Exam 6: The Tools of the Astronomer

Understanding the results of high-energy collisions between elementary particles can give astronomers insight into conditions that were present during the earliest moments of the universe.

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

When we determine the angular resolution of an interferometric array of radio telescopes using the formula θ ∝ λ/D,the variable D stands for the:

Hans Lippershey invented the telescope in the early 1600s.

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

The telescope was invented by:

Which of the following is NOT a reason to put a telescope in space?

Landers,rovers,and/or atmospheric probes have visited which object(s)listed below in an effort to gain new information about our Solar System?

You are observing the Andromeda Galaxy using both photographic plates and a CCD.If you double the exposure time for both detectors,you:

Explain what happens when white light is refracted by a prism.

Particle accelerators that smash atoms or particles together at high speeds,such as the LHC,are important tools used for simulating conditions in:

Why do reflecting telescopes usually have a secondary mirror in addition to a primary mirror?

What type of waves have NOT yet been directly detected by astronomers?

Name two reasons why astronomers might use a space telescope over a ground-based telescope.

Discuss two tools that modern astronomers use to explore the cosmos that are different from traditional optical telescopes and give an example of how and why each is used.

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

Grote Reber conducted the first radio survey of the sky in the 1930s and 1940s with his 9-meter diameter radio telescope.Why did his telescope need to be so large?

The angular resolution of a ground-based telescope (without adaptive optics)is typically:

According to the law of reflection,if a beam of light strikes a flat mirror at an angle of 30° relative to a plane perpendicular to the surface of the mirror,at what angle will it reflect,relative to a plane perpendicular to the surface of the mirror?

The aperture of a telescope partially or totally determines its: