Deck 18: The Universe

Question 1

One ______________ is the distance to a star when the star exhibits a parallax of one second of arc.

A) parsec
B) light-year
C) astronomical unit
D) million miles

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A star of magnitude 1 appears _______________ times brighter than a star of magnitude 2.

A) 5.21
B) 3.14
C) 10
D) 2.51

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The heliosphere is defined as the volume of space over which the ______________ extends.

A) solar wind
B) solar constant
C) magnetic field
D) gravitational field

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Eighty-eight prominent groups of stars in the sky are called the _______________.

A) constellations
B) local groups
C) clusters
D) galaxies

Question 5

What is the temperature in kelvins of the visible surface of the Sun?

A) 600 K
B) 6 million K
C) 6 billion K
D) 6000 K

Question 6

The angular measure in degrees north or south of the celestial equator is called _______________.

A) declination
B) azimuth
C) altitude
D) latitude

Question 7

In a star,the condition of balance between the inward force of gravity and the outward force of thermal and radiation pressure is known as _______________ equilibrium.

A) hydrostatic
B) thermal
C) photostatic
D) magnetostatic

Question 8

What is the pseudoscience that contends the planets' positions in the sky at the time of a person's birth affect the individual's personality or future?

A) Astronomy
B) Card reading
C) Physics
D) Astrology

Question 9

The Sun is a(n)

A) cluster.
B) planet.
C) star.
D) galaxy.

Question 10

The Greek astronomer who assigned the stars to six magnitudes was named _______________.

A) Aristotle
B) Socrates
C) Hipparchus
D) Panos

Question 11

What is the value for the total energy that reaches each square meter of Earth from the Sun each second called?

A) Solar constant
B) Solar maximum
C) Sunspots
D) Solar wind

Question 12

The closest star to the Sun is named _______________.

A) Proxima Centauri
B) Sol
C) Jupiter
D) Polaris

Question 13

The angular measurement in hours,minutes,and seconds from the celestial prime meridian eastward is called _______________.

A) sundial
B) protractor
C) declination
D) right ascension

Question 14

The number of _______________ on the Sun varies over an 11-year cycle.

A) sunspots
B) rays
C) canals
D) valleys

Question 15

Six trillion miles is equivalent in distance to one ______________.

A) light-year
B) astronomical unit
C) parsec
D) billion meters

Question 16

The stars of highest photospheric temperature are those of spectral class _______________.

A) O
B) M
C) K
D) C

Question 17

The apparent path that the Sun traces annually along the celestial sphere is known as the ______________.

A) parabolic
B) elliptic
C) ecliptic
D) eclipse

Question 18

What is the visible surface of the Sun called?

A) Photosphere
B) Atmosphere
C) Stratosphere
D) Glowing sphere

Question 19

What is the name given to all matter,energy,and space?

A) Universe
B) Galaxy
C) Local group
D) Solar system

Question 20

The imaginary,huge,apparently moving sphere on which the stars appear to be mounted is called the _______________ sphere.

A) celestial
B) global
C) universal
D) galactic

Question 21

The cataclysmic explosion of a star that throws most of its matter into space is called a _______________.

A) supernova
B) solar flare
C) solar blast
D) novaton

Question 22

Our home galaxy is called _______________.

A) M31
B) the solar system
C) the Milky Way
D) Andromeda

Question 23

The Sun is

A) a self-luminous sphere.
B) energized by nuclear fusion.
C) a plasma.
D) all of the above.

Question 24

The greater the mass of a star,the _______________ it moves through its life cycle.

A) faster
B) slower
C) Neither of these; mass has no effect on the life cycle of a star.

Question 25

An extremely large collection of stars bound together by gravitational attraction and occupying a huge volume of space is called a _______________.

A) planetary nebula
B) solar system
C) universe
D) galaxy

Question 26

The remaining core of a planetary nebula is called a _______________.

A) white dwarf
B) neutron star
C) black hole
D) red giant

Question 27

A Type II supernova can form a _______________ or a black hole.

A) neutron star
B) red giant
C) white dwarf
D) planet

Question 28

Clusters containing clusters of galaxies are called _______________.

A) superclusters
B) galactic clusters
C) universe clusters
D) quasar clusters

Question 29

By definition,the universe consists of

A) all energy only.
B) all space only.
C) all matter only.
D) all of the above.

