Question 1

Population I stars came billions of years before Population II stars.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Describe our location in the Milky Way.

Accepted Answer

We lie in a spiral arm about 3

Question 3

Shapley found that globular clusters are only found in the Galactic bulge.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

In structure, our Milky Way is most similar to:

Accepted Answer

A) the Large Magellanic Cloud. 
B) an upscale version of a globular cluster. 
C) M-31, the Andromeda Galaxy. 
D) the Orion nebula. 
E) none of these. 
A) the Large Magellanic Cloud. 
B) an upscale version of a globular cluster. 
C) M-31, the Andromeda Galaxy. 
D) the Orion nebula. 
E) none of these.

Question 5

Why were globular clusters so vital to Harlow Shapley's success?

Accepted Answer

Globular clusters lie in the G

Question 6

It was the distribution of ________ that showed Harlow Shapley we were nowhere near thecenter of the Milky Way in the 1920s.

Accepted Answer

A) planetary nebulae 
B) emission nebulae 
C) open clusters 
D) globular clusters 
E) supernova remnants 
A) planetary nebulae 
B) emission nebulae 
C) open clusters 
D) globular clusters 
E) supernova remnants

Question 7

In our vicinity, the Galactic disk is about 100 times wider than it is thick.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Some of the invisible matter in our Galactic halo has been shown to be white dwarfs by:

Accepted Answer

A) direct detection with optical telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope. 
B) direct detection with gamma-ray observations from the Fermi Telescope. 
C) observations of Type I supernovae. 
D) the gravitational microlensing technique. 
E) watching white dwarfs in the Galactic halo pass in front of distant galaxies. 
A) direct detection with optical telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope. 
B) direct detection with gamma-ray observations from the Fermi Telescope. 
C) observations of Type I supernovae. 
D) the gravitational microlensing technique. 
E) watching white dwarfs in the Galactic halo pass in front of distant galaxies.

Question 9

Why is a variable star so convenient for measuring distances to very remote objects?

Accepted Answer

Certain types of variable stars, such as

Question 10

Who first attempted to find our position in the Galaxy, how did he do this, and why was hismodel flawed?

Accepted Answer

William Herschel relied on star counts,

Question 11

The rotation curve for our Galaxy shows stars beyond the Sun moving slower than expected.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Shapley found the Sun is located about halfway out the disk from the center of the disk of theGalaxy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

From the Sun, the distance to the Galactic Center is about:

Accepted Answer

A) 8 pc. 
B) 8,000 pc. 
C) 100,000 pc. 
D) 225 million pc. 
E) 100 billion pc. 
A) 8 pc. 
B) 8,000 pc. 
C) 100,000 pc. 
D) 225 million pc. 
E) 100 billion pc.

Question 14

Why is visible light a bad choice for studying the core of the Galaxy? What is better?

Accepted Answer

Dust in the Galactic plane blocks our vi

Question 15

Which of the following is most like the rotation of stars in the disk of the Milky Way?

Accepted Answer

A) a DVD in a player 
B) the planets in our solar system 
C) cars moving at a constant speed on a circular race track 
D) the hands of an analog clock 
E) the tire of a car moving 
A) a DVD in a player 
B) the planets in our solar system 
C) cars moving at a constant speed on a circular race track 
D) the hands of an analog clock 
E) the tire of a car moving

Question 16

Matter belonging to the Galaxy can be traced out to ________ from the center.

Accepted Answer

A) 5 kpc 
B) 8 kpc 
C) 15 kpc 
D) 50 kpc 
E) 200 kpc 
A) 5 kpc 
B) 8 kpc 
C) 15 kpc 
D) 50 kpc 
E) 200 kpc

Question 17

Spiral arms are thought to be sites of ________, based on the observations of red HII regionsand blue-white OB associations in and around these features.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Spiral arms are thought to be sites...

Question 18

Although astronomers refer to the Galaxy's disk as rotating, the motion is really due to the________ motion of each of the objects in the disk.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although astronomers refer to the Galaxy's disk...

Question 19

We can estimate the mass of the Galaxy from observations of its ________ curve.

Accepted Answer

The answer of We can estimate the mass of the...

Question 20

The major problem faced by optical astronomers in trying to deduce the structure of the MilkyWay Galaxy is that we can see only a small part of it because of the ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The major problem faced by optical astronomers...

Exam 23: The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Population I stars came billions of years before Population II stars.

Describe our location in the Milky Way.

Shapley found that globular clusters are only found in the Galactic bulge.

In structure, our Milky Way is most similar to:

Why were globular clusters so vital to Harlow Shapley's success?

It was the distribution of ________ that showed Harlow Shapley we were nowhere near thecenter of the Milky Way in the 1920s.

In our vicinity, the Galactic disk is about 100 times wider than it is thick.

Some of the invisible matter in our Galactic halo has been shown to be white dwarfs by:

Why is a variable star so convenient for measuring distances to very remote objects?

Who first attempted to find our position in the Galaxy, how did he do this, and why was hismodel flawed?

The rotation curve for our Galaxy shows stars beyond the Sun moving slower than expected.

Shapley found the Sun is located about halfway out the disk from the center of the disk of theGalaxy.

From the Sun, the distance to the Galactic Center is about:

Why is visible light a bad choice for studying the core of the Galaxy? What is better?

Which of the following is most like the rotation of stars in the disk of the Milky Way?

Matter belonging to the Galaxy can be traced out to ________ from the center.

Spiral arms are thought to be sites of ________, based on the observations of red HII regionsand blue-white OB associations in and around these features.

Although astronomers refer to the Galaxy's disk as rotating, the motion is really due to the________ motion of each of the objects in the disk.

We can estimate the mass of the Galaxy from observations of its ________ curve.

The major problem faced by optical astronomers in trying to deduce the structure of the MilkyWay Galaxy is that we can see only a small part of it because of the ________.

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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