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Astro 1 Final (Penn State)

Terms in this set (85)

True or False: the black hole at the center of our galaxy is currently a quasar
False
Why is the Andromeda galaxy moving toward the Milky Way galaxy?
because our two galaxies are close enough together that gravity overcomes the expansion of space
How do we measure a given galaxy's recession speed
by the Doppler shift of its spectrum
Assuming a constant rate of expansion, the age of the universe equals...
T_0
According to observational evidence of the past expansion rate, if current trends continue, the future of the Universe will be...
expansion forever speeding up due to dark energy
Which is evidence supporting the Big Bang theory
no objects are older than about 14 billion years
Which of the following describes "Hubble's Law" in words?
more distant galaxies move away faster
How do a white dwarf's observable properties change as it ages, if it is left alone?
cools and fades
When the Andromeda galaxy collides with the Milky Way galaxy, the Sun will most likely collide with _____ in the Andromeda galaxy
nothing
If our Sun were magically replaced by a black hole of 1 solar mass, the Earth would
maintain the same orbit
Which is the best description of the big bang and ensuing expansion?
Space itself is expanding and carrying pieces of matter along for the ride. Because space is stretching, there is more space all the time.
Which statement is necessarily true about pulsars and neutron stars?
every pulsar is a neutron star
A galaxy is located 9 billion light years away from us. Our universe is approximately 14 billion years old. When did the galaxy emit the light that we observe now?
9 billion years ago
What is the power source that makes quasars shine?
accretion
identify the most dense object: Earth, white dwarf, main sequence star, neutron star
neutron star
Is a white dwarf, Earth, neutron star, or main sequence star the least dense object?
main sequence star
How does the escape velocity change if you go farther from a black hole?
it decreases
The spectrum of the CMB radiation peaks at a wavelength of 1.06mm today. How will its spectrum be different in the distant future, if at all? The spectrum will...
peak at a wavelength longer than 1.06mm
Since quasars are usually found very far away (like 10 billion ly away), we can conclude that
they are rare now, but used to be common long ago
the "size" (i.e. its Schwarzchild radius) of a black hole depends on the black hole's...
mass
If we could somehow remove the supermassive black hole from the center of the Milky Way, what would happen to the rest of the galaxy?
The rest of the galaxy would behave as normal
Considering the stars and gas only (not the dark matter), our galaxy is shaped roughly like a...
pancake - thin, round, and flat
Why is the night sky being dark (Olbers's paradox) not considered a paradox anymore
because the paradox rested on an incorrect assumption of an infinitely old universe
If you observe two galaxies at different distances from you, the more distant one will...
appear younger f
black hole escape velocity at the singularity is: infinite, finite, or zero
infinite
black hole volume occupied by the mass is: infinite, finite, or zero
zero
black hole mass is: infinite, finite, or zero
finite
black hole escape velocity at the event horizon is: infinite, finite, or zero
finite
black hole density is: infinite, finite, or zero
infinite
CMB is visible in every direction because
in every direction we see back to when the universe was young
True or false: the distance between widely separated galaxy clusters are getting larger due to the expansion of the universe
true
which two elements is the Sun primarily composed of?
hydrogen and helium
Pluto is a...
Kuiper belt object
The Sun (a low-mass Main Sequence star) will eventually form a neutron star, a white dwarf, or a supernova
a white dwarf
Why does the sun shine?
because it is hot
The smallest bit of light
photon
the smallest bit of any chemical element
atom
has zero mass
photon
contains protons and electrons
atom
global warming is _____ greenhouse effect
caused by increasing
what color would the hottest star appear to your eye?
blue
True or False: beta waves are a part of the magnetic spectrum
false
wavelength and energy are
inversely proportional
Energy, speed, or doppler shift direction determine the color of a particle of light
it's energy
what marks the end of a star's main sequence lifetime?
it runs out of hydrogen in the core
True or false: a parsec is larger than an AU
True
The astroid belt, Kuiper belt, or both: shaped like a flat ring-shaped disc
both
A high or low mass star live longer?
low mass
The astroid belt, Kuiper belt, or both: contains many small rocky bodies, each orbiting the Sun
both
The astroid belt, Kuiper belt, or both: located outside the orbit of Neptune
Kuiper belt
The astroid belt, Kuiper belt, or both: has at least one dwarf planet
both
The astroid belt, Kuiper belt, or both: located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
asteroid belt
Jovian or terrestrial planets: larger planets
jovian
Jovian or terrestrial planets: larger orbits
jovian
Jovian or terrestrial planets: higher density
terrestrial
Jovian or terrestrial planets: more moons
jovian
Jovian or terrestrial planets:
jovian
Comet, meteor, or both: can be visible in the sky for many weeks
comet
Comet, meteor, or both: looks like a streak of light in a photograph of the sky
both
Comet, meteor, or both: looks bright because of the reflected sun
both
only visible when passing through earth's atmosphere
meteors
Comet, meteor, or both: typically several AU away from Earth when you see it
comets
If infrared light got blue-shifted enough, it could become
red visible light
True or False: for main sequence stars, luminosity and temperature are correlated
true
Why is Venus the hottest in our solar system?
it has an extreme greenhouse effect
Since Betelgeuse is a red star, it must be going away from us
false
Low and high mass stars are different colors because higher mass stars can fuse heavier elements
false
If you are in the continental U.S., when does a vertical flagpole cast no shadow from your location?
at midday only on the summer solstice
How long does it take for the Moon to go through a full cycle of phases?
one month
Revolve, rotate, or both: the sun does this
both
Revolve, rotate, or both: the Earth does this
both
Revolve, rotate, or both: this is a synonym for "orbit"
revolve
Revolve, rotate, or both: this is a synonym for "spin"
rotate
Why do we see the Moon go through different phases
as the Moon moves around the Earth, an observer on Earth sees the Sun's rays on the Moon from different angles
true or false: If Earth's axis of rotation were NOT tilted we would still have seasons
false
If the earth's orbit were changed to be perfect circle, seasons would be...
same as now
You observe a star rising due east. When this star reaches its highest position above the horizon, where will it be?
high in the southern sky
Astronomy, astrology, or both: which is the topic of this class
astronomy
Astronomy, astrology, or both: which has to do with stars and constellations?
both
Astronomy, astrology, or both: which is tantamount to fraud?
astrology
Astronomy, astrology, or both: which is a field of science
astronomy
what is the order of the moon, Earth and Sun during a lunar eclipse?
Sun - Earth - Moon
What is the order of the moon, earth, and sun during a solar eclipse?
Sun - Moon - Earth
How often do total eclipses happen?
rarely, once or twice a year, on average
What makes the moon shine?
Reflection from the sun
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