Deck 23: Light, Telescopes, and the Sun

Question 1

To determine whether a celestial body is approaching or receding from Earth, astronomers employ ___________.

A) high speed radar
B) the Stefan- Boltzmann law
C) the Doppler principle
D) Einstein's equation
E) telescopic imaging

Answer 1

the Doppler principle

Question 2

X- rays have shorter wavelength than visible light; therefore, X- rays___________ .

A) cannot be detected because of their wavelength
B) have lower energy than light waves
C) pass through materials because their photons are smaller than light photons
D) are higher energy than light waves

Answer 2

are higher energy than light waves

Question 3

The wavelength of light emitted from a distance object is related to___________ .

A) gravity-gravity bends electromagnetic waves causing refraction and sorting of wavelengths
B) the energy of the source. A more energetic source has higher wavelength emissions
C) the energy of the source. A more energetic source has lower wavelength emissions
D) distance of the source-the farther away the object is, the lower the wavelength observed related to changes in electromagnetic energy over time

Answer 3

the energy of the source. A more energetic source has lower wavelength emissions

Question 4

The study of spectroscopy was begun by___________ .

A) Galileo
B) Albert Einstein
C) George Hale
D) Niels Bohr
E) Sir Isaac Newton

Question 5

As the temperature of a radiating surface is increased ___________.

A) a larger portion of the energy is radiated at shorter wavelengths
B) a larger portion of the energy is radiated at longer wavelengths
C) the total amount of energy emitted increases
D) both A and B
E) both A and C

Question 6

Light travels 300,000 km/s. Many communications satellites are in geosynchronous orbit that means they keep up with Earth's rotation and thus stay above the same spot on earth. at about 36,000 km above Earth's surface. If you talk to your friend on the other side of the world via a geosynchronous satellite using Skype or your phone, what is the minimum time delay there will be between you and your friend in your conversation?

A) .24 seconds
B) 8.3 seconds
C) .12 seconds
D).48 seconds

Question 7

The intensity of the light emitted and its wavelength tell us about the___________ that is generating the light.

A) exact object
B) type of process
C) distance away the object is
D) part of the solar system

Question 8

When excited electrons decay to ground state, hydrogen emits along distinctive line near the visible red. An astronomer observes what appear to be hydrogen emission lines from a distant star but they are in the infrared spectral band. She concludes___________ .

A) the star's hydrogen emission must be being absorbed by water in the atmosphere, which then re- emits in the infrared
B) the star must be moving very fast away from Earth
C) her instrument needs to be recalibrated
D) the star must be moving very fast toward Earth

Question 9

The type of spectrum produced by a common light bulb is a___________ .

A) continuous spectrum
B) bright- line emission. spectrum
C) dark- line absorption. spectrum
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 10

The spectra of most stars are dark- line spectra because___________ .

A) elements in the earth's atmosphere absorb in these dark- line bands, blocking out the frequencies in the dark bands
B) electrons decaying to a lower energy state emit a photon at a fixed energy, leaving dark bands between the emissions
C) elements in the Sun's outer atmosphere emit radiation between these dark bands
D) elements in the Sun's outer atmosphere absorb in these dark- line bands, blocking the radiation in those bands

Question 11

Electromagnetic radiation that behaves like a particle is called an___________ .

A) electron
B) proton
C) quark
D) photon

Question 12

If a yellow star is moving away from us very rapidly, what color will it appear to be?

A) greenish blue
B) purple
C) bluish purple
D) reddish orange

Question 13

Light is an electromagnetic wave, meaning an electric field and magnetic field travel together, oscillating at specific frequency. All metals are electrical conductors and all metals are also opaque to light. Why might this be, knowing the nature of light waves?

A) The electric field of the wave excites electrons, which move through the solid conductor and dissipate the electric field, stopping the light wave.
B) The metal atoms absorb the light into their nucleus.
C) The free electrons in the metal capture the light.
D) The magnetic field polarizes iron, so all metals have a similar property, so when the magnetic field interacts with atoms, it dissipates the wave.

Question 14

The old fashioned incandescent light bulb produces yellowish colored light by heating tungsten to a very high temperature and the tungsten radiates light peaking in the yellowish- white range. If you wanted a more blue light that was brighter, what would you need to do with a simple filament light bulb?

A) You couldn't do this; it isn't possible.
B) You would have to add more electrical current to raise the filament to a higher temperature, which would make it burn out faster.
C) You would have to add a layer of some other material that would absorb the longer wavelengths of light.
D) You would have to make the filament thicker and add more current to make it glow brighter for example, a 75w vs 40w bulb..

Question 15

A microwave oven is a good example of a familiar device that relies on absorption of electromagnetic waves at fixed frequencies by specific elements or compounds. In this case, water absorbs strongly in the microwave band used by the device, heating water molecules in food. What might a microwave oven imply about measuring microwaves emitted by the Sun on Earth?

