Question 1

The Sun is about 1000 times more massive than the planet Jupiter. Why, then, does it have about the same average density as Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Sun has a much weaker gravitational field than Jupiter. 
B)  The Sun also has about 1000 times Jupiter's volume. 
C)  The Sun is rotating much faster than Jupiter, and the resulting centrifugal force helps to support the outer solar layers. 
D)  The Sun's solid core is composed of hydrogen, which is less dense than Jupiter's rocky core. 
A)  The Sun has a much weaker gravitational field than Jupiter. 
B)  The Sun also has about 1000 times Jupiter's volume. 
C)  The Sun is rotating much faster than Jupiter, and the resulting centrifugal force helps to support the outer solar layers. 
D)  The Sun's solid core is composed of hydrogen, which is less dense than Jupiter's rocky core.

Question 2

A typical Doppler shift in the center of a granular cell compared to the "rest" wavelength is 8.75 *10-4 nm. Take the rest wavelength to be the Hα line of 656 nm. What is the corresponding material speed in the center of the cell?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.4 m/s 
B)  0.4 km/s 
C)  8.75 m/s 
D)  875 m/s 
A)  0.4 m/s 
B)  0.4 km/s 
C)  8.75 m/s 
D)  875 m/s

Question 3

The energy source that heats the low-density coronal gas to extremely high temperatures is MOST likely

Accepted Answer

A)  conduction because the chromosphere and corona contain high densities of free electrons that facilitate conduction. 
B)  rearrangements within complex magnetic field structures that energize the ionized gas. 
C)  convective currents in the chromosphere that carry hot gas outward from the photosphere. 
D)  radiative heat from the photosphere that is strongly absorbed by highly ionized atoms such as Fe XIV. 
A)  conduction because the chromosphere and corona contain high densities of free electrons that facilitate conduction. 
B)  rearrangements within complex magnetic field structures that energize the ionized gas. 
C)  convective currents in the chromosphere that carry hot gas outward from the photosphere. 
D)  radiative heat from the photosphere that is strongly absorbed by highly ionized atoms such as Fe XIV.

Question 4

In 1908, George Ellery Hale noticed that the spectral lines from sunspots were split into closely spaced components, and he concluded that the magnetic fields in the sunspots must be very strong. What is the name given to this effect?

Accepted Answer

A)  photoelectric effect 
B)  Hale effect 
C)  Doppler effect 
D)  Zeeman effect 
A)  photoelectric effect 
B)  Hale effect 
C)  Doppler effect 
D)  Zeeman effect

Question 5

What is the "transition zone"?

Accepted Answer

A)  This is the boundary where the temperature drops between the photosphere and the interior. 
B)  This is the boundary where the temperature drops again moving from the photosphere to the chromosphere. 
C)  This is the boundary where the temperature drops from the chromosphere to the cold of outer space. 
D)  This is where the temperature climbs sharply in moving from the chromosphere to the corona. 
A)  This is the boundary where the temperature drops between the photosphere and the interior. 
B)  This is the boundary where the temperature drops again moving from the photosphere to the chromosphere. 
C)  This is the boundary where the temperature drops from the chromosphere to the cold of outer space. 
D)  This is where the temperature climbs sharply in moving from the chromosphere to the corona.

Question 6

What is the name given to a large loop of bright gas extending outward from the edge of the Sun (often seen during total solar eclipses)?

Accepted Answer

A)  prominence 
B)  spicule 
C)  filament 
D)  plage 
A)  prominence 
B)  spicule 
C)  filament 
D)  plage

Question 7

What causes plages?

Accepted Answer

A)  compression and heating of chromospheric gas by magnetic fields 
B)  blobs of convecting gas rising through the photosphere and depositing their energy in the chromosphere 
C)  matter descending along loops of magnetic field in the corona 
D)  sunspots, which prevent heat from reaching the chromospheric gases above them, leading to cooler plage regions 
A)  compression and heating of chromospheric gas by magnetic fields 
B)  blobs of convecting gas rising through the photosphere and depositing their energy in the chromosphere 
C)  matter descending along loops of magnetic field in the corona 
D)  sunspots, which prevent heat from reaching the chromospheric gases above them, leading to cooler plage regions

Question 8

Two pairs of associated sunspots appear on the visible disk of the photosphere of the Sun, one pair in each hemisphere. If the magnetic polarity of the westernmost spot in the northern hemisphere is found to be N, what will be the magnetic polarities of the other three spots?

