Question 1

The Sun orbits the center of the galaxy about once every ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  200,000 years 
B)  2,000,000 years 
C)  20,000,000 years 
D)  200,000,000 years 
E)  2,000,000,000 years 
A)  200,000 years 
B)  2,000,000 years 
C)  20,000,000 years 
D)  200,000,000 years 
E)  2,000,000,000 years D

Question 2

____ are crucial in determining the distance to objects that are far away, but still in the Milky Way galaxy.

Accepted Answer

A)  RR Lyrae stars 
B)  Cepheid variable stars 
C)  O and B stars 
D)  Emission nebulae 
E)  Supernovae 
A)  RR Lyrae stars 
B)  Cepheid variable stars 
C)  O and B stars 
D)  Emission nebulae 
E)  Supernovae B

Question 3

In the late 18th century, two astronomers, both with the last name of _______________, were the first to attempt to map the shape of the galaxy.

Accepted Answer

Herschel

Question 4

The mass of the Milky Way galaxy is a few ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  million solar masses 
B)  hundreds of millions of solar masses 
C)  billion solar masses 
D)  hundreds of billions of solar masses 
E)  trillion solar masses 
A)  million solar masses 
B)  hundreds of millions of solar masses 
C)  billion solar masses 
D)  hundreds of billions of solar masses 
E)  trillion solar masses

Question 5

One of the most important features that must be explained by models during the formation of the galaxy is the ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  formation of spiral arms 
B)  differences in age and metallicity of stars, especially in the halo 
C)  formation of the central supermassive black hole 
D)  accumulation of dark matter in the corona 
E)  importance of spiral arms to star formation 
A)  formation of spiral arms 
B)  differences in age and metallicity of stars, especially in the halo 
C)  formation of the central supermassive black hole 
D)  accumulation of dark matter in the corona 
E)  importance of spiral arms to star formation

Question 6

Which of the following would be the closest estimate to the number of times the Sun has orbited the galactic center?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 
B)  10 
C)  25 
D)  50 
E)  100 
A)  1 
B)  10 
C)  25 
D)  50 
E)  100

Question 7

Figure 12-14(for the following questions)
Examine the accompanying graph. Harlow Shapley did not know that there are two categories of Cepheid variables; he was only familiar with those such as d Cepheii. Because of this, some of the Cepheid variables he observed ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  were dimmer than he expected 
B)  were brighter than he expected 
C)  had a longer pulsation period than he expected 
D)  had a shorter pulsation period than he expected 
E)  were RR Lyrae variables 
A)  were dimmer than he expected 
B)  were brighter than he expected 
C)  had a longer pulsation period than he expected 
D)  had a shorter pulsation period than he expected 
E)  were RR Lyrae variables

Question 8

Why was it difficult for astronomers to develop a clear understanding of the Milky Way until the last few decades?

Accepted Answer

Interstellar dust obscures most of the l

Question 9

At the center of our galaxy, ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  material is available to make stars but the region is too cold to support star formation 
B)  large stars are formed by the collision of smaller stars 
C)  stars form at the same rate as they do in the spiral arms 
D)  there is no star formation since there is no gas present 
E)  there is evidence of recent, rapid star formation and supernova explosions 
A)  material is available to make stars but the region is too cold to support star formation 
B)  large stars are formed by the collision of smaller stars 
C)  stars form at the same rate as they do in the spiral arms 
D)  there is no star formation since there is no gas present 
E)  there is evidence of recent, rapid star formation and supernova explosions

Question 10

Why is it surprising that spiral arms are stable structures, lasting billions of years?

Accepted Answer

A)  Differential rotation should tear the arms apart. 
B)  Gas and dust clouds should run out of material to make young stars. 
C)  Supernova explosions should disrupt the arms. 
D)  Globular clusters are continuously passing through the arms. 
E)  Gravity should pull the arms down into the center of the galaxy. 
A)  Differential rotation should tear the arms apart. 
B)  Gas and dust clouds should run out of material to make young stars. 
C)  Supernova explosions should disrupt the arms. 
D)  Globular clusters are continuously passing through the arms. 
E)  Gravity should pull the arms down into the center of the galaxy.

Question 11

What observed feature of the Milky Way is better explained by the bottom-up hypothesis of galactic formation, as opposed to the monolithic collapse model?

Accepted Answer

A)  The elongated shape of the central bulge of the galaxy 
B)  The different metallicities of the bulge and disk of the galaxy 
C)  The difference in age of globular clusters 
D)  The supermassive black hole found at center of the galaxy 
E)  The very little gas or dust that halo contains 
A)  The elongated shape of the central bulge of the galaxy 
B)  The different metallicities of the bulge and disk of the galaxy 
C)  The difference in age of globular clusters 
D)  The supermassive black hole found at center of the galaxy 
E)  The very little gas or dust that halo contains

Question 12

A "galactic fountain" is _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  a stream of gas and dust being pulled into a galaxy as it forms 
B)  a jet of high-speed superheated material thrown out of the accretion disk around a black hole 
C)  a partial spiral arm formed by the collision of molecular clouds 
D)  a bubble of hot, metal-rich gas ejected from the disk by a burst of supernova 
E)  a stream of gas made from a star that has been torn apart while falling into a supermassive black hole 
A)  a stream of gas and dust being pulled into a galaxy as it forms 
B)  a jet of high-speed superheated material thrown out of the accretion disk around a black hole 
C)  a partial spiral arm formed by the collision of molecular clouds 
D)  a bubble of hot, metal-rich gas ejected from the disk by a burst of supernova 
E)  a stream of gas made from a star that has been torn apart while falling into a supermassive black hole

Question 13

Spiral arms are clearly visible features of galaxies because most sun-like stars in the disk are found there.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Which object would be absent in the galactic halo?

