Question 1

The ten million tons of particles that escape the Sun each year in the form of the solar wind get out mainly through regions called

Accepted Answer

A)  sunspots 
B)  spicules 
C)  aurorae 
D)  coronal holes 
E)  transition regions 
A)  sunspots 
B)  spicules 
C)  aurorae 
D)  coronal holes 
E)  transition regions

Question 2

Recently, some engineers and scientists have proposed building spaceships with enormous "sails" that catch the solar wind and use it to move the ship. What kinds of particles would be hitting this sail (i.e., what is the solar wind mostly made of):

Accepted Answer

A)  nuclei of heavier atoms such as iron and nickel 
B)  calcium atoms 
C)  electrons and protons 
D)  gamma-rays 
E)  scientists do not have any idea of the composition of the solar wind; it is very mysterious 
A)  nuclei of heavier atoms such as iron and nickel 
B)  calcium atoms 
C)  electrons and protons 
D)  gamma-rays 
E)  scientists do not have any idea of the composition of the solar wind; it is very mysterious

Question 3

Which of the following statements about the violent events on the Sun called flares is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  flares happen more often during solar maximum, and sometimes during those periods, there can be several in one day 
B)  a flare can release energy equivalent to a million hydrogen bombs 
C)  flares originate in the upper part of the corona, in the regions called coronal holes 
D)  astronomers think that flares are connected with sudden changes in the magnetic field of the Sun 
E)  the visible light we see from a flare is only a tiny fraction of the energy it releases 
A)  flares happen more often during solar maximum, and sometimes during those periods, there can be several in one day 
B)  a flare can release energy equivalent to a million hydrogen bombs 
C)  flares originate in the upper part of the corona, in the regions called coronal holes 
D)  astronomers think that flares are connected with sudden changes in the magnetic field of the Sun 
E)  the visible light we see from a flare is only a tiny fraction of the energy it releases

Question 4

The hottest zone in the Sun is the

Accepted Answer

A)  photosphere 
B)  radiative zone 
C)  core 
D)  convection zone 
E)  chromosphere 
A)  photosphere 
B)  radiative zone 
C)  core 
D)  convection zone 
E)  chromosphere

Question 5

The most common element in the Sun is

Accepted Answer

A)  helium 
B)  iron 
C)  hydrogen 
D)  water 
E)  nitrogen 
A)  helium 
B)  iron 
C)  hydrogen 
D)  water 
E)  nitrogen

Question 6

Astronomers first detected the presence of a wind of particles coming from the Sun by

Accepted Answer

A)  sending a spacecraft much closer to the Sun than the planet Mercury 
B)  by noting its effects on the atmosphere of Venus 
C)  by dramatic and sudden changes in the spectrum of coronium 
D)  using the experiments aboard Sputnik 1, the first spacecraft to go above the Earth's atmosphere 
E)  by noting the wind's effects on the tails of comets 
A)  sending a spacecraft much closer to the Sun than the planet Mercury 
B)  by noting its effects on the atmosphere of Venus 
C)  by dramatic and sudden changes in the spectrum of coronium 
D)  using the experiments aboard Sputnik 1, the first spacecraft to go above the Earth's atmosphere 
E)  by noting the wind's effects on the tails of comets

Question 7

The Sun's chromosphere and corona were discovered

Accepted Answer

A)  using the first telescopes Galileo built 
B)  in the late 19th century through the use of a spectrograph 
C)  during total eclipses of the Sun 
D)  using spacecraft that orbited Venus, a planet with a better view of the Sun 
E)  by ancient shepherds, who saw reflections of the Sun in quiet pools of water 
A)  using the first telescopes Galileo built 
B)  in the late 19th century through the use of a spectrograph 
C)  during total eclipses of the Sun 
D)  using spacecraft that orbited Venus, a planet with a better view of the Sun 
E)  by ancient shepherds, who saw reflections of the Sun in quiet pools of water

Question 8

Astronomers now realize that active regions on the Sun are connected with

Accepted Answer

A)  the dark regions between the bright granulation cells on the photosphere 
B)  loops of magnetic field emerging from the surface of the Sun 
C)  the absence of sunspots during a solar minimum 
D)  great tropical storm systems in the Earth's atmosphere 
E)  changes in the gravitational pull of the Sun over different parts of its photosphere
Section 15.4: Space Weather 
A)  the dark regions between the bright granulation cells on the photosphere 
B)  loops of magnetic field emerging from the surface of the Sun 
C)  the absence of sunspots during a solar minimum 
D)  great tropical storm systems in the Earth's atmosphere 
E)  changes in the gravitational pull of the Sun over different parts of its photosphere
Section 15.4: Space Weather

