Question 1

What happens to stars that have ejected a planetary nebula?

Accepted Answer

A) They become protostars. 
B) They become brown dwarfs. 
C) They become white dwarfs. 
D) They become red giants. 
A) They become protostars. 
B) They become brown dwarfs. 
C) They become white dwarfs. 
D) They become red giants. C

Question 2

The Sun will eventually become a supernova.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

When mass is transferred toward a white dwarf in a binary system,the material forms a rapidly growing whirlpool of material.What is that whirlpool called?

Accepted Answer

A) an accretion disk 
B) an Algol paradox 
C) a planetary nebula 
D) a supernova remnant 
A) an accretion disk 
B) an Algol paradox 
C) a planetary nebula 
D) a supernova remnant A

Question 4

What observational evidence do we have that black holes exist?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What observational evidence do we have that...

Question 5

What is interesting about the orbit of the binary pulsar,PSR 1936+16,studied by Taylor and Hulse?

Accepted Answer

A) It is so small that the orbital period is smaller than the pulsar period. 
B) It is growing smaller, presumably by emitting gravitational waves. 
C) It provides evidence that it is being orbited by at least 6 planets the size of Jupiter. 
D) It shows large changes each time an X-ray burst is emitted from the system. 
A) It is so small that the orbital period is smaller than the pulsar period. 
B) It is growing smaller, presumably by emitting gravitational waves. 
C) It provides evidence that it is being orbited by at least 6 planets the size of Jupiter. 
D) It shows large changes each time an X-ray burst is emitted from the system.

Question 6

Pulsars could not be pulsating stars because the pulses are too short.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

What does the Chandrasekhar-Landau limit tell us?

Accepted Answer

A) Accretion disks can grow hot through friction. 
B) Neutron stars of more than 3 solar masses are not stable. 
C) White dwarfs more massive than 1.4 solar masses are not stable. 
D) Stars with a mass less than 0.5 solar masses will not go through helium flash. 
A) Accretion disks can grow hot through friction. 
B) Neutron stars of more than 3 solar masses are not stable. 
C) White dwarfs more massive than 1.4 solar masses are not stable. 
D) Stars with a mass less than 0.5 solar masses will not go through helium flash.

Question 8

The ____________________ theory describes pulsars as rotating neutron stars with strong magnetic fields that confine high speed charged particles in two beams emanating from the magnetic poles of the neutron star.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ____________________ theory describes pulsars as rotating...

Question 9

What is the Schwarzschild radius?

Accepted Answer

A) the distance between a neutron star's centre and its surface 
B) the distance between a black hole and its event horizon 
C) the inner boundary of a planetary nebula 
D) the point where synchrotron radiation is created around a pulsar 
A) the distance between a neutron star's centre and its surface 
B) the distance between a black hole and its event horizon 
C) the inner boundary of a planetary nebula 
D) the point where synchrotron radiation is created around a pulsar

Question 10

Why is the material that accretes onto a neutron star or black hole expected to emit X-rays?

Accepted Answer

A) The material contains magnetic fields that will produce synchrotron radiation. 
B) Hydrogen nuclei begin to fuse and emit high energy photons. 
C) The material will become hot enough that it will radiate most strongly at X-ray wavelengths. 
D) As the material slows down it converts thermal energy to gravitational potential energy. 
A) The material contains magnetic fields that will produce synchrotron radiation. 
B) Hydrogen nuclei begin to fuse and emit high energy photons. 
C) The material will become hot enough that it will radiate most strongly at X-ray wavelengths. 
D) As the material slows down it converts thermal energy to gravitational potential energy.

Question 11

After what evolutionary stage does a star become a white dwarf?

Accepted Answer

A) protostar 
B) pre-main sequence 
C) main sequence 
D) giant 
A) protostar 
B) pre-main sequence 
C) main sequence 
D) giant

Question 12

A nova destroys the star and leaves behind a white dwarf.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Where is synchrotron radiation produced?

Accepted Answer

A) in planetary nebulae 
B) in the outer layers of red dwarfs 
C) in the collapsing iron cores of massive stars 
D) in supernova remnants 
A) in planetary nebulae 
B) in the outer layers of red dwarfs 
C) in the collapsing iron cores of massive stars 
D) in supernova remnants

Question 14

Which of the following mechanisms would be involved in extracting energy from compact objects?

Accepted Answer

A) time dilation 
B) white holes 
C) gravitational redshifts 
D) jets and accretion disks 
A) time dilation 
B) white holes 
C) gravitational redshifts 
D) jets and accretion disks

Question 15

Under what conditions are Type Ia supernovae believed to occur?

Accepted Answer

A) when the core of a massive star collapses 
B) when a white dwarf exceeds the Chandrasekhar-Landau limit 
C) when hydrogen detonation occurs 
D) when neutrinos in a massive star form a shock wave that explodes the star 
A) when the core of a massive star collapses 
B) when a white dwarf exceeds the Chandrasekhar-Landau limit 
C) when hydrogen detonation occurs 
D) when neutrinos in a massive star form a shock wave that explodes the star

Question 16

-The diagram shows a light curve from a supernova.About how long did it take for the supernova to reach its maximum luminosity?

