Question 1

The solar corona is much cooler than the Sun's surface; hence we must wait for a total solareclipse to glimpse it with the naked eye.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The Sun's magnetic field has been traced out far beyond the orbit of Pluto and even Sedna.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

The speed of light is $$3.00 \times 10 ^ { 8 } \mathrm {~m} / \mathrm { s } \text {. If } 2.00 \mathrm {~kg}$$ o mass is converted to energy, how muchenergy will be produced?

Accepted Answer

A)  $1.80 \times 10^{17} \mathrm {~J}$ 
B)  $6.00 \times 10 ^ { 8 } \mathrm {~J}$ 
C)  $1.50 \times 10 ^ { 8 } \mathrm {~J}$ 
D)  $6.00 \times 10 ^ { 4 } \mathrm {~J}$ 
E)  $9.00 \times 10 ^ { 16 } \mathrm {~J}$ 
A)  $1.80 \times 10^{17} \mathrm {~J}$ 
B)  $6.00 \times 10 ^ { 8 } \mathrm {~J}$ 
C)  $1.50 \times 10 ^ { 8 } \mathrm {~J}$ 
D)  $6.00 \times 10 ^ { 4 } \mathrm {~J}$ 
E)  $9.00 \times 10 ^ { 16 } \mathrm {~J}$

Question 4

Sunspots are dark splotches on the Sun. Which statement is true?

Accepted Answer

A) They are hotter than the surrounding areas of the Sun. 
B) They are extremely cold objects, as cold as Pluto. 
C) They are extremely hot, but cooler than the surrounding areas of the Sun. 
D) They are solid bodies floating on the surface of the Sun. 
E) They are associated with areas of very low magnetic fields. 
A) They are hotter than the surrounding areas of the Sun. 
B) They are extremely cold objects, as cold as Pluto. 
C) They are extremely hot, but cooler than the surrounding areas of the Sun. 
D) They are solid bodies floating on the surface of the Sun. 
E) They are associated with areas of very low magnetic fields.

Question 5

The concept of hydrostatic equilibrium is critical to understanding how the Sun has remainedstable long enough for life to evolve here.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The Sun's luminosity is greatest when there are few or no sunspots on the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Hydrostatic equilibrium in our Sun is the balance between:

Accepted Answer

A) convection and radiation. 
B) convection and gravitation. 
C) pressure and radiation. 
D) radiation and gravitation. 
E) gravitation and pressure. 
A) convection and radiation. 
B) convection and gravitation. 
C) pressure and radiation. 
D) radiation and gravitation. 
E) gravitation and pressure.

Question 8

The solar corona produces a lot more X-rays than it does visible light.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Presently, what is happening to the helium in the Sun's core?

Accepted Answer

It builds up there;

Question 10

As with Uranus, the solar equator rotates slower than sunspots at higher latitudes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

About what percent of the incoming energy from the Sun reaches Earth's surface?

Accepted Answer

A) 80-100% 
B) 70-90% 
C) 60-80% 
D) 50-70% 
E) 30-60% 
A) 80-100% 
B) 70-90% 
C) 60-80% 
D) 50-70% 
E) 30-60%

Question 12

Auroras are most brilliant during periods of increased solar activity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Which of these are NOT associated with the active Sun?

Accepted Answer

A) sunspots 
B) prominences 
C) granulation 
D) flares 
E) aurora 
A) sunspots 
B) prominences 
C) granulation 
D) flares 
E) aurora

Question 14

What physical characteristics change in the Sun over the 11-year solar cycle? To what is thiscycle apparently related?

Accepted Answer

The number of sunspots changes over an 1

Question 15

The most striking example of solar variability was:

Accepted Answer

A) the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s. 
B) the Maunder Minimum from 1645-1715. 
C) the Sporer Minimum that doomed the Anasazi. 
D) the fall of Rome. 
E) Joseph's seven lean years in the Old Testament. 
A) the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s. 
B) the Maunder Minimum from 1645-1715. 
C) the Sporer Minimum that doomed the Anasazi. 
D) the fall of Rome. 
E) Joseph's seven lean years in the Old Testament.

