Question 1

How do we know that globular cluster stars were not the first stars that formed in our galaxy?

Accepted Answer

They contain some massive elem

Question 2

The chemical abundance of a main-sequence star usually reflects how much nuclear burning has gone on inside it.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Describe the basic scenario that describes the formation and evolution of the Milky Way,including a description of how the halo and disk formed.

Accepted Answer

Several protogalactic fragments began fo

Question 4

What type of standard candle is used to determine distances to globular clusters?

Accepted Answer

A)  RR Lyrae stars 
B)  Cepheid variable stars 
C)  T Tauri stars 
D)  Type Ia supernovae 
A)  RR Lyrae stars 
B)  Cepheid variable stars 
C)  T Tauri stars 
D)  Type Ia supernovae

Question 5

In which part of the Milky Way would you find little or no neutral hydrogen,no current star formation,and stars that are older than 10 billion years?

Accepted Answer

A)  The halo 
B)  The disk 
C)  The galactic center 
D)  The solar neighborhood 
A)  The halo 
B)  The disk 
C)  The galactic center 
D)  The solar neighborhood

Question 6

Describe the population of globular star clusters in the Milky Way: how many are there,where do they reside in the Milky Way,and how do their ages and chemical abundances compare to the Sun?

Accepted Answer

The Milky Way contains over 150 globular

Question 7

Why can we see dust in the interstellar medium better at far-infrared wavelengths than we can at optical wavelengths?

Accepted Answer

Because the dust is cold at te

Question 8

Stars in the Milky Way that are 12 to 13 billion years old are only found in globular clusters.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Cosmic rays in the Milky Way are important because:

Accepted Answer

A)  these energetic photons easily penetrate the Earth's atmosphere 
B)  they can be collected and used to generate electricity 
C)  they have about the same energy as that contained in the radiation and the kinetic energy of gas clouds 
D)  they carry information about AGN in external galaxies 
A)  these energetic photons easily penetrate the Earth's atmosphere 
B)  they can be collected and used to generate electricity 
C)  they have about the same energy as that contained in the radiation and the kinetic energy of gas clouds 
D)  they carry information about AGN in external galaxies

Question 10

Open clusters are only found in the disk of the Milky Way; globular clusters are only found in the halo of the Milky Way.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Dust that is heated to 30 K will emit a blackbody spectrum that peaks at:

Accepted Answer

A)  1 $\mu$m 
B)  30 $\mu$m 
C)  50 $\mu$m 
D)  100 $\mu$m 
A)  1 $\mu$m 
B)  30 $\mu$m 
C)  50 $\mu$m 
D)  100 $\mu$m

Question 12

Globular clusters,when compared to open clusters,generally:

Accepted Answer

A)  are located closer to the center of the Milky Way 
B)  are younger in age 
C)  have fewer amounts of heavy elements 
D)  all of the above 
A)  are located closer to the center of the Milky Way 
B)  are younger in age 
C)  have fewer amounts of heavy elements 
D)  all of the above

Question 13

Label the parts of the Milky Way on the figure below.

Accepted Answer

From top to bottom:

Question 14

What is the main observational difficulty in observing the shape of the Milky Way?

Accepted Answer

We are seeing it fro

Question 15

How have astronomers measured the mass of the black hole at the center of our galaxy?

Accepted Answer

A)  Using the rotation curve derived from 21-cm emission 
B)  By observing the motions of stars near the center of the galaxy 
C)  By measuring the brightness of the quasar 
D)  By measuring the Doppler shift of Sagittarius A* 
A)  Using the rotation curve derived from 21-cm emission 
B)  By observing the motions of stars near the center of the galaxy 
C)  By measuring the brightness of the quasar 
D)  By measuring the Doppler shift of Sagittarius A*

Question 16

If the Large Magellanic Cloud is orbiting the Milky Way in a circular orbit with a speed of 175 km/s and a distance of 165,000 light-years from the center,how long would it take for the Large Magellanic Cloud to complete one orbit around the Milky Way?

Accepted Answer

A)  600 million years 
B)  1.8 billion years 
C)  3.5 billion years 
D)  17 billion years 
A)  600 million years 
B)  1.8 billion years 
C)  3.5 billion years 
D)  17 billion years

Question 17

Open star clusters primarily inhabit which part of spiral galaxies?

Accepted Answer

A)  Disk 
B)  Halo 
C)  Bulge 
D)  Nucleus 
A)  Disk 
B)  Halo 
C)  Bulge 
D)  Nucleus

Question 18

Why is 21-cm radiation the best way to map the spiral arms in the Milky Way?

Accepted Answer

A)  The molecular hydrogen gas that produces this emission is concentrated in the spiral arms. 
B)  These photons,which are produced by neutral hydrogen,penetrate the dense clouds of gas and dust in the disk. 
C)  This synchrotron emission is produced by supernovae,which are concentrated in the spiral arms. 
D)  Radio telescopes are easier to operate than optical telescopes and observations can be made even during the daytime. 
A)  The molecular hydrogen gas that produces this emission is concentrated in the spiral arms. 
B)  These photons,which are produced by neutral hydrogen,penetrate the dense clouds of gas and dust in the disk. 
C)  This synchrotron emission is produced by supernovae,which are concentrated in the spiral arms. 
D)  Radio telescopes are easier to operate than optical telescopes and observations can be made even during the daytime.

