ASTR 1000 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH ASSURED DOUBLE CHECKED
ANSWERS
What are constellations? - ANSGroups of stars making an apparent pattern in the celestial sphere.
Into how many constellations is the celestial sphere divided? - ANS88
The apparent annual path the Sun takes through the sky is called the - ANSecliptic
The twelve constellations through which the Sun passes are signs of the - ANSzodiac
The 26,000 year cycle that changes the poles and equinoxes is called - ANSprecession
When the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, its phase is - ANSfull
If the Moon appears half lit, and is almost overhead about 6:00 AM, its phase is - ANSthird quarter.
The time for the Moon to orbit Earth, relative to the stars is - ANS27.3 days.
A solar eclipse can only happen during a - ANSnew moon
In Ptolemy's geocentric model, retrograde motion occurs when the planet is closest to us, on the
inside portion of the - ANSepicycle
According to Copernicus, the retrograde motion for Mars must occur - ANSat opposition, when the
Earth overtakes Mars and passes between Mars and the Sun.
Galileo found the rotation period of the Sun was approximately - ANSa month.
,Tycho Brahe's contribution to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion were - ANShis detailed and accurate
observations of the planets' positions.
Kepler's first law worked, where Copernicus' original heliocentric model failed, because Kepler
described the orbits as - ANSelliptical, not circular.
When a planet's orbit takes it closest to the Sun, it's called - ANSperihelion.
A circular orbit would have an eccentricity of - ANSzero
According to Newton, the gravity of the _____ is needed to explain planetary orbits. - ANSSun
If the distance between two asteroids is doubled, the gravitational force they exert on each other will
- ANSbe one fourth as great.
In electromagnetic waves, the electric and magnetic fields vibrate _____ to each other. -
ANSperpendicular
Which of these is the same for all forms of electromagnetic (E-M) radiation in a vacuum? - ANSspeed
The speed of light in a vacuum is - ANS300,000 km/sec
Medium A blocks more of a certain wavelength of radiation than medium B. Medium A has a higher -
ANSopacity
The two forms of electromagnetic (E-M) radiation that experience the least atmospheric opacity are -
ANSvisible light and radio waves
What is true of a blackbody? - ANSIts energy peaks at the wavelength determined by its temperature
The Sun's observed spectrum is - ANSa continuum with absorption lines
A dense, hot body will give off a(n) _____ spectrum. - ANScontinuous
, Which of these is emitted when an electron falls from a higher to lower orbital? - ANSa photon
In a hydrogen atom, a transition from the 2nd to the 1st excited state will produce - ANSthe bright
red Balmer alpha emission line
For hydrogen, the transition from the first to third excited state produces - ANSa blue green
absorption line
The observed spectral lines of a star are all shifted towards the red end of the spectrum. Which
statement is true? - ANSThis is an example of the Doppler effect
According to the Zeeman effect, the splitting of a sunspot's spectral lines is due to - ANStheir
magnetic fields
A major advantage of a Newtonian reflector over a refractor is - ANSthe elimination of chromatic
aberration.
What is the resolution of a telescope? - ANSits ability to distinguish two adjacent objects close
together in the sky
The amount of diffraction and thus the resolution of the telescope depends upon - ANSthe
wavelength used and the size of the main telescope objective lens or mirror.
Compared to optical telescopes, radio telescopes are built large because - ANSradio waves have very
long wavelengths
What is true of radio telescopes? - ANSThey have poorer angular resolution than a refractor of the
same size.
In astronomy, an interferometer can be used to - ANSimprove the angular resolution of radio
telescopes.
The design of modern X-ray telescopes depends on - ANSgrazing incidence optics.
WITH ASSURED DOUBLE CHECKED
ANSWERS
What are constellations? - ANSGroups of stars making an apparent pattern in the celestial sphere.
Into how many constellations is the celestial sphere divided? - ANS88
The apparent annual path the Sun takes through the sky is called the - ANSecliptic
The twelve constellations through which the Sun passes are signs of the - ANSzodiac
The 26,000 year cycle that changes the poles and equinoxes is called - ANSprecession
When the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, its phase is - ANSfull
If the Moon appears half lit, and is almost overhead about 6:00 AM, its phase is - ANSthird quarter.
The time for the Moon to orbit Earth, relative to the stars is - ANS27.3 days.
A solar eclipse can only happen during a - ANSnew moon
In Ptolemy's geocentric model, retrograde motion occurs when the planet is closest to us, on the
inside portion of the - ANSepicycle
According to Copernicus, the retrograde motion for Mars must occur - ANSat opposition, when the
Earth overtakes Mars and passes between Mars and the Sun.
Galileo found the rotation period of the Sun was approximately - ANSa month.
,Tycho Brahe's contribution to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion were - ANShis detailed and accurate
observations of the planets' positions.
Kepler's first law worked, where Copernicus' original heliocentric model failed, because Kepler
described the orbits as - ANSelliptical, not circular.
When a planet's orbit takes it closest to the Sun, it's called - ANSperihelion.
A circular orbit would have an eccentricity of - ANSzero
According to Newton, the gravity of the _____ is needed to explain planetary orbits. - ANSSun
If the distance between two asteroids is doubled, the gravitational force they exert on each other will
- ANSbe one fourth as great.
In electromagnetic waves, the electric and magnetic fields vibrate _____ to each other. -
ANSperpendicular
Which of these is the same for all forms of electromagnetic (E-M) radiation in a vacuum? - ANSspeed
The speed of light in a vacuum is - ANS300,000 km/sec
Medium A blocks more of a certain wavelength of radiation than medium B. Medium A has a higher -
ANSopacity
The two forms of electromagnetic (E-M) radiation that experience the least atmospheric opacity are -
ANSvisible light and radio waves
What is true of a blackbody? - ANSIts energy peaks at the wavelength determined by its temperature
The Sun's observed spectrum is - ANSa continuum with absorption lines
A dense, hot body will give off a(n) _____ spectrum. - ANScontinuous
, Which of these is emitted when an electron falls from a higher to lower orbital? - ANSa photon
In a hydrogen atom, a transition from the 2nd to the 1st excited state will produce - ANSthe bright
red Balmer alpha emission line
For hydrogen, the transition from the first to third excited state produces - ANSa blue green
absorption line
The observed spectral lines of a star are all shifted towards the red end of the spectrum. Which
statement is true? - ANSThis is an example of the Doppler effect
According to the Zeeman effect, the splitting of a sunspot's spectral lines is due to - ANStheir
magnetic fields
A major advantage of a Newtonian reflector over a refractor is - ANSthe elimination of chromatic
aberration.
What is the resolution of a telescope? - ANSits ability to distinguish two adjacent objects close
together in the sky
The amount of diffraction and thus the resolution of the telescope depends upon - ANSthe
wavelength used and the size of the main telescope objective lens or mirror.
Compared to optical telescopes, radio telescopes are built large because - ANSradio waves have very
long wavelengths
What is true of radio telescopes? - ANSThey have poorer angular resolution than a refractor of the
same size.
In astronomy, an interferometer can be used to - ANSimprove the angular resolution of radio
telescopes.
The design of modern X-ray telescopes depends on - ANSgrazing incidence optics.
