Question 1

When four protons collide to form helium,what fraction of the original mass of the protons is converted into energy?

Accepted Answer

A)  3/4 of 1% 
B)  100% 
C)  1/20 of 1% 
D)  4% 
A)  3/4 of 1% 
B)  100% 
C)  1/20 of 1% 
D)  4%

Question 2

Sunspots are caused by:

Accepted Answer

A)  the impact of meteoroids and comets on the solar surface. 
B)  differential rotation and its effect on weak magnetic fields just under the solar surface. 
C)  dark, absorbing clouds hanging over the surface, above the magnetic field regions. 
D)  coronal holes, which darken the surface. 
A)  the impact of meteoroids and comets on the solar surface. 
B)  differential rotation and its effect on weak magnetic fields just under the solar surface. 
C)  dark, absorbing clouds hanging over the surface, above the magnetic field regions. 
D)  coronal holes, which darken the surface.

Question 3

What is the energy source for the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  thermonuclear fusion in the core 
B)  radioactive decay of the nuclei of heavy elements 
C)  primordial heat, left behind from when the Sun first formed 
D)  heat released by gravitational contraction as the Sun slowly shrinks 
A)  thermonuclear fusion in the core 
B)  radioactive decay of the nuclei of heavy elements 
C)  primordial heat, left behind from when the Sun first formed 
D)  heat released by gravitational contraction as the Sun slowly shrinks

Question 4

Astronomers use the word "limb" to refer to what part of a celestial body?

Accepted Answer

A)  edge 
B)  center 
C)  top 
D)  bottom 
A)  edge 
B)  center 
C)  top 
D)  bottom

Question 5

Just outside the radiation zone lies the:

Accepted Answer

A)  convection zone. 
B)  conduction zone. 
C)  photosphere. 
D)  corona. 
A)  convection zone. 
B)  conduction zone. 
C)  photosphere. 
D)  corona.

Question 6

The Sun has existed for a very long time without change in its appearance or behavior,so it must be in hydrostatic equilibrium.Under these conditions,which two parameters must be in balance at all points throughout the Sun's interior?

Accepted Answer

A)  magnetic field and the force of gravity 
B)  force of gravity and outward gas pressure 
C)  numbers of hydrogen and helium nuclei 
D)  hydrogen gas pressure and helium gas pressure 
A)  magnetic field and the force of gravity 
B)  force of gravity and outward gas pressure 
C)  numbers of hydrogen and helium nuclei 
D)  hydrogen gas pressure and helium gas pressure

Question 7

Which statement seems to be the CORRECT explanation for the low neutrino rates detected by Davis and others?

Accepted Answer

A)  The neutrinos oscillate and change their nature en route from the Sun to Earth. 
B)  The core of the Sun is actually about 10% cooler than had been originally predicted. 
C)  The Davis result was subjected to much uncertainty because it measured only a small-yield side branch of the main nuclear reaction. 
D)  The neutrinos Davis detected were coming not from the Sun but instead from sources within Earth. 
A)  The neutrinos oscillate and change their nature en route from the Sun to Earth. 
B)  The core of the Sun is actually about 10% cooler than had been originally predicted. 
C)  The Davis result was subjected to much uncertainty because it measured only a small-yield side branch of the main nuclear reaction. 
D)  The neutrinos Davis detected were coming not from the Sun but instead from sources within Earth.

Question 8

Compared with the photosphere,the solar chromosphere is:

Accepted Answer

A)  less dense but with a greater vertical extent. 
B)  cooler and with a greater vertical extent. 
C)  denser but with a narrower vertical extent. 
D)  hotter and with a narrower vertical extent. 
A)  less dense but with a greater vertical extent. 
B)  cooler and with a greater vertical extent. 
C)  denser but with a narrower vertical extent. 
D)  hotter and with a narrower vertical extent.

Question 9

The gas motions within granules on the solar surface are:

Accepted Answer

A)  upward in the centers of some cells and downward in the centers of others; the gas cools as it passes over the boundaries between cells. 
B)  upward in the bright cell centers and downward around the darker edges. 
C)  downward in the bright cell centers and upward around the darker edges. 
D)  almost nonexistent; the dark patterns represent a network of absorbing gases overlying the photosphere. 
A)  upward in the centers of some cells and downward in the centers of others; the gas cools as it passes over the boundaries between cells. 
B)  upward in the bright cell centers and downward around the darker edges. 
C)  downward in the bright cell centers and upward around the darker edges. 
D)  almost nonexistent; the dark patterns represent a network of absorbing gases overlying the photosphere.

