degrees of inclination to the horizonX) 90 degrees opposite to the nadirY) the opposite position on the ecliptic to an observerZ) the point on the celestial sphere directly overhead of an observerANSWER: Z) THE POINT ON THE CELESTIAL SPHERE DIRECTLY OVERHEAD OF ANOBSERVER

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the Latin-derived term for the relatively smooth lunarplains that are areas of the Moon that appear dark as viewed from Earth?ANSWER: MARE (ACCEPT: MARIA)

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What planet has the greatest variation in temperature over asingle one of its planetary days?ANSWER: MERCURY

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Our Sun is a:W) A-type starX) B-type starY) G-type starZ) K-type starANSWER: Y) G-TYPE STAR

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What element was first discovered through spectroscopic analysisof the Sun?ANSWER: HELIUM

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice Main sequence stars are found in a region on the H-R diagramthat is oriented on the diagram from:W) upper left to lower leftX) upper left to lower rightY) upper right to lower leftZ) upper right to lower rightANSWER: X) UPPER LEFT TO LOWER RIGHT

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the BEST explanation for why theNorthern Hemisphere’s summer occurs when the Sun is not the closest to Earth in Earth’s orbitaround the Sun:W) the Sun’s rays are made of mostly neutrinos that have such small mass that distance does notmatterX) the Sun emits different amounts of energy at different times of the yearY) the Sun’s rays strike the Northern Hemisphere more directly in summerZ) because of precessionANSWER: Y) THE SUN’S RAYS STRIKE THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE MOREDIRECTLY IN SUMMER

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What scientific term is given to the apparent path of the Sunaround the celestial sphere?ANSWER: THE ECLIPTIC

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer The local group is a collection of what type of astronomicalbodies?

ANSWER: GALAXIES

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice At about 10 PM in late summer of 2006, an observer at about35 degrees north latitude would most likely see the stars Altair, Deneb and Vega in which of thefollowing places in the sky:W) low in the eastX) low in the westY) about half way up in the northern skyZ) almost directly overheadANSWER: Z) ALMOST DIRECTLY OVERHEAD

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the most common astronomical term for the interval oftime between two successive passages of the Sun through the vernal equinox?ANSWER: TROPICAL YEAR (ACCEPT: SOLAR YEAR)

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following can you estimate BEST if you knowthe color of a star:W) luminosityX) elemental makeupY) temperatureZ) massANSWER: Y) TEMPERATURE

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is closest to the maximum apparentbrightness of the brightest star in the night sky from anywhere on Earth:W) –15X) –1.5Y) 4.5Z) 6ANSWER: X) –1.5

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true:W) Vega is part of the summer triangleX) the Seven Sisters is a star clusterY) Cassiopeia is a constellation generally shaped like a WZ) cosmic rays are electromagnetic radiation of very high energiesANSWER: Z) COSMIC RAYS ARE ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF VERY HIGHENERGIES

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer The north magnetic pole of the Sun reverses every so many years.How many years does it take for one complete cycle for the Sun to return to its original state or whatmight be looked at as two reversals?ANSWER: 22

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following would have a Widmanstätten Pattern:W) meteoriteX) cometY) planetZ) constellationANSWER: W) METEORITE

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the BEST description of the H-RDiagram:W) it plots apparent brightness versus ageX) it plots luminosity versus surface temperature with highest temperatures on the rightY) it plots luminosity versus surface temperature with highest temperatures on the leftZ) it plots apparent magnitude versus average stellar temperatureANSWER: Y) IT PLOTS LUMINOSITY VERSUS SURFACE TEMPERATURE WITHHIGHEST TEMPERATURES ON THE LEFT

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following constellations are circumpolar forpeople in North America and are found on opposite sides and close to Polaris:W) Cassiopeia and Ursa MajorX) Orion and LeoY) Aquarius and CapricornZ) Leo and SagittariusANSWER: W) CASSIOPEIA AND URSA MAJOR

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the astronomical distance at which a star would have aparallax of 1 arcsecond?ANSWER: PARSEC

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the MOST common term for agalaxy that is emitting a large amount of radiation from a black hole at its center:W) bright galaxy

