Exam 18: Life in the Universe

The Kepler mission, scheduled for launch in 2009, will search for Earth-like planets by looking for the dip in the brightness of a star as a (potential) planet transits across it. Why will this technique actually miss the vast majority of planets around the stars it observes?

(Essay)

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Question 21

If there are other civilizations at present in the Milky Way Galaxy, which statement is almost undoubtedly true?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 22

We are not yet capable of detecting life on planets around other stars. But as our technology develops, our first real chance of detecting such life will probably come from ________.

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 23

Why don't we expect to find life on planets orbiting high-mass stars?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 24

Which of the following best describes the predominant scientific view of the origin of life on Earth?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 25

If they existed, and if they were watching, a civilization at the center of the Milky Way could have detected our first TV signals by now.

(True/False)

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Question 26

What is the Fermi Paradox?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 27

There is good evidence that life on Earth was thriving prior to 3.85 billion years ago.

(True/False)

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Question 28

The modern-day organisms that seem oldest, in an evolutionary sense, are microbes that live in the hot water around volcanic vents on the ocean floor.

(True/False)

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Question 29

Which of the following gases, which we can detect (if present) in infrared spectra, would be a strong indicator of life on another planet?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 30

Why do we need new forms of technology to make it possible to journey to the nearest stars within a human lifetime?

(Essay)

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Question 31

In general, how does the size and location of a star's habitable zone depend on the star's mass?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 32

Why do scientists say that evolution is a "theory"?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 33

At present, what is the primary way that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is carried out?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 34

At present, what is the primary way that astronomers carry out SETI programs (that is, search for extraterrestrial intelligence)?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 35

The Sun's habitable zone ________.

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 36

Which of the following are the best candidates to search for planets that might harbor extraterrestrial life?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 37

Einstein's theory of relativity tells us that travelers who make a high-speed trip to a distant star and back will ________.

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 38

Looking for an Earth-size planet around a nearby star (besides the Sun) is like looking for a pinhead located ________.

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 39

What defines the habitable zone around a star?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 40

Showing 21 - 40 of 82

The Kepler mission, scheduled for launch in 2009, will search for Earth-like planets by looking for the dip in the brightness of a star as a (potential) planet transits across it. Why will this technique actually miss the vast majority of planets around the stars it observes?

If there are other civilizations at present in the Milky Way Galaxy, which statement is almost undoubtedly true?

We are not yet capable of detecting life on planets around other stars. But as our technology develops, our first real chance of detecting such life will probably come from ________.

Why don't we expect to find life on planets orbiting high-mass stars?

Which of the following best describes the predominant scientific view of the origin of life on Earth?

If they existed, and if they were watching, a civilization at the center of the Milky Way could have detected our first TV signals by now.

What is the Fermi Paradox?

There is good evidence that life on Earth was thriving prior to 3.85 billion years ago.

The modern-day organisms that seem oldest, in an evolutionary sense, are microbes that live in the hot water around volcanic vents on the ocean floor.

Which of the following gases, which we can detect (if present) in infrared spectra, would be a strong indicator of life on another planet?

Why do we need new forms of technology to make it possible to journey to the nearest stars within a human lifetime?

In general, how does the size and location of a star's habitable zone depend on the star's mass?

Why do scientists say that evolution is a "theory"?

At present, what is the primary way that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is carried out?

At present, what is the primary way that astronomers carry out SETI programs (that is, search for extraterrestrial intelligence)?

The Sun's habitable zone ________.

Which of the following are the best candidates to search for planets that might harbor extraterrestrial life?

Einstein's theory of relativity tells us that travelers who make a high-speed trip to a distant star and back will ________.

Looking for an Earth-size planet around a nearby star (besides the Sun) is like looking for a pinhead located ________.

What defines the habitable zone around a star?

Our Place in the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

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

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

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

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

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

The Beginning of Time

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