Question 1

In the grapefruit model of the solar system,it would take a few minutes to walk from the Sun to the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt (Pluto).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Consider the following statement,and explain whether or not it is sensible: NASA hopes to build a new telescope that will allow us to see 100 million light-years into the past.

Accepted Answer

Not sensible: It use

Question 3

Where is our solar system located within the Milky Way Galaxy?

Accepted Answer

A) very near the center of the galaxy 
B) at the far edge of the galaxy's visible disk 
C) roughly halfway between the center and the edge of the visible disk of the galaxy 
D) in the halo of the galaxy 
A) very near the center of the galaxy 
B) at the far edge of the galaxy's visible disk 
C) roughly halfway between the center and the edge of the visible disk of the galaxy 
D) in the halo of the galaxy

Question 4

Which of the following best describes what we mean by the universe?

Accepted Answer

A) the sum total of all matter and energy everywhere 
B) a vast collection of stars that number as many as the grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth 
C) all the galaxies in all the superclusters 
D) The universe is another name for our Milky Way Galaxy. 
A) the sum total of all matter and energy everywhere 
B) a vast collection of stars that number as many as the grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth 
C) all the galaxies in all the superclusters 
D) The universe is another name for our Milky Way Galaxy.

Question 5

Consider the following statement,and explain whether or not it is sensible: NASA hopes to build a new telescope that will allow us to see some galaxies as they appeared 8 billion years ago.

Accepted Answer

Sensible: By looking to a dist

Question 6

An astronomical unit (AU)is

Accepted Answer

A) any very large unit,such as a light-year. 
B) the average distance between Earth and the Sun. 
C) the current distance between Earth and the Sun. 
D) the average distance between any planet and the Sun. 
A) any very large unit,such as a light-year. 
B) the average distance between Earth and the Sun. 
C) the current distance between Earth and the Sun. 
D) the average distance between any planet and the Sun.

Question 7

Suppose we make a scale model of our solar system,with the Sun the size of a grapefruit.Which of the following best describes what the planets would look like?

Accepted Answer

A) The planets are all much smaller than the Sun.Four planets are within about 20 meters of the Sun,while the rest planets are spread much farther apart. 
B) The planets are all much smaller than the Sun and are spread out evenly over a distance about the length of a large classroom. 
C) The planets are all much smaller than the Sun.Four planets are located within a few centimeters of the Sun,and four planets are located at distances ranging up to about a meter. 
D) The planets range in size from about the size of a marble to the size of a baseball.They are spread out over 100 meters. 
A) The planets are all much smaller than the Sun.Four planets are within about 20 meters of the Sun,while the rest planets are spread much farther apart. 
B) The planets are all much smaller than the Sun and are spread out evenly over a distance about the length of a large classroom. 
C) The planets are all much smaller than the Sun.Four planets are located within a few centimeters of the Sun,and four planets are located at distances ranging up to about a meter. 
D) The planets range in size from about the size of a marble to the size of a baseball.They are spread out over 100 meters.

Question 8

Which of the following has your "address" in the correct order?

Accepted Answer

A) you,Earth,solar system,Local Group,Local Supercluster,Milky Way 
B) you,Earth,solar system,Milky Way,Local Supercluster,Local Group 
C) you,Earth,solar system,Local Group,Milky Way,Local Supercluster 
D) you,Earth,Local Group,Local Supercluster,solar system,Milky Way 
E) you,Earth,solar system,Milky Way,Local Group,Local Supercluster 
A) you,Earth,solar system,Local Group,Local Supercluster,Milky Way 
B) you,Earth,solar system,Milky Way,Local Supercluster,Local Group 
C) you,Earth,solar system,Local Group,Milky Way,Local Supercluster 
D) you,Earth,Local Group,Local Supercluster,solar system,Milky Way 
E) you,Earth,solar system,Milky Way,Local Group,Local Supercluster

Question 9

By studying distant galaxies in the 1920s,Hubble made which of the following important discoveries that led us to conclude that the universe is expanding?

