Question 1

What do sunspots tell us about the Sun's rotation rate?

Accepted Answer

Watching and timing sunspots as they tra

Question 2

The most striking example of solar variability was:

Accepted Answer

A)  the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s. 
B)  the Maunder Minimum from 1645-1715. 
C)  the Sporer Minimum that doomed the Anasazi. 
D)  the fall of Rome. 
E)  Joseph's seven lean years in the Old Testament. 
A)  the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s. 
B)  the Maunder Minimum from 1645-1715. 
C)  the Sporer Minimum that doomed the Anasazi. 
D)  the fall of Rome. 
E)  Joseph's seven lean years in the Old Testament.

Question 3

The density of the Sun is most similar to which object?

Accepted Answer

A)  Halley's Comet's nucleus 
B)  the Earth 
C)  Mercury 
D)  the Moon 
E)  Jupiter 
A)  Halley's Comet's nucleus 
B)  the Earth 
C)  Mercury 
D)  the Moon 
E)  Jupiter

Question 4

The pattern of rising hot gas cells all over the photosphere is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  filaments. 
B)  granulation. 
C)  sunspots. 
D)  convective projections. 
E)  prominences. 
A)  filaments. 
B)  granulation. 
C)  sunspots. 
D)  convective projections. 
E)  prominences.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The solar corona is much cooler than the Sun's surface; hence we must wait for a total solar eclipse to glimpse it with the naked eye.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

We know the Sun rotates differentially by observing sunspots; as with Jupiter the solar equator rotates the fastest.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Large circulation patterns in the Sun,dubbed "Conveyor Belts," transport material from the equator to the poles,then back to the equator at a depth of 300,000 km,take how long to complete a cycle?

Accepted Answer

A)  Less than a day 
B)  A few years 
C)  A few decades 
D)  A few centuries 
E)  Tens of millions of years, comparable to the convection cycle in Earth's mantle 
A)  Less than a day 
B)  A few years 
C)  A few decades 
D)  A few centuries 
E)  Tens of millions of years, comparable to the convection cycle in Earth's mantle

Question 9

The surface magnetic field of the Sun is found by measurement of the extra width in spectral lines due to the ________ Effect.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The surface magnetic field of the Sun...

Question 10

Prominences hanging off the limb of the Sun are the same as filaments seen in front of the disk.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

What was the Maunder Minimum?

Accepted Answer

A period of unusually low solar activity

Question 12

The luminosity of the Sun is a measure of:

Accepted Answer

A)  the energy received by the Sun on Earth's surface. 
B)  the energy received by the Sun at the location of Earth. 
C)  the energy received by 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 by the Sun on Earth's surface. 
B)  the energy received by the Sun at the location of Earth. 
C)  the energy received by 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 13

In the proton-proton cycle,you must first make deuterium,then helium.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The number of sunspots and their activity peak about every:

Accepted Answer

A)  36 days. 
B)  six months. 
C)  year. 
D)  eleven years. 
E)  76 years. 
A)  36 days. 
B)  six months. 
C)  year. 
D)  eleven years. 
E)  76 years.

Question 15

How long does the sunspot cycle last,on average?

Accepted Answer

A)  between 25 and 35 days 
B)  365.25 days 
C)  about seven years 
D)  about 11 years 
E)  about 76 years 
A)  between 25 and 35 days 
B)  365.25 days 
C)  about seven years 
D)  about 11 years 
E)  about 76 years

Question 16

A solar flare creates a radio disturbance on Earth a few minutes after going off and again several days later.Explain.

Accepted Answer

A flare will give off intense X-rays and

Question 17

In the proton-proton cycle,the helium atom and neutrino have less mass than the original hydrogen.What happens to the "lost" mass?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is recycled back into hydrogen. 
B)  It is ejected into space. 
C)  It is converted to energy. 
D)  It is transformed into electrons. 
E)  Conservation of mass dictates no mass can be lost. 
A)  It is recycled back into hydrogen. 
B)  It is ejected into space. 
C)  It is converted to energy. 
D)  It is transformed into electrons. 
E)  Conservation of mass dictates no mass can be lost.

Question 18

What is it about the Sun's corona that astronomers don't understand?

Accepted Answer

A)  No one knows why that part of the Sun's atmosphere does not drift away into space. 
B)  During total solar eclipses, the corona sometimes disappears from view. 
C)  The corona seems to absorb 2/3 of the neutrinos that pass through it. 
D)  The corona is much hotter than layers of the Sun that are closer to the solar interior. 
E)  The Sun's corona extends to the outer reaches of the solar system. 
A)  No one knows why that part of the Sun's atmosphere does not drift away into space. 
B)  During total solar eclipses, the corona sometimes disappears from view. 
C)  The corona seems to absorb 2/3 of the neutrinos that pass through it. 
D)  The corona is much hotter than layers of the Sun that are closer to the solar interior. 
E)  The Sun's corona extends to the outer reaches of the solar system.

Question 19

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 20

If the corona is so hot,why must we wait for a total solar eclipse to glimpse it?

Accepted Answer

It is so hot that almost all the energy

Exam 16: The Sun: Our Parent Star

What do sunspots tell us about the Sun's rotation rate?

The most striking example of solar variability was:

The density of the Sun is most similar to which object?

The pattern of rising hot gas cells all over the photosphere is called:

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

The solar corona is much cooler than the Sun's surface; hence we must wait for a total solar eclipse to glimpse it with the naked eye.

We know the Sun rotates differentially by observing sunspots; as with Jupiter the solar equator rotates the fastest.

Large circulation patterns in the Sun,dubbed "Conveyor Belts," transport material from the equator to the poles,then back to the equator at a depth of 300,000 km,take how long to complete a cycle?

The surface magnetic field of the Sun is found by measurement of the extra width in spectral lines due to the ________ Effect.

Prominences hanging off the limb of the Sun are the same as filaments seen in front of the disk.

What was the Maunder Minimum?

The luminosity of the Sun is a measure of:

In the proton-proton cycle,you must first make deuterium,then helium.

The number of sunspots and their activity peak about every:

How long does the sunspot cycle last,on average?

A solar flare creates a radio disturbance on Earth a few minutes after going off and again several days later.Explain.

In the proton-proton cycle,the helium atom and neutrino have less mass than the original hydrogen.What happens to the "lost" mass?

What is it about the Sun's corona that astronomers don't understand?

During a period of high solar activity,the corona:

If the corona is so hot,why must we wait for a total solar eclipse to glimpse it?

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: Earth's 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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