Exam 5: The Tools of the Astronomer

Discuss two advantages of flyby missions over orbiters in exploring planets and moons in the Solar System.

Explain three major advantages of CCDs over other imaging techniques.

Explain why the largest telescopes are not refracting telescopes.

One reason to prefer a reflecting over a refracting telescope is its

The dispersing element in a spectrograph could be a prism or a diffraction grating.

Astronomers usually study distant objects by looking at them directly through the eyepiece of a telescope.

How much fainter are the faintest stars you can see with a 10-inch telescope and a CCD camera that can integrate for 10 minutes compared to what you can see with your naked eye?

The angular resolution of the largest single-dish radio telescope in the United States,the 300-ft Green Bank Telescope,is __________ when it operates at a wavelength of 20 cm.