Question 19

The figure below shows the orbits of several stars very close to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.How do astronomers know that these stars orbit a supermassive black hole?

Accepted Answer

The stars follow Keplerian orb

Question 20

Magnetic fields in the Milky Way are concentrated in the disk because:

Accepted Answer

A)  halo stars are incapable of producing strong magnetic fields 
B)  the fields are tied to the charged particles in dense molecular clouds 
C)  gravity forces them to sink to the center of the disk 
D)  supernovae explosions continually force them toward the middle of the disk 
A)  halo stars are incapable of producing strong magnetic fields 
B)  the fields are tied to the charged particles in dense molecular clouds 
C)  gravity forces them to sink to the center of the disk 
D)  supernovae explosions continually force them toward the middle of the disk

How do we know that globular cluster stars were not the first stars that formed in our galaxy?

The chemical abundance of a main-sequence star usually reflects how much nuclear burning has gone on inside it.

Describe the basic scenario that describes the formation and evolution of the Milky Way,including a description of how the halo and disk formed.

What type of standard candle is used to determine distances to globular clusters?

In which part of the Milky Way would you find little or no neutral hydrogen,no current star formation,and stars that are older than 10 billion years?

Describe the population of globular star clusters in the Milky Way: how many are there,where do they reside in the Milky Way,and how do their ages and chemical abundances compare to the Sun?

Why can we see dust in the interstellar medium better at far-infrared wavelengths than we can at optical wavelengths?

Stars in the Milky Way that are 12 to 13 billion years old are only found in globular clusters.

Cosmic rays in the Milky Way are important because:

Open clusters are only found in the disk of the Milky Way; globular clusters are only found in the halo of the Milky Way.

Dust that is heated to 30 K will emit a blackbody spectrum that peaks at:

Globular clusters,when compared to open clusters,generally:

Label the parts of the Milky Way on the figure below.

What is the main observational difficulty in observing the shape of the Milky Way?

How have astronomers measured the mass of the black hole at the center of our galaxy?

If the Large Magellanic Cloud is orbiting the Milky Way in a circular orbit with a speed of 175 km/s and a distance of 165,000 light-years from the center,how long would it take for the Large Magellanic Cloud to complete one orbit around the Milky Way?

Open star clusters primarily inhabit which part of spiral galaxies?

Why is 21-cm radiation the best way to map the spiral arms in the Milky Way?

The figure below shows the orbits of several stars very close to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.How do astronomers know that these stars orbit a supermassive black hole?

Magnetic fields in the Milky Way are concentrated in the disk because:

Our Place in the Universe

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

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

Our Star: The Sun

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

The Expansion of Space

The Realm of the Galaxies

Modern Cosmology and the Origin of Structure

Life in the Universe

Filters

Exam 16: Our Galaxy: The Milky Way

How do we know that globular cluster stars were not the first stars that formed in our galaxy?

The chemical abundance of a main-sequence star usually reflects how much nuclear burning has gone on inside it.

Describe the basic scenario that describes the formation and evolution of the Milky Way,including a description of how the halo and disk formed.

What type of standard candle is used to determine distances to globular clusters?

In which part of the Milky Way would you find little or no neutral hydrogen,no current star formation,and stars that are older than 10 billion years?

Describe the population of globular star clusters in the Milky Way: how many are there,where do they reside in the Milky Way,and how do their ages and chemical abundances compare to the Sun?

Why can we see dust in the interstellar medium better at far-infrared wavelengths than we can at optical wavelengths?

Stars in the Milky Way that are 12 to 13 billion years old are only found in globular clusters.

Cosmic rays in the Milky Way are important because:

Open clusters are only found in the disk of the Milky Way; globular clusters are only found in the halo of the Milky Way.

Dust that is heated to 30 K will emit a blackbody spectrum that peaks at:

Globular clusters,when compared to open clusters,generally:

Label the parts of the Milky Way on the figure below.

What is the main observational difficulty in observing the shape of the Milky Way?

How have astronomers measured the mass of the black hole at the center of our galaxy?

If the Large Magellanic Cloud is orbiting the Milky Way in a circular orbit with a speed of 175 km/s and a distance of 165,000 light-years from the center,how long would it take for the Large Magellanic Cloud to complete one orbit around the Milky Way?

Open star clusters primarily inhabit which part of spiral galaxies?

Why is 21-cm radiation the best way to map the spiral arms in the Milky Way?

The figure below shows the orbits of several stars very close to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.How do astronomers know that these stars orbit a supermassive black hole?

Magnetic fields in the Milky Way are concentrated in the disk because:

Our Place in the Universe

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

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

Our Star: The Sun

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

The Expansion of Space

The Realm of the Galaxies

Modern Cosmology and the Origin of Structure

Life in the Universe

Filters