Question 1

Does the wavelength of a wave change when entering a refractive medium? Explain.

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Question 2

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.

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Question 3

Explain two major advantages of CCDs over other imaging techniques.

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Question 4

The SETI project's Allen Telescope Array will have 350 radio dishes,each with an individual diameter of 6 meters,spread out over a circle whose diameter is 1 km.What would this array's spatial resolution be when it operates at 5 cm?

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Question 5

Explain how adaptive optics help compensate for atmospheric seeing.

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Question 6

Explain why the largest telescopes are not refracting telescopes.

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Question 7

Give an explanation as to why electromagnetic radiation does not require a medium for propagation.

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Question 8

The image below shows the Very Large Array in New Mexico.What is the benefit of using multiple telescopes in such an array?

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Question 9

Explain why stars twinkle when viewed from the ground.Would they twinkle if viewed from outer space?

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Question 10

What type of telescope is shown in the image below?

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Question 11

How do telescopes advance astronomical science?

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Question 12

Why is the wavelength of a reflected light wave generally equal to that of the incident wave?

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Question 13

A spaceship approaches Earth at 0.9 times the speed of light and shines a powerful searchlight onto Earth.How fast will the photons from this searchlight be moving when they hit Earth?

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Question 14

Using the figure below,list the different types of electromagnetic waves in order of increasing wavelength.

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Question 15

What is the diffraction limit of a 4-meter telescope observing at a wavelength of 650 nm?

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Question 16

Compare and contrast the wavelengths,frequencies,speeds,and energies of red and blue photons.

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Question 17

Which telescope would collect 100 times more light than a 1-meter telescope?

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The amount of light a telescope can collect is proportional to the area of its mirror, which is proportional to the square of its diameter. Therefore, to collect 100 times more light, the diameter of the telescope's mirror must increase by a factor of the square root of 100, which is 10. Thus, a 10-meter telescope would collect 100 times more light than a 1-meter telescope.

Question 18

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

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The resolution of an interferometer is given by the formula: 
resolution = 1.22 x wavelength / baseline 
where wavelength is in meters and baseline is the distance between the two telescopes in meters. 
Converting the wavelength of 2 μm to meters, we get: 
wavelength = 2 x 10^-6 m 
Substituting this along with the baseline of 85 meters into the formula, we get: 
resolution = 1.22 x (2 x 10^-6) / 85 
resolution ≈ 0.0000288 radians 
Converting this to arcseconds, we get: 
resolution ≈ 0.005 arcsec 
Therefore, the best choice is B.

Question 19

Where should telescopes purposed to observe the high energy light from the death of stars be located?

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Question 20

Using the figure below,list the different types of electromagnetic waves in order of increasing frequency.

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