PSU ASTRO 7N EVALUATION TEST UPDATED EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Which of the following is NOT required in order to classify a Solar System object as
a planet (instead of a dwarf planet)? - ✔✔It must be larger than all of the moons in the
Solar System
✔✔Which of the following planets looks the most like the Earth's Moon? - ✔✔Mercury
✔✔Which is NOT a characteristic of a comet? - ✔✔most orbit the Sun in between the
orbits of Mars and Jupiter
✔✔Which of the following is the cause of an aurora? - ✔✔Solar wind particles that hit
the atmosphere of a planet
✔✔In the diagram above, which planets have temperatures lower than -200 degrees
Fahrenheit? - ✔✔all the Jovian planets (See practice questions)
✔✔Which planet is this in the picture? (to the right) - ✔✔Venus (See practice questions)
✔✔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 the Earth? - ✔✔16/100
✔✔What did Newtons law of Universal Gravitation tell us about how gravity works? -
✔✔The force of gravity from the Sun will be stronger on a larger mass object
✔✔According to Newton's second law of motion, if the net force acting on the object
increases while the mass of the object remains constant, what happens to the
acceleration? - ✔✔acceleration increases
✔✔Longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - ✔✔June 21
✔✔Shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere - ✔✔December 21
✔✔What time of year is it dark all day (and night) at the South pole? - ✔✔June
✔✔Earth's Moon was Full on May 1, 2007. When was it next in the First Quarter phase
after this Full Moon? - ✔✔May 22
✔✔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? - ✔✔Once every orbit of its moon (its
month)
, ✔✔When is the best time for you to be able to see the constellation that is your sign of
the Zodiac? - ✔✔At midnight six months after your birthday
✔✔Constellations close to the North pole of Earth - ✔✔Move in a circle around the
North star, Polaris, over the course of a single night.
✔✔What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency? - ✔✔If the frequency
increases the wavelength decreases
✔✔Compare the frequency and wavelength of a gamma ray with that of visible light: -
✔✔gamma ray frequency is higher and its wavelength is lower
✔✔Fill in the blank. A photon's _________ can be measured to determine its energy. -
✔✔wavelength
✔✔Something glowing in visible light probably has a temperature of ___ Kelvin. - ✔✔a
few thousand
✔✔A star has a surface temperature of 50,000K. In which region of the electromagnetic
spectrum does its peak brightness occur? - ✔✔ultraviolet
✔✔The electrons in a cloud of hydrogen gas are making the transition from excited
states to the ground state. What does the spectrum of this cloud of gas look like? - ✔✔It
will consist of a few bright emission lines at a very specific wavelength
✔✔Which of the following is FALSE? - ✔✔The energy of a photon increases in
proportion to the wavelength of the radiation.
✔✔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? - ✔✔15
minutes
✔✔Even the largest ground-based telescopes have resolution restrictions imposed by: -
✔✔atmospheric blurring of images
✔✔A ______ telescope uses ______ to focus light. - ✔✔- refracting: lenses
- reflecting: mirrors
✔✔Two planets have the same mass, but Planet A has 3 times the radius of Planet B.
How do the surface gravities of the two planets compare? - ✔✔Planet a has 1/3 the
surface gravity of Planet B
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Which of the following is NOT required in order to classify a Solar System object as
a planet (instead of a dwarf planet)? - ✔✔It must be larger than all of the moons in the
Solar System
✔✔Which of the following planets looks the most like the Earth's Moon? - ✔✔Mercury
✔✔Which is NOT a characteristic of a comet? - ✔✔most orbit the Sun in between the
orbits of Mars and Jupiter
✔✔Which of the following is the cause of an aurora? - ✔✔Solar wind particles that hit
the atmosphere of a planet
✔✔In the diagram above, which planets have temperatures lower than -200 degrees
Fahrenheit? - ✔✔all the Jovian planets (See practice questions)
✔✔Which planet is this in the picture? (to the right) - ✔✔Venus (See practice questions)
✔✔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 the Earth? - ✔✔16/100
✔✔What did Newtons law of Universal Gravitation tell us about how gravity works? -
✔✔The force of gravity from the Sun will be stronger on a larger mass object
✔✔According to Newton's second law of motion, if the net force acting on the object
increases while the mass of the object remains constant, what happens to the
acceleration? - ✔✔acceleration increases
✔✔Longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - ✔✔June 21
✔✔Shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere - ✔✔December 21
✔✔What time of year is it dark all day (and night) at the South pole? - ✔✔June
✔✔Earth's Moon was Full on May 1, 2007. When was it next in the First Quarter phase
after this Full Moon? - ✔✔May 22
✔✔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? - ✔✔Once every orbit of its moon (its
month)
, ✔✔When is the best time for you to be able to see the constellation that is your sign of
the Zodiac? - ✔✔At midnight six months after your birthday
✔✔Constellations close to the North pole of Earth - ✔✔Move in a circle around the
North star, Polaris, over the course of a single night.
✔✔What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency? - ✔✔If the frequency
increases the wavelength decreases
✔✔Compare the frequency and wavelength of a gamma ray with that of visible light: -
✔✔gamma ray frequency is higher and its wavelength is lower
✔✔Fill in the blank. A photon's _________ can be measured to determine its energy. -
✔✔wavelength
✔✔Something glowing in visible light probably has a temperature of ___ Kelvin. - ✔✔a
few thousand
✔✔A star has a surface temperature of 50,000K. In which region of the electromagnetic
spectrum does its peak brightness occur? - ✔✔ultraviolet
✔✔The electrons in a cloud of hydrogen gas are making the transition from excited
states to the ground state. What does the spectrum of this cloud of gas look like? - ✔✔It
will consist of a few bright emission lines at a very specific wavelength
✔✔Which of the following is FALSE? - ✔✔The energy of a photon increases in
proportion to the wavelength of the radiation.
✔✔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? - ✔✔15
minutes
✔✔Even the largest ground-based telescopes have resolution restrictions imposed by: -
✔✔atmospheric blurring of images
✔✔A ______ telescope uses ______ to focus light. - ✔✔- refracting: lenses
- reflecting: mirrors
✔✔Two planets have the same mass, but Planet A has 3 times the radius of Planet B.
How do the surface gravities of the two planets compare? - ✔✔Planet a has 1/3 the
surface gravity of Planet B
