Question 1

What are the three ways in which energy could be transported within a star (or to your fingers)? Explain your answer.

Accepted Answer

Radiative-via electromagnetic radiation.

Question 2

If neutrinos oscillated between four different types of neutrino during their transit from the Sun to Earth,then how many neutrinos would we have detected compared to what was emitted by the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  one-third as many 
B)  one-fourth as many 
C)  one-fifth as many 
D)  We would detect no neutrinos. 
A)  one-third as many 
B)  one-fourth as many 
C)  one-fifth as many 
D)  We would detect no neutrinos.

Question 3

Which of the following methods is NOT used to transport energy from the core to the surface of the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  radiation 
B)  convection 
C)  conduction 
D)  All of the above are important in the solar interior. 
A)  radiation 
B)  convection 
C)  conduction 
D)  All of the above are important in the solar interior.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a result of an increase in solar activity?

Accepted Answer

A)  The height of orbiting satellites decreases. 
B)  Airplanes have trouble navigating. 
C)  Stronger auroras are seen. 
D)  All of the above can be caused by increased solar activity. 
A)  The height of orbiting satellites decreases. 
B)  Airplanes have trouble navigating. 
C)  Stronger auroras are seen. 
D)  All of the above can be caused by increased solar activity.

Question 5

Balance of energy in the solar interior means that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the energy production rate in the core equals the rate of radiation escaping the Sun's surface. 
B)  the source of energy in the core is stable and will sustain the Sun for billions of years. 
C)  the outer layers of the Sun absorb and reemit the radiation from the core at increasingly longer wavelengths. 
D)  radiation pressure balances the weight of the overlying solar layers. 
A)  the energy production rate in the core equals the rate of radiation escaping the Sun's surface. 
B)  the source of energy in the core is stable and will sustain the Sun for billions of years. 
C)  the outer layers of the Sun absorb and reemit the radiation from the core at increasingly longer wavelengths. 
D)  radiation pressure balances the weight of the overlying solar layers.

Question 6

The chromosphere appears red because:

Accepted Answer

A)  it is hotter than the photosphere. 
B)  as the Sun rotates, the chromosphere appears to move away from us radially. 
C)  it has a higher concentration of heavy metals. 
D)  its spectrum is dominated by Ha emission. 
A)  it is hotter than the photosphere. 
B)  as the Sun rotates, the chromosphere appears to move away from us radially. 
C)  it has a higher concentration of heavy metals. 
D)  its spectrum is dominated by Ha emission.

Question 7

The Maunder Minimum was a 60-year period when:

Accepted Answer

A)  debris thrown up in a comet collision blanketed out the Sun. 
B)  almost no sunspots occurred on the Sun. 
C)  the Voyager 2 spacecraft traversed the heliopause. 
D)  no dust storms occurred on Mars. 
A)  debris thrown up in a comet collision blanketed out the Sun. 
B)  almost no sunspots occurred on the Sun. 
C)  the Voyager 2 spacecraft traversed the heliopause. 
D)  no dust storms occurred on Mars.

Question 8

Examine the figure below.In a sunspot,the ________ is cooler than the ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  umbra; penumbra 
B)  limb; center 
C)  penumbra; umbra 
D)  lighter; darker 
A)  umbra; penumbra 
B)  limb; center 
C)  penumbra; umbra 
D)  lighter; darker

Question 9

Explain why the solution to the solar neutrino problem is an excellent example of how observations drive the evolution of science.

Accepted Answer

The standard model of the Sun predicted

Question 10

If the Sun converts 5 × 10¹¹ kg of H to He per second,and 10 percent of the Sun's total mass is available for nuclear burning,how long might we expect the Sun to live?

Accepted Answer

A)  104 years 
B)  108 years 
C)  1010 years 
D)  1014 years 
A)  104 years 
B)  108 years 
C)  1010 years 
D)  1014 years

Question 11

Hydrostatic equilibrium is a balance between:

Accepted Answer

A)  heat and rotation. 
B)  core temperature and surface temperature. 
C)  pressure and gravity. 
D)  radiation and heat. 
A)  heat and rotation. 
B)  core temperature and surface temperature. 
C)  pressure and gravity. 
D)  radiation and heat.

Question 12

The energy that fuels the Sun is generated:

Accepted Answer

A)  only on its surface. 
B)  only in its core. 
C)  both in its core and on its surface. 
D)  in its core, on the surface, and in the solar wind. 
A)  only on its surface. 
B)  only in its core. 
C)  both in its core and on its surface. 
D)  in its core, on the surface, and in the solar wind.

Question 13

If a coronal mass ejection occurred on the Sun and ejected particles toward Earth that traveled at the speed of 1,000 km/s,how long would it take them to reach Earth?

Accepted Answer

Using v = d/t and d = 1 AU = 1

Question 14

If a sunspot is half as bright as the surrounding photosphere of the Sun,what is the approximate temperature of the gas in the sunspot if the photosphere's average temperature is 5800 K?

Accepted Answer

Using the Stefan-Boltzmann law

Question 15

Calculate the amount of energy released by converting four hydrogen atoms into one helium atom.The mass of a hydrogen atom is 1.67 × 10⁻²⁴ kg; the mass of a helium atom is 6.65 × 10-²⁴
g. The speed of light is 3 × 10⁸ m/s.

Accepted Answer

First,we need to calculate the amount of

Question 16

Examine the figure below.The corona of the Sun has a temperature of approximately 1 million K.At what wavelength and in what part of the electromagnetic spectrum does its radiation peak?