Question 9

What mechanisms do astronomers believe is responsible for making the Sun's outer atmosphere so much hotter than its photosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  stirring by comets, meteors, and other pieces of solid material being pulled in by the Sun's strong gravity 
B)  light reflected back from the terrestrial planets 
C)  the Sun's magnetic field interacting with the charged particles that make up the atmosphere 
D)  the ionization of a new element called coronium 
E)  astronomers really don't have even a guess about what heats the Sun's outermost layers 
A)  stirring by comets, meteors, and other pieces of solid material being pulled in by the Sun's strong gravity 
B)  light reflected back from the terrestrial planets 
C)  the Sun's magnetic field interacting with the charged particles that make up the atmosphere 
D)  the ionization of a new element called coronium 
E)  astronomers really don't have even a guess about what heats the Sun's outermost layers

Question 10

Which part of the Sun's atmosphere has the lowest density (number of atoms per unit volume)?

Accepted Answer

A)  corona 
B)  transition region 
C)  chromosphere 
D)  just above the photosphere 
E)  you can't fool me, all these regions are at roughly the same density 
A)  corona 
B)  transition region 
C)  chromosphere 
D)  just above the photosphere 
E)  you can't fool me, all these regions are at roughly the same density

The ten million tons of particles that escape the Sun each year in the form of the solar wind get out mainly through regions called

Recently, some engineers and scientists have proposed building spaceships with enormous "sails" that catch the solar wind and use it to move the ship. What kinds of particles would be hitting this sail (i.e., what is the solar wind mostly made of):

Which of the following statements about the violent events on the Sun called flares is FALSE?

The hottest zone in the Sun is the

The most common element in the Sun is

Astronomers first detected the presence of a wind of particles coming from the Sun by

The Sun's chromosphere and corona were discovered

Astronomers now realize that active regions on the Sun are connected with

What mechanisms do astronomers believe is responsible for making the Sun's outer atmosphere so much hotter than its photosphere?

Which part of the Sun's atmosphere has the lowest density (number of atoms per unit volume)?

Science and the Universe: a Brief Tour

Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

Orbits and Gravity

Earth, Moon, and Sky

Radiation and Spectra

Astronomical Instruments

Other Worlds: an Introduction to the Solar System

Earth As a Planet

Cratered Worlds: the Moon and Mercury

Earthlike Planets: Venus and Mars

The Giant Planets

Rings, Moons, and Pluto

Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System

Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System

The Sun: a Nuclear Powerhouse

Analyzing Starlight

The Stars: a Celestial Census

Celestial Distances

Between the Stars

The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets Outside the Solar System

Stars From Adolescence to Old Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes and Curved Space-Time

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes

The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies

The Big Bang

Life in the Universe

Filters

Exam 15: The Sun: a Garden-Variety Star

The ten million tons of particles that escape the Sun each year in the form of the solar wind get out mainly through regions called

Recently, some engineers and scientists have proposed building spaceships with enormous "sails" that catch the solar wind and use it to move the ship. What kinds of particles would be hitting this sail (i.e., what is the solar wind mostly made of):

Which of the following statements about the violent events on the Sun called flares is FALSE?

The hottest zone in the Sun is the

The most common element in the Sun is

Astronomers first detected the presence of a wind of particles coming from the Sun by

The Sun's chromosphere and corona were discovered

Astronomers now realize that active regions on the Sun are connected with

What mechanisms do astronomers believe is responsible for making the Sun's outer atmosphere so much hotter than its photosphere?

Which part of the Sun's atmosphere has the lowest density (number of atoms per unit volume)?

Science and the Universe: a Brief Tour

Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

Orbits and Gravity

Earth, Moon, and Sky

Radiation and Spectra

Astronomical Instruments

Other Worlds: an Introduction to the Solar System

Earth As a Planet

Cratered Worlds: the Moon and Mercury

Earthlike Planets: Venus and Mars

The Giant Planets

Rings, Moons, and Pluto

Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System

Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System

The Sun: a Nuclear Powerhouse

Analyzing Starlight

The Stars: a Celestial Census

Celestial Distances

Between the Stars

The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets Outside the Solar System

Stars From Adolescence to Old Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes and Curved Space-Time

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes

The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies

The Big Bang

Life in the Universe

Filters