Question 1

Samples of which celestial object(s)have been brought back to Earth to be studied in detail?

Accepted Answer

A)  a comet 
B)  the solar wind 
C)  the Moon 
D)  all of the above 
A)  a comet 
B)  the solar wind 
C)  the Moon 
D)  all of the above

Question 2

Why do reflecting telescopes use curved mirrors instead of flat mirrors?

Accepted Answer

The purpose of a telescope is to redirec

Question 3

The 305-m Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico has a resolution that is closest to that of

Accepted Answer

A)  the Hubble Space Telescope (0.1 arcsec). 
B)  a human eye (1 arcmin). 
C)  the Chandra X-ray Telescope (0.5 arcsec). 
D)  a 1-m optical telescope (1 arcsec). 
A)  the Hubble Space Telescope (0.1 arcsec). 
B)  a human eye (1 arcmin). 
C)  the Chandra X-ray Telescope (0.5 arcsec). 
D)  a 1-m optical telescope (1 arcsec).

Question 4

Which of the following celestial bodies has yet to be observed by spacecraft that have flown by them?

Accepted Answer

A)  Uranus 
B)  Venus 
C)  Pluto 
D)  Neptune 
A)  Uranus 
B)  Venus 
C)  Pluto 
D)  Neptune

Question 5

In 2008,the Cassini spacecraft made a flyby of Enceladus,one of the icy moons of Saturn.If the spacecraft's high resolution camera had an angular resolution of 3 arcsec,and it flew at an altitude of 23 km above Enceladus' surface,how large an object could be resolved on the surface?

Accepted Answer

A)  3 m 
B)  30 cm 
C)  4 cm 
D)  40 m 
A)  3 m 
B)  30 cm 
C)  4 cm 
D)  40 m

Question 6

Cameras that use adaptive optics provide higher spatial resolution images primarily because

Accepted Answer

A)  they operate above the Earth's atmosphere. 
B)  they capture infrared light,which has a longer wavelength than visible light. 
C)  deformable mirrors are used to correct the blurring due to the Earth's atmosphere. 
D)  composite lenses correct for chromatic aberration. 
A)  they operate above the Earth's atmosphere. 
B)  they capture infrared light,which has a longer wavelength than visible light. 
C)  deformable mirrors are used to correct the blurring due to the Earth's atmosphere. 
D)  composite lenses correct for chromatic aberration.

Question 7

Ultraviolet radiation is hard to observe primarily because

Accepted Answer

A)  the Earth's atmosphere easily absorbs it. 
B)  no space-based telescopes operate at ultraviolet wavelengths. 
C)  only the lowest mass stars emit ultraviolet light. 
D)  very few objects emit at ultraviolet wavelengths. 
A)  the Earth's atmosphere easily absorbs it. 
B)  no space-based telescopes operate at ultraviolet wavelengths. 
C)  only the lowest mass stars emit ultraviolet light. 
D)  very few objects emit at ultraviolet wavelengths.

Question 8

A prism is able to spread white light out into a spectrum of colors based on the property of

Accepted Answer

A)  reflection. 
B)  refraction. 
C)  dispersion. 
D)  interference. 
A)  reflection. 
B)  refraction. 
C)  dispersion. 
D)  interference.

Question 9

As a beam of light travels from one medium to another,the change in direction of the beam of light depends on

Accepted Answer

A)  the wavelength of the light. 
B)  the index of refraction of the medium through which it is traveling. 
C)  the index of refraction of the medium into which it is moving. 
D)  All of the above 
A)  the wavelength of the light. 
B)  the index of refraction of the medium through which it is traveling. 
C)  the index of refraction of the medium into which it is moving. 
D)  All of the above

Question 10

The telescope was invented by

Accepted Answer

A)  Galileo Galilei,an Italian inventor. 
B)  Hans Lippershey,an eyeglass maker in the Netherlands. 
C)  Gote Reber,a German cabinetmaker. 
D)  Tycho Brahe,a Danish astronomer. 
A)  Galileo Galilei,an Italian inventor. 
B)  Hans Lippershey,an eyeglass maker in the Netherlands. 
C)  Gote Reber,a German cabinetmaker. 
D)  Tycho Brahe,a Danish astronomer.