Question 30

The "surface" of a black hole is known as the _______________.

A) core
B) corona
C) photosphere
D) event horizon

Question 31

The creation of elements inside a star is called _______________.

A) nucleosynthesis
B) fission
C) production
D) transmutation

Question 32

A point in the universe where the density of matter and the gravitational field are theoretically infinite is called a _______________.

A) singularity
B) duality
C) prominence
D) photon

Question 33

The two types of bright nebulae are emission nebulae and _______________ nebulae.

A) photonic
B) absorption
C) refraction
D) reflection

Question 34

When the absolute magnitudes,or brightnesses,of stars are plotted against their surface temperatures or colors,we obtain a(n)

A) Hertzsprung-Russell (or H-R) diagram.
B) straight line.
C) random pattern.
D) none of the above

Question 35

The letters LMC refer to the galaxy named _______________.

A) Light Magellanic Collection
B) Large Magellanic Collection
C) Large Magellanic Cloud
D) Light Magellanic Cloud

Question 36

Gas and dust distributed among the stars is known as the _______________.

A) interstellar vacuum
B) interstellar void
C) Oort cloud
D) interstellar medium

Question 37

When the Sun moves off the main sequence,it will next become a _______________.

A) red giant
B) dwarf star
C) white dwarf
D) black hole

Question 38

Another name for a pulsar is _______________.

A) neutron star
B) black hole
C) quasar
D) red giant

Question 39

The cluster of galaxies that includes our Milky Way is called the _______________.

A) Local Group
B) universe
C) solar system
D) Milky Cluster

Question 40

An incredibly dense star so massive that light cannot escape from its surface is called a _______________.

A) red giant
B) black hole
C) white dwarf
D) pulsar

Question 41

The Sun's energy is generated from the fusion of

A) uranium to form lead, Pb.
B) helium nuclei to form carbon nuclei.
C) hydrogen nuclei to form helium nuclei.
D) carbon nuclei to form magnesium nuclei.

Question 42

What elementary particle has no charge,travels at or near the speed of light,and hardly ever interacts with other particles?

A) Positron
B) Plasmon
C) Deuteron
D) Neutrino

Question 43

The Sun's photosphere is,by mass,about 25%

A) helium.
B) carbon.
C) hydrogen.
D) oxygen.

Question 44

The celestial equator is

A) a great circle.
B) coplanar with the terrestrial equator.
C) perpendicular to lines of right ascension.
D) all of the above.

Question 45

Patches of cooler material on the Sun's surface are called

A) flares.
B) prominences.
C) cool spots.
D) sunspots.

Question 46

Enormous filaments of excited gas arching over the Sun's surface and extending hundreds of thousand of kilometers outward are called

A) sunspots.
B) solar flares.
C) prominences.
D) coronal arcs.

Question 47

The sunspot cycle has a period of

A) 19 years.
B) 11 years.
C) 38 years.
D) 24 years.

Question 48

The three space coordinates that determine a star's position are the

A) celestial sphere, celestial prime meridian, and celestial equator.
B) zodiac, constellation, and star name.
C) distance, declination, and right ascension.
D) astronomical unit, parsec, and light-year.

Question 49

The temperature of the Sun's interior is estimated to be about how many kelvins?

A) 1500
B) 15 million
C) 5 billion
D) 60,000

Question 50

The three fusion reactions in the Sun that form helium from hydrogen are together called the

A) proton-proton chain.
B) hydrogen cycle.
C) helium sequence.
D) neutrino exchange.

Question 51

The Sun is a

A) moon.
B) galaxy.
C) planet.
D) star.

Question 52

It is not true that right ascension is

A) measured in units of hours, minutes, and seconds.
B) an angular measurement.
C) a coordinate for measuring celestial longitude.
D) how high a star is above the celestial equator.

Question 53

What is the name of the Sun's outermost solar atmosphere,which can be seen during a solar eclipse?

A) Solar wind
B) Heliosphere
C) Photosphere
D) Corona

Question 54

The celestial prime meridian is an imaginary half-circle running from the north celestial pole to the south celestial pole and crossing perpendicular to the celestial equator at the point of the

A) autumnal equinox.
B) summer solstice.
C) vernal equinox.
D) winter solstice.