Question 10

Until recent times,astronomers had to await a total solar eclipse to study the chromosphere.Why do suppose you cannot hold a coin in front of you to cover the solar disk and create an artificial eclipse that will permit you to study the chromosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  Refraction of light around the coin will cause light from the photosphere to enter your eye along with light from the chromosphere. 
B)  Light from the very rarified chromosphere is too weak to penetrate Earth's atmosphere. 
C)  Scattering by Earth's atmosphere will allow light from the photosphere to pass around the coin and enter your eye. 
D)  Even with electronic equipment, it is not possible to hold the coin steady enough against the apparent motion of the Sun to view only the thin chromosphere. 
A)  Refraction of light around the coin will cause light from the photosphere to enter your eye along with light from the chromosphere. 
B)  Light from the very rarified chromosphere is too weak to penetrate Earth's atmosphere. 
C)  Scattering by Earth's atmosphere will allow light from the photosphere to pass around the coin and enter your eye. 
D)  Even with electronic equipment, it is not possible to hold the coin steady enough against the apparent motion of the Sun to view only the thin chromosphere.

Question 11

The visible corona of the Sun is MOST effectively photographed:

Accepted Answer

A)  during lunar eclipses, when the sky is darker. 
B)  during solar eclipses. 
C)  over a period of a few years around times of maximum solar activity. 
D)  in spring and fall seasons because of the tilt of the spin axis of the Sun. 
A)  during lunar eclipses, when the sky is darker. 
B)  during solar eclipses. 
C)  over a period of a few years around times of maximum solar activity. 
D)  in spring and fall seasons because of the tilt of the spin axis of the Sun.

Question 12

The temperature of the Sun throughout its radius and including its atmosphere:

Accepted Answer

A)  is almost constant from the center to the surface but falls abruptly above the visible surface. 
B)  decreases outward from the center but then increases again in the atmosphere. 
C)  decreases smoothly outward from the center, gradually merging at the "top" of the atmosphere into the cold of the interplanetary medium. 
D)  increases and decreases several times between the center and the surface, then decreases through the atmosphere. 
A)  is almost constant from the center to the surface but falls abruptly above the visible surface. 
B)  decreases outward from the center but then increases again in the atmosphere. 
C)  decreases smoothly outward from the center, gradually merging at the "top" of the atmosphere into the cold of the interplanetary medium. 
D)  increases and decreases several times between the center and the surface, then decreases through the atmosphere.

Question 13

Where on the Sun do solar flares occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  only in a narrow band along the solar equator 
B)  only at the polar regions 
C)  only in coronal holes 
D)  only within sunspot groups 
A)  only in a narrow band along the solar equator 
B)  only at the polar regions 
C)  only in coronal holes 
D)  only within sunspot groups

Question 14

What is the reason that the edge of the Sun's visible disk is darker than the center?

Accepted Answer

A)  The gases near the edge are in regions where stronger magnetic fields inhibit the emission of light. 
B)  We see more deeply into the Sun near its edge, and the gas is cooler at the deeper levels. 
C)  We see into shallower layers of the Sun near the edge, where the gas is cooler and so emits less light. 
D)  We see into shallower layers of the Sun near the edge; because the gas is less dense there, it emits less light. 
A)  The gases near the edge are in regions where stronger magnetic fields inhibit the emission of light. 
B)  We see more deeply into the Sun near its edge, and the gas is cooler at the deeper levels. 
C)  We see into shallower layers of the Sun near the edge, where the gas is cooler and so emits less light. 
D)  We see into shallower layers of the Sun near the edge; because the gas is less dense there, it emits less light.

Question 15

What is the solar wind?

Accepted Answer

A)  a storm of waves and vortices on the Sun's surface generated by a solar flare 
B)  the constant flux of photons from the Sun's visible surface 
C)  the circulation of gases between the equator and the poles of the Sun 
D)  the Sun's outer atmosphere streaming out into space 
A)  a storm of waves and vortices on the Sun's surface generated by a solar flare 
B)  the constant flux of photons from the Sun's visible surface 
C)  the circulation of gases between the equator and the poles of the Sun 
D)  the Sun's outer atmosphere streaming out into space

Question 16

Which body does NOT exhibit some differential rotation?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Moon 
B)  the Sun 
C)  Jupiter 
D)  Saturn 
A)  the Moon 
B)  the Sun 
C)  Jupiter 
D)  Saturn

Question 17

How does the Sun's overall magnetic field behave?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Sun does not have an overall coherent field but magnetic fields, and their polarity is centered on sunspots and randomly distributed over the Sun. 
B)  The northern and southern hemispheres have the same magnetic polarity, which reverses every 11 years. 
C)  The northern and southern hemispheres have opposite magnetic polarity, which reverses every 11 years. 
D)  The poles of the Sun have the opposite magnetic polarity from the equator, which reverses every 11 years. 
A)  The Sun does not have an overall coherent field but magnetic fields, and their polarity is centered on sunspots and randomly distributed over the Sun. 
B)  The northern and southern hemispheres have the same magnetic polarity, which reverses every 11 years. 
C)  The northern and southern hemispheres have opposite magnetic polarity, which reverses every 11 years. 
D)  The poles of the Sun have the opposite magnetic polarity from the equator, which reverses every 11 years.

