Question 1

A space telescope can detect _________, whereas a radio telescope cannot.
A)visible light and infrared energy
B)infrared energy and gamma rays
C)x-rays and gamma rays
D)visible light and x-rays

Accepted Answer

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Question 2

Outline Newton's Laws of Physics.

Accepted Answer

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Question 3

How can astronomers determine the surface temperature of a star?

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Question 4

Modern radio telescopes consist of a dish that _________ incident _________ energy to a focus where instruments collect and analyze the energy.
A)refracts; visible-wave
B)refracts; radio-wave
C)reflects; radio-wave
D)reflects; ultraviolet-wave

Accepted Answer

Modern radio telescopes use reflecting dishes to collect and focus radio waves, not refracting dishes which bend visible light.

Question 5

Why do cell phones and weather radar systems transmit signals in the radio and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, rather than the infrared or ultraviolet regions?

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Question 6

The world's greatest astronomical observatories are all located on isolated mountaintops to diminish the effects of
A)Earth's ocean and light pollution.
B)the atmosphere and light pollution.
C)the atmosphere and Earth's ocean.
D)the atmosphere and the lithosphere.

Accepted Answer

The world's greatest astronomical observatories are located on isolated mountaintops to diminish the effects of the atmosphere and light pollution. The atmosphere can distort and blur incoming light from space, which is why observatories are typically located at high altitudes where there is less atmosphere. Light pollution from cities and towns can also interfere with astronomical observations, so it is important to locate observatories far away from any sources of artificial light.

Question 7

Identify the different phases of Earth's moon on the figure below, using the word bank provided.

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Question 8

Astronomers examine the relationship between _________ and distance to figure out how far a star is from Earth when the star is more than 500 light-years away.
A)apparent brightness
B)magnitude
C)composition
D)temperature

Accepted Answer

Astronomers use the apparent brightness of a star, which is how bright it appears from Earth, to figure out its distance. This is because the farther away a star is, the dimmer it appears from Earth. Magnitude, composition, and temperature can also provide information about a star, but they are not as directly related to determining its distance.

Question 9

A reflecting telescope operates by containing a(n)
A)flat mirror that refracts light to a focus in front of a mirror. The smaller the area of the mirror, the more light the telescope can gather. A smaller mirror at the focus sends the concentrated light to an eyepiece at the back or at the side of the telescope.
B)curved mirror that reflects light to a focus in front of a mirror. The larger the area of the mirror, the more light the telescope can gather. A smaller mirror at the focus sends the concentrated light to an eyepiece at the back or at the side of the telescope.
C)objective lens that refracts incoming light and concentrates it at a focus behind the lens. A second lens, the eyepiece, magnifies the concentrated light so that objects appear larger.
D)objective lens that reflects incoming light and concentrates it at a focus in front of the lens.

Accepted Answer

The reflecting telescope uses a curved mirror to reflect incoming light to a focus in front of the mirror. The larger the area of the mirror, the more light the telescope can gather. A smaller mirror at the focus sends the concentrated light to an eyepiece at the back or at the side of the telescope. This design allows for larger apertures and better light gathering abilities compared to a refracting telescope.

Question 10

A(n) _________ represents the distance that an imaginary star would have to be from Earth for its parallax to be exactly 1 arc-second if you were to move from an observation point in the center of the Sun to the center of Earth.
A)astronomical unit
B)kilometer
C)parallax
D)parsec

Accepted Answer

The choice D, parsec, represents the distance that an imaginary star would have to be from Earth for its parallax to be exactly 1 arc-second if you were to move from an observation point in the center of the Sun to the center of Earth. The other choices, A (astronomical unit), B (kilometer), and C (parallax), do not accurately represent this distance.

Question 11

Radio telescopes have to be so large because radio-wave energy coming from space is _________ and the wavelengths of this energy are _________.
A)weak; long
B)strong; long
C)strong; short
D)weak; short

Accepted Answer

Radio-wave energy coming from space is weak and has long wavelengths. Therefore, to capture and detect this energy, radio telescopes need to be very large in order to have the sensitivity and resolution to receive it.

Question 12

Hubble's law is used to
A)measure the distance to the most remote objects in space.
B)calibrate the distance between Earth and the Sun.
C)measure the temperature of the most remote objects in space.
D)measure the composition of the remote objects in space.

Accepted Answer

Hubble's law is used to measure the distance to the most remote objects in space by measuring the redshift of light from those objects. The amount of redshift is directly proportional to the distance of the object from Earth according to Hubble's law.

Question 13

Why do planets sometimes exhibit retrograde motion?

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Question 14

Imagine an astronomer who has just used a spectroscope to measure the emission lines of radiation from a distant galaxy. When she looks at the emission lines of hydrogen, she notes that all of the lines measured are shifted from their expected positions toward the red end of the spectrum. Is the galaxy moving toward the astronomer or away from her?

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Question 15

How does an astronomer use Cepheid variables to determine distance in space?

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Question 16

Compare the ancient geocentric model of the solar system with the present-day heliocentric model.

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Question 17

What are the reason(s) large astronomical observatories prefer reflecting telescopes?

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Question 18

What is a simple, everyday example of the Doppler effect?

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Question 19

What advantages do space telescopes have over earthbound telescopes?
A)Space telescopes do not have any advantages over earthbound telescopes.
B)A space telescope that orbits above Earth's energy-absorbing atmosphere is able to detect the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
C)Earthbound telescopes can ONLY detect short and long wavelengths that can pass through the radio windows to the ground.
D)Space telescopes last longer and are easier to repair because they are less impacted by Earth's gravity.

Accepted Answer

Space telescopes have the advantage of orbiting above Earth's atmosphere, which absorbs certain wavelengths of light. This allows them to detect the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Earthbound telescopes are limited to detecting only the wavelengths that can pass through the atmosphere's "radio windows."

Question 20

A refracting telescope refracts incoming light, whereas a reflecting telescope _________ light.
A)transmits
B)absorbs
C)bends
D)reflects

Accepted Answer

A reflecting telescope reflects incoming light off a curved mirror, rather than refracting it through a lens as in a refracting telescope.

Quiz 21: Our Solar System and Beyond

A space telescope can detect _________, whereas a radio telescope cannot.

Outline Newton's Laws of Physics.

How can astronomers determine the surface temperature of a star?

Modern radio telescopes consist of a dish that _ incident _ energy to a focus where instruments collect and analyze the energy.

Why do cell phones and weather radar systems transmit signals in the radio and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, rather than the infrared or ultraviolet regions?

The world's greatest astronomical observatories are all located on isolated mountaintops to diminish the effects of

Identify the different phases of Earth's moon on the figure below, using the word bank provided.

Astronomers examine the relationship between _________ and distance to figure out how far a star is from Earth when the star is more than 500 light-years away.

A reflecting telescope operates by containing a(n)

A(n) _________ represents the distance that an imaginary star would have to be from Earth for its parallax to be exactly 1 arc-second if you were to move from an observation point in the center of the Sun to the center of Earth.

Radio telescopes have to be so large because radio-wave energy coming from space is _ and the wavelengths of this energy are _.

Hubble's law is used to

Why do planets sometimes exhibit retrograde motion?

How does an astronomer use Cepheid variables to determine distance in space?

Compare the ancient geocentric model of the solar system with the present-day heliocentric model.

What are the reason(s) large astronomical observatories prefer reflecting telescopes?

What is a simple, everyday example of the Doppler effect?

What advantages do space telescopes have over earthbound telescopes?

A refracting telescope refracts incoming light, whereas a reflecting telescope _________ light.