Question 1

Which of these evolutionary paths is the fate of our Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  supernova of Type II 
B)  nova 
C)  planetary nebula 
D)  brown dwarf 
E)  supernova of Type I 
A)  supernova of Type II 
B)  nova 
C)  planetary nebula 
D)  brown dwarf 
E)  supernova of Type I

Question 2

Black dwarfs are

Accepted Answer

A)  very common, making up the majority of the dark matter in the universe. 
B)  often made from very low mass protostars that never fuse hydrogen. 
C)  rare, for few binary systems are close enough for this merger to happen. 
D)  rare, for collapsing cores of over three solar masses are uncommon. 
E)  not found yet; the oldest, coldest white dwarf in the Galaxy has not cooled enough yet. 
A)  very common, making up the majority of the dark matter in the universe. 
B)  often made from very low mass protostars that never fuse hydrogen. 
C)  rare, for few binary systems are close enough for this merger to happen. 
D)  rare, for collapsing cores of over three solar masses are uncommon. 
E)  not found yet; the oldest, coldest white dwarf in the Galaxy has not cooled enough yet.

Question 3

Our Sun will eventually become a nova.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

What was most surprising about SN1987A?

Accepted Answer

A)  It did not produce the flood of neutrinos our models had led us to expect. 
B)  The parent star was a blue supergiant, much like Deneb or Rigel. 
C)  The supernova was luminous enough to see with the naked eye. 
D)  Its pulsar appeared within weeks of the explosion. 
E)  The supernova was not even in our own Galaxy. 
A)  It did not produce the flood of neutrinos our models had led us to expect. 
B)  The parent star was a blue supergiant, much like Deneb or Rigel. 
C)  The supernova was luminous enough to see with the naked eye. 
D)  Its pulsar appeared within weeks of the explosion. 
E)  The supernova was not even in our own Galaxy.

Question 5

Why can we say a star spends its life trying to maintain equilibrium?

Accepted Answer

A star is only stable when the

Question 6

Which of these does NOT depend on a close binary system to occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  a Type II supernova 
B)  a nova 
C)  a Type I supernova 
D)  All of these need mass transfer to occur. 
E)  None of these depends on mass transfer. 
A)  a Type II supernova 
B)  a nova 
C)  a Type I supernova 
D)  All of these need mass transfer to occur. 
E)  None of these depends on mass transfer.

Question 7

Elements heavier than iron are formed mainly in supernovae.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

What element are white dwarfs made of? Why?

Accepted Answer

White dwarfs consist mainly of

Question 9

Why do blue stragglers stand out in globular clusters?

Accepted Answer

They are much bluer and apparently young

Question 10

Can a star become a red giant more than once?

Accepted Answer

A)  no, or we would see them as the majority of naked- eye stars 
B)  no, it will lose so much mass as to cross the Chandrasekhar Limit 
C)  yes, before and after the helium flash 
D)  yes, before and after the Type II supernova event 
E)  no, the planetary nebula blows off all the outer shells completely 
A)  no, or we would see them as the majority of naked- eye stars 
B)  no, it will lose so much mass as to cross the Chandrasekhar Limit 
C)  yes, before and after the helium flash 
D)  yes, before and after the Type II supernova event 
E)  no, the planetary nebula blows off all the outer shells completely

Question 11

White dwarfs were once the cores of stars that produced planetary nebulae.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Stars of type should last about ten billion years on the main sequence.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Stars of type should last about ten...

Question 13

The helium flash stage lasts several thousand years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Our Sun will likely die as a Type I supernova in about five billion years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

A typical star burns helium for about the same amount of time it burns hydrogen.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

High- precision observations by the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed what as- yet unexplained phenomenon in globular clusters?

Accepted Answer

There appear to be three distinct main s

Question 17

Novae are more closely related to Type II than to Type I supernovae.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Which is used observationally to determine the age of a star cluster?

Accepted Answer

A)  the total number of main- sequence stars 
B)  the amount of dust that lies around the cluster 
C)  the ratio of giants to supergiants 
D)  the luminosity of the main- sequence turn- off point 
E)  the number of white dwarfs 
A)  the total number of main- sequence stars 
B)  the amount of dust that lies around the cluster 
C)  the ratio of giants to supergiants 
D)  the luminosity of the main- sequence turn- off point 
E)  the number of white dwarfs

Question 19

The track is the path the star takes on the H- R diagram as it ages.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The track is the path the star...

Question 20

Rather than an explosive death, the Sun will likely end its life forming a(n) surrounding a(n) .

Accepted Answer

planetary

Which of these evolutionary paths is the fate of our Sun?

Black dwarfs are

Our Sun will eventually become a nova.

What was most surprising about SN1987A?

Why can we say a star spends its life trying to maintain equilibrium?

Which of these does NOT depend on a close binary system to occur?

Elements heavier than iron are formed mainly in supernovae.

What element are white dwarfs made of? Why?

Why do blue stragglers stand out in globular clusters?

Can a star become a red giant more than once?

White dwarfs were once the cores of stars that produced planetary nebulae.

Stars of type should last about ten billion years on the main sequence.

The helium flash stage lasts several thousand years.

Our Sun will likely die as a Type I supernova in about five billion years.

A typical star burns helium for about the same amount of time it burns hydrogen.

High- precision observations by the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed what as- yet unexplained phenomenon in globular clusters?

Novae are more closely related to Type II than to Type I supernovae.

Which is used observationally to determine the age of a star cluster?

The track is the path the star takes on the H- R diagram as it ages.

Rather than an explosive death, the Sun will likely end its life forming a(n) surrounding a(n) .

Charting the Heavens: the Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: the Birth of Modern Science

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Terrestrial Planets: a Study in Contrasts

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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Exam 13: Stellar Evolution: the Lives and Deaths of Stars

Which of these evolutionary paths is the fate of our Sun?

Black dwarfs are

Our Sun will eventually become a nova.

What was most surprising about SN1987A?

Why can we say a star spends its life trying to maintain equilibrium?

Which of these does NOT depend on a close binary system to occur?

Elements heavier than iron are formed mainly in supernovae.

What element are white dwarfs made of? Why?

Why do blue stragglers stand out in globular clusters?

Can a star become a red giant more than once?

White dwarfs were once the cores of stars that produced planetary nebulae.

Stars of type should last about ten billion years on the main sequence.

The helium flash stage lasts several thousand years.

Our Sun will likely die as a Type I supernova in about five billion years.

A typical star burns helium for about the same amount of time it burns hydrogen.

High- precision observations by the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed what as- yet unexplained phenomenon in globular clusters?

Novae are more closely related to Type II than to Type I supernovae.

Which is used observationally to determine the age of a star cluster?

The track is the path the star takes on the H- R diagram as it ages.

Rather than an explosive death, the Sun will likely end its life forming a(n) surrounding a(n) .

Charting the Heavens: the Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: the Birth of Modern Science

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Terrestrial Planets: a Study in Contrasts

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

Filters