A) Microwave radiation will be heavily absorbed in the earth's atmosphere, particular if humidity is high.
B) It is irrelevant; the Sun does not emit microwaves.
C) Microwaves will never make it to Earth because they will get absorbed by hydrogen between Earth and the Sun.
D) Microwaves must be the major reason for global warming.

Question 16

You take a block of granite and heat it to 1000 degrees Kelvin, and it glows bright red. If you then heat it to 1200 Kelvin, how might it look different?

A) It would be about the same brightness but white.
B) It would be much brighter and red.
C) It would be brighter and more white.
D) None of the above; it would have melted, and once it melts, it will no longer emit.

Question 17

Consider the following image of the Orion nebula The Orion nebula is an___________ nebula.

A) reflection
B) electromagnetic
C) dark
D) emission

Question 18

Which of the following colors has the longest wavelength?

A) green
B) orange
C) red
D) violet
E) blue

Question 19

Which of the following is not considered a form of electromagnetic radiation?

A) gamma rays
B) X- rays
C) visible light
D) gravity
E) radio waves

Question 20

Visible light is a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum, but when we see colors, we are seeing___________ .

A) different photons that come from different directions
B) refractions of white light
C) complementary spectra from light re- emitted off objects when light impinges on the object
D) an even narrow range of wavelengths than white light within the visible light spectrum

Question 21

Because lenses act like a prism to separate the colors of the spectrum, they produce a troublesome effect known as ___________.

A) the atmospheric effect
B) chromatic aberration
C) focal distortion
D) light dispersion
E) poor seeing

Question 22

The Spitzer space telescope is ___________.

A) a planned replacement telescope for Hubble
B) a thermal infrared detecting telescope
C) the next generation gamma ray detecting satellite
D) a new X- ray detecting observatory

Question 23

The layer of the solar atmosphere directly above the photosphere is referred to as the ___________.

A) megasphere
B) corona
C) chromosphere
D) solarsphere
E) ionosphere

Question 24

What is the ideal way, if cost is no object, for a telescope to avoid atmospheric disturbance?

A) Place it in a very dry climate, like the deserts in Chile.
B) Place it in space.
C) Place it on land, as far from the ocean as possible.
D) Place it on a very high mountain.

Question 25

To improve the resolution of radio telescopes, astronomers___________ .

A) make bigger telescopes
B) group smaller telescopes in arrays, like the very large array in New Mexico
C) scan the skies rapidly to detect the direction of the radio signal
D) place the telescope in outer space

Question 26

The first telescopes, and most amateur telescopes, rely on the human eye to observe objects. The first improvement on this observation method used___________ .

A) projection systems
B) photographic film
C) digital cameras
D) polyspectral scanners

Question 27

In a radio telescope, the electromagnetic energy is gathered by ___________.

A) a spherical thin metal foil that refracts the radio waves to a point
B) a parabolic metallic mirror, commonly wire mesh
C) a solid slab or copper metal, formed into the shape of a parabola
D) a glass mirror with a reflective coating, similar to an optical telescope

Question 28

Which of the following is not a discovery made by the Hubble Space Telescope?

A) distinction of the various rings of Saturn
B) deep space images never seen before
C) evidence for massive black holes in the center of our galaxy
D) demonstration that disk shaped dust clouds are common around young stars

Question 29

The first telescopes, and most amateur telescopes, rely on the human eye to observe objects. Modern telescopes record the observations with___________ .

A) photographic film
B) polyspectral scanners
C) digital cameras
D) projection systems

Question 30

Which one of these types of telescopes uses gamma rays for observation?

A) Swift
B) Spect- R
C) Planck
D) Chandra

Question 31

The problems encountered with lenses caused this scientist to build reflecting telescopes of his own design.

A) Sir Isaac Newton
B) George Hale
C) Niels Bohr
D) Galileo
E) Albert Einstein

Question 32

The outermost layer of the Sun is called the ___________.

A) ionosphere
B) chromosphere
C) megasphere
D) corona
E) photosphere

Question 33

Which of the following types of telescopes use lenses similar to that of ordinary eyeglasses?

A) adaptive
B) orbital
C) refracting
D) reflective

Question 34

Nearly all large optical telescopes built today are___________ .

A) radio
B) refractors
C) reflectors

Question 35

Which of the following is not an advantage that radio telescopes have over optical telescopes?

A) They can operate 24 hours a day.
B) They are less affected by the conditions of the atmosphere.
C) They are generally less expensive.
D) They have better resolution.
E) They can "see" through interstellar dust clouds.

Question 36

Why would astronomers place an X- ray observatory in space, like the Chandra observatory?

