Question 1

Roughly how many galaxies make up our Local Group?

Accepted Answer

A)  only three 
B)  about 60 or so 
C)  many hundreds 
D)  thousands 
E)  millions 
A)  only three 
B)  about 60 or so 
C)  many hundreds 
D)  thousands 
E)  millions

Question 2

Which of the following can we NOT learn from studying the Doppler shifts in the spectrum of galaxies beyond our Local Group?

Accepted Answer

A)  whether they have Jupiter-mass planets around many of their stars 
B)  their red shifts 
C)  their rotation speeds 
D)  their masses 
E)  their distances 
A)  whether they have Jupiter-mass planets around many of their stars 
B)  their red shifts 
C)  their rotation speeds 
D)  their masses 
E)  their distances

Question 3

An astronomer discovers a massive galaxy which has four nuclei. What is a likely explanation for a galaxy having more than one nucleus?

Accepted Answer

A)  the nuclei of galaxies often split into two or more parts because of internal activity 
B)  the galaxy must have been a quasar earlier in its life 
C)  the galaxy must have swallowed several smaller galaxies that were its neighbors 
D)  the galaxy must have had an unusual number of supernova explosions 
E)  astronomers have no explanation for multiple nuclei in galaxies; it's baffling 
A)  the nuclei of galaxies often split into two or more parts because of internal activity 
B)  the galaxy must have been a quasar earlier in its life 
C)  the galaxy must have swallowed several smaller galaxies that were its neighbors 
D)  the galaxy must have had an unusual number of supernova explosions 
E)  astronomers have no explanation for multiple nuclei in galaxies; it's baffling

Question 4

To map out how clusters of galaxies are distributed in the universe, astronomers needed to know where each cluster was in the sky AND

Accepted Answer

A)  how many galaxies were in each cluster 
B)  how blue or red the galaxies in each cluster were 
C)  how far away from us each cluster was 
D)  whether any of the galaxies in each cluster acted like quasars 
E)  whether any gravitational lensing could be seen in each cluster 
A)  how many galaxies were in each cluster 
B)  how blue or red the galaxies in each cluster were 
C)  how far away from us each cluster was 
D)  whether any of the galaxies in each cluster acted like quasars 
E)  whether any gravitational lensing could be seen in each cluster

Question 5

One important way astronomers can learn in some detail about what happens when galaxies collide is

Accepted Answer

A)  to watch the Andromeda Galaxy (M31,) which is on a collision course with us, for a decade 
B)  to look at the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way 
C)  to examine the satellite galaxies presently orbiting the Milky Way 
D)  to simulate galaxy collisions on a large computer and watch what the simulation predicts 
E)  to look at videos of car accidents that are particularly violent 
A)  to watch the Andromeda Galaxy (M31,) which is on a collision course with us, for a decade 
B)  to look at the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way 
C)  to examine the satellite galaxies presently orbiting the Milky Way 
D)  to simulate galaxy collisions on a large computer and watch what the simulation predicts 
E)  to look at videos of car accidents that are particularly violent

Question 6

What do the surveys of the three-dimensional distribution of groups of galaxies reveal about how groups and clusters of galaxies are organized?

Accepted Answer

A)  galaxy groups are distributed completely evenly -- there is typically the same amount of space between them -- and so there is no structure evident 
B)  galaxy groups make a huge spiral structure that resembles the Milky Way (but is much bigger) 
C)  galaxy groups are organized into huge spherical "lumps" with concentric rings of groups of galaxies around each lump 
D)  galaxy groups are organized into huge filaments with great voids between them -- something like the structure one would see taking a cross-section of some soap bubbles 
E)  you can't fool me; astronomers cannot get any sense with our present-day instruments of how groups of galaxies are distributed on the large scale 
A)  galaxy groups are distributed completely evenly -- there is typically the same amount of space between them -- and so there is no structure evident 
B)  galaxy groups make a huge spiral structure that resembles the Milky Way (but is much bigger) 
C)  galaxy groups are organized into huge spherical "lumps" with concentric rings of groups of galaxies around each lump 
D)  galaxy groups are organized into huge filaments with great voids between them -- something like the structure one would see taking a cross-section of some soap bubbles 
E)  you can't fool me; astronomers cannot get any sense with our present-day instruments of how groups of galaxies are distributed on the large scale

Question 7

Which of the following is not true about the Local Group of galaxies (of which the Milky Way is a member)?