Question 16

What happens to most of the solar neutrinos between the Sun's core and Earth?

Accepted Answer

Two-thirds of them d

Question 17

The percentage (by number of atoms)of the Sun that is hydrogen is about:

Accepted Answer

A) 91%. 
B) 71%. 
C) 27%. 
D) 9%. 
E) less than 1%. 
A) 91%. 
B) 71%. 
C) 27%. 
D) 9%. 
E) less than 1%.

Question 18

Which is the net result of the proton-proton chain?

Accepted Answer

A) 4 protons = 1 helium 4 + a positron + a neutrino + gamma rays 
B) 2 protons = deuterium + a positron + an antineutrino + X-rays 
C) 4 protons = 2 heliums 2 + 2 positrons + ultraviolet radiation 
D) 4 protons = 1 helium 4 + 2 neutrinos + gamma rays 
E) 6 protons = 2 heliums + 3 positrons + 3 neutrinos + gamma rays 
A) 4 protons = 1 helium 4 + a positron + a neutrino + gamma rays 
B) 2 protons = deuterium + a positron + an antineutrino + X-rays 
C) 4 protons = 2 heliums 2 + 2 positrons + ultraviolet radiation 
D) 4 protons = 1 helium 4 + 2 neutrinos + gamma rays 
E) 6 protons = 2 heliums + 3 positrons + 3 neutrinos + gamma rays

Question 19

The percentage (by mass)of the Sun that is helium is about:

Accepted Answer

A) 91%. 
B) 71%. 
C) 27%. 
D) 9%. 
E) less than 1%. 
A) 91%. 
B) 71%. 
C) 27%. 
D) 9%. 
E) less than 1%.

Question 20

Using the observations of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)and SolarDynamics Observatory (SDO), it may be possible to predict mass ejections from the Sun days inadvance.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 16: The Sun: Our Parent Star

The solar corona is much cooler than the Sun's surface; hence we must wait for a total solareclipse to glimpse it with the naked eye.

The Sun's magnetic field has been traced out far beyond the orbit of Pluto and even Sedna.

The speed of light is 3.00×108 m/s. If 2.00 kg3.00 \times 10 ^ { 8 } \mathrm {~m} / \mathrm { s } \text {. If } 2.00 \mathrm {~kg}3.00×108 m/s. If 2.00 kg o mass is converted to energy, how muchenergy will be produced?

Sunspots are dark splotches on the Sun. Which statement is true?

The concept of hydrostatic equilibrium is critical to understanding how the Sun has remainedstable long enough for life to evolve here.

The Sun's luminosity is greatest when there are few or no sunspots on the Sun.

Hydrostatic equilibrium in our Sun is the balance between:

The solar corona produces a lot more X-rays than it does visible light.

Presently, what is happening to the helium in the Sun's core?

As with Uranus, the solar equator rotates slower than sunspots at higher latitudes.

About what percent of the incoming energy from the Sun reaches Earth's surface?

Auroras are most brilliant during periods of increased solar activity.

Which of these are NOT associated with the active Sun?

What physical characteristics change in the Sun over the 11-year solar cycle? To what is thiscycle apparently related?

The most striking example of solar variability was:

What happens to most of the solar neutrinos between the Sun's core and Earth?

The percentage (by number of atoms)of the Sun that is hydrogen is about:

Which is the net result of the proton-proton chain?

The percentage (by mass)of the Sun that is helium is about:

Using the observations of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)and SolarDynamics Observatory (SDO), it may be possible to predict mass ejections from the Sun days inadvance.

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 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

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

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

Filters

The speed of light is $3.00 \times 10 ^ { 8 } \mathrm {~m} / \mathrm { s } \text {. If } 2.00 \mathrm {~kg}$ o mass is converted to energy, how muchenergy will be produced?