Question 55

The Sun's high-speed charged nuclei and electrons form a fourth phase of matter known as a

A) neutrino.
B) sunspot.
C) plasma.
D) fusion pool.

Question 56

The Sun projects charged particles into space,giving rise to a flow of radiation called the

A) heliosphere.
B) solar wind.
C) corona.
D) chromosphere.

Question 57

It is not true that the neutrino

A) is an elementary particle.
B) interacts extensively with other particles.
C) has no electric charge.
D) travels at or near the speed of light.

Question 58

The stellar parallax of many stars is too small to be measured.This is evidence that these stars

A) move in very small orbits.
B) are almost in line with the Sun.
C) are very distant.
D) do not move.

Question 59

Astronomers measure stellar distances in three different units.The smallest of these is

A) the light-year.
B) the absolute magnitude.
C) the astronomical unit.
D) the parsec.

Question 60

The Sun's photosphere is,by mass,about 75%

A) helium.
B) carbon.
C) hydrogen.
D) oxygen.

Question 61

In a star,the balance between the inward force of gravity and the outward force of thermal and radiation pressure is called

A) the neutrino bonding point.
B) hydrostatic equilibrium.
C) the plasma equality condition.
D) strong nuclear binding.

Question 62

The color of a star reveals its

A) apparent brightness.
B) component elements.
C) density.
D) surface temperature.

Question 63

One parsec is equivalent in distance to how many light-years?

A) 3.26
B) 1.61
C) 1.00
D) 4.35

Question 64

The apparent path that the Sun traces annually along the celestial sphere is called the

A) ecliptic.
B) heliosphere.
C) solstice circle.
D) celestial prime meridian.

Question 65

Taking the reciprocal of a star's parallax angle in arcsec gives the star's

A) energy output in joules.
B) absolute magnitude in watts.
C) solar constant in watts.
D) distance in parsecs.

Question 66

The apparent brightness of stars is ranked according to magnitude.The brightest stars were originally ranked as what magnitude?

A) Zero
B) Sixth
C) First
D) None of the above

Question 67

The closest star to the Sun is named

A) Polaris.
B) Sirius.
C) Betelgeuse.
D) Proxima Centauri.

Question 68

The apparent motion of an object when it is viewed from two different positions against a fixed background is called

A) Hubble's effect.
B) parallax.
C) paradox.
D) Brighton's effect.

Question 69

Stars lying above the main sequence that are relatively cool but very bright are called

A) red giants.
B) white dwarfs.
C) brown dwarfs.
D) pulsars.

Question 70

One parsec is defined as the distance to a star when the star exhibits a parallax of what angle of arc?

A) One degree
B) One second
C) One millimeter
D) One minute

Question 71

The majority of stars are small,cool,type-M stars called

A) brown dwarfs.
B) blue dwarfs.
C) red dwarfs.
D) white dwarfs.

Question 72

The closest star to the Sun is about how far away?

A) 17.7 light-years
B) 0.52 light-years
C) 33.6 light-years
D) 4.3 light-years

Question 73

Which of the following represents the longest distance?

A) One parsec
B) One astronomical unit
C) One light-year
D) One right ascension

Question 74

The Sun has an apparent magnitude of about

A) minus 1.4.
B) minus 27.
C) 1.4.
D) 15.6.

Question 75

Which of the following represents the shortest distance?

A) One parsec
B) One astronomical unit
C) One light-year
D) One right ascension

Question 76

Celestial latitude is called

A) declination.
B) right ascension.
C) the parsec value.
D) the zenith angle.

Question 77

Twelve hours of daytime and twelve hours of nighttime occur at every location on Earth whenever the Sun reaches the

A) north or south celestial pole.
B) celestial prime meridian.
C) vernal or autumnal equinox.
D) ecliptic.

Question 78

Familiar groups of stars that are parts of a constellation or parts of different constellations are called

A) configurations.
B) asterisms.
C) major sequences.
D) local groups.

Question 79

Celestial longitude is called

A) declination.
B) the parsec value.
C) the zenith angle.
D) right ascension.

Question 80

The half-circle that defines the starting point for designating longitude on the celestial sphere is called the

A) vernal equinox.
B) ecliptic.
C) celestial prime meridian.
D) Greenwich meridian.