midterm

Question 1

Diffraction is the tendency of light to:

Answer 1

spread around corners.

Question 2

Which of the choices below correctly lists things in order from largest to smallest?

Answer 2

Universe, Local Group, Milky Way, Solar System

Question 3

Kepler’s first law worked, where Copernicus’ original heliocentric model failed, because Kepler described the orbits as

Answer 3

elliptical, not circular.

Question 4

Which of these was NOT seen telescopically by Galileo?

Answer 4

stellar parallax

Question 5

Which of the following have an icy composition?

Answer 5

comets

Question 6

Why is the sky blue?

Answer 6

the atmosphere scatters the light from the Sun

Question 7

When the sun rises it is located in the constellation Gemini. When the sun sets later that same day it will be

Answer 7

in the constellation Gemini.

Question 8

The jovian planets

Answer 8

all have rings around their equators.

Question 9

From the center outward, the correct order is:

Answer 9

solid metallic inner core, molten metal outer core, silicate mantle and crust.

Question 10

What is the primary purpose of an astronomical telescope?

Answer 10

To collect a lot of light and bring it to a focus.

Question 11

The Law of Universal Gravitation was developed by:

Answer 11

Newton.

Question 12

How do the densities of the jovian and terrestrial planets compare?

Answer 12

All terrestrials are more dense than any of the jovians.

Question 13

The place in a planet’s orbit that is closest to the Sun is called

Answer 13

perihelion

Question 14

Which characteristic listed below describes the jovian planets?

Answer 14

low density

Question 15

Which major atmospheric component is chiefly a product of life processes?

Answer 15

oxygen

Question 16

Which of the following is a contribution to astronomy made by Galileo?

Answer 16

Jupiter has four moons orbiting it. venus appears almost fully lit when it lies on the far side of the Sun. The Moon has craters, mountain, valleys, and dark flat areas on its surface. The astronomical telescope can show us far more detail than the eye can. ALL OF THE ABOVE

Question 17

A meteorite is

Answer 17

a chunk of space debris that has struck the ground.

Question 18

Why are most large telescopes reflectors, not refractors?

Answer 18

Reflectors do not suffer from chromatic aberration like refractors do. Large, very clear lenses are harder to cast than more tolerant mirror blanks. Large mirrors need only one optical surface, achromats four surfaces to grind.Large lenses deform under their own weight, but mirrors can be supported. ALL OF THE ABOVE

Question 19

The process occurring when photons bounce off a polished surface is called:

Answer 19

reflection.

Question 20

What are constellations?

Answer 20

Groups of stars making an apparent pattern in the celestial sphere

Question 21

Which of the following are the Jovian planets?

Answer 21

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune only

Question 22

The rotation periods of Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are difficult to determine because

Answer 22

their surface features are obscured by their atmospheres.

Question 23

A solar eclipse can only happen during a:

Answer 23

new moon

Question 24

In order to determine the mass of a planet by applying Newton’s laws of motion and gravity, the planet must have

Answer 24

moons.

Question 25

About how many stars are visible on a clear, dark night with the naked eye alone?

Answer 25

a few thousand

Question 26

If new Moon fell on March 2nd, what is the Moon's phase on March 14th?

Answer 26

waxing gibbous

Question 27

Which statement about the first quarter moon is FALSE?

Answer 27

From the Earth, it appears 25% sunlit.

Question 28

What is the resolution of a telescope?

Answer 28

WRONG

Question 29

The plane in which almost all planets orbit the sun is called the:

Answer 29

ecliptic.

Question 30

The primary purpose of a telescope is to

Answer 30

collect a large amount of light and bring it into focus.

Question 31

Earth's magnetic field:

Answer 31

prevents charged particles in the solar wind from reaching the surface.

Question 32

Which of these is not a product of plate tectonics and hot spots?

Answer 32

the Grand Canyon's eroded depths

Question 33

The critical part of the atmosphere for protecting life on the ground from excessive ultraviolet radiation is the:

Answer 33

ozone layer.

Question 34

One advantage of the Hubble Space telescope over ground based ones is that

Answer 34

in orbit, it can operate close to its diffraction limit at visible wavelengths.

Question 35

Tycho Brahe's contribution to Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion were

Answer 35

his detailed and accurate observations of the planet's position.

Question 36

What gas is the primary constituent of our atmosphere?

Answer 36

nitrogen

Question 37

When the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, its phase is

Answer 37

full

Question 38

Most asteroids are found:

Answer 38

between mars and jupiter

Question 39

If the Moon rose tonight at 6 PM, then tomorrow it will rise about:

Answer 39

7 PM

Question 40

The smallest sort of interplanetary matter is called

Answer 40

interplanetary dust

Question 41

What celestial line is a product of the Earth's orbit around the Sun?

Answer 41

ecliptic

Question 42

Which design is subject to chromatic aberration?

Answer 42

refractor

Question 43

The planet's orbital period is:

Answer 43

the time it takes to return to the same location in the sky, relative to the Sun.

Question 44

The tail of a comet always points

Answer 44

away from the Sun and becomes longest and brightest at perihelion.

Question 45

While watching a star, you see it moves 15 degrees across the sky. How long have you been watching it?

Answer 45

1 hour

Question 46

The greatest contribution of the Greeks to modern thought was:

Answer 46

wrong

Question 47

Kepler's second law implies what about planetary motion?

Answer 47

A planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun.

Question 48

A lunar eclipse can only happen during a:

Answer 48

full moon

Question 49

When water vapor condenses out at the cool tops of convection cells, what happens?

Answer 49

clouds form

Question 50

The crust of the Earth is covered by about ________ water in the hydrosphere.

Answer 50

70%

Question 51

The largest asteroid, and probably the only one to be a spherical "world" is

Answer 51

Ceres

Question 52

A year is defined as

Answer 52

the time it takes for Earth to complete an orbit around the Sun.

Question 53

A mountain top is an especially good site for infrared telescopes since:

Answer 53

the cold weather helps the sensitivity of infrared detectors. here you are closer to celestial objects. you are above most of the carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere. less air above means better seeing in many cases. ALL OF THE ABOVE

Question 54

The principal greenhouse gases in our present atmosphere are:

Answer 54

Water vapor and carbon dioxide

Question 55

In what part of our atmosphere do we live?

Answer 55

troposphere

Question 56

If you are in the Moon's umbral shadow, then you will witness

Answer 56

a total solar eclipse.

Question 57

Planetary orbits

Answer 57

WRONG

Question 58

Which of these was NOT a telescopic discovery of Galileo?

Answer 58

moons of saturn

Question 59

The most famous prehistoric astronomical observatory is:

Answer 59

stonehenge

Question 60

Which planet by itself contains the majority of mass of all the planets?

Answer 60

Jupiter

Question 61

What is true about solar system densities?

Answer 61

The denser planets lie closer to the Sun.