Accepted Answer

A)  5.5 × 10-7 meter, visible 
B)  2 × 10-5 meter, infrared 
C)  4 × 10-7 meter, ultraviolet 
D)  3 × 10-9 meter, X-rays 
A)  5.5 × 10-7 meter, visible 
B)  2 × 10-5 meter, infrared 
C)  4 × 10-7 meter, ultraviolet 
D)  3 × 10-9 meter, X-rays

Question 17

The surface of the Sun appears sharp because the photosphere is:

Accepted Answer

A)  cooler than the layers below it. 
B)  thin compared to the other layers in the Sun. 
C)  much less dense than the convection zone. 
D)  transparent to radiation. 
A)  cooler than the layers below it. 
B)  thin compared to the other layers in the Sun. 
C)  much less dense than the convection zone. 
D)  transparent to radiation.

Question 18

What is "limb darkening"? Explain why limb darkening occurs in the Sun.

Accepted Answer

Limb darkening means that the edges of t

What are the three ways in which energy could be transported within a star (or to your fingers)? Explain your answer.

If neutrinos oscillated between four different types of neutrino during their transit from the Sun to Earth,then how many neutrinos would we have detected compared to what was emitted by the Sun?

Which of the following methods is NOT used to transport energy from the core to the surface of the Sun?

Which of the following is NOT a result of an increase in solar activity?

Balance of energy in the solar interior means that:

The chromosphere appears red because:

The Maunder Minimum was a 60-year period when:

Examine the figure below.In a sunspot,the is cooler than the .

Explain why the solution to the solar neutrino problem is an excellent example of how observations drive the evolution of science.

If the Sun converts 5 × 10¹¹ kg of H to He per second,and 10 percent of the Sun's total mass is available for nuclear burning,how long might we expect the Sun to live?

Hydrostatic equilibrium is a balance between:

The energy that fuels the Sun is generated:

If a coronal mass ejection occurred on the Sun and ejected particles toward Earth that traveled at the speed of 1,000 km/s,how long would it take them to reach Earth?

If a sunspot is half as bright as the surrounding photosphere of the Sun,what is the approximate temperature of the gas in the sunspot if the photosphere's average temperature is 5800 K?

Calculate the amount of energy released by converting four hydrogen atoms into one helium atom.The mass of a hydrogen atom is 1.67 × 10⁻²⁴ kg; the mass of a helium atom is 6.65 × 10-²⁴ g. The speed of light is 3 × 10⁸ m/s.

Examine the figure below.The corona of the Sun has a temperature of approximately 1 million K.At what wavelength and in what part of the electromagnetic spectrum does its radiation peak?

The surface of the Sun appears sharp because the photosphere is:

What is "limb darkening"? Explain why limb darkening occurs in the Sun.

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Laws of Motion

Light and Telescopes

The Formation of Stars and Planets

Terrestrial Worlds in the Inner Solar System

Atmospheres of Venus, earth, and Mars

The Giant Planets

Small Bodies of the Solar System

Measuring the Stars

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Measuring Galaxies

Our Galaxy: the Milky Way

The Evolution of the Universe

Formation of Structure

Life in the Universe

Filters

Exam 11: Our Star: the Sun

What are the three ways in which energy could be transported within a star (or to your fingers)? Explain your answer.

If neutrinos oscillated between four different types of neutrino during their transit from the Sun to Earth,then how many neutrinos would we have detected compared to what was emitted by the Sun?

Which of the following methods is NOT used to transport energy from the core to the surface of the Sun?

Which of the following is NOT a result of an increase in solar activity?

Balance of energy in the solar interior means that:

The chromosphere appears red because:

The Maunder Minimum was a 60-year period when:

Examine the figure below.In a sunspot,the ________ is cooler than the ________.

Explain why the solution to the solar neutrino problem is an excellent example of how observations drive the evolution of science.

If the Sun converts 5 × 10¹¹ kg of H to He per second,and 10 percent of the Sun's total mass is available for nuclear burning,how long might we expect the Sun to live?

Hydrostatic equilibrium is a balance between:

The energy that fuels the Sun is generated:

If a coronal mass ejection occurred on the Sun and ejected particles toward Earth that traveled at the speed of 1,000 km/s,how long would it take them to reach Earth?

If a sunspot is half as bright as the surrounding photosphere of the Sun,what is the approximate temperature of the gas in the sunspot if the photosphere's average temperature is 5800 K?

Calculate the amount of energy released by converting four hydrogen atoms into one helium atom.The mass of a hydrogen atom is 1.67 × 10⁻²⁴ kg; the mass of a helium atom is 6.65 × 10-²⁴ g. The speed of light is 3 × 10⁸ m/s.

Examine the figure below.The corona of the Sun has a temperature of approximately 1 million K.At what wavelength and in what part of the electromagnetic spectrum does its radiation peak?

The surface of the Sun appears sharp because the photosphere is:

What is "limb darkening"? Explain why limb darkening occurs in the Sun.

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Laws of Motion

Light and Telescopes

The Formation of Stars and Planets

Terrestrial Worlds in the Inner Solar System

Atmospheres of Venus, earth, and Mars

The Giant Planets

Small Bodies of the Solar System

Measuring the Stars

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Measuring Galaxies

Our Galaxy: the Milky Way

The Evolution of the Universe

Formation of Structure

Life in the Universe

Filters

Examine the figure below.In a sunspot,the is cooler than the .