Accepted Answer

A)  The magnetic polarity of all the spots at this time will be N because polarity of sunspots changes only every 11 years. 
B)  The magnetic polarity of the other northern spot will be N, while in the two spots in the southern hemisphere it will be S. 
C)  The magnetic polarity of the other northern spot will be S, and the southern hemisphere spots will match this alignment; the westward spot will be N, while the eastward spot will be S. 
D)  The magnetic polarity of the other northern spot will be S, while in the southern hemisphere the westward spot will be S and the eastward spot will be N. 
A)  The magnetic polarity of all the spots at this time will be N because polarity of sunspots changes only every 11 years. 
B)  The magnetic polarity of the other northern spot will be N, while in the two spots in the southern hemisphere it will be S. 
C)  The magnetic polarity of the other northern spot will be S, and the southern hemisphere spots will match this alignment; the westward spot will be N, while the eastward spot will be S. 
D)  The magnetic polarity of the other northern spot will be S, while in the southern hemisphere the westward spot will be S and the eastward spot will be N.

Question 9

What is a filament on the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  plage near the end of its life, when it is fading away 
B)  prominence seen in silhouette against the photosphere 
C)  dark sunspot that has been stretched by solar differential rotation 
D)  spicule seen in profile near the edge of the Sun's limb 
A)  plage near the end of its life, when it is fading away 
B)  prominence seen in silhouette against the photosphere 
C)  dark sunspot that has been stretched by solar differential rotation 
D)  spicule seen in profile near the edge of the Sun's limb

Question 10

Sunspots are

Accepted Answer

A)  cooler, darker regions on the Sun's surface. 
B)  the shadows of cool, dark clouds of matter hanging above the solar surface. 
C)  cooler regions of the Sun's high corona. 
D)  hotter, deeper regions in the Sun's atmosphere. 
A)  cooler, darker regions on the Sun's surface. 
B)  the shadows of cool, dark clouds of matter hanging above the solar surface. 
C)  cooler regions of the Sun's high corona. 
D)  hotter, deeper regions in the Sun's atmosphere.

Question 11

What is the Zeeman effect?

Accepted Answer

A)  generation of magnetic fields by the motion of charged particles 
B)  attraction of two areas of opposite magnetic polarity toward each other 
C)  inability of charged particles to move perpendicular to magnetic field lines 
D)  splitting of spectral lines emitted by atoms within a magnetic field 
A)  generation of magnetic fields by the motion of charged particles 
B)  attraction of two areas of opposite magnetic polarity toward each other 
C)  inability of charged particles to move perpendicular to magnetic field lines 
D)  splitting of spectral lines emitted by atoms within a magnetic field

Question 12

In order of increasing depth into the solar atmosphere, what are the names of the three layers of the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  corona, chromosphere, photosphere 
B)  photosphere, chromosphere, corona 
C)  chromosphere, photosphere, corona 
D)  photosphere, corona, chromosphere 
A)  corona, chromosphere, photosphere 
B)  photosphere, chromosphere, corona 
C)  chromosphere, photosphere, corona 
D)  photosphere, corona, chromosphere

Question 13

How does a coronal hole compare with the rest of the solar corona?

Accepted Answer

A)  cooler but brighter 
B)  hotter and brighter 
C)  cooler and darker 
D)  hotter but darker 
A)  cooler but brighter 
B)  hotter and brighter 
C)  cooler and darker 
D)  hotter but darker

Question 14

Which of these bodies does NOT experience differential rotation?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Sun 
B)  Jupiter 
C)  Saturn 
D)  Mars 
A)  the Sun 
B)  Jupiter 
C)  Saturn 
D)  Mars

Question 15

The granular appearance of the surface of the Sun is evidence of what phenomenon occurring in or on the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  cells of thermonuclear fusion just under the visible surface 
B)  rapid rotation of the surface layers producing swirls of gas 
C)  concentration and heating of ionized gas by regions of high magnetic fields 
D)  convective motion under the solar surface 
A)  cells of thermonuclear fusion just under the visible surface 
B)  rapid rotation of the surface layers producing swirls of gas 
C)  concentration and heating of ionized gas by regions of high magnetic fields 
D)  convective motion under the solar surface

Question 16

Energy is transported from the center of the Sun to the surface by

Accepted Answer

A)  radiation in the thermonuclear core, convection everywhere else. 
B)  convection in the thermonuclear core, radiation everywhere else. 
C)  mostly convection, radiation only in the outer layers. 
D)  mostly radiation, convection only in the outer layers. 
A)  radiation in the thermonuclear core, convection everywhere else. 
B)  convection in the thermonuclear core, radiation everywhere else. 
C)  mostly convection, radiation only in the outer layers. 
D)  mostly radiation, convection only in the outer layers.