X) luminous galaxyY) active galaxyZ) event galaxyANSWER: Y) ACTIVE GALAXY

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice Stars in the spectral class A would have a surface temperatureof about:W) 5,000 KX) 10,000 KY) 15,000 KZ) 20,000 KANSWER: X) 10,000 K

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate:W) at the equator, stars appear to rise and set verticallyX) all Mira stars are Red GiantsY) right ascension is analogous to longitudeZ) the Earth is closest to the Sun during DecemberANSWER: Z) THE EARTH IS CLOSEST TO THE SUN DURING DECEMBER

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the MOST commonly acceptedreason as to why the planet Uranus rotates on its side:W) it oscillates in its rotation orientation over thousands of yearsX) it captured four of its moons early in its development which radically affected its primordial diskrotationY) it was once struck by a massive objectZ) because of its orbital position and low density it was susceptible to a wide variety of axialrotational possibilitiesANSWER: Y) IT WAS ONCE STRUCK BY A MASSIVE OBJECT

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice A star is found to have a surface temperature of 20,000 kelvin.Which of the following spectral types is it most likely to be:W) AX) FY) GZ) OANSWER: Z) O

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the astronomical term for a planet’s orbital point that isclosest to the Sun?ANSWER: PERIHELION

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true:W) the rotation of the Sun’s surface is faster at the equator than at the polesX) the apparent magnitude of an RR Lyrae depends most on its distance from the EarthY) Venus appears its largest to nighttime observers when it is in its full phaseZ) a star’s light curve typically plots brightness verses timeANSWER: Y) VENUS APPEARS ITS LARGEST TO NIGHTTIME OBSERVERS WHEN IT ISIN ITS FULL PHASE

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following techniques would you most directly beusing if you were analyzing a Balmer and Lyman series:W) astrolabe measurementsX) spectroscopyY) nuclear fissionZ) bolometric analysisANSWER: X) SPECTROSCOPY

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer With reference to the Sun’s position in the sky, when does a fullMoon set?ANSWER: WHEN THE SUN RISES

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer In a Newtonian telescope, how many degrees is the secondarymirror tilted in reference to the primary?ANSWER: 45

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What planet is never more than 28º from the Sun in the eveningsky?ANSWER: MERCURY

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice At 8:00 AM in early August of 2006 in New York, the Mooncould be seen low in the western sky. What phase was it most likely in:W) waxing crescentX) just past newY) a few days past full

Z) first quarterANSWER: Y) A FEW DAYS PAST FULL

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following sets of constellations would be foundnearest the ecliptic to an observer in mid-northern latitudes:W) Leo, Virgo, and ScorpiusX) Pisces, Aries, and DracoY) Cancer, Gemini, and CassiopeiaZ) Taurus, Ursa Minor, and PiscesANSWER: W) LEO, VIRGO, AND SCORPIUS

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following will MOST likely occur if the Earthcrosses the orbit of a comet:W) a meteor shower could be seen from EarthX) an asteroid will likely strike the EarthY) red sprites and bolides will be seen both day and nightZ) the Earth would temporarily lose its Van Allen beltsANSWER: W) A METEOR SHOWER COULD BE SEEN FROM EARTHTOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes the location of theheliosphere:W) the region that extends a few thousand kilometers outside of the Sun’s coronaX) the region that extends from the Sun’s corona to the end of the solar systemY) the region that extends from the Sun’s core to the end of the solar systemZ) the region of the expanding solar wind between the sun and the heliopauseANSWER: Z) THE REGION OF THE EXPANDING SOLAR WIND BETWEEN THE SUNAND THE HELIOPAUSE

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes the position of thefirst quarter Moon to an observer in northern mid-latitudes on a clear summer night just after sunset:W) rising in the eastX) setting in the westY) high in the southZ) unable to be seenANSWER: Y) HIGH IN THE SOUTH

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer At how many parsecs is a star’s absolute magnitude the same asits apparent magnitude?

