Question 1

The Milky Way Galaxy is a(n)__________ galaxy.

Accepted Answer

A) irregular 
B) elliptical 
C) nonbarred spiral 
D) barred spiral 
E) lenticular 
A) irregular 
B) elliptical 
C) nonbarred spiral 
D) barred spiral 
E) lenticular

Question 2

Most of the mass in our galaxy is in the form of:

Accepted Answer

A) stars 
B) gas 
C) dust 
D) dark matter 
E) globular clusters 
A) stars 
B) gas 
C) dust 
D) dark matter 
E) globular clusters

Question 3

The locations of globular clusters on the sky and their distances tell us that the Sun is located near the center of the Milky Way.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Open star clusters primarily inhabit which part of spiral galaxies?

Accepted Answer

A) disk 
B) halo 
C) bulge 
D) nucleus 
E) satellite galaxies 
A) disk 
B) halo 
C) bulge 
D) nucleus 
E) satellite galaxies

Question 5

The stars in the disk of the Milky Way near the Sun have:

Accepted Answer

A) chemical abundances similar to the Sun 
B) much higher velocities than the Sun 
C) chemical abundances that are on average 10 times higher than the Sun 
D) much lower velocities than the Sun 
E) chemical abundances that are on average 10 times lower than the Sun 
A) chemical abundances similar to the Sun 
B) much higher velocities than the Sun 
C) chemical abundances that are on average 10 times higher than the Sun 
D) much lower velocities than the Sun 
E) chemical abundances that are on average 10 times lower than the Sun

Question 6

There are many more individual stars residing in the Milky Way stellar halo than inside globular clusters.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Studying standard candles in globular clusters offered the first conclusive proof that our galaxy was much __________ than originally believed.

Accepted Answer

A) smaller 
B) rounder 
C) older 
D) flatter 
E) larger 
A) smaller 
B) rounder 
C) older 
D) flatter 
E) larger

Question 8

How do we know that globular cluster stars were not the first stars that formed in our galaxy? Would this still be true if some or all globular clusters came into the galaxy by accretion of small satellite galaxies?

Accepted Answer

They contain some massive elements and t

Question 9

In a star that has a chemical abundance similar to the Sun,what percentage of its mass is made of heavy elements?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.1 percent 
B) 0.2 percent 
C) 2 percent 
D) 10 percent 
E) 20 percent 
A) 0.1 percent 
B) 0.2 percent 
C) 2 percent 
D) 10 percent 
E) 20 percent

Question 10

Why is the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy not an AGN right now? Could it be active in the future? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

It is not an AGN (active galactic nucleu

Question 11

The oldest stars in the galaxy are usually __________ in heavy elements because __________.

Accepted Answer

A) low;they have had time to accrete unprocessed gas from the interstellar medium 
B) low;they were formed before much chemical enrichment had taken place 
C) low;old stars must have low mass,and low-mass stars do not generate many heavy elements 
D) high;they have turned a lot of their initial hydrogen and helium into heavier elements 
E) high;stars with higher fractions of heavy elements have shorter lifetimes 
A) low;they have had time to accrete unprocessed gas from the interstellar medium 
B) low;they were formed before much chemical enrichment had taken place 
C) low;old stars must have low mass,and low-mass stars do not generate many heavy elements 
D) high;they have turned a lot of their initial hydrogen and helium into heavier elements 
E) high;stars with higher fractions of heavy elements have shorter lifetimes

Question 12

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* 
E) by counting the number of supernova explosions near the black hole during the last century 
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* 
E) by counting the number of supernova explosions near the black hole during the last century

Question 13

Where would we find the stars with the richest abundance of massive elements? Where would we find those with the smallest amounts of massive elements? Why?

Accepted Answer

Stars with the highest abundance of mass

Question 14

Cosmic rays are:

Accepted Answer

A) photons with even higher energy than gamma rays 
B) high-velocity particles produced in novae 
C) elementary particles with very high energies 
D) synchrotron emission from strong magnetic fields 
E) dark-matter particles falling into the galaxy 
A) photons with even higher energy than gamma rays 
B) high-velocity particles produced in novae 
C) elementary particles with very high energies 
D) synchrotron emission from strong magnetic fields 
E) dark-matter particles falling into the galaxy

Question 15

There are no known processes that can change the orbits of disk stars over time.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Which objects in our Milky Way galaxy have orbits that are NOT similar to stars in elliptical galaxies?

Accepted Answer

A) disk stars 
B) halo stars 
C) bulge stars 
D) globular clusters 
E) satellite dwarf galaxies 
A) disk stars 
B) halo stars 
C) bulge stars 
D) globular clusters 
E) satellite dwarf galaxies

Question 17

Our galaxy is a typical barred spiral galaxy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The Milky Way appears as __________ in the night sky because __________.

Accepted Answer

A) randomly distributed stars;the Sun lies near the center of the Milky Way 
B) a faint band of light sprinkled with dark clouds;the Sun lies in the disk 
C) a faint band of light;the Sun lies in the halo 
D) an ellipse of light in the Southern sky;the Sun lies midway along the disk 
E) a circular disk with spiral arms;the Sun lies far above the galaxy's plane 
A) randomly distributed stars;the Sun lies near the center of the Milky Way 
B) a faint band of light sprinkled with dark clouds;the Sun lies in the disk 
C) a faint band of light;the Sun lies in the halo 
D) an ellipse of light in the Southern sky;the Sun lies midway along the disk 
E) a circular disk with spiral arms;the Sun lies far above the galaxy's plane

Question 19

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 20

The Sun is rotating about the center of the galaxy at roughly 220 km/s at a distance of about 8 kpc.How long will it take to complete one revolution? How many times has the Sun orbited the galaxy in its lifetime?

Accepted Answer

Disk stars rotate in approximately circu

Exam 21: The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

The Milky Way Galaxy is a(n)__________ galaxy.

Most of the mass in our galaxy is in the form of:

The locations of globular clusters on the sky and their distances tell us that the Sun is located near the center of the Milky Way.

Open star clusters primarily inhabit which part of spiral galaxies?

The stars in the disk of the Milky Way near the Sun have:

There are many more individual stars residing in the Milky Way stellar halo than inside globular clusters.

Studying standard candles in globular clusters offered the first conclusive proof that our galaxy was much __________ than originally believed.

How do we know that globular cluster stars were not the first stars that formed in our galaxy? Would this still be true if some or all globular clusters came into the galaxy by accretion of small satellite galaxies?

In a star that has a chemical abundance similar to the Sun,what percentage of its mass is made of heavy elements?

Why is the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy not an AGN right now? Could it be active in the future? Why or why not?

The oldest stars in the galaxy are usually __________ in heavy elements because __________.

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

Where would we find the stars with the richest abundance of massive elements? Where would we find those with the smallest amounts of massive elements? Why?

Cosmic rays are:

There are no known processes that can change the orbits of disk stars over time.

Which objects in our Milky Way galaxy have orbits that are NOT similar to stars in elliptical galaxies?

Our galaxy is a typical barred spiral galaxy.

The Milky Way appears as __________ in the night sky because __________.

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

The Sun is rotating about the center of the galaxy at roughly 220 km/s at a distance of about 8 kpc.How long will it take to complete one revolution? How many times has the Sun orbited the galaxy in its lifetime?

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

Planetary Adornments Moons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

The Expanding Universe

Galaxies

Modern Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters

The oldest stars in the galaxy are usually in heavy elements because .

The Milky Way appears as in the night sky because .