Deck 24: Stars, Space, and Galaxies

Question 1

A graph that plots absolute magnitudes versus temperatures is called a/an __________ diagram.

Answer 1

Answer: 473

Question 2

The mass of the Sun is one __________ __________.

Answer 2

solar mass

Question 3

The material remaining after the explosion of an average-size star will contract to become a/an __________ __________.

Answer 3

white dwarf

Question 4

In the Sun's core, __________ fusion takes place.

A) iron
B) oxygen
C) hydrogen
D) carbon

Question 5

One __________-__________ is the distance traveled by light in a year, 9.5 trillion kilometers.

Question 6

The __________ __________ theory states that the universe began with a cataclysmic explosion the created space and time.

Question 7

When a star the size of our Sun dies, it will blow a ring of gas called a/an __________ __________ into space.

Question 8

The __________ __________ of a star is its brightness as seen 10 parsec away from Earth.

Question 9

Cosmic background radiation is __________, __________ radiation that began traveling through space when the Universe was about 300,000 years old.

A) low-energy, microwave
B) high-energy, microwave
C) low-energy, ultraviolet
D) high-energy, ultraviolet

Question 10

The Sun is composed primarily of hydrogen and __________.

Question 11

A cloud of interstellar gas and dust is called a __________.

A) nebula
B) big bang
C) star fog
D) sunspot

Question 12

The Sun's turbulent, diffuse 2,000 to 3,000 kilometer outer layer is called the __________.

Question 13

Jets of gas called __________ shoot upward from the chromosphere, looking like flames from a burning log.

Question 14

When a star larger than 1.44 solar masses dies, a/an __________ explosion occurs after helium fusion has ended and after iron fusion has occurred.

Question 15

A/an __________ is smaller than a galaxy, emits more energy, and usually exhibits a large red shift.

Question 16

Stars and galaxies emit __________ generation energy.

A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth

Question 17

The big bang occurred __________ years ago.

A) 1 to 2 million
B) 10 to 20 million
C) 1 to 2 billion
D) 10 to 20 billion

Question 18

A small residual star that emits regular, closely spaced electromagnetic signals is a/an __________.

Question 19

Spherical clouds of dust and gas, called a __________ __________, surround the Milky Way's galactic disk.

Question 20

During a full solar eclipse, the __________ appears as a halo around the Sun.

Question 21

A pulsar is a __________ that emits a pulsating radio signal.

A) red giant
B) white dwarf
C) neutron star
D) black hole

Question 22

Orion's absorption nebula:

A) is about as dense as the Earth's atmosphere at sea level.
B) is so hot that its atoms glow like a neon light.
C) contains all or most of the natural elements.
D) is about 100 times as massive as our Solar System.

Question 23

A __________ is an object of less than 1 light-year in diameter and very distant from Earth that emits large amounts of radio wave energy.

A) galaxy
B) pulsar
C) quasar
D) black hole
Multiple Choice

Question 24

The diameter of the Milky Way galaxy is about __________.

A) 100,000,000 kilometers
B) 10 light-years
C) 200,000 light-years
D) 10 billion light-years

Question 25

Population II stars are originally composed of:

A) mostly heavy elements inherited from population I stars.
B) only hydrogen and helium.
C) mostly hydrogen and heavy elements.
D) mostly helium with small amounts of hydrogen and smaller amounts of heavy elements.

Question 26

The big bang theory is supported by:

A) the observation that all galaxies are flying away from one another, implying a common origin at a common time.
B) the fact that the calculation of the abundance of helium formed during primordial nucleosynthesis agrees with the theory.
C) the fact that the calculated cosmic background radiation agrees with the theory.
D) all of the above

Question 27

The surface of the Sun that we see from Earth is the __________.

A) convective zone
B) photosphere
C) chromosphere
D) spicule

Question 28

Red, flame-like jets of gas that rise out of the Sun's corona are called __________.

A) spicules
B) sunspots
C) chondrules
D) prominences

Question 29

A red giant:

A) has an extremely hot surface.
B) has an inner core of fusing hydrogen.
C) has a surface of fusing helium.
D) is hundreds of times larger than an ordinary star.

Question 30

A __________ is a concentration of billions of stars held together by their mutual gravitation.

A) galaxy
B) pulsar
C) quasar
D) black hole

Question 31

Our Sun is __________ as a main-sequence star.

A) halfway through its mature phase
B) just starting its time
C) almost finished with its time
D) in the very young phase

Question 32

The radiation emitted by stars, galaxies, and quasars is known as:

A) first generation energy.
B) second generation energy.
C) the big bang.
D) cosmic background radiation.

