Question 1

Which of the following best describes the size and distance relationship of our Sun and thenearest star?

Accepted Answer

A) a tennis ball here, another on the Moon 
B) two beach balls separated by 100 city blocks 
C) two grains of sand separated by 100 light-years 
D) two marbles separated by 300 kilometers 
E) two baseballs separated by 100 yards 
A) a tennis ball here, another on the Moon 
B) two beach balls separated by 100 city blocks 
C) two grains of sand separated by 100 light-years 
D) two marbles separated by 300 kilometers 
E) two baseballs separated by 100 yards

Question 2

What physical property of a star does the spectral type measure?

Accepted Answer

A) density 
B) luminosity 
C) temperature 
D) mass 
E) composition 
A) density 
B) luminosity 
C) temperature 
D) mass 
E) composition

Question 3

A star of ten solar masses would probably stay stable on the main sequence only about1/1000th as long as our Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The star's color index is a quick way of determining its:

Accepted Answer

A) density. 
B) luminosity. 
C) mass. 
D) temperature. 
E) composition. 
A) density. 
B) luminosity. 
C) mass. 
D) temperature. 
E) composition.

Question 5

In order to turn a star's proper motion into its space velocity, we must also know:

Accepted Answer

A) its mass and spectral type. 
B) its temperature and age. 
C) its distance and radial velocity. 
D) its distance and mass. 
E) its spectral type and period of rotation. 
A) its mass and spectral type. 
B) its temperature and age. 
C) its distance and radial velocity. 
D) its distance and mass. 
E) its spectral type and period of rotation.

Question 6

Procyon lies about 13 light-years distant, thus its parallax is about:

Accepted Answer

A) 0.01". 
B) 0.25". 
C) 0.40". 
D) 0.65". 
E) 1.3". 
A) 0.01". 
B) 0.25". 
C) 0.40". 
D) 0.65". 
E) 1.3".

Question 7

Which statement about stellar motion is incorrect?

Accepted Answer

A) In general, the closer a star is, the more its proper motion. 
B) The radial velocity is measured by the Doppler shift. 
C) The transverse velocity is measured by the proper motion and the distance. 
D) Like parallax, proper motion is measured over intervals of exactly six months. 
E) The Pythagorean theorem relates space, transverse, and radial velocities. 
A) In general, the closer a star is, the more its proper motion. 
B) The radial velocity is measured by the Doppler shift. 
C) The transverse velocity is measured by the proper motion and the distance. 
D) Like parallax, proper motion is measured over intervals of exactly six months. 
E) The Pythagorean theorem relates space, transverse, and radial velocities.

Question 8

Explain how the shifting spectral lines of spectroscopic binaries let us find their periods.

Accepted Answer

When aligned in our line of sight, there

Question 9

Perhaps the greatest of the Greek astronomers, ________ compiled the first catalog of stars,accurately measured their positions, and defined the basic system of stellar brightnesses.

Accepted Answer

A) Erastothenes 
B) Aristotle 
C) Ptolemy 
D) Hipparchus 
E) Aristarchus 
A) Erastothenes 
B) Aristotle 
C) Ptolemy 
D) Hipparchus 
E) Aristarchus

Question 10

Capella is the same temperature as our Sun, but about ten times the Sun's diameter; it must beabout ________ times as luminous as our star.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Capella is the same temperature as our...

Question 11

If a star has a parallax of 0.05", then its distance in light-years is about:

Accepted Answer

A) 6.4 light-years. 
B) 12.7 light-years. 
C) 20 light-years. 
D) 65 light-years. 
E) 100 light-years. 
A) 6.4 light-years. 
B) 12.7 light-years. 
C) 20 light-years. 
D) 65 light-years. 
E) 100 light-years.

Question 12

Contrast main sequence stars of type B and G.

Accepted Answer

The B star will be h

Question 13

Eclipsing binaries are less common than spectroscopic binaries because:

Accepted Answer

A) their orbital planes must be nearly edge on from our perspective. 
B) their orbital planes must be nearly face on from our perspective. 
C) both stars must have the same mass. 
D) both stars must have the same diameter. 
E) both stars must be spectral type O or B. 
A) their orbital planes must be nearly edge on from our perspective. 
B) their orbital planes must be nearly face on from our perspective. 
C) both stars must have the same mass. 
D) both stars must have the same diameter. 
E) both stars must be spectral type O or B.

Question 14

What types of observations are necessary to determine the absolute luminosity of a star?

Accepted Answer

The absolute luminosity of a star, or ab

Question 15

How can the color index give the star's temperature?

Accepted Answer

Color index requires observing the star'

Question 16

A star's motion towards or away from us is detected by the ________ of the spectral lines.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A star's motion towards or away from...

Question 17

A nearby star has a parallax of 0.2 arc seconds. What is its distance?

Accepted Answer

A) .1 parsec 
B) .2 parsec 
C) .5 parsec 
D) 5 parsecs 
E) 50 parsecs 
A) .1 parsec 
B) .2 parsec 
C) .5 parsec 
D) 5 parsecs 
E) 50 parsecs

Question 18

For a star of 10 solar masses, its main sequence life span will be:

Accepted Answer

A) ten times longer than our Sun's. 
B) about the same as the Sun's. 
C) only a tenth of the Sun's. 
D) about a hundred times less than the Sun's. 
E) only 1/1000th of the Sun. 
A) ten times longer than our Sun's. 
B) about the same as the Sun's. 
C) only a tenth of the Sun's. 
D) about a hundred times less than the Sun's. 
E) only 1/1000th of the Sun.

Question 19

The Sun's complete classification is $\text { G2V. }$

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Eclipsing binaries are the most useful, giving us sizes as well as masses of the pair.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 17: The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

Which of the following best describes the size and distance relationship of our Sun and thenearest star?

What physical property of a star does the spectral type measure?

A star of ten solar masses would probably stay stable on the main sequence only about1/1000th as long as our Sun.

The star's color index is a quick way of determining its:

In order to turn a star's proper motion into its space velocity, we must also know:

Procyon lies about 13 light-years distant, thus its parallax is about:

Which statement about stellar motion is incorrect?

Explain how the shifting spectral lines of spectroscopic binaries let us find their periods.

Perhaps the greatest of the Greek astronomers, ________ compiled the first catalog of stars,accurately measured their positions, and defined the basic system of stellar brightnesses.

Capella is the same temperature as our Sun, but about ten times the Sun's diameter; it must beabout ________ times as luminous as our star.

If a star has a parallax of 0.05", then its distance in light-years is about:

Contrast main sequence stars of type B and G.

Eclipsing binaries are less common than spectroscopic binaries because:

What types of observations are necessary to determine the absolute luminosity of a star?

How can the color index give the star's temperature?

A star's motion towards or away from us is detected by the ________ of the spectral lines.

A nearby star has a parallax of 0.2 arc seconds. What is its distance?

For a star of 10 solar masses, its main sequence life span will be:

The Sun's complete classification is G2V. \text { G2V. } G2V.

Eclipsing binaries are the most useful, giving us sizes as well as masses of the pair.

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

Filters

The Sun's complete classification is $\text { G2V. }$