Question 18

The young Sun had a core containing less helium and more hydrogen than it has now.Each of the following is a consequence of this EXCEPT ONE.Which is the exception?

Accepted Answer

A)  less massive 
B)  cooler in its core 
C)  less luminous 
D)  smaller 
A)  less massive 
B)  cooler in its core 
C)  less luminous 
D)  smaller

Question 19

The energy source that heats the low-density coronal gas to extremely high temperatures is MOST probably:

Accepted Answer

A)  conduction because the chromosphere and corona contain high densities of free electrons that facilitate conduction. 
B)  rearrangements within complex magnetic field structures that energize the ionized gas. 
C)  convective currents in the chromosphere that carry hot gas outward from the photosphere. 
D)  radiative heat from the photosphere that is strongly absorbed by highly ionized atoms such as Fe XIV. 
A)  conduction because the chromosphere and corona contain high densities of free electrons that facilitate conduction. 
B)  rearrangements within complex magnetic field structures that energize the ionized gas. 
C)  convective currents in the chromosphere that carry hot gas outward from the photosphere. 
D)  radiative heat from the photosphere that is strongly absorbed by highly ionized atoms such as Fe XIV.

Question 20

We have orbiting satellites that continually monitor the Sun.These observations take place in all regions of the electromagnetic spectrum EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  visible. 
B)  radio. 
C)  X ray. 
D)  ultraviolet. 
A)  visible. 
B)  radio. 
C)  X ray. 
D)  ultraviolet.

When four protons collide to form helium,what fraction of the original mass of the protons is converted into energy?

Sunspots are caused by:

What is the energy source for the Sun?

Astronomers use the word "limb" to refer to what part of a celestial body?

Just outside the radiation zone lies the:

The Sun has existed for a very long time without change in its appearance or behavior,so it must be in hydrostatic equilibrium.Under these conditions,which two parameters must be in balance at all points throughout the Sun's interior?

Which statement seems to be the CORRECT explanation for the low neutrino rates detected by Davis and others?

Compared with the photosphere,the solar chromosphere is:

The gas motions within granules on the solar surface are:

Until recent times,astronomers had to await a total solar eclipse to study the chromosphere.Why do suppose you cannot hold a coin in front of you to cover the solar disk and create an artificial eclipse that will permit you to study the chromosphere?

The visible corona of the Sun is MOST effectively photographed:

The temperature of the Sun throughout its radius and including its atmosphere:

Where on the Sun do solar flares occur?

What is the reason that the edge of the Sun's visible disk is darker than the center?

What is the solar wind?

Which body does NOT exhibit some differential rotation?

How does the Sun's overall magnetic field behave?

The young Sun had a core containing less helium and more hydrogen than it has now.Each of the following is a consequence of this EXCEPT ONE.Which is the exception?

The energy source that heats the low-density coronal gas to extremely high temperatures is MOST probably:

We have orbiting satellites that continually monitor the Sun.These observations take place in all regions of the electromagnetic spectrum EXCEPT:

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Formation of the Solar System and Other Planetary Systems

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

Vagabonds of the Solar System

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters

Exam 9: The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

When four protons collide to form helium,what fraction of the original mass of the protons is converted into energy?

Sunspots are caused by:

What is the energy source for the Sun?

Astronomers use the word "limb" to refer to what part of a celestial body?

Just outside the radiation zone lies the:

The Sun has existed for a very long time without change in its appearance or behavior,so it must be in hydrostatic equilibrium.Under these conditions,which two parameters must be in balance at all points throughout the Sun's interior?

Which statement seems to be the CORRECT explanation for the low neutrino rates detected by Davis and others?

Compared with the photosphere,the solar chromosphere is:

The gas motions within granules on the solar surface are:

Until recent times,astronomers had to await a total solar eclipse to study the chromosphere.Why do suppose you cannot hold a coin in front of you to cover the solar disk and create an artificial eclipse that will permit you to study the chromosphere?

The visible corona of the Sun is MOST effectively photographed:

The temperature of the Sun throughout its radius and including its atmosphere:

Where on the Sun do solar flares occur?

What is the reason that the edge of the Sun's visible disk is darker than the center?

What is the solar wind?

Which body does NOT exhibit some differential rotation?

How does the Sun's overall magnetic field behave?

The young Sun had a core containing less helium and more hydrogen than it has now.Each of the following is a consequence of this EXCEPT ONE.Which is the exception?

The energy source that heats the low-density coronal gas to extremely high temperatures is MOST probably:

We have orbiting satellites that continually monitor the Sun.These observations take place in all regions of the electromagnetic spectrum EXCEPT:

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Formation of the Solar System and Other Planetary Systems

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

Vagabonds of the Solar System

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters