Chapter 6 Flashcards
(21 cards)
A prism is able to spread white light out into a spectrum of colors based on the property of
refraction
Why do reflecting telescopes usually have a secondary mirror in addition to a primary mirror?
to make the telescope shorter
Cameras that use adaptive optics provide higher-spatial-resolution images primarily because
deformable mirrors are used to correct the blurring due to Earth’s atmosphere.
The image of a star in the figure below does not look like a single dot due to
diffraction.
What part(s) of the human eye is (are) responsible for detecting light?
rods and cones
Why can you see fainter stars with an 8-inch telescope than you can see with your unaided eye?
The telescope collects light over a larger area.
The first astronomical detector was
the human eye.
Short wavelengths of light do not reach Earth’s surface because
molecules in the atmosphere absorb these wavelengths of light.
Most modern spectrographs use a ________ to disperse the light from an object.
diffraction grating
Which of the following is a way for astronomers to view a wide range of infrared wavelengths from space without using a space telescope?
Mount a telescope on an airplane.
An atmospheric window is
a range of wavelengths that the atmosphere is transparent to.
A large region of ________ wavelengths is not affected in any way by Earth’s atmosphere, and so astronomers can effectively observe at these wavelengths even at sea level.
radio
Astronomers can use ground-based telescopes to observe large portions of which regions of the electromagnetic spectrum?
visible and radio
Arrays of radio telescopes can produce much better resolution than single-dish telescopes because they work based on the principle of
interference.
interference.
X-rays do not travel very far through Earth’s atmosphere.
In order to observe gamma rays originating from space, astronomers must first
place a gamma-ray telescope above Earth’s atmosphere.
Samples of which celestial object(s) have been brought back to Earth to be studied in detail?
a comet
the solar wind
an asteroid
the Moon
Which of the following are examples of space phenomena that can be studied from Earth?
antimatter and cosmic rays
neutrinos
gravitational waves
meteorites
Which of the following cannot be directly detected by using a telescope?
neutrinos
Using robotic probes to fly by other planets is advantageous as compared to orbiting or landing probes on those planets because
flybys are easier and cheaper.
LIGO and VIRGO are facilities that detect
gravitational waves.