Accepted Answer

A)  emission nebulae. 
B)  old main sequence stars 
C)  red giants 
D)  white dwarfs 
E)  Cepheid variables 
A)  emission nebulae. 
B)  old main sequence stars 
C)  red giants 
D)  white dwarfs 
E)  Cepheid variables

Question 15

Match between columns
                        Premises: dark matter
a supermassive black hole
billions of Population II stars
billions of Population II stars
globular clusters
billions of Population I stars

Accepted Answer

The Answer of galactic corona and galactic halo and central is...

Question 16

Elements above hydrogen and helium come from _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the early stages of the Universe, before the formation of stars and galaxies 
B)  the collision of neutron stars and black holes 
C)  cooling and accretion of molecules in dense molecular clouds 
D)  the last phases of stellar evolution and stellar "death" 
E)  matter falling into supermassive black holes 
A)  the early stages of the Universe, before the formation of stars and galaxies 
B)  the collision of neutron stars and black holes 
C)  cooling and accretion of molecules in dense molecular clouds 
D)  the last phases of stellar evolution and stellar "death" 
E)  matter falling into supermassive black holes

Question 17

An astronomer named _______________ used globular clusters to locate the center of the galaxy. (enter last name only)

Accepted Answer

The answer of An astronomer named _______________ used globular clusters...

Question 18

Explain how giant molecular clouds give rise to spiral tracers as they move through a disk with spiral density waves.

Accepted Answer

A spiral density wave is a stable concen

Question 19

Dark matter is ___.

Accepted Answer

A)  a cloud of black holes and brown dwarfs in the galactic halo 
B)  extremely cold, supermassive molecular clouds in the disk 
C)  an unknown type of mass that does not emit or absorb photons 
D)  the substance of which black holes are made 
E)  a theory to explain galactic formation that has been proven wrong 
A)  a cloud of black holes and brown dwarfs in the galactic halo 
B)  extremely cold, supermassive molecular clouds in the disk 
C)  an unknown type of mass that does not emit or absorb photons 
D)  the substance of which black holes are made 
E)  a theory to explain galactic formation that has been proven wrong

Question 20

The black hole at the center of our galaxy is too large to be the remnant of a single star.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 15: The Milky Way Galaxy

The Sun orbits the center of the galaxy about once every ____.

____ are crucial in determining the distance to objects that are far away, but still in the Milky Way galaxy.

In the late 18th century, two astronomers, both with the last name of _______________, were the first to attempt to map the shape of the galaxy.

The mass of the Milky Way galaxy is a few ____.

One of the most important features that must be explained by models during the formation of the galaxy is the ____.

Which of the following would be the closest estimate to the number of times the Sun has orbited the galactic center?

Figure 12-14(for the following questions) Examine the accompanying graph. Harlow Shapley did not know that there are two categories of Cepheid variables; he was only familiar with those such as d Cepheii. Because of this, some of the Cepheid variables he observed ____.

Why was it difficult for astronomers to develop a clear understanding of the Milky Way until the last few decades?

At the center of our galaxy, ____.

Why is it surprising that spiral arms are stable structures, lasting billions of years?

What observed feature of the Milky Way is better explained by the bottom-up hypothesis of galactic formation, as opposed to the monolithic collapse model?

A "galactic fountain" is _____.

Spiral arms are clearly visible features of galaxies because most sun-like stars in the disk are found there.

Which object would be absent in the galactic halo?

Elements above hydrogen and helium come from _____.

An astronomer named _______________ used globular clusters to locate the center of the galaxy. (enter last name only)

Explain how giant molecular clouds give rise to spiral tracers as they move through a disk with spiral density waves.

Dark matter is ___.

The black hole at the center of our galaxy is too large to be the remnant of a single star.

Here and Now

A Users Guide to the Sky

Moon Phases and Eclipses

Origins of Modern Astronomy

Gravity

Light and Telescopes

Atoms and Spectra

The Sun

The Family of Stars

The Interstellar Medium

Formation and Structure of Stars

Stellar Evolution

Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes

Galaxies

Supermassive Black Holes and Active Galaxies

Modern Cosmology

Origin of the Solar System and Extrasolar Planets

Earth the Active Planet

The Moon and Mercury

Venus and Mars

Jupiter and Saturn

Uranus Neptune Pluto and the Kuiper Belt

Meteorites Asteroids and Comets

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