Question 1

O and B stars only occur in the galactic _______________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of O and B stars only occur in...

Question 2

Astronomers refer to elements heavier than helium as _______________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Astronomers refer to elements heavier than helium...

Question 3

What property of a Cepheid variable can you determine if you know its period?

Accepted Answer

A)  surface temperature 
B)  absolute magnitude 
C)  apparent magnitude 
D)  mass 
E)  radius 
A)  surface temperature 
B)  absolute magnitude 
C)  apparent magnitude 
D)  mass 
E)  radius

Question 4

A group of one hundred to a few thousand stars in a region of 25 pc in diameter that were created at the same time and our bound together by gravity is called a(n) ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  associated cluster 
B)  open cluster 
C)  closed cluster 
D)  globular cluster 
E)  nebular cluster 
A)  associated cluster 
B)  open cluster 
C)  closed cluster 
D)  globular cluster 
E)  nebular cluster

Question 5

In which area of the galaxy would you find stars with fairly circular orbits about the galactic center?

Accepted Answer

A)  central bulge 
B)  halo 
C)  corona 
D)  disk 
E)  galactic center 
A)  central bulge 
B)  halo 
C)  corona 
D)  disk 
E)  galactic center

Question 6

Based on Shapley's determination of the center of the galaxy, the Sun is located ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  in the galactic halo 
B)  near the center of the galaxy 
C)  at the edge of the galactic bulge 
D)  in the middle portion of the galactic disk 
E)  at the outer edge of the galactic disk 
A)  in the galactic halo 
B)  near the center of the galaxy 
C)  at the edge of the galactic bulge 
D)  in the middle portion of the galactic disk 
E)  at the outer edge of the galactic disk

Question 7

Most of the light that makes the hazy band of the "milky way" visible in the night sky comes from reflection and emission nebulae.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Why do stars in the central bulge have a lower metallicity than stars in the disk?

Accepted Answer

Stars in the central bulge formed first,

Question 9

How have astronomers determined the mass of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole?

Accepted Answer

Stars near the galactic center

Question 10

Almost all of the gas and dust in the Milky Way is located in the ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  halo 
B)  central bulge 
C)  disk 
D)  corona 
E)  center 
A)  halo 
B)  central bulge 
C)  disk 
D)  corona 
E)  center

Question 11

The mass of the black hole in the center of the galaxy has been determined by observing the motion of stars orbiting it.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

A "grand-design" galaxy contains clear spiral arms with few spurs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Why is it so difficult to study the center of our galaxy?

Accepted Answer

A)  Light from the center is lost in the glow of emission nebulae in this direction. 
B)  Interstellar dust blocks almost all light before it reaches Earth. 
C)  The exact position of the center is not known. 
D)  The center of the galaxy puts out very little radiation and is too dim to study. 
E)  The center of the galaxy is too far away for radiation to be detected by telescopes. 
A)  Light from the center is lost in the glow of emission nebulae in this direction. 
B)  Interstellar dust blocks almost all light before it reaches Earth. 
C)  The exact position of the center is not known. 
D)  The center of the galaxy puts out very little radiation and is too dim to study. 
E)  The center of the galaxy is too far away for radiation to be detected by telescopes.

Question 14

Sgr A* has been heavily studied using _______________ interferometry.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Sgr A* has been heavily studied using...

Question 15

The best explanation for the activity at the center of the galaxy is a(n) ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  supercluster of O and B stars 
B)  black hole with a mass several thousand times the Sun's 
C)  giant atomic hydrogen cloud energized into a single, massive emission nebula 
D)  black hole with a mass several million times the Sun's 
E)  exotic object known as a "magnetar" 
A)  supercluster of O and B stars 
B)  black hole with a mass several thousand times the Sun's 
C)  giant atomic hydrogen cloud energized into a single, massive emission nebula 
D)  black hole with a mass several million times the Sun's 
E)  exotic object known as a "magnetar"

Question 16

Why do astronomers conclude that the spiral arms are places of active star formation?

Accepted Answer

The spiral arms are home to "spiral trac

Question 17

The galactic _______________ contains very little gas and dust, old stars, and globular clusters.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The galactic _______________ contains very little gas...

Question 18

What is the correct ordering of galactic components using the new bottom-up hypothesis starting from oldest to youngest?

Accepted Answer

A)  galactic halo, average globular clusters, galactic disk 
B)  galactic halo, galactic disk, average globular clusters 
C)  average globular clusters, galactic halo, galactic disk 
D)  average globular clusters, galactic disk, galactic halo 
E)  galactic disk, average globular clusters, galactic halo. 
A)  galactic halo, average globular clusters, galactic disk 
B)  galactic halo, galactic disk, average globular clusters 
C)  average globular clusters, galactic halo, galactic disk 
D)  average globular clusters, galactic disk, galactic halo 
E)  galactic disk, average globular clusters, galactic halo.

Question 19

William and Caroline Herschel's map included four of the following hypotheses in their model of the galaxy. Which one was the exception?

Accepted Answer

A)  They thought that the "holes in the sky" were caused by interstellar dust clouds. 
B)  They proposed that the galaxy had a disk shape. 
C)  They provided accurate measurements of the distances to stars. 
D)  They placed the Sun in the center of the galaxy. 
E)  They found errors caused by a lack of knowledge of the interstellar medium. 
A)  They thought that the "holes in the sky" were caused by interstellar dust clouds. 
B)  They proposed that the galaxy had a disk shape. 
C)  They provided accurate measurements of the distances to stars. 
D)  They placed the Sun in the center of the galaxy. 
E)  They found errors caused by a lack of knowledge of the interstellar medium.

Question 20

Stars in the central bulge of the galaxy follow elongated orbits tipped steeply to the plane of the disk.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 15: The Milky Way Galaxy

O and B stars only occur in the galactic _______________.

Astronomers refer to elements heavier than helium as _______________.

What property of a Cepheid variable can you determine if you know its period?

A group of one hundred to a few thousand stars in a region of 25 pc in diameter that were created at the same time and our bound together by gravity is called a(n) ____.

In which area of the galaxy would you find stars with fairly circular orbits about the galactic center?

Based on Shapley's determination of the center of the galaxy, the Sun is located ____.

Most of the light that makes the hazy band of the "milky way" visible in the night sky comes from reflection and emission nebulae.

Why do stars in the central bulge have a lower metallicity than stars in the disk?

How have astronomers determined the mass of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole?

Almost all of the gas and dust in the Milky Way is located in the ____.

The mass of the black hole in the center of the galaxy has been determined by observing the motion of stars orbiting it.

A "grand-design" galaxy contains clear spiral arms with few spurs.

Why is it so difficult to study the center of our galaxy?

Sgr A* has been heavily studied using _______________ interferometry.

The best explanation for the activity at the center of the galaxy is a(n) ____.

Why do astronomers conclude that the spiral arms are places of active star formation?

The galactic _______________ contains very little gas and dust, old stars, and globular clusters.

What is the correct ordering of galactic components using the new bottom-up hypothesis starting from oldest to youngest?

William and Caroline Herschel's map included four of the following hypotheses in their model of the galaxy. Which one was the exception?

Stars in the central bulge of the galaxy follow elongated orbits tipped steeply to the plane of the disk.

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

Astrobiology

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