Question 17

The differential rotation of the Sun causes the magnetic fields in its interior to become tangled. According to the Babcock model of the solar activity cycle, what happens to these tangled magnetic fields?

Accepted Answer

A)  These tangled fields finally merge into a single magnetic field emerging from the Sun's north pole and entering the Sun's south pole. This merging begins the 11-year solar cycle. 
B)  The magnetic fields stretch and thereby lose energy, which makes them lighter, and they float to the Sun's photosphere, where they break through and form sunspot groups. 
C)  The tangled magnetic fields interrupt the convection currents and trap gas. The gas rises, carrying the fields with it, and floats to the Sun's photosphere, where the field lines break through the surface and form sunspot groups. 
D)  These tangled fields alternately trap and release gases from the convection currents, leading to the periodic pulsations observed by helioseismology. 
A)  These tangled fields finally merge into a single magnetic field emerging from the Sun's north pole and entering the Sun's south pole. This merging begins the 11-year solar cycle. 
B)  The magnetic fields stretch and thereby lose energy, which makes them lighter, and they float to the Sun's photosphere, where they break through and form sunspot groups. 
C)  The tangled magnetic fields interrupt the convection currents and trap gas. The gas rises, carrying the fields with it, and floats to the Sun's photosphere, where the field lines break through the surface and form sunspot groups. 
D)  These tangled fields alternately trap and release gases from the convection currents, leading to the periodic pulsations observed by helioseismology.

Question 18

When viewing the Sun's disk in visible light, one sees less deeply into the Sun near the limb than at the center of the disk because of the interaction of the light with atoms of the gas. What conclusion can be drawn from the observation that the Sun appears less bright near the limb than it does at the disk center?

Accepted Answer

A)  The light from the solar limb is redshifted because of solar rotation, and this phenomenon gives the appearance of cooler gas at the limb. 
B)  The temperature of the gas increases with increasing height in the solar atmosphere. 
C)  The light has to travel through more of the solar corona from the limb; hence, it is reduced in intensity and appears cooler. 
D)  The temperature of the gas falls with increasing height in the solar atmosphere. 
A)  The light from the solar limb is redshifted because of solar rotation, and this phenomenon gives the appearance of cooler gas at the limb. 
B)  The temperature of the gas increases with increasing height in the solar atmosphere. 
C)  The light has to travel through more of the solar corona from the limb; hence, it is reduced in intensity and appears cooler. 
D)  The temperature of the gas falls with increasing height in the solar atmosphere.

Question 19

The order of the layers or parts of the Sun, as radius increases, is

Accepted Answer

A)  radiative zone, convection zone, chromosphere, photosphere, corona. 
B)  radiative zone, convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere, corona. 
C)  corona, chromosphere, convection zone, photosphere, radiative zone. 
D)  radiative zone, convection zone, corona, chromosphere, photosphere. 
A)  radiative zone, convection zone, chromosphere, photosphere, corona. 
B)  radiative zone, convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere, corona. 
C)  corona, chromosphere, convection zone, photosphere, radiative zone. 
D)  radiative zone, convection zone, corona, chromosphere, photosphere.

Question 20

Why are sunspots cooler than the rest of the Sun's surface?

Accepted Answer

A)  Sunspots, unlike the rest of the Sun, are made of plasma, and plasmas are difficult to heat. 
B)  Sunspots mark the pathways along which neutrinos escape from the Sun. Neutrinos move so quickly that they deposit very little energy along their paths. 
C)  Sunspots occur where the magnetic field lines return into the Sun carrying smaller amounts of heat energy from the thin solar atmosphere. 
D)  Sunspots mark the places where the magnetic field lines penetrate the Sun's photosphere. The hot solar plasma beneath is repelled from these field lines and thus inhibits the flow of heat to the surface at these points. 
A)  Sunspots, unlike the rest of the Sun, are made of plasma, and plasmas are difficult to heat. 
B)  Sunspots mark the pathways along which neutrinos escape from the Sun. Neutrinos move so quickly that they deposit very little energy along their paths. 
C)  Sunspots occur where the magnetic field lines return into the Sun carrying smaller amounts of heat energy from the thin solar atmosphere. 
D)  Sunspots mark the places where the magnetic field lines penetrate the Sun's photosphere. The hot solar plasma beneath is repelled from these field lines and thus inhibits the flow of heat to the surface at these points.