ANSWER: 10

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer A photon of only a certain wavelength is able to be absorbedonly by an electron at a specific energy level of an atom. This is the basis of what commonly usedastronomical technique?ANSWER: SPECTROSCOPY (ACCEPT: ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY)

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the MAIN advantage of space-basedtelescopes over typical ground-based telescopes:W) they are not affected by radiationX) their mirrors can be any size because of zero gravityY) they are cheaper to maintainZ) they experience no atmospheric distortionANSWER: Z) THEY EXPERIENCE NO ATMOSPHERIC DISTORTION

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the BEST evidence that globularclusters are composed of mostly old stars:W) most of their stars have a low metal contentX) most of their stars are population one starsY) most of the stars have a very high massZ) most of their stars are white dwarfsANSWER: W) MOST OF THEIR STARS HAVE A LOW METAL CONTENT

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice The Schmidt telescope would BEST be considered:W) an advanced adaptive optics telescope with x-ray detection capabilitiesX) a wide field telescopeY) a radio telescopeZ) an orbital x-ray telescopeANSWER: X) A WIDE FIELD TELESCOPE

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true:W) the planet Venus has a high albedoX) a gnomon is a very simple astronomical instrumentY) the Moon is found at over 10 degrees north of the ecliptic in a lunar standstill yearZ) carbon is probably the fourth most common element in the universeANSWER: Y) THE MOON IS FOUND AT OVER 10 DEGREES NORTH OF THE ECLIPTICIN A LUNAR STANDSTILL YEAR

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Which one of the following 4 planets has the smallest orbitaleccentricity: Mercury; Jupiter; Venus; SaturnANSWER: VENUS

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Arrange the following 3 objects from LEAST to MOST in theirmaximum apparent brightness: Sirius; Mars; JupiterANSWER: SIRIUS; JUPITER; MARS

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following was the primary instrument used togather 5 to 35 micrometer spectra data from the Deep Impact mission:W) Chandra X-ray observatoryX) Arecibo radio telescopeY) Hubble gamma-ray telescopeZ) Spitzer infrared spectrographANSWER: Z) SPITZER INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice By what multiple does the brightness of two stars differ withapparent magnitudes of –3 and +4:W) 2.5X) 25Y) 250Z) 625ANSWER: Z) 625

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate:W) recent evidence suggests a subsurface salty ocean is present on the Moon EuropaX) spiral galaxies are actively forming starsY) Earth’s aphelion occurs on the summer solsticeZ) Julian days are often used as the time reference on light curves of starsANSWER: Y) EARTH’S APHELION OCCURS ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice What would happen in the mid-northern latitudes if the tilt ofthe Earth’s axis decreased by 15 degrees:W) warmer summers and warmer wintersX) cooler summers and cooler wintersY) cooler summers and warmer wintersZ) colder summers and colder wintersANSWER: Y) COOLER SUMMERS AND WARMER WINTERS

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer A stargazer looks at Orion and sees a reddish star calledBetelgeuse. The redness is because the star is what type of star?ANSWER: A RED GIANT

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the MOST common name for the celestial objects thatare called stars but since they are low mass objects of less than 0.08 solar masses they cannotundergo fusion?ANSWER: BROWN DWARFS

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice All the stars of the Pleiades open cluster have:W) the same luminositiesX) the same surface temperaturesY) very similar chemical compositionsZ) the same apparent magnitudesANSWER: Y) VERY SIMILAR CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice When binary stars are made of a main sequence star and acompact white dwarf, as long as the white dwarf’s mass remains below 1.4 solar masses then the gasfalling into the white dwarf is believed to often result in a:W) supernovaX) novaY) pulsarZ) quasarANSWER: X) NOVA

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice In what area of the sky would the planet Venus be MOSTlikely to be seen a few hours after sunset from mid-northern latitudes:W) low in the western skyX) high in the southern skyY) directly overheadZ) high in the northern skyANSWER: W) LOW IN THE WESTERN SKY

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer How many degrees along the meridian is the nadir from thezenith?ANSWER: 180

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What astronomical constant has the value of 70 kilometers persecond per megaparsec?ANSWER: HUBBLE CONSTANT (ACCEPT: HUBBLE)

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Order the following 3 celestial objects from the one with theLEAST number of impact craters to the MOST: Earth’s Moon; Earth; VenusANSWER: EARTH; VENUS; EARTH’S MOON