Accepted Answer

A) All galaxies contain billions of stars,and all galaxies have spiral shapes. 
B) All galaxies were born at the same time,and all will die at the same time. 
C) All galaxies outside the Local Group are moving away from us,and the farther away they are,the faster they're going. 
D) All galaxies outside the Local Group are orbiting the Local Group. 
E) All galaxies outside the Local Group are moving away from us,and all are moving away at nearly the same speed. 
A) All galaxies contain billions of stars,and all galaxies have spiral shapes. 
B) All galaxies were born at the same time,and all will die at the same time. 
C) All galaxies outside the Local Group are moving away from us,and the farther away they are,the faster they're going. 
D) All galaxies outside the Local Group are orbiting the Local Group. 
E) All galaxies outside the Local Group are moving away from us,and all are moving away at nearly the same speed.

Question 10

One light-year is about 10 trillion kilometers.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

How fast is the Moon orbiting Earth?

Accepted Answer

From Appendix E,you can find that the di

Question 12

Most of the mass in the Milky Way Galaxy is located

Accepted Answer

A) in the halo (above/below the disk). 
B) within the disk. 
C) in the stars in the spiral arms. 
D) in the gas and dust. 
E) in the central bulge of the galaxy. 
A) in the halo (above/below the disk). 
B) within the disk. 
C) in the stars in the spiral arms. 
D) in the gas and dust. 
E) in the central bulge of the galaxy.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about the ecliptic plane is not true?

Accepted Answer

A) It is the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. 
B) It is the plane of the Moon's orbit around Earth. 
C) During a solar eclipse,the Moon lies in the ecliptic plane. 
D) During a lunar eclipse,the Moon lies in the ecliptic plane. 
E) The nodes of the Moon's orbit lie in the ecliptic plane. 
A) It is the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. 
B) It is the plane of the Moon's orbit around Earth. 
C) During a solar eclipse,the Moon lies in the ecliptic plane. 
D) During a lunar eclipse,the Moon lies in the ecliptic plane. 
E) The nodes of the Moon's orbit lie in the ecliptic plane.

Question 14

On a cosmic calendar,in which the history of the universe is compressed into one year,how long is the average human life span?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.2 millisecond 
B) 0.2 second 
C) 2 seconds 
D) 2 minutes 
E) 2 hours 
A) 0.2 millisecond 
B) 0.2 second 
C) 2 seconds 
D) 2 minutes 
E) 2 hours

Question 15

On a cosmic calendar,in which the history of the universe is compressed into 1 year,when did the dinosaurs become extinct?

Accepted Answer

A) in late December 
B) in late November 
C) in late October 
D) in late September 
E) in late August 
A) in late December 
B) in late November 
C) in late October 
D) in late September 
E) in late August

Question 16

Which of the following statements does not use the term light-year in an appropriate way?

Accepted Answer

A) It's about 4 light-years from here to Alpha Centauri. 
B) It will take me light-years to complete this homework assignment. 
C) A light-year is about 10 trillion kilometers. 
D) It will take the Voyager spacecraft about 20,000 years to travel just 1 light-year. 
E) The Milky Way Galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter. 
A) It's about 4 light-years from here to Alpha Centauri. 
B) It will take me light-years to complete this homework assignment. 
C) A light-year is about 10 trillion kilometers. 
D) It will take the Voyager spacecraft about 20,000 years to travel just 1 light-year. 
E) The Milky Way Galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter.

Question 17

Process of Science: Devise an experiment that would produce evidence (not necessarily proof)that Earth is round.You may use any technology you like,but you may not leave Earth (i.e. ,no satellite photos and no space travel).Be as creative as you like there are many right answers.

Accepted Answer

Some answers are: circumnavigate the glo

Question 18

Why did Carl Sagan say that we are star stuff?