Accepted Answer

A) 25 days 
B) 50 days 
C) 100 days 
D) 200 days 
A) 25 days 
B) 50 days 
C) 100 days 
D) 200 days

Question 17

If the stars at the turnoff point of a cluster have a mass of 3 times the mass of the Sun,what is the age of the cluster?

Accepted Answer

A) 6.4×10⁸ years 
B) 3.3×10⁹ years 
C) 3.0×10¹⁰ years 
D) 1.6×10¹¹ years 
A) 6.4×10⁸ years 
B) 3.3×10⁹ years 
C) 3.0×10¹⁰ years 
D) 1.6×10¹¹ years

Question 18

If white dwarfs have exhausted their fuel,why are they hot?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If white dwarfs have exhausted their fuel,why...

Question 19

What is the source of the energy radiated by a white dwarf?

Accepted Answer

A) the proton-proton chain 
B) the CNO cycle 
C) gravitational contraction after becoming a white dwarf 
D) gravitational contraction during the white dwarf formation phase 
A) the proton-proton chain 
B) the CNO cycle 
C) gravitational contraction after becoming a white dwarf 
D) gravitational contraction during the white dwarf formation phase

Question 20

Who discovered the first pulsar,in November of 1967?

Accepted Answer

A) Jocelyn Bell 
B) Russel Hulse and Joseph Taylor 
C) Walter Baade 
D) Edwin Hubble 
A) Jocelyn Bell 
B) Russel Hulse and Joseph Taylor 
C) Walter Baade 
D) Edwin Hubble

What happens to stars that have ejected a planetary nebula?

The Sun will eventually become a supernova.

When mass is transferred toward a white dwarf in a binary system,the material forms a rapidly growing whirlpool of material.What is that whirlpool called?

What observational evidence do we have that black holes exist?

What is interesting about the orbit of the binary pulsar,PSR 1936+16,studied by Taylor and Hulse?

Pulsars could not be pulsating stars because the pulses are too short.

What does the Chandrasekhar-Landau limit tell us?

The ____________________ theory describes pulsars as rotating neutron stars with strong magnetic fields that confine high speed charged particles in two beams emanating from the magnetic poles of the neutron star.

What is the Schwarzschild radius?

Why is the material that accretes onto a neutron star or black hole expected to emit X-rays?

After what evolutionary stage does a star become a white dwarf?

A nova destroys the star and leaves behind a white dwarf.

Where is synchrotron radiation produced?

Which of the following mechanisms would be involved in extracting energy from compact objects?

Under what conditions are Type Ia supernovae believed to occur?

-The diagram shows a light curve from a supernova.About how long did it take for the supernova to reach its maximum luminosity?

If the stars at the turnoff point of a cluster have a mass of 3 times the mass of the Sun,what is the age of the cluster?

If white dwarfs have exhausted their fuel,why are they hot?

What is the source of the energy radiated by a white dwarf?

Who discovered the first pulsar,in November of 1967?

The Scale of the Cosmos

User's Guide to the Sky

The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments

Sun Light and Sun Atoms

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

The Origin of the Solar System

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

Comparative Planetology of the Jovian Planets

Life on Other Worlds

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Exam 8: The Deaths of Stars

What happens to stars that have ejected a planetary nebula?

The Sun will eventually become a supernova.

When mass is transferred toward a white dwarf in a binary system,the material forms a rapidly growing whirlpool of material.What is that whirlpool called?

What observational evidence do we have that black holes exist?

What is interesting about the orbit of the binary pulsar,PSR 1936+16,studied by Taylor and Hulse?

Pulsars could not be pulsating stars because the pulses are too short.

What does the Chandrasekhar-Landau limit tell us?

The ____________________ theory describes pulsars as rotating neutron stars with strong magnetic fields that confine high speed charged particles in two beams emanating from the magnetic poles of the neutron star.

What is the Schwarzschild radius?

Why is the material that accretes onto a neutron star or black hole expected to emit X-rays?

After what evolutionary stage does a star become a white dwarf?

A nova destroys the star and leaves behind a white dwarf.

Where is synchrotron radiation produced?

Which of the following mechanisms would be involved in extracting energy from compact objects?

Under what conditions are Type Ia supernovae believed to occur?

-The diagram shows a light curve from a supernova.About how long did it take for the supernova to reach its maximum luminosity?

If the stars at the turnoff point of a cluster have a mass of 3 times the mass of the Sun,what is the age of the cluster?

If white dwarfs have exhausted their fuel,why are they hot?

What is the source of the energy radiated by a white dwarf?

Who discovered the first pulsar,in November of 1967?

The Scale of the Cosmos

User's Guide to the Sky

The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments

Sun Light and Sun Atoms

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

The Origin of the Solar System

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

Comparative Planetology of the Jovian Planets

Life on Other Worlds

Filters