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Recent analysis of Cassini spacecraft data has providedconvincing evidence that Saturn’s Moon Titan has:W) large seas of liquid waterX) methane lakes on its surfaceY) a moon of its ownZ) a large active volcanoANSWER: X) METHANE LAKES ON ITS SURFACE

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the next stage in the evolution of asingle star after the red giant stage:W) white dwarfX) red dwarfY) planetary nebulaZ) novaANSWER: Y) PLANETARY NEBULA

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Microlensing is BEST explained by which of the followingtheories or laws:W) Quantum theoryX) General RelativityY) Kirchhoff’s lawsZ) Maxwell’s lawANSWER: X) GENERAL RELATIVITY

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is a type of telescope technology thatuses mirrors whose shapes can be deformed:W) Schmidt opticsX) redundant interfermetric opticsY) CCD optics

Z) adaptive opticsANSWER: Z) ADAPTIVE OPTICS

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 celestial objects that are typicallyconsidered minor planets: Ceres; Titan; Mercury; JunoANSWER: CERES AND JUNO

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer How many times as great will light-gathering power of areflector telescope be if the radius of its primary mirror is doubled?ANSWER: 4

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate:W) magnetic fields can be strongly amplified when 2 neutron stars mergeX) Saturn’s moon Titan has been found to have large dunesY) hydrogen and nitrogen isotopes have been found in organic matter of primitive meteoritesZ) interplanetary dust particles are typically nitrogen-rich and carbon-poorANSWER: Z) INTERPLANETARY DUST PARTICLES ARE TYPICALLY NITROGEN-RICHAND CARBON-POOR

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate:W) the imaginary north-south line that passes through the zenith on the celestial sphere is themeridianX) Kirkwood gaps are gaps in the main asteroid belt caused by the gravitational effects of MarsY) Population TWO stars are composed mostly of hydrogen and heliumZ) a negative sign indicates the celestial coordinate is in the southern hemisphereANSWER: X) KIRKWOOD GAPS ARE GAPS IN THE MAIN ASTEROID BELT CAUSED BYTHE GRAVITATIONAL EFFECTS OF MARS

TOSS-UP12) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following was the primary instrument used togather 5 to 35 micrometer spectra data from the Deep Impact mission:W) Chandra X-ray observatoryX) Arecibo radio telescopeY) Hubble gamma-ray telescopeZ) Spitzer infrared spectrographANSWER: Z) SPITZER INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH

BONUS12) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice By what multiple does the brightness of two stars differ withapparent magnitudes of –3 and +4:

W) 2.5X) 25Y) 250Z) 625ANSWER: Z) 625

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer If the temperature of an object is doubled, and all other thingsremain the same, how many times as fast will it radiate energy?ANSWER: 16 (ACCEPT: 24)BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer How many sidereal minutes are in 4 sidereal hours?ANSWER: 240

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 objects that would NOT be foundon Earth: meteors; craters; asteroid impact remnants; bolidesANSWER: METEORS; BOLIDES

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer For someone standing at 22° North latitude, how many degreesabove the horizon will the north celestial pole be?ANSWER: 22

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate:W) magnetic fields can be strongly amplified when 2 neutron stars mergeX) Saturn’s moon Titan has been found to have large dunesY) hydrogen and nitrogen isotopes have been found in organic matter of primitive meteoritesZ) interplanetary dust particles are typically nitrogen-rich and carbon-poorANSWER: Z) INTERPLANETARY DUST PARTICLES ARE TYPICALLY NITROGEN-RICHAND CARBON-POOR

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate:W) the imaginary north-south line that passes through the zenith on the celestial sphere is themeridianX) Kirkwood gaps are gaps in the main asteroid belt caused by the gravitational effects of MarsY) Population TWO stars are composed mostly of hydrogen and heliumZ) a negative sign indicates the celestial coordinate is in the southern hemisphereANSWER: X) KIRKWOOD GAPS ARE GAPS IN THE MAIN ASTEROID BELT CAUSED BYTHE GRAVITATIONAL EFFECTS OF MARS