Accepted Answer

A) The composition of most stars (mostly hydrogen and helium)is about the same as the composition of our bodies. 
B) Cosmic rays reaching Earth from distant astronomical sources may be one source of mutations that help evolution along. 
C) Nearly every atom from which we are made once (before the solar system formed)was inside of a star. 
D) Nearly every atom from which we are made was once inside our star,the Sun. 
E) Sagan thought that all of us have the potential to be movie (or TV)stars like he was. 
A) The composition of most stars (mostly hydrogen and helium)is about the same as the composition of our bodies. 
B) Cosmic rays reaching Earth from distant astronomical sources may be one source of mutations that help evolution along. 
C) Nearly every atom from which we are made once (before the solar system formed)was inside of a star. 
D) Nearly every atom from which we are made was once inside our star,the Sun. 
E) Sagan thought that all of us have the potential to be movie (or TV)stars like he was.

Question 19

Imagine that we put a raisin cake into the oven,with each raisin separated from the others by 1 cm.An hour later,we take it out and the distances between raisins are 3 cm.If you lived in one of the raisins and watched the other raisins as the cake expanded,which of the following would you conclude?

Accepted Answer

A) All raisins would be moving away from you at the same speed. 
B) More distant raisins would be moving away from you faster. 
C) More distant raisins would be moving away from you more slowly. 
D) It depends: If you lived in a raisin near the edge of the cake,you'd see other raisins moving away from you,but they'd be coming toward you if you lived in a raisin near the center of the cake. 
E) The raisins would be expanding too,so everything would look identical to the original situation. 
A) All raisins would be moving away from you at the same speed. 
B) More distant raisins would be moving away from you faster. 
C) More distant raisins would be moving away from you more slowly. 
D) It depends: If you lived in a raisin near the edge of the cake,you'd see other raisins moving away from you,but they'd be coming toward you if you lived in a raisin near the center of the cake. 
E) The raisins would be expanding too,so everything would look identical to the original situation.

Question 20

Voyager 2 should reach the nearest stars (besides the Sun)in about 500 years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 1: A Modern View of the Universe

In the grapefruit model of the solar system,it would take a few minutes to walk from the Sun to the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt (Pluto).

Consider the following statement,and explain whether or not it is sensible: NASA hopes to build a new telescope that will allow us to see 100 million light-years into the past.

Where is our solar system located within the Milky Way Galaxy?

Which of the following best describes what we mean by the universe?

Consider the following statement,and explain whether or not it is sensible: NASA hopes to build a new telescope that will allow us to see some galaxies as they appeared 8 billion years ago.

An astronomical unit (AU)is

Suppose we make a scale model of our solar system,with the Sun the size of a grapefruit.Which of the following best describes what the planets would look like?

Which of the following has your "address" in the correct order?

By studying distant galaxies in the 1920s,Hubble made which of the following important discoveries that led us to conclude that the universe is expanding?

One light-year is about 10 trillion kilometers.

How fast is the Moon orbiting Earth?

Most of the mass in the Milky Way Galaxy is located

Which of the following statements about the ecliptic plane is not true?

On a cosmic calendar,in which the history of the universe is compressed into one year,how long is the average human life span?

On a cosmic calendar,in which the history of the universe is compressed into 1 year,when did the dinosaurs become extinct?

Which of the following statements does not use the term light-year in an appropriate way?

Process of Science: Devise an experiment that would produce evidence (not necessarily proof)that Earth is round.You may use any technology you like,but you may not leave Earth (i.e. ,no satellite photos and no space travel).Be as creative as you like there are many right answers.

Why did Carl Sagan say that we are star stuff?

Imagine that we put a raisin cake into the oven,with each raisin separated from the others by 1 cm.An hour later,we take it out and the distances between raisins are 3 cm.If you lived in one of the raisins and watched the other raisins as the cake expanded,which of the following would you conclude?

Voyager 2 should reach the nearest stars (besides the Sun)in about 500 years.

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

Filters