A) to record X- rays emitted from the big bang; the so called background radiation of the universe
B) to map deep X- ray emissions from deep space, particularly as a proxy for materials being sucked into black holes
C) to map X- ray emissions from the moon
D) to map X- ray emissions from the sun

Question 37

How do modern telescopes prevent problems of earlier telescopes that limited mirror size and stability during temperature changes?

A) They only use telescopes in space to avoid the atmosphere.
B) They use a digital imaging system and process the image to remove distortions.
C) They use a mirror that is constantly adjusted in shape to adjust for changes in atmospheric distortions.
D) They use a super refraction system that uses a series of small lenses that avoid chromatic effects to collect more light than previously possible.

Question 38

The layer of the Sun that radiates most of the light that reaches Earth is called the___________ .

A) corona
B) chromosphere
C) megasphere
D) photosphere
E) ionosphere

Question 39

Classic Newtonian reflector telescopes use a mirror shaped like ___________.

A) a concave spherical surface
B) a hyperbola
C) a parabola
D) a convex spherical surface

Question 40

Why would astronomers be interested in placing a gamma ray detecting observatory in space?

A) to map high- energy electromagnetic waves from distant sources that would be blocked out or scattered by Earth's atmosphere
B) to map gamma ray emissions from radioactive elements on Earth
C) to map gamma ray emissions coming from the Sun
D) to detect nuclear weapons tests on Earth

Question 41

There are websites that predict solar weather, or essentially the impact of the solar wind on earth. How is this possible when the speed of light is a fixed quantity?

A) The solar weather effect on Earth depends largely on the earth's magnetic field and its interaction with Earth weather, so scientists predict variations in both.
B) The solar forecast is like weather forecasting on Earth; solar scientists observe phenomena as they form and grow on the sun, and predict their timing.
C) The solar wind does not travel at the speed of light, so it arrives much later than when a solar event is observed.
D) The solar weather is related to sunspots, and they only affect Earth when the sunspots are in line with the earth, so knowing the solar rotation speed, you can predict when sunspots are aimed at Earth.

Question 42

The most conspicuous features on the surface of the Sun are dark areas called___________ .

A) granules
B) helium lines
C) flares
D) sunspots
E) spicules

Question 43

How do astronomers save their eyes when looking at the Sun through a telescope?

A) They use heavy filters to block out light, particularly at specific wavelengths.
B) They use a special water cooled camera system to avoid superheating the camera.
C) They project the telescope image onto a large screen or record the image with a camera.
D) They look at the image very quickly.

Question 44

If you live at high latitude, when do you expect to see the aurora?

A) at times of high sunspot activity, during the active sun
B) during low sun spot activity, when solar flares are most abundant
C) at times when the earth's magnetic field has temporarily been weakened
D) at intermediate periods when sunspots are present but not prominent

Question 45

The Sun produces energy by converting___________ .

A) oxygen nuclei to carbon dioxide
B) carbon monoxide to oxygen nuclei
C) oxygen nuclei to nitrogen nuclei
D) helium nuclei to hydrogen nuclei
E) hydrogen nuclei to helium nuclei

Question 46

The most explosive events to occur on the Sun are ___________.

A) solar winds
B) filaments
C) solar flares
D) umbras
E) sunspots

Question 47

During periods of high solar activity, huge cloudlike structures that appear as great arches extending from the Sun are often produced. These solar features are called___________ .

A) spicules
B) prominences
C) plages
D) quasars
E) the solar wind

Question 48

The solar wind originates from ___________.

A) the interior of the Sun
B) the corona
C) the photosphere
D) the heliosphere

Question 49

What does Einstein's formula e = mc² have to do with the Sun?

A) It relates to how much energy is carried away from the Sun when mass is ejected from the Sun at the speed c.
B) It determines the energy released when 4 protons are fused to make a helium atom in the interior of the Sun.
C) It determines the energy released as the solar mass is converted to energy as matter is intensely compressed in its interior.
D) The formula has nothing to do with the Sun.

Question 50

The amount of energy released during a nuclear reaction was determined by___________ .

A) Sir Isaac Newton
B) Albert Einstein
C) Galileo
D) Niels Bohr
E) George Hale

Question 51

The source of the Sun's energy is ___________.

A) nuclear fusion
B) heat of contraction
C) potential energy
D) chemical burning
E) nuclear fission

Question 52

The frequency of sunspots and related solar activity is___________ .

A) an 11 year cycle
B) a 7 year cycle
C) a 22 year cycle
D) not a regular cycle

Question 53

The corona is about ___________degrees Kelvin.

A) 150
B) 273,000
C) 10,000
D) 1 million

Question 54

If solar flares pose a danger to orbiting spacecraft and astronauts, how much warning is there for the danger?