TOSS-UP12) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following was the primary instrument used togather 5 to 35 micrometer spectra data from the Deep Impact mission:W) Chandra X-ray observatoryX) Arecibo radio telescopeY) Hubble gamma-ray telescopeZ) Spitzer infrared spectrographANSWER: Z) SPITZER INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH

BONUS12) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice By what multiple does the brightness of two stars differ withapparent magnitudes of –3 and +4:W) 2.5X) 25Y) 250Z) 625ANSWER: Z) 625

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer If the temperature of an object is doubled, and all other thingsremain the same, how many times as fast will it radiate energy?ANSWER: 16 (ACCEPT: 24)BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer How many sidereal minutes are in 4 sidereal hours?ANSWER: 240

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 objects that would NOT be foundon Earth: meteors; craters; asteroid impact remnants; bolidesANSWER: METEORS; BOLIDES

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer For someone standing at 22° North latitude, how many degreesabove the horizon will the north celestial pole be?ANSWER: 22

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice If an astronomer photographed a massive cloud of ionizedhydrogen in space that was emitting all of the Balmer wavelengths, what color would it typicallyappear to us:W) whiteX) greenY) pink

Z) blueANSWER: Y) PINK

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following was discovered in the 1600’s aboutVenus that was strong evidence that the planets orbited the Sun:W) Venus’s cloud cover reverses its direction in the sky at certain times of the yearX) Venus has phases varying from crescent to fullY) Venus has an axial motion opposite to that of the EarthZ) Venus is the brightest planet in the sky only part of the yearANSWER: X) VENUS HAS PHASES VARYING FROM CRESCENT TO FULL

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice According to the location in the H-R diagram, which of thefollowing stars has the highest absolute visual magnitude and is also the hottest:W) one located in the upper left of the diagramX) one located in the upper right of the diagramY) one located in the lower left of the diagramZ) one located in the lower right of the diagramANSWER: W) ONE LOCATED IN THE UPPER LEFT OF THE DIAGRAM

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the MOST common scientific term for the specificspectral line-splitting effect resulting when atoms absorb or emit radiation in the presence of amagnetic field?ANSWER: ZEEMAN EFFECT

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the most common astronomical term for the geometricalconfiguration where Venus is between the Earth and the Sun?ANSWER: INFERIOR CONJUNCTION

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer How many degrees of arc are in 4 hours and 20 minutes of rightascension?ANSWER: 65 DEGREES(Solution: 15 degrees per hour)

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the BEST explanation of whyPopulation One stars have a high metal content:W) old stars lose their metals as they ageX) old stars convert their metals to non-metals

Y) young stars acquire metals when they form from previous stars that created the metalsZ) all stars accumulate metals early in their developmentANSWER: Y) YOUNG STARS ACQUIRE METALS WHEN THEY FORM FROM PREVIOUSSTARS THAT CREATED THE METALS

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the BEST description of thecomposition of our Sun:W) 71% hydrogen, 27% helium, and 2% otherX) 80% hydrogen, 19% helium, and 1% otherY) 90% hydrogen, 9% helium, and 1% otherZ) 99% hydrogen, 1% heliumANSWER: W) 71% HYDROGEN, 27% HELIUM, AND 2% OTHER

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the BEST reason why the Sun’scorona primarily emits x-rays:W) it has a high-strength magnetic fieldX) it is where most of the neutrinos escape to outer spaceY) it is a convecting zoneZ) it is very hotANSWER: Z) IT IS VERY HOT

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is a spacecraft that is stationed tocontinuously observe the Sun:W) ChandraX) HubbleY) SOHO (read as: so-ho)Z) Galileo 3ANSWER: Y) SOHO

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer In what region of the electromagnetic spectrum is a supernovamost commonly detected?ANSWER: ULTRAVIOLET (ACCEPT: UV)

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What are the 3 general layers of the Sun’s atmosphere fromINNERMOST to OUTERMOST?ANSWER: PHOTOSPHERE; CHROMOSPHERE; CORONA

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is TRUE:

W) the far side of the Moon from Earth has more large maria than the near sideX) the next sunspot minimum is expected in 2008Y) the declination of the Sun during the winter solstice is 23.5 degrees northZ) B-type stars have strong absorption lines for neutral heliumANSWER: Z) B-TYPE STARS HAVE STRONG ABSORPTION LINES FOR NEUTRALHELIUM

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the BEST description of a Cepheidvariable star:W) a pulsating variable varying in brightness in a very regular time period of 1 to 50 daysX) a short pulsating variable with a very regular period of 1 to 4 minutesY) a binary star system with an eclipsing partnerZ) a small k-type star with a very regular period of 1 to 3 weeksANSWER: W) A PULSATING VARIABLE VARYING IN BRIGHTNESS IN A VERYREGULAR TIME PERIOD OF 1 TO 50 DAYS

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate:W) the Sun’s corona is hotter than both the photosphere and the chromosphereX) the Crab nebula is a remnant of a supernova that collapsed in the year 1054Y) equinoxes are points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator is intersected by theeclipticZ) epicycles were employed by Ptolemy to explain retrograde motion in planetsANSWER: X) THE CRAB NEBULA IS A REMNANT OF A SUPERNOVA THATCOLLAPSED IN THE YEAR 1054

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST likely true about gammaray bursts:W) they are extremely powerful emissions of energyX) they are probably often associated with black holesY) they probably result from a neutron star merging with a black holeZ) they typically last less than a hundredth of a secondANSWER: Z) THEY TYPICALLY LAST LESS THAN A HUNDREDTH OF A SECOND

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer The abundance of what element in T-Tauri stars is the bestindication that they are young stars?ANSWER: LITHIUM

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Name all of the following instruments that have been used tohelp understand the critical density of our universe: COBE; WMAP; BOOMERANG

ANSWER: COBE; WMAP; BOOMERANG (ACCEPT: ALL)

TOSS-UP7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following MOST directly predicts that themaximum mass possible for a white dwarf is about 1.4-times that of the Sun:W) the Hubble constantX) the Chandrasekhar limit (read as: chan-dra-SAY-kar)Y) General RelativityZ) the Fornax theoremANSWER: X) THE CHANDRASEKHAR LIMIT

BONUS7) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice Which of the following is illustrated on Maunder’s diagram:W) sunspot activityX) stellar luminosityY) cometary periodsZ) planetary orbital periodsANSWER: W) SUNSPOT ACTIVITY

TOSS-UP11) MATH Short Answer Differentiate and simplify the following with respect to x: y = x eANSWER:xe x2

BONUS11) MATH Short Answer For a triangle whose side b = 6 and c = 8 and the angle formed by thosesides is 45º, find the area of the triangle, to the nearest whole number:ANSWER: 17(Solution: K = ½ bc sin A; = ½ (6)(8)(0.707) = 16.97 = 17)

TOSS-UP14) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice In the first step of the proton-proton chain, when two protonscome together one of the protons remains as a proton and the other:W) is annihilatedX) turns into a neutronY) turns into a negatronZ) also remains as a protonANSWER: X) TURNS INTO A NEUTRON

BONUS14) ASTRONOMY Multiple choice In the second step of the proton-proton chain, which of thefollowing occurs:

W) a proton combines with deuterium to produce helium-3 and a gamma ray is emittedX) a neutron combines with deuterium to produce helium-3 and a neutrino is emittedY) a proton combines with deuterium to produce helium-3 and a neutrino ray is emittedZ) a neutron combines with deuterium to produce helium-2 and a positron is emittedANSWER: W) A PROTON COMBINES WITH DEUTERIUM TO PRODUCE HELIUM-3 ANDA GAMMA RAY IS EMITTED

TOSS-UP21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Order the following 3 stars from the one that will undergofusion for the SHORTEST time to the LONGEST: red dwarf; our Sun; large mass o-type starANSWER: LARGE MASS O-TYPE STAR; OUR SUN; RED DWARF

BONUS21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer If a stellar body’s surface is 5,000 kelvin, what is its peakemission of electromagnetic radiation, in nanometers?ANSWER: 580(Solution: Wien’s Law T = 2.9 × 10-3 m.k/λ ! 0.005×106 = 2.9 × 10-3 m / 580 × 10-9m = 580nm)