Astronomy 1 Flashcards by Catherine Heslin

When both are viewed a distance away from Earth, would a person standing on the South Pole appear to be oriented upside down compared with a person standing on the North Pole?
a) yes but they would believe they were standing upright
b) yes but they would each have the north star above their head
c) no they would both be standing in the same orientation because “up” is always the same direction on earth
d) no that would imply the south pole would fall off the globe

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The fact the voyager 10 continues to speed out of the solar system even though its rockets have no fuel is an example of
a) newtons second law of motion
b) the universal law of gravitation
c) newtons first law of motion
d) newtons third law of motion
e) none of the above

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Gravity is an inverse square law in distance. Therefore, if the distance between two masses is decreased by a factor of 4, the gravitational force between those two masses
a) increases by a factor of 16
b) increases by a factor of 2
c) decreases by a factor of 16
d) increases by a factor of 4
e) decreases by a factor of 4

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Newton’s version of Kepler’s third law states:
According to this, what observational information does one need in order to calculate the combined mass of a planet and its moon
a) the radius of two planets in meters and the average distance between them
b) the orbital period and the density of the two objects
c) the average distance between the two objects and the orbital period
d) it is impossible to determine the mass of any astronomical object

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Our solar system is located about 27000 light-years from the galactic center. How far does our solar system travel in one orbit
a) 100000 light-years
b) 85000 light-years
c) 54000 light years
d) 170000 light years

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if an objects velocity is doubled its moment is
a) dependent on acceleration
b) halved
c) quadrupled
d) doubled
e) unchanged

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From shortest to longest wave length which of the following correctly orders the different categories of electromagnetic radiation
a) ultraviolet, xray, gamma ray, visible light, infrared, radio
b) gamma ray, x ray, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, radio
c) infrared, visibile light, ultraviolet, x ray, gamma ray, radio
d) radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x ray, gamma ray

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cell phone signals passing through walls is an example of
a) emission
b) reflection or scattering
c) transmission
d) absorption

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On a hot day molecules of air … than on a cold day
a) move faster on average
b) contain more atoms
c) move slower on average
d) are less massive
e) are more massive

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Why is newton’s version of Kepler’s third law so useful to astronomers
a) it tells is that more distant planets orbit the sun more rapidly
b) it tells us how rapidly a planet spins on its axis
c) it can be used to determine the masses of many distant objects
d) it explains why objects spin faster when they shrink in size

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Red light has a lower energy per photon than blue light. Therefore red light has
a) higher frequency, longer wavelength than blue light
b) higher frequency, shorter wavelength than blue light
c) lower frequency, shorter wavelength than blue light
d) lower frequency, longer wavelength than blue light

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fill in later

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how many arcseconds are in one arcminute
a) 100
b) 10000
c) 360
d) 3600
e) 60

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A wave has peaks and troughs that can move matter up and down when the wave interacts with matter. the frequency of a wave is
a) the number of peaks passing by any point each second
b) the speed at which a wave moves through space
c) the distance between two adjacent peaks of a wave

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what do astronomers mean by a constellation
a) a constellation is a region in the sky as seen from earth
b) a constellation is a group of stars that are all located in about the same place in space
c) a constellation is any random grouping of stars in the sky
d) a constellation is a group of stars related through an ancient story

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The reason galaxies that are distant from our galaxy move away from our galaxy more rapidly than those that are near is
a) the more distant galaxies are smaller and less massive so they can move faster
b) more space expands between us and the distant galaxies
c) the more distant galaxies formed first with higher speeds
d) the nearby galaxies are slowed by our galaxies gravitational pull

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If a material is transparent then it
a) transmits light as well
b) scatters light as well
c) absorbs light well
d) emits light well
e) reflects light well

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angular momentum depends upon
a) mass and velocity
b) force and radius
c) mass, velocity, and radius
d) momentum and angular velocity
e) force, velocity, and radius

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You are standing on a scale in an elevator and notice that your weight is lower than your normal weight. What do you conclude is occurring
a) your diet is working
b) the elevator is moving at a constant velocity upward
c) the elevator is accelerating downward
d) the elevator is accelerating upward
e) the elevator is moving at a constant velocity downward

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the wavelength of a wave is
a) how strong the wave is
b) the distance between a peak of the wave and the next trough
c) the distance between where the wave is emitted and where it is absorbed
d) the distance between two adjacent peaks of the wave
e) equal to the speed of the wave times the waves frequency

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The universe is defined as
a) all the objects we can see and the space between them
b) all the stars and galaxies that we can see with telescopes
c) the entire milky way galaxy
d) all material, space, and energy that exist: everything

Sunlight takes 8.4 minutes to get from the Sun to Earth. When NASA’s new horizons Spacecraft passed Pluto in 2016, it was 33 AU from Earth. How long did it take for its transmitted images of Pluto to arrive at Earth
a) one plutonian year
b) 277.3 hours
c) 4.6 hours
d) they arrived almost instantaneously. The transmitted signals were radio signals and therefore traveled at the speed of light

How many arcminutes are in one degree
a) 360
b) 60
c) 100
d) 3600
e) 10000

according to the laws of thermal radiation hotter objects emit photons with
a) a higher average speed
b) a lower average frequency
c) a shorter average wavelength
d) a lower average energy

according to the universal law of gravitation the force due to gravity is a) dependent on the distance between objects b) directly proportional to the square of the distance between objects c) inversely proportional to the square of the distance between objects d) directly proportional to the distance between objects e) inversely proportional to the distance between objects