A) The danger is primarily from emission of neutrinos, which move at just below the speed of light; hence the warning is only a few seconds after a feature is observed.
B) There is no warning; the radiation arrives at the same time as the feature is observed because they all travel at the speed of light.
C) The primary danger is from high energy particles that travel at the speed of the solar wind 500km/s, so there is ample warning of 3- 5 days.
D) The danger is from high energy particles moving thousands of km per second, so the warning is a few hours.

Question 55

Hydrogen "burning" in stars is ___________.

A) an atomic reaction that fuses 4 protons to make a helium nucleus, releasing energy by converting mass to energy
B) an atomic reaction that generates hydrogen by splitting helium atoms
C) hydrogen atoms that combine with deuterium atoms to make HD complexes, and this reaction generates immense amounts of energy
D) a chemical reaction that bonds hydrogen to oxygen to make water, which remains a gas because of the extremely high temperatures

Question 56

Hale discovered that sunspots were associated with magnetic fields. What happens to these magnetic fields during a full sunspot cycle?

A) They change polarity.
B) They get weaker.
C) They die away.
D) They get stronger.

Question 57

The part of the Sun clearly visible during a solar eclipse is ___________.

A) the corona
B) the photosphere
C) the mesosphere
D) the chromospheres

Question 58

Irregularities in brightness on the Sun's photosphere granules. are produced by___________ .

A) different elemental abundances being stirred within the photosphere, to produce variable brightness
B) large convective cells within the photosphere
C) local violent explosions within the photosphere equivalent to a hydrogen bomb explosion
D) pods of solid mass ejected to the photosphere by violent explosions within the Sun's interior, hence the name granule

Question 59

Streams of protons and electrons emitted from the Sun produce___________ .

A) prominences
B) quasars
C) granules
D) plages
E) the solar wind

Question 60

Prominences and solar flares present dangers to astronauts primarily because___________ .

A) they do not pose a danger to astronauts
B) they disrupt communications on Earth
C) they pose a radiation danger from X- rays and gamma rays, but primarily from high- energy particle emissions
D) they can overheat the spacecraft

Question 61

All of the world's largest telescopes are of the___________ type.

A) radio
B) reflecting
C) optical
D) refracting

Question 62

In the case of light, when a source is moving away, its light appears ___________than it actually is.

A) redder
B) bluer
C) whiter
D) greener

Question 63

Astronomers currently estimate sunspots to be about___________ degrees cooler than the rest of the surface.

A) 1500
B) 2500
C) 1000
D) 500

Question 64

The wavelength of___________ is longer than the wavelength of yellow light.

A) green
B) violet
C) red
D) blue

Question 65

Sir Isaac Newton built and used___________ telescopes.

A) reflecting
B) optical
C) refracting
D) radio

Question 66

Dark- line absorption. spectra can be used to identify the___________ present in stars.

A) heat
B) elements
C) energy
D) luminosity

Question 67

Radio telescopes have an advantage over optical telescopes in that they can be used ___________.

A) to detect visual imagery of pulsars
B) in all four seasons
C) to detect very short wave radiation
D) during daylight hours

Question 68

Light behaves as a___________ .

A) particle
B) wave
C) both a wave and a particle
D) neither a wave nor a particle

Question 69

Radio telescopes are generally ___________than are optical telescopes.

A) much simpler
B) smoother in surface
C) more precise higher resolution.
D) much larger in size

Question 70

The Sun's energy results from the conversion of ___________nuclei into helium nuclei.

A) iron
B) oxygen
C) phosphorus
D) hydrogen

Question 71

The energy from nuclear fusion is produced by the conversion of ___________.

A) mass to energy
B) particles to waves
C) matter to anti- matter
D) all of the above are accurate

Question 72

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) granules
B) spicules
C) photosphere
D) sunspots

Question 73

The Sun is considered an___________star.

A) small
B) large
C) average
D) dwarf

Question 74

Yellow stars have a higher luminosity than___________ stars.

A) binary
B) red
C) white
D) blue

Question 75

Shorter wavelengths correspond to ___________energetic photons.

A) moderate
B) more
C) varying
D) less

Question 76

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) sunspots
B) corona
C) chromosphere
D) photosphere

Question 77

Sunspots appear dark because they are ___________than the surrounding solar surface.

A) much closer to the Sun's core
B) more energized
C) less ionized
D) cooler

Question 78

Galileo ___________telescopes.

A) did his work before the invention of
B) benefited from and for his observations came to almost exclusively use
C) built the first
D) rarely used

Question 79

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) reflecting
B) optical
C) refracting
D) radio

Question 80

What fuel is the source of energy from the Sun?

A) hydrogen
B) helium
C) lithium
D) oxygen