Accepted Answer

A)  it is a member of the same supercluster as the Virgo Cluster 
B)  it has few galaxies when compared to a rich cluster 
C)  the Milky Way is one of its more massive members 
D)  it has more elliptical galaxy members than spiral galaxies 
E)  it has about a thousand member galaxies 
A)  it is a member of the same supercluster as the Virgo Cluster 
B)  it has few galaxies when compared to a rich cluster 
C)  the Milky Way is one of its more massive members 
D)  it has more elliptical galaxy members than spiral galaxies 
E)  it has about a thousand member galaxies

Question 8

Which of the following statements about our modern ideas of how spiral galaxies form and develop is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)  the central bulges of spiral galaxies formed first and their disks formed later 
B)  star formation in the spiral galaxies is much higher today than it was 8 billion years ago 
C)  spiral galaxies formed pretty quickly after the Big Bang and already looked then the way they look today 
D)  spiral galaxies have evolved until today they are all "red and dead", containing just old stars and showing almost no current star formation 
E)  spiral galaxies cannot have a central super-massive black hole, so astronomers don't understand just how they formed 
A)  the central bulges of spiral galaxies formed first and their disks formed later 
B)  star formation in the spiral galaxies is much higher today than it was 8 billion years ago 
C)  spiral galaxies formed pretty quickly after the Big Bang and already looked then the way they look today 
D)  spiral galaxies have evolved until today they are all "red and dead", containing just old stars and showing almost no current star formation 
E)  spiral galaxies cannot have a central super-massive black hole, so astronomers don't understand just how they formed

Question 9

How do astronomers know that there aren't significant amounts of dark matter within our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)  so much dark matter would affect the amount of energy coming out of the Sun, and we see no evidence for that 
B)  a lot of dark matter would affect the motions (orbits) of our spacecraft as the move through the solar system, and see no such effect 
C)  the theory of dark matter, which now explains everything we want to know about it, tells us that it can only exist on the outside of galaxies 
D)  such dark matter would affect the weather patterns on Earth, and we see no such effect 
E)  astronomers have now discovered quite a bit of dark matter in the solar system, so the premise of the question is wrong 
A)  so much dark matter would affect the amount of energy coming out of the Sun, and we see no evidence for that 
B)  a lot of dark matter would affect the motions (orbits) of our spacecraft as the move through the solar system, and see no such effect 
C)  the theory of dark matter, which now explains everything we want to know about it, tells us that it can only exist on the outside of galaxies 
D)  such dark matter would affect the weather patterns on Earth, and we see no such effect 
E)  astronomers have now discovered quite a bit of dark matter in the solar system, so the premise of the question is wrong

Question 10

The rich galaxy cluster that is closest to our Local Group of galaxies is the

Accepted Answer

A)  Coma Cluster 
B)  Hercules Cluster 
C)  Virgo Cluster 
D)  Ursa Major Cluster 
E)  Peanut Cluster 
A)  Coma Cluster 
B)  Hercules Cluster 
C)  Virgo Cluster 
D)  Ursa Major Cluster 
E)  Peanut Cluster

Question 11

Which of the following is not a way that astronomers can find how much dark matter there is in cluster of galaxies?

Accepted Answer

A)  measuring the speeds with which the galaxies are moving around, to estimate the mass of the cluster needed to keep them from moving away 
B)  measuring how much slower galaxies in a rich cluster or supercluster are moving than the Hubble Law would predict 
C)  observing x-rays from the hot gas in the cluster, and using the amount of x-ray radiation to estimate the mass of the cluster 
D)  using gravitational lensing effects to make a map of how much mass a cluster of galaxies contains 
E)  observe the radio waves coming from all dark matter; from the strength of the radio waves from each cluster, estimate the amount of dark matter needed to produce them 
A)  measuring the speeds with which the galaxies are moving around, to estimate the mass of the cluster needed to keep them from moving away 
B)  measuring how much slower galaxies in a rich cluster or supercluster are moving than the Hubble Law would predict 
C)  observing x-rays from the hot gas in the cluster, and using the amount of x-ray radiation to estimate the mass of the cluster 
D)  using gravitational lensing effects to make a map of how much mass a cluster of galaxies contains 
E)  observe the radio waves coming from all dark matter; from the strength of the radio waves from each cluster, estimate the amount of dark matter needed to produce them

Question 12

Astronomers can now report that active star formation was going on at a time when the universe was only 20% as old as it is today. When astronomers make such a statement, how can they know what was happening inside galaxies way back then?