The earth exerts a gravitational force on a person standing on the surface. The person also exerts a gravitational force on the earth. Based on Newton's third law of motion, how do these two forces compare a) the earth exerts a much stronger force than the person b) the forces exerted by the earth and the person are the same c) the person exerts a much stronger force than the earth d) the person exerts a slightly stronger force than the earth e) the earth exerts a slightly stronger force than the person

What would happen if a rocket were launched with a speed greater than Earth's escape velocity a) it would travel in a higher orbit around earth b) it would orbit earth with a faster velocity c) it would take less time to reach its bound orbit d) it would travel away from earth into the solar system e) it would be in an unstable orbit

The planet mars is on average about 228 million km from the sun. How long does it take light from the sun to reach mars? a) about 1.52 light seconds b) about 8.4 minutes c) about 12.7 minutes d) about 1.52 hours

Doppler shifted hydrogen absorption lines are seen in the spectrum of a star. The hydrogen line at 656.28 nm is seen to be shifted to 656.08 nm. Is the star moving towards or away from us, or can we not tell a) moving away from us b) moving towards us d) there is not enough information to determine the answer

When an electron drops to a lower energy level in an atom a) the atom moves more slowly b) the electron becomes more massive c) the extra energy disappears d) light as a wavelength specific to the change in energy levels is emitted

the source of energy that powers the sun is a) chemical potential energy of hydrogen b) gravitational potential energy of the contraction of the gas cloud that formed the sun c) thermal energy of the hydrogen atoms in the sun d) mass energy released by nuclear fusion e) kinetic energy of the orbital motion of the sun

what is the ecliptic a) the sun's daily path from east to west in our sky b) the path traced by the moon's shadow on earth during a solar eclipse c) the path the sun appears to trace around the celestial sphere each year d) a half-circle extending from your horizon due north through your zenith to your horizon due south

light takes approximately one second to travel from earth to the moon. this means the moon is approximately a) 1 astronomical unit from earth b) 1 light-year from earth c) 300000 km from earth d) 3000 km from earth e) near the top of earth's atmosphere

thermal radiation is defined as a) radiation that is felt as heat radiation in the form of emission lines from an object b) radiation with a spectrum whose shape depends only on the temperature of the emitting object c) radiation produced by an extremely hot object

we can see the moon because it a) glows through radioactive decay b) reflects infrared light c) emits visible light d) reflects visible light e) emits thermal radiation

suppose you know the frequency of a photon and the speed of light. what else can you determine about the photon a) its acceleration b) its temperature c) its wavelength and energy d) the chemical composition of the object that emitted it

what is the evidence for the existence of the mysterious "dark matter" a) anti-matter (expected to be formed in the big bang) has never been seen. hence it is referred to as the "dark matter" b) the expansion of the universe is observed to be accelerating implying a repulsive force due to the unknown presence of "dark matter" c) we are unable to see the stars that are located at large distances from us across the milky way galaxy suggesting unknown "dark matter" absorbing their light d) the outer parts of galaxies rotate about their centers at unexpected velocities. these velocities indicate that there are massive halos around each galaxy made of matter invisible to astronomers

where did the elements hydrogen and most helium form a) comets b) planets c) stars d) big bang

suppose you know the frequency of a photon and the speed of light. what else can you determine about the photon a) its wavelength and energy b) its temperature c) the chemical composition of the object that emitted it d) its acceleration

photons behave like a) waves b) particles c) both waves and particles d) neither waves nor particles

how many seconds are in one year a) about 86 thousand b) about 3600 c) about 380 million d) about 30 million

suppose you are in an elevator that is traveling upward at constant speed. how does your weight compare to your normal weight on the ground a) it is less b) it is the same c) it is greater d) you are weightless

what is the difference between a bound orbit and an unbound orbit around the sun a) a bound orbit is an orbit allowed by the universal law of gravitation and an unbound orbit is not b) an object on a bound orbit has a gravitational attraction to the sun while an object on an unbound orbit does not c) a bound orbit is circular while an unbound orbit is elliptical d) an object on a bound orbit follows the same path around the sun over and over while an object on an unbound orbit approaches the sun just once and then never returns

the earth has a radius of about 6000 km. how long would it take for an object traveling at the speed of light to circle the earth a) 1/8 of a second b) 1/300000 of a second c) 1/2 a second d) 1/6000 of a second

which is the longest wavelength a) 10 nm b) 10 km c) 10 m d) 10 cm

the energy attributed to an object by virtue of its motion is known as a) potential energy b) mass energy c) radiative energy d) kinetic energy

momentum is defined as a) mass multiplied by speed b) mass multiplied by acceleration c) force multiplied by velocity d) mass multiplied by velocity

if your mass is 60 kg on earth what would your mass be on the moon a) 10 kg b) 60 kg c) 10 lb d) 60 lb e) 50 kg

what does temperature measure a) the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance b) the average mass of particles in a substance c) the total potential energy of particles in a substance d) the amount of infrared radiation emitted by an object

which is hotter a) a yellow star b) a green star c) a red star d) a blue star e) an orange star