Question 1

One of the reasons why the Hubble Space Telescope has better spatial resolution than a 4-m ground-based telescope is that it has a larger mirror.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 2

Before CCDs were invented,what was the device most commonly used for imaging with optical telescopes?

Accepted Answer

A)  Polaroid cameras 
B)  photographic glass plates 
C)  high-speed film 
D)  video cameras 
A)  Polaroid cameras 
B)  photographic glass plates 
C)  high-speed film 
D)  video cameras B

Question 3

Neutrino detectors typically capture one out of every __________ neutrinos that pass through them.

Accepted Answer

A)  10 
B)    (one million) 
C)    (one trillion) 
D)    (10 billion trillion) 
A)  10 
B)    (one million) 
C)    (one trillion) 
D)    (10 billion trillion) D

Question 4

A grating is able to spread white light out into a spectrum of colors based on the property of

Accepted Answer

A)  reflection. 
B)  refraction. 
C)  dispersion. 
D)  interference. 
A)  reflection. 
B)  refraction. 
C)  dispersion. 
D)  interference.

Question 5

Which of the following was NOT discovered by Galileo using a telescope?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Moon has a heavily cratered surface. 
B)  Jupiter has four moons that orbit around it. 
C)  Mars has a polar ice cap similar to the Earth. 
D)  The planet Venus went through phases similar to those of the Moon. 
A)  The Moon has a heavily cratered surface. 
B)  Jupiter has four moons that orbit around it. 
C)  Mars has a polar ice cap similar to the Earth. 
D)  The planet Venus went through phases similar to those of the Moon.

Question 6

Particle accelerators that smash atoms or particles together at high speeds,such as Fermilab or CERN,are important tools used for simulating conditions in

Accepted Answer

A)  the early universe. 
B)  the solar wind. 
C)  brown dwarf stars. 
D)  planetary nebula. 
A)  the early universe. 
B)  the solar wind. 
C)  brown dwarf stars. 
D)  planetary nebula.

Question 7

Why can a compound lens combat a refracting telescope's chromatic aberration?

Accepted Answer

A)  Red light is absorbed by a larger amount than blue light. 
B)  Red light is refracted by a larger amount than blue light. 
C)  Blue light is refracted by a larger amount than red light. 
D)  Blue light is absorbed by a larger amount than red light. 
A)  Red light is absorbed by a larger amount than blue light. 
B)  Red light is refracted by a larger amount than blue light. 
C)  Blue light is refracted by a larger amount than red light. 
D)  Blue light is absorbed by a larger amount than red light.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

Slight differences in air temperature ca

Question 9

Only point sources look both closer and brighter when viewed through a telescope.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The light-gathering power of a 4-m telescope is __________ than that of a 2-m telescope.

Accepted Answer

A)  8 times larger 
B)  4 times larger 
C)  16 times smaller 
D)  2 times smaller 
A)  8 times larger 
B)  4 times larger 
C)  16 times smaller 
D)  2 times smaller

Question 11

The highest spatial resolution images that we have of many planets' surfaces come from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The Voyager I spacecraft is currently 16.5 billion km from Earth and heading out of our Solar System.How long does it take radio messages from Voyager I to reach us?

Accepted Answer

A)  1.5 days 
B)  15 hours 
C)  1.5 weeks 
D)  15 minutes 
A)  1.5 days 
B)  15 hours 
C)  1.5 weeks 
D)  15 minutes

Question 13

The SETI project's Allen Telescope Array will have 350 radio dishes,each with an individual diameter of 6 m,spread out over a circle whose diameter is 1 km.What would this array's spatial resolution be when it operates at 6,000 MHz?

Accepted Answer

A)  10 arcsec 
B)  0.10 arcsec 
C)  10 arcmin 
D)  1.0 arcmin 
A)  10 arcsec 
B)  0.10 arcsec 
C)  10 arcmin 
D)  1.0 arcmin

Question 14

Chromatic aberration is a problem that limits the image quality of reflecting telescopes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

An object sits at the focal point of a parabolic mirror.At what distance from the mirror will its image be created?

Accepted Answer

A)  It will be imaged at half the focal length. 
B)  It will be imaged at the focal length. 
C)  It will be imaged at twice the focal length. 
D)  No image will be created (the beams would be reflected parallel to each other). 
A)  It will be imaged at half the focal length. 
B)  It will be imaged at the focal length. 
C)  It will be imaged at twice the focal length. 
D)  No image will be created (the beams would be reflected parallel to each other).

Question 16

The part of the human eye that acts as the detector is the

Accepted Answer

A)  retina. 
B)  pupil. 
C)  rods. 
D)  cones. 
A)  retina. 
B)  pupil. 
C)  rods. 
D)  cones.

Question 17

Hans Lippershey invented the telescope in the early 1600s.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The major advantage CCDs have over other imaging techniques is that

Accepted Answer

A)  they have a higher quantum efficiency. 
B)  they have a linear response to light. 
C)  they yield output in digital format. 
D)  they operate at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. 
E)  All of the above are true. 
A)  they have a higher quantum efficiency. 
B)  they have a linear response to light. 
C)  they yield output in digital format. 
D)  they operate at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. 
E)  All of the above are true.

Question 19

Unlike gravity waves,neutrinos are relatively easy to detect.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Understanding the results of high-energy collisions between elementary particles can give astronomers insight into conditions that were present during the earliest moments of the universe.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 5: The Tools of the Astronomer

One of the reasons why the Hubble Space Telescope has better spatial resolution than a 4-m ground-based telescope is that it has a larger mirror.

Before CCDs were invented,what was the device most commonly used for imaging with optical telescopes?

Neutrino detectors typically capture one out of every __________ neutrinos that pass through them.

A grating is able to spread white light out into a spectrum of colors based on the property of

Which of the following was NOT discovered by Galileo using a telescope?

Particle accelerators that smash atoms or particles together at high speeds,such as Fermilab or CERN,are important tools used for simulating conditions in

Why can a compound lens combat a refracting telescope's chromatic aberration?

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

Only point sources look both closer and brighter when viewed through a telescope.

The light-gathering power of a 4-m telescope is __________ than that of a 2-m telescope.

The highest spatial resolution images that we have of many planets' surfaces come from the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Voyager I spacecraft is currently 16.5 billion km from Earth and heading out of our Solar System.How long does it take radio messages from Voyager I to reach us?

The SETI project's Allen Telescope Array will have 350 radio dishes,each with an individual diameter of 6 m,spread out over a circle whose diameter is 1 km.What would this array's spatial resolution be when it operates at 6,000 MHz?

Chromatic aberration is a problem that limits the image quality of reflecting telescopes.

An object sits at the focal point of a parabolic mirror.At what distance from the mirror will its image be created?

The part of the human eye that acts as the detector is the

Hans Lippershey invented the telescope in the early 1600s.

The major advantage CCDs have over other imaging techniques is that

Unlike gravity waves,neutrinos are relatively easy to detect.

Understanding the results of high-energy collisions between elementary particles can give astronomers insight into conditions that were present during the earliest moments of the universe.

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Gravity and Orbitsa Celestial Ballet

Light

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

Gravity Is More Than Keplers Laws

Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

A Run-Of-The-Mill G-Type Starour Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Stars in the Slow Lanelow-Mass Stellar Evolution

Live Fast,die Younghigh-Mass Stellar Evolution

Our Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

The Origin of Structure

Life

Filters