Question 1

Scientists suspect changes in the flow of the Sun's Conveyor Belt caused the Sun to be lessactive in 2008 and 2009 than had been seen in almost 100 years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

On the Sun, what takes approximately 22 years to happen?

Accepted Answer

A) The Sun takes that time to rotate on its axis. 
B) The complete sunspot cycle, including magnetic field reversals. 
C) Solar vibrations begin every 22 years. 
D) Solar activity goes from its maximum to minimum. 
E) The corona reaches its maximum temperature and ejects gas every 22 years. 
A) The Sun takes that time to rotate on its axis. 
B) The complete sunspot cycle, including magnetic field reversals. 
C) Solar vibrations begin every 22 years. 
D) Solar activity goes from its maximum to minimum. 
E) The corona reaches its maximum temperature and ejects gas every 22 years.

Question 3

What natural barrier tries to prevent two protons from combining?

Accepted Answer

A) dark energy 
B) antigravity 
C) electromagnetic repulsion 
D) the weak nuclear force 
E) the strong nuclear force 
A) dark energy 
B) antigravity 
C) electromagnetic repulsion 
D) the weak nuclear force 
E) the strong nuclear force

Question 4

The solar constant is a measure of:

Accepted Answer

A) the energy received from the Sun on Earth's surface. 
B) the energy received from the Sun at the location of Earth. 
C) the energy received from the Sun at any location in the solar system. 
D) the energy emitted by the Sun at the photosphere. 
E) the total energy emitted by the Sun in all directions. 
A) the energy received from the Sun on Earth's surface. 
B) the energy received from the Sun at the location of Earth. 
C) the energy received from the Sun at any location in the solar system. 
D) the energy emitted by the Sun at the photosphere. 
E) the total energy emitted by the Sun in all directions.

Question 5

The area in the Sun's atmosphere located above the chromosphere (1,500-10,000 km)wherethe temperature rises dramatically is called the:

Accepted Answer

A) photosphere. 
B) corona. 
C) solar wind. 
D) transition zone. 
E) convection zone. 
A) photosphere. 
B) corona. 
C) solar wind. 
D) transition zone. 
E) convection zone.

Question 6

The ________-year solar cycle is characterized by a variation in the number of sunspots anda reversal of the polarity of the Sun as a whole.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ________-year solar cycle is characterized by...

Question 7

The temperature of the layer of gas that produces the visible light of the Sun is:

Accepted Answer

A) 3,500 K. 
B) 5,800 K. 
C) 12,300 K. 
D) 300,000 K. 
E) 15 million K. 
A) 3,500 K. 
B) 5,800 K. 
C) 12,300 K. 
D) 300,000 K. 
E) 15 million K.

Question 8

How does solar luminosity vary during the sunspot cycle?

Accepted Answer

The Sun is slightly

Question 9

Why is it hard to observe the chromosphere?

Accepted Answer

Most of its energy is in the b

Question 10

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)is positioned:

Accepted Answer

A) in a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. 
B) in near-Earth orbit. 
C) about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth at the L1 Lagrangian Point. 
D) on the far side of the Sun at the L3 Langrangian Point. 
E) on the far side of the Moon. 
A) in a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. 
B) in near-Earth orbit. 
C) about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth at the L1 Lagrangian Point. 
D) on the far side of the Sun at the L3 Langrangian Point. 
E) on the far side of the Moon.

Question 11

The sunspot cycle is sometimes described as lasting 11 years, but others prefer to consider itas 22 years. Explain the rationale.

Accepted Answer

The number of sunspots comes to a peak a

Question 12

The light we see from the Sun comes from which layer?

Accepted Answer

A) troposphere 
B) chromosphere 
C) photosphere 
D) ionosphere 
E) corona 
A) troposphere 
B) chromosphere 
C) photosphere 
D) ionosphere 
E) corona

Question 13

What was the Maunder Minimum?

Accepted Answer

A period of unusually low solar activity

Question 14

Relate prominences and sunspots to magnetic fields.

Accepted Answer

The sunspots are the cooler magnetic pol

Question 15

The solar constant measures the energy received by the Earth from the Sun per square meter.This is then used to determine:

Accepted Answer

A) the Sun's radius. 
B) the Sun's temperature. 
C) the Sun's mass. 
D) the Sun's luminosity. 
E) the Sun's rotational period. 
A) the Sun's radius. 
B) the Sun's temperature. 
C) the Sun's mass. 
D) the Sun's luminosity. 
E) the Sun's rotational period.

Question 16

The Sun's density is about the same as Saturn's.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Sunspots are only about 2,000 K cooler than the much brighter photosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

During a period of high solar activity, the corona:

Accepted Answer

A) disappears. 
B) is more irregular. 
C) cools almost to the temperature of the photosphere. 
D) becomes smooth and even. 
E) shrinks to half its normal size. 
A) disappears. 
B) is more irregular. 
C) cools almost to the temperature of the photosphere. 
D) becomes smooth and even. 
E) shrinks to half its normal size.

Question 19

The percentage (by mass)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 20

When we glimpse the chromosphere at the start and end of totality, its color is:

Accepted Answer

A) green (the famous flash). 
B) yellow, like the photosphere below it. 
C) red, due to ionized hydrogen at lower pressure. 
D) blue, due to the ionization of nitrogen by the magnetic fields. 
E) white from the moonlight. 
A) green (the famous flash). 
B) yellow, like the photosphere below it. 
C) red, due to ionized hydrogen at lower pressure. 
D) blue, due to the ionization of nitrogen by the magnetic fields. 
E) white from the moonlight.

Exam 16: The Sun: Our Parent Star

Scientists suspect changes in the flow of the Sun's Conveyor Belt caused the Sun to be lessactive in 2008 and 2009 than had been seen in almost 100 years.

On the Sun, what takes approximately 22 years to happen?

What natural barrier tries to prevent two protons from combining?

The solar constant is a measure of:

The area in the Sun's atmosphere located above the chromosphere (1,500-10,000 km)wherethe temperature rises dramatically is called the:

The ________-year solar cycle is characterized by a variation in the number of sunspots anda reversal of the polarity of the Sun as a whole.

The temperature of the layer of gas that produces the visible light of the Sun is:

How does solar luminosity vary during the sunspot cycle?

Why is it hard to observe the chromosphere?

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)is positioned:

The sunspot cycle is sometimes described as lasting 11 years, but others prefer to consider itas 22 years. Explain the rationale.

The light we see from the Sun comes from which layer?

What was the Maunder Minimum?

Relate prominences and sunspots to magnetic fields.

The solar constant measures the energy received by the Earth from the Sun per square meter.This is then used to determine:

The Sun's density is about the same as Saturn's.

Sunspots are only about 2,000 K cooler than the much brighter photosphere.

During a period of high solar activity, the corona:

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

When we glimpse the chromosphere at the start and end of totality, its color is:

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

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