Deck 21: Our Solar System and Beyond

Question 1

An imaginary surface in space that surrounds Earth is referred to by astronomers as the

A)astro circle.
B)ecliptic plane.
C)celestial equator.
D)celestial sphere.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A(n) _________ is a closed path in space that one object takes around another object, whereas a(n) _________ is a complete orbit of one object around another object.

A)revolution; orbit
B)cosmology; astronomy
C)orbit; revolution
D)stars; moons

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Astronomers describe the _________ as all of space and all the celestial bodies within it.

A)Universe
B)Sun
C)planets
D)solar system

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The ecliptic plane doesn't lie parallel to the celestial equator because Earth's axis of rotation has a _________ tilt relative to the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun.

A)180°
B)90°
C)23.5°
D)40.5°

Question 5

After examining the Ptolemy model, Nicolaus Copernicus published a book on his deathbed arguing against Ptolemy's epicycles, stating that they could not be real. The Copernicus model later became known as the _________ model.

A)copernicentric
B)geocentric
C)heliocentric
D)plutocentric

Question 6

Planets will sometimes follow a loop that takes the path of the planet a short distance backward from west to east across the sky relative to the stars. This movement is called _________ motion.

A)prograde
B)retrograde
C)ecliptic
D)orbital

Question 7

What problem with the geocentric model led Ptolemy to invent epicycles?

A)prograde motion
B)retrograde motion
C)ecliptic motion
D)eclipse motion

Question 8

Compared with the orientations of the orbital planes of other planets, Earth's _________ contains the _________ of Earth's orbit.

A)ellipse; celestial sphere
B)ecliptic plane; ellipse
C)ellipse; ecliptic plane
D)celestial sphere; ellipse

Question 9

Planets move from east to west across Earth's sky. This movement is called _________ motion.

A)prograde
B)retrograde
C)ecliptic
D)orbital

Question 10

The zodiac is the set of _________ constellations that lie along Earth's _________ plane.

A)24; ecliptic
B)12; ecliptic
C)12; orbital
D)24; revolutionary

Question 11

Identify the perihelion, the ellipse focus, the ellipse center, and the aphelion in the diagram below.

A)A = aphelion; B = perihelion; C = ellipse focus; D = ellipse center
B)A = perihelion; B = aphelion; C = ellipse focus; D = ellipse center
C)A = perihelion; B = aphelion; C = ellipse center; D = ellipse focus
D)A = aphelion; B = perihelion; C= ellipse center; D = ellipse focus

Question 12

Ancient observers could identify a specific location in the night sky by

A)recognizing patterns called constellations.
B)using solar angles.
C)locating the moons of other planets.
D)locating the angles of Earth's moon.

Question 13

Sir Isaac Newton, a major contributor to modern science, proposed the three laws of motion and the law of gravity. Which of the following best describes his law of gravity?

A)Every object has inertia.
B)Every object in the Universe attracts every other object.
C)When force acts on a mass, it causes the mass to change speed or direction.
D)For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Question 14

Based on Kepler's first and second laws, Earth moves _________ in its orbit when it is at _________.

A)faster; perihelion
B)slower; perihelion
C)faster; aphelion
D)around; perihelion

Question 15

An astronomer would determine an ecliptic plane's location on the celestial sphere by

A)drawing a circle around the object to the surface of the Earth to determine the point where the circle pierces the sphere and represents the object's position.
B)drawing a line from the object to the center of the Earth to determine the point where the line pierces the sphere and represents the object's position.
C)using GPS technology to determine the point where the line pierces the sphere and represents the object's position.
D)drawing a line from the object to the center of the Earth.

Question 16

Kepler's third law of planetary motion states that the square of a planet's orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit. Put simply, planets _________ from the Sun have _________ orbital periods, and we can calculate a planet's orbital period if we know the dimensions of its orbit.

A)closer to; longer
B)farther from; shorter
C)closer to; no
D)farther from; longer

Question 17

Describe the positions of Earth, its moon, and the Sun during a solar eclipse.

A)A solar eclipse occurs when Earth's moon blocks the light of the Sun from reaching the surface of Earth.
B)A solar eclipse occurs when the Sun blocks the light of Earth from reaching the surface of Earth.
C)A solar eclipse occurs when Earth blocks the light of Earth from reaching the surface of the Sun.
D)A solar eclipse occurs when Earth's moon blocks the light of Venus from reaching the surface of Earth.

Question 18

The North Star, referred to as _________, earned its name because it is positioned directly above the _________ pole.

A)Polaris; North
B)Polaris; South
C)Vega; North
D)Vega; South

Question 19

In relationship to Earth's orbit, the ecliptic plane can be visualized as a(n) _________ surface that contains the _________.

A)physical; plane of Earth's orbit
B)physical; lunar eclipse of Earth's orbit
C)imaginary; ellipse of Earth's orbit.
D)imaginary; path of our Sun.