The Sun is about 1000 times more massive than the planet Jupiter. Why, then, does it have about the same average density as Jupiter?

A typical Doppler shift in the center of a granular cell compared to the "rest" wavelength is 8.75 *10^-4 nm. Take the rest wavelength to be the H_α line of 656 nm. What is the corresponding material speed in the center of the cell?

The energy source that heats the low-density coronal gas to extremely high temperatures is MOST likely

In 1908, George Ellery Hale noticed that the spectral lines from sunspots were split into closely spaced components, and he concluded that the magnetic fields in the sunspots must be very strong. What is the name given to this effect?

What is the "transition zone"?

What is the name given to a large loop of bright gas extending outward from the edge of the Sun (often seen during total solar eclipses)?

What causes plages?

Two pairs of associated sunspots appear on the visible disk of the photosphere of the Sun, one pair in each hemisphere. If the magnetic polarity of the westernmost spot in the northern hemisphere is found to be N, what will be the magnetic polarities of the other three spots?

What is a filament on the Sun?

Sunspots are

What is the Zeeman effect?

In order of increasing depth into the solar atmosphere, what are the names of the three layers of the Sun?

How does a coronal hole compare with the rest of the solar corona?

Which of these bodies does NOT experience differential rotation?

The granular appearance of the surface of the Sun is evidence of what phenomenon occurring in or on the Sun?

Energy is transported from the center of the Sun to the surface by

The differential rotation of the Sun causes the magnetic fields in its interior to become tangled. According to the Babcock model of the solar activity cycle, what happens to these tangled magnetic fields?

The order of the layers or parts of the Sun, as radius increases, is

Why are sunspots cooler than the rest of the Sun's surface?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Motion of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Atomic Physics and Spectra

Exoplanets and the Formation of Planetary Systems

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Moon

The Other Terrestrial Planets

The Outer Planets

Vagabonds of the Solar System

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes: Matters of Gravity

The Milky Way Galaxy

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Cosmology

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Exam 11: The Sun: Our Extraordinary Star

The Sun is about 1000 times more massive than the planet Jupiter. Why, then, does it have about the same average density as Jupiter?

A typical Doppler shift in the center of a granular cell compared to the "rest" wavelength is 8.75 *10-4 nm. Take the rest wavelength to be the Hα line of 656 nm. What is the corresponding material speed in the center of the cell?

The energy source that heats the low-density coronal gas to extremely high temperatures is MOST likely

In 1908, George Ellery Hale noticed that the spectral lines from sunspots were split into closely spaced components, and he concluded that the magnetic fields in the sunspots must be very strong. What is the name given to this effect?

What is the "transition zone"?

What is the name given to a large loop of bright gas extending outward from the edge of the Sun (often seen during total solar eclipses)?

What causes plages?

Two pairs of associated sunspots appear on the visible disk of the photosphere of the Sun, one pair in each hemisphere. If the magnetic polarity of the westernmost spot in the northern hemisphere is found to be N, what will be the magnetic polarities of the other three spots?

What is a filament on the Sun?

Sunspots are

What is the Zeeman effect?

In order of increasing depth into the solar atmosphere, what are the names of the three layers of the Sun?

How does a coronal hole compare with the rest of the solar corona?

Which of these bodies does NOT experience differential rotation?

The granular appearance of the surface of the Sun is evidence of what phenomenon occurring in or on the Sun?

Energy is transported from the center of the Sun to the surface by

The differential rotation of the Sun causes the magnetic fields in its interior to become tangled. According to the Babcock model of the solar activity cycle, what happens to these tangled magnetic fields?

The order of the layers or parts of the Sun, as radius increases, is

Why are sunspots cooler than the rest of the Sun's surface?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Motion of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Atomic Physics and Spectra

Exoplanets and the Formation of Planetary Systems

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Moon

The Other Terrestrial Planets

The Outer Planets

Vagabonds of the Solar System

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes: Matters of Gravity

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Other Active Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters

A typical Doppler shift in the center of a granular cell compared to the "rest" wavelength is 8.75 *10^-4 nm. Take the rest wavelength to be the H_α line of 656 nm. What is the corresponding material speed in the center of the cell?