Question 11

In the past,astronomers have placed telescopes in highflying aircraft in an effort to rise above the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Explain how adaptive optics help compensate for atmospheric seeing.

Accepted Answer

Slight perturbances in the atmosphere ca

Question 13

The two Keck 10-m telescopes,separated by a distance of 85 m,can operate as an interferometer.What is its resolution when it observes in the infrared at a wavelength of 2 microns?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.01 arcsec 
B)  0.006 arcsec 
C)  0.05 arcsec 
D)  0.2 arcsec 
A)  0.01 arcsec 
B)  0.006 arcsec 
C)  0.05 arcsec 
D)  0.2 arcsec

Question 14

The 305-m Arecibo radio telescope has a resolution that is no better than that of the human eye.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

How does the resolution of a telescope depend on its focal length?

Accepted Answer

A)  The longer the focal length,the better the resolution. 
B)  The longer the focal length,the worse the resolution. 
C)  There is no relation between resolution and focal length. 
A)  The longer the focal length,the better the resolution. 
B)  The longer the focal length,the worse the resolution. 
C)  There is no relation between resolution and focal length.

Question 16

Compare the light-gathering power of the human eye to that of a 10-inch telescope.

Accepted Answer

Light-gathering power is proportional to

Question 17

Explain why chromatic aberration is a problem for refracting mirrors but not reflecting mirrors.

Accepted Answer

Chromatic aberration occurs because refr

Question 18

The image quality of most optical telescopes is limited by differential atmospheric refraction experienced by light as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Large reflecting telescopes have mirrors that are __________ in shape.

Accepted Answer

A)  spherical 
B)  parabolic 
C)  hyperbolic 
D)  cylindrical 
A)  spherical 
B)  parabolic 
C)  hyperbolic 
D)  cylindrical

Question 20

What is the angular resolution of a 1-m,ground-based,optical telescope that observes at a wavelength of 600 nm compared to that of a 300-ft,single dish radio telescope that observes at a wavelength of 21 cm?

Accepted Answer

The angular resolution of the 1-m,ground

Exam 5: The Tools of the Astronomer

Samples of which celestial object(s)have been brought back to Earth to be studied in detail?

Why do reflecting telescopes use curved mirrors instead of flat mirrors?

The 305-m Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico has a resolution that is closest to that of

Which of the following celestial bodies has yet to be observed by spacecraft that have flown by them?

In 2008,the Cassini spacecraft made a flyby of Enceladus,one of the icy moons of Saturn.If the spacecraft's high resolution camera had an angular resolution of 3 arcsec,and it flew at an altitude of 23 km above Enceladus' surface,how large an object could be resolved on the surface?

Cameras that use adaptive optics provide higher spatial resolution images primarily because

Ultraviolet radiation is hard to observe primarily because

A prism is able to spread white light out into a spectrum of colors based on the property of

As a beam of light travels from one medium to another,the change in direction of the beam of light depends on

The telescope was invented by

In the past,astronomers have placed telescopes in highflying aircraft in an effort to rise above the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere.

Explain how adaptive optics help compensate for atmospheric seeing.

The two Keck 10-m telescopes,separated by a distance of 85 m,can operate as an interferometer.What is its resolution when it observes in the infrared at a wavelength of 2 microns?

The 305-m Arecibo radio telescope has a resolution that is no better than that of the human eye.

How does the resolution of a telescope depend on its focal length?

Compare the light-gathering power of the human eye to that of a 10-inch telescope.

Explain why chromatic aberration is a problem for refracting mirrors but not reflecting mirrors.

The image quality of most optical telescopes is limited by differential atmospheric refraction experienced by light as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere.

Large reflecting telescopes have mirrors that are __________ in shape.

What is the angular resolution of a 1-m,ground-based,optical telescope that observes at a wavelength of 600 nm compared to that of a 300-ft,single dish radio telescope that observes at a wavelength of 21 cm?

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Gravity and Orbitsa Celestial Ballet

Light

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

Gravity Is More Than Keplers Laws

Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

A Run-Of-The-Mill G-Type Starour Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Stars in the Slow Lanelow-Mass Stellar Evolution

Live Fast,die Younghigh-Mass Stellar Evolution

Our Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

The Origin of Structure

Life

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