Question 33

Sunspots are areas:

A) caused by the Sun's magnetic field restricting heat exchange in the photosphere.
B) that appear as towering pillars that rise from the Sun's surface.
C) where the temperature is 100° warmer than surrounding areas.
D) that generally persist for only a few seconds.

Question 34

When hydrogen fusion ends within the core of a star, the core becomes __________ and __________.

A) hotter, expands
B) hotter, contracts
C) cooler, expands
D) cooler, contracts

Question 35

Neutron stars are:

A) dense stars where neutrons are fusing together to form iron.
B) composed of approximately 75% hydrogen, 24% helium, and 1% other elements.
C) so dense that light cannot escape from them.
D) compressed so tightly that the electrons and protons in the star are squeezed together to form neutrons.

Question 36

Different regions of the Sun have different temperatures. Which sequence of temperatures is correct, starting with the hottest region first?

A) core > corona > photosphere
B) core > photosphere > corona
C) photosphere > core > corona
D) corona > core > photosphere

Question 37

All main-sequence stars are composed primarily of __________ and __________.

A) helium, carbon
B) hydrogen, oxygen
C) hydrogen, helium
D) helium, oxygen

Question 38

The major reason for differences in temperature and luminosities among main-sequence stars is that some:

A) have a higher ratio of hydrogen to helium.
B) are younger than others.
C) are more massive than others.
D) are older than others.

Question 39

The __________ brightness of a star is how bright a star would appear if it were 10 parsec away from Earth.

A) absolute
B) relative
C) apparent
D) main

Question 40

A dying star with the mass of our Sun will eventually become a:

A) black dwarf.
B) white dwarf.
C) black hole.
D) pulsar.

Question 41

The sunlight we see from Earth comes from the Sun's core.

Question 42

A quasar:

A) releases about as much energy as a normal galaxy even though it is much smaller.
B) releases approximately 100 times as much energy as a large star.
C) releases 10 to 100 times more energy than an entire galaxy.
D) is much smaller than our Sun.

Question 43

If a star were orbiting a black hole, great masses of gas from the star would be sucked into the black hole, to disappear forever.

Question 44

Up to 96 percent of our Universe is invisible dark matter.

Question 45

Originally, all of the stars in the Universe were composed of hydrogen and carbon.

Question 46

Astronomers detected in the mid to late 1990s that the Universe in contracting.

Question 47

The Milky Way rotates about its center once every 200 million years, so in the 4.6-billion-year history of the Earth, we have completed 23 rotations.

Question 48

A red giant is cooler and brighter than a main-sequence star of the same mass.

Question 49

Which is the correct sequence of events that occurred during the evolution of the Universe?

A) Atoms formed, then planets formed, then stars formed, and then matter collected into galaxies.
B) Atoms formed, then stars formed, then planets formed, and then matter collected into galaxies.
C) Atoms formed, then galaxies formed, then stars formed, and then matter collected into planets.
D) Atoms formed, then galaxies formed, then planets formed, and then matter collected into stars.
True/False

Question 50

The galactic halo and globular clusters are probably remnants of the original protogalaxy that condensed to form the Milky Way.

Question 51

Neutron stars are extremely diffuse.

Question 52

When we look at close objects, we see what is happening now, but when we look at distant objects, we see what happens in the future.

Question 53

Which statement is not true about the Milky Way galaxy?

A) The nucleus of the Milky Way may contain a massive black hole.
B) Within the past 100,000 years, a giant explosion occurred near the center of the Milky Way.
C) The nucleus of the Milky Way is obscured by dust and gas.
D) The concentration of stars near the outer disk is one million times greater than in the galactic nucleus.

Question 54

Five billion years from now, the hydrogen in our Sun's core will be exhausted, and the Sun will become a red giant.

Question 55

The apparent brightness of a star is its luminosity as seen from Earth.

Question 56

About 90 percent of all stars lie in the main sequence.

Question 57

Our Sun is a star of average mass.

Question 58

Hubble's law states that the:

A) most distant galaxies are moving outward at the greatest speeds.
B) most distant galaxies are moving toward us at the greatest speeds.
C) closest galaxies are moving toward us at the greatest speeds.
D) closest galaxies are moving away from us at the greatest speeds.

Question 59

A black hole:

A) is an infinitesimally small point of infinitely high density.
B) is an infinitesimally small point of infinitely low density.
C) emits or reflects very weak light.
D) is larger than a neutron star.

Question 60

If you were to shine a flashlight beam, a radar beam, or any kind of radiation at a black hole, the energy would be absorbed.