Accepted Answer

A)  they look at the open clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy 
B)  they look at radio waves coming from nearby active galaxies 
C)  they look at a graph that shows the way galaxy redshifts change with time 
D)  they look at the elements in comets, which formed when our solar system was first forming 
E)  they examine the spectra of galaxies (or the overall colors of galaxies) with the highest redshifts they can find 
A)  they look at the open clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy 
B)  they look at radio waves coming from nearby active galaxies 
C)  they look at a graph that shows the way galaxy redshifts change with time 
D)  they look at the elements in comets, which formed when our solar system was first forming 
E)  they examine the spectra of galaxies (or the overall colors of galaxies) with the highest redshifts they can find

Question 13

If we want to see what galaxies looked like at a time close to the beginning of the universe, where should we look?

Accepted Answer

A)  in the Local Group of galaxies 
B)  within the nearest 100 million light years from the Milky Way 
C)  near the center of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies 
D)  in a direction away from the plane of the Milky Way, where we can see very faint galaxies that are more than 10 billion light years away 
E)  it doesn't matter; you can look at any galaxy, because all galaxies look pretty much the same today as they did in the early days of the universe
Section 28.2: Galaxy Mergers and Active Galactic Nuclei 
A)  in the Local Group of galaxies 
B)  within the nearest 100 million light years from the Milky Way 
C)  near the center of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies 
D)  in a direction away from the plane of the Milky Way, where we can see very faint galaxies that are more than 10 billion light years away 
E)  it doesn't matter; you can look at any galaxy, because all galaxies look pretty much the same today as they did in the early days of the universe
Section 28.2: Galaxy Mergers and Active Galactic Nuclei

Question 14

Galaxies that we see as they were 11 billion years ago or more, as compared to galaxies today, are generally:

Accepted Answer

A)  bluer and smaller 
B)  redder and smaller 
C)  redder and larger 
D)  bluer and larger 
E)  pretty much the same 
A)  bluer and smaller 
B)  redder and smaller 
C)  redder and larger 
D)  bluer and larger 
E)  pretty much the same

Question 15

In which of the following domains of the universe have astronomers NOT found evidence for the presence of dark matter today?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Milky Way Galaxy 
B)  other spiral galaxies 
C)  the solar system 
D)  clusters of galaxies 
E)  superclusters of galaxies 
A)  the Milky Way Galaxy 
B)  other spiral galaxies 
C)  the solar system 
D)  clusters of galaxies 
E)  superclusters of galaxies

Exam 28: The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies

Roughly how many galaxies make up our Local Group?

Which of the following can we NOT learn from studying the Doppler shifts in the spectrum of galaxies beyond our Local Group?

An astronomer discovers a massive galaxy which has four nuclei. What is a likely explanation for a galaxy having more than one nucleus?

To map out how clusters of galaxies are distributed in the universe, astronomers needed to know where each cluster was in the sky AND

One important way astronomers can learn in some detail about what happens when galaxies collide is

What do the surveys of the three-dimensional distribution of groups of galaxies reveal about how groups and clusters of galaxies are organized?

Which of the following is not true about the Local Group of galaxies (of which the Milky Way is a member)?

Which of the following statements about our modern ideas of how spiral galaxies form and develop is TRUE?

How do astronomers know that there aren't significant amounts of dark matter within our solar system?

The rich galaxy cluster that is closest to our Local Group of galaxies is the

Which of the following is not a way that astronomers can find how much dark matter there is in cluster of galaxies?

Astronomers can now report that active star formation was going on at a time when the universe was only 20% as old as it is today. When astronomers make such a statement, how can they know what was happening inside galaxies way back then?

If we want to see what galaxies looked like at a time close to the beginning of the universe, where should we look?

Galaxies that we see as they were 11 billion years ago or more, as compared to galaxies today, are generally:

In which of the following domains of the universe have astronomers NOT found evidence for the presence of dark matter today?

Science and the Universe: a Brief Tour

Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

Orbits and Gravity

Earth, Moon, and Sky

Radiation and Spectra

Astronomical Instruments

Other Worlds: an Introduction to the Solar System

Earth As a Planet

Cratered Worlds: the Moon and Mercury

Earthlike Planets: Venus and Mars

The Giant Planets

Rings, Moons, and Pluto

Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System

Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System

The Sun: a Garden-Variety Star

The Sun: a Nuclear Powerhouse

Analyzing Starlight

The Stars: a Celestial Census

Celestial Distances

Between the Stars

The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets Outside the Solar System

Stars From Adolescence to Old Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes and Curved Space-Time

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes

The Big Bang

Life in the Universe

Filters