Question 20

With _________ height above Earth's suface, the horizon appears _________ and the visible area of Earth increases.

A)decreasing; farther
B)decreasing; static
C)increasing; closer
D)increasing; farther

Question 21

At polar latitudes during the _________ solstice, the Sun is above the horizon for _________ hours. This is in contrast to the _________ solstice, where the Sun is slightly above the southern horizon at _________.

A)summer; 24; winter; noon
B)winter; 24; summer; noon
C)summer; 8; winter; noon
D)winter; 8; summer; midnight

Question 22

Most people can see a total lunar eclipse but not a total solar eclipse because _________ has a large shadow relative to _________.

A)the Moon; Earth
B)the Moon; the Sun
C)Earth; the Moon
D)Earth; the Sun

Question 23

A light-year equals the

A)time it takes light to travel through space in 1 Earth year.
B)distance light travels through space in 1 Earth year in a vacuum.
C)distance light travels through space in 1 Earth month.
D)distance light travels through space in 1 Earth day in a vacuum.

Question 24

Toward the blue end of the spectrum, _________ objects emit _________ wavelengths of light.

A)cooler; shorter
B)hotter; shorter
C)cooler; longer
D)hotter; longer

Question 25

Identify the two solstice and two equinox positions for Earth's orbit in the diagram below.

A)A = winter solstice; B = summer solstice; C = autumnal equinox; D =vernal equinox
B)A = winter solstice; B = autumnal equinox; C = summer solstice; D = vernal equinox
C)A = summer solstice; B = winter solstice; C = vernal equinox; D = autumnal equinox
D)A = summer solstice; B = winter solstice; C = autumnal equinox; D = vernal equinox

Question 26

Astronomers use a spectrometer to analyze

A)a star's color.
B)a star's temperature.
C)the magnetism from stars.
D)a star's electromagnetic radiation and to distinguish various star types.

Question 27

A simple example of the Doppler effect in everyday experience is a(n)

A)train and its tracks.
B)car and its passengers.
C)tree and its leaves.
D)ambulance and its siren.

Question 28

An astronomical unit represents the average distance from the

A)center of Earth to the center of the Sun and equals about 150 million km (93 million miles).
B)surface of Earth to the surface of the Sun and equals about 1,000 million km (621 million miles).
C)center of Earth to the center of the Sun and equals about 1,000 million km (621 million miles).
D)surface of Earth to the surface of the Sun and equals about 150 million km (93 million miles).

Question 29

Why is it difficult for someone to witness a total solar eclipse in their lifetime?

A)The Moon's umbra track on Earth's surface is relatively large, making a solar eclipse impossible.
B)Earth's umbra track on the Moon's surface is relatively small and there are only two times a year when the Moon's orbit and the ecliptic plane intersect to make an eclipse possible.
C)The Moon's umbra track on Earth's surface is relatively small and there are only two times a year when the Moon's orbit and the ecliptic plane intersect to make an eclipse possible.
D)Earth's umbra track on the Moon's surface is small and there are only 10 times a year when the Moon's orbit and the ecliptic plane intersect to make an eclipse possible.

Question 30

Astronomers use the geometric parallax by precisely measuring the angles at which a star's position changes, astronomers use trigonometry to calculate the _________ nearby stars less than _________ away from Earth.

A)distance to; 1 light-year
B)temperature of; 500 light-years
C)distance to; 500 light-years
D)Astronomers do not use the geometric parallax, only meteorologists use it.

Question 31

The primary difference between a total solar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse is that a _________ solar eclipse occurs when Earth passes through the Moon's umbra and the Sun becomes _________ obscured.

A)partial; partially
B)total; partially
C)partial; completely
D)total; completely

Question 32

Which unit do astronomers use for measuring distance between objects in our galaxy?

A)parsec
B)astronomical unit
C)Doppler shift
D)light-year

Question 33

What happens during a lunar eclipse in relation to the alignment of the Sun, the moon, and Earth?

A)Earth blocks moonlight from reaching the Sun.
B)Earth's moon blocks sunlight from reaching the Earth.
C)The Sun blocks moonlight from reaching Earth's moon.
D)Earth blocks sunlight from reaching Earth's moon.

Question 34

Using the Doppler effect, astronomers can

A)calculate the velocity Earth's moon is moving toward Earth.
B)calculate the distance from Earth to the Moon.
C)detect whether a celestial object is moving away or towards the observer.
D)detect a celestial object's chemical composition.

Question 35

Astronomers have determined that _________ stars have a surface temperature of 18,000°C (32,400°F), _________ stars have a surface temperature of 5,800°C (10,500°F), and _________ stars have a surface temperature of 2,500°C (4,500°F).

A)blue; yellow; red
B)yellow; blue; red
C)red; yellow; blue
D)yellow; red; blue

Question 36

An image produced by a spectroscope will

A)not show any light from a celestial object.
B)show the light from a celestial object does not contain all possible wavelengths, but rather displays distinct spectral lines, which are bright or dark bands at specific wavelengths.
C)show that the light from a celestial object contains all possible wavelengths.
D)show the chemical composition from a celestial object and several spectral lines, which are bright or dark bands at multiple wavelengths.

Question 37

The _________ window is transparent to visible light and translucent to infrared energy.

A)radio
B)photon
C)spectral
D)optical

Question 38

Which of the following would an astronomer use for measuring the distance between objects in our solar system?

A)light-year
B)astronomical unit
C)Doppler shift
D)speed of light

Question 39

A geometric parallax is the apparent displacement of a foreground object relative to a background object when an observer's position changes and can be used to calculate the

A)temperature of faraway stars.
B)temperature of nearby stars.
C)distance of faraway stars.
D)distance of nearby stars.

Question 40

Spectral lines can act like a _________ to help astronomers identify the chemical _________ of the electromagnetic radiation characteristics of a star.

A)fingerprint; structure
B)class; composition
C)fingerprint; composition
D)composition; fingerprint

Question 41

A space telescope can detect _________, whereas a radio telescope cannot.

A)visible light and infrared energy
B)infrared energy and gamma rays
C)x-rays and gamma rays
D)visible light and x-rays

Question 42

Outline Newton's Laws of Physics.

Question 43

How can astronomers determine the surface temperature of a star?

Question 44

Modern radio telescopes consist of a dish that _________ incident _________ energy to a focus where instruments collect and analyze the energy.

A)refracts; visible-wave
B)refracts; radio-wave
C)reflects; radio-wave
D)reflects; ultraviolet-wave

Question 45

Why do cell phones and weather radar systems transmit signals in the radio and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, rather than the infrared or ultraviolet regions?

Question 46

The world's greatest astronomical observatories are all located on isolated mountaintops to diminish the effects of

A)Earth's ocean and light pollution.
B)the atmosphere and light pollution.
C)the atmosphere and Earth's ocean.
D)the atmosphere and the lithosphere.

Question 47

Identify the different phases of Earth's moon on the figure below, using the word bank provided.

Question 48

Astronomers examine the relationship between _________ and distance to figure out how far a star is from Earth when the star is more than 500 light-years away.

A)apparent brightness
B)magnitude
C)composition
D)temperature

Question 49

A reflecting telescope operates by containing a(n)

A)flat mirror that refracts light to a focus in front of a mirror. The smaller the area of the mirror, the more light the telescope can gather. A smaller mirror at the focus sends the concentrated light to an eyepiece at the back or at the side of the telescope.
B)curved mirror that reflects light to a focus in front of a mirror. The larger the area of the mirror, the more light the telescope can gather. A smaller mirror at the focus sends the concentrated light to an eyepiece at the back or at the side of the telescope.
C)objective lens that refracts incoming light and concentrates it at a focus behind the lens. A second lens, the eyepiece, magnifies the concentrated light so that objects appear larger.
D)objective lens that reflects incoming light and concentrates it at a focus in front of the lens.

Question 50

A(n) _________ represents the distance that an imaginary star would have to be from Earth for its parallax to be exactly 1 arc-second if you were to move from an observation point in the center of the Sun to the center of Earth.

A)astronomical unit
B)kilometer
C)parallax
D)parsec

Question 51

Radio telescopes have to be so large because radio-wave energy coming from space is _________ and the wavelengths of this energy are _________.

A)weak; long
B)strong; long
C)strong; short
D)weak; short

Question 52

Hubble's law is used to

A)measure the distance to the most remote objects in space.
B)calibrate the distance between Earth and the Sun.
C)measure the temperature of the most remote objects in space.
D)measure the composition of the remote objects in space.

Question 53

Why do planets sometimes exhibit retrograde motion?

Question 54

Imagine an astronomer who has just used a spectroscope to measure the emission lines of radiation from a distant galaxy. When she looks at the emission lines of hydrogen, she notes that all of the lines measured are shifted from their expected positions toward the red end of the spectrum. Is the galaxy moving toward the astronomer or away from her?

Question 55

How does an astronomer use Cepheid variables to determine distance in space?

Question 56

Compare the ancient geocentric model of the solar system with the present-day heliocentric model.

Question 57

What are the reason(s) large astronomical observatories prefer reflecting telescopes?

Question 58

What is a simple, everyday example of the Doppler effect?

Question 59

What advantages do space telescopes have over earthbound telescopes?

A)Space telescopes do not have any advantages over earthbound telescopes.
B)A space telescope that orbits above Earth's energy-absorbing atmosphere is able to detect the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
C)Earthbound telescopes can ONLY detect short and long wavelengths that can pass through the radio windows to the ground.
D)Space telescopes last longer and are easier to repair because they are less impacted by Earth's gravity.

Question 60

A refracting telescope refracts incoming light, whereas a reflecting telescope _________ light.

A)transmits
B)absorbs
C)bends
D)reflects