ASTRO 1 EXAM 1 PSU ACTUAL EXAM
PAPER 2026 50 QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
⩥ What two properties of a planet affect the gravity we feel on its
surface? Answer: Mass and radius
⩥ Compared to blue light, red light has Answer: longer wavelength,
smaller frequency, less energy
⩥ Which would have the longest day and the longest year Answer: a
planet that rotated slowly on its axis and orbited the sun slowly
⩥ A particular zodiac constellation is high in the sky at midnight in
April. Where will it be in October? Answer: near the sun in the daytime
sky
⩥ Two weeks after the third quarter moon it is the Answer: First quarter
moon
⩥ How long would one need to observe a star on a 10 meter telescope to
collect the same amount of light as one collects in one hour on a 5 meter
telescope? Answer: 15 minutes
,⩥ Consider a planet whose rotation axis is NOT tilted with respect to its
orbital plane. What are the seasons like on this planet? Answer: there are
no seasons
⩥ Compared to ultraviolet radiation, X-rays have a wavelength that is
Answer: shorter
⩥ When is the best time for you to be able to see the constellation that is
your sign of the Zodiac Answer: At midnight 6 months after your
birthday
⩥ Saturn has about the same surface gravity as Earth. This means
Answer: you can jump about the same height on Saturn as on earth
⩥ When is the waning gibbous moon highest in the sky? Answer: about
3:00 am
⩥ In the figure above, what type of line will be produced in the spectrum
and what type of particle is moving along the white arrow from a lower
to a higher energy level Answer: Absorption line, electron
⩥ A moon orbits a planet in exactly the same plane as the planet orbits
its star. How often does this planet experience a solar eclipse? Answer:
Once every orbit of its moon (its month)
,⩥ Since the area of a circle is equal to (pi) times its radius squared, if
you double the width of a telescope's circular mirror... Answer: Its light
gathering power is multiplied by a factor of four
⩥ in the diagram above, what season and planet is being represented by
the red x on the planet on the left in orbit around the sun? Answer:
Summer on Uranus
⩥ Compare frequency of x-ray versus regular visible light Answer: The
X-ray has a higher frequency than visible light
⩥ How often is the in front of a zodiac constellation Answer: always
⩥ The energy and frequency increase, while the wavelengths decrease,
as you move from Answer: Radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible
light, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays
⩥ What time is it for the little green figure (earth is rotating
counterclockwise)? Answer: 6:00 am
⩥ A mountain top is a good location for optical telescopes because the
site Answer: is above much of the atmosphere
⩥ What time is the Waxing Crescent moon directly overhead Answer:
3:00 pm
, ⩥ The moon has about 1/100th the mass of earth and 1/4 the radius.
What is the surface gravity of the moon compared to earth Answer:
16/100
⩥ In the diagram above, what is happening in the box in the center?
Answer: hydrogen gas is absorbing photons at specific wavelengths
⩥ Low energy radiation has Answer: longer wavelengths
⩥ Dark lines in absorption spectrum represent Answer: particular
energies of light coming from a distant object that are absorbed by
material in between
⩥ Venus is visible to us .. Answer: only near sunrise or sunset
⩥ The sun formed.. Answer: at the center of a spinning disk made of gas
and dust
⩥ Which letter in the Venn diagram above represents the proper location
for the clue "always are within our solar system" Answer: C
⩥ How long is a day on Mercury? Answer: 176 times as long as a day on
earth
PAPER 2026 50 QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
⩥ What two properties of a planet affect the gravity we feel on its
surface? Answer: Mass and radius
⩥ Compared to blue light, red light has Answer: longer wavelength,
smaller frequency, less energy
⩥ Which would have the longest day and the longest year Answer: a
planet that rotated slowly on its axis and orbited the sun slowly
⩥ A particular zodiac constellation is high in the sky at midnight in
April. Where will it be in October? Answer: near the sun in the daytime
sky
⩥ Two weeks after the third quarter moon it is the Answer: First quarter
moon
⩥ How long would one need to observe a star on a 10 meter telescope to
collect the same amount of light as one collects in one hour on a 5 meter
telescope? Answer: 15 minutes
,⩥ Consider a planet whose rotation axis is NOT tilted with respect to its
orbital plane. What are the seasons like on this planet? Answer: there are
no seasons
⩥ Compared to ultraviolet radiation, X-rays have a wavelength that is
Answer: shorter
⩥ When is the best time for you to be able to see the constellation that is
your sign of the Zodiac Answer: At midnight 6 months after your
birthday
⩥ Saturn has about the same surface gravity as Earth. This means
Answer: you can jump about the same height on Saturn as on earth
⩥ When is the waning gibbous moon highest in the sky? Answer: about
3:00 am
⩥ In the figure above, what type of line will be produced in the spectrum
and what type of particle is moving along the white arrow from a lower
to a higher energy level Answer: Absorption line, electron
⩥ A moon orbits a planet in exactly the same plane as the planet orbits
its star. How often does this planet experience a solar eclipse? Answer:
Once every orbit of its moon (its month)
,⩥ Since the area of a circle is equal to (pi) times its radius squared, if
you double the width of a telescope's circular mirror... Answer: Its light
gathering power is multiplied by a factor of four
⩥ in the diagram above, what season and planet is being represented by
the red x on the planet on the left in orbit around the sun? Answer:
Summer on Uranus
⩥ Compare frequency of x-ray versus regular visible light Answer: The
X-ray has a higher frequency than visible light
⩥ How often is the in front of a zodiac constellation Answer: always
⩥ The energy and frequency increase, while the wavelengths decrease,
as you move from Answer: Radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible
light, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays
⩥ What time is it for the little green figure (earth is rotating
counterclockwise)? Answer: 6:00 am
⩥ A mountain top is a good location for optical telescopes because the
site Answer: is above much of the atmosphere
⩥ What time is the Waxing Crescent moon directly overhead Answer:
3:00 pm
, ⩥ The moon has about 1/100th the mass of earth and 1/4 the radius.
What is the surface gravity of the moon compared to earth Answer:
16/100
⩥ In the diagram above, what is happening in the box in the center?
Answer: hydrogen gas is absorbing photons at specific wavelengths
⩥ Low energy radiation has Answer: longer wavelengths
⩥ Dark lines in absorption spectrum represent Answer: particular
energies of light coming from a distant object that are absorbed by
material in between
⩥ Venus is visible to us .. Answer: only near sunrise or sunset
⩥ The sun formed.. Answer: at the center of a spinning disk made of gas
and dust
⩥ Which letter in the Venn diagram above represents the proper location
for the clue "always are within our solar system" Answer: C
⩥ How long is a day on Mercury? Answer: 176 times as long as a day on
earth
