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Wilfrid Laurier University *
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Course
101
Subject
Astronomy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
Pages
101
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AS101 everything together
Astronomy I Our Place in the Cosmos (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university
AS101 everything together
Astronomy I Our Place in the Cosmos (Wilfrid Laurier University)
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1. What is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun?
(a) 1 million kilometres
(b) 1 light year
(c) 1 Astronomical Unit (AU)
(d) 1 arc second
2. How long ago did the Big Bang occur (i.e., how old is the Universe)?
(a) 10,000 years
(b) 100 light years
(c) 4.5 billion years
(d) 13.7 billion years
3. What is the ecliptic?
(a) The dividing line between the northern and southern celestial hemispheres.
(b) The projection of Earth's orbit around the Sun onto the celestial sphere.
(c) The apparent path of the Moon around the sky.
(d) The line passing through the sky which cuts through the celestial poles and
zenith.
4. Relative to the stars, the Moon moves eastward in the sky each day as seen from
Earth by how much?
(a) 1 degree
(b) 13 degrees
(c) 27 degrees
(d) 360 degrees
5. Why does the Moon turn coppery red during a lunar eclipse?
(a) The Earth is slightly transparent to red light.
(b) The Moon glows red due to blackbody radiation.
(c) The Earth's atmosphere refracts only red light from the Sun, the same
phenomenon which
causes sunsets and sunrises to be red, towards the Moon.
(d) The Moon is still able to reect the red light coming from Mars.
6. What are the two most abundant elements in the Sun (and the universe)?
(a) Nitrogen and Oxygen
(b) Hydrogen and Helium
(c) Hydrogen and Carbon
(d) Hydrogen and Oxygen
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7. Imagine you are waiting on a train platform while a train passes by at 100 km/h.
If it is blowing its whistle
during this time, what will you observe about the pitch (frequency) of the whistle?
(a) As the train approaches it will be higher than usual and as it leaves it will
be lower.
(b) As the train approaches it will be lower than usual and as it leaves it will be
higher.
(c) The pitch will sound the same the whole time.
(d) The pitch will be higher the whole time.
8. What must be true about a star that we observe to be 8 light years away?
(a) It must be very large relative to the Sun.
(b) We are seeing the star as it was 8 years ago since the light would have
taken that long to
reach us.
(c) The star formed about 8 million years ago.
(d) The light we observe has taken so long to reach us that the star probably no
longer exists.
9. About how long does it take light to cross our galaxy?
(a) 80,000 years
(b) 8 minutes
(c) Light travels in_nitely fast so no time at all.
(d) 4.5 billion years
10. Which sequence correctly orders objects from smallest to largest?
(a) Earth, solar system, Milky Way galaxy, the Universe
(b) Earth, Milky Way galaxy, solar system, the Universe
(c) Earth, solar system, the Universe, Milky Way galaxy
(d) solar system, Earth, Milky Way galaxy, the Universe
11. Which one of the following statements regarding stars and constellations is
true?
(a) Only stars near the ecliptic belong to constellations.
(b) Every star now belongs to a constellation.
(c) Constellations include only stars visible to the naked eye.
(d) There are several constellations containing no stars at all.
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12. Why do astronomers often use scienti_c notation?
(a) It makes conversions between di_erent units easy.
(b) It is a more convenient way of writing big or small numbers
.
(c) It allows for more precise measurements.
(d) It is used for historical reasons only.
13. In Australia (which is in the southern hemisphere), which month sees the most
daylight?
(a) March
(b) June
(c) September
(d) December
14. Why are northern hemisphere summers warmer than northern hemisphere
winters.
(a) The Earth is closer to the Sun during the summer months.
(b) Snowfall cools the northern hemisphere during winter.
(c) The light from the Sun shines more directly onto the northern hemisphere
during summer
because of the tilt of Earth's rotational axis.
(d) The Moon is closer during the summer and thus reects more light to Earth.
15. When does a first quarter moon rise?
(a) Around noon.
(b) Around sunset.
(c) Around sunrise.
(d) It can happen any time of day.
16. If the Earth's axis of rotation were not tilted relative to the ecliptic, what would
happen to the seasons?
(a) They would be practically non-existe
nt.
(b) They would be much more severe.
(c) The seasons would reverse so that it was colder in the summer and vice versa.
(d) There would be no noticeable e_ect on the seasons.
17. What are the largest known structures in the Universe?
(a) stars
(b) galaxies
(c) solar systems
(d) galaxy _laments
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18. How will an observer see the stars appear to move over the course of a few
hours?
(a) Westward across the sky
.
(b) Eastward across the sky.
(c) They would not appear to move over the course of only a few hours.
(d) They would converge towards the north celestial pole.
19. Where does most of the visible light we see coming from the Sun originate?
(a) The chromosphere
(b) The photosphere
(c) The corona
(d) The core
20. What determines the phase of the Moon on a particular night?
(a) The speed of the Moon in its orbit.
(b) The relative positions of the Earth, Sun, and Moon.
(c) How the Earth's shadows hits the surface of the Moon.
(d) The distance from the Earth to the Moon.
Q:1
Which one of the following statements best describes the star
t
(tau) Cet, a star slightly
smaller but similar to our sun.
*a. generates energy by nuclear fusion
b. the light lef the star 11.905 years ago
c. orbitng a diferent Solar System
d. located in the centre of the constellaton of Cetus at 11.905 ± 0.007 ly
Q:2 The number of stars in
our Galaxy are estmated in the range 200-400 billion stars. In
scientfc notaton that is equivalent to:
a. (200-400)×10
6
stars
*b. (2.0-4.0) )×10
11
stars
c. (2.0-4.0) )×10
10
stars
d) (200-400) )×10
13
stars
Q:3 What is the meaning of the following astronomical statement in relaton to a star’s distance.
You are told that the star Vega or
a
(alpha) Lyrae is at a distance of
d
= 25.05 light years.
a. The star must be very old
*b. the light lef the star 25.05 years ago
c. orbitng a diferent Solar System
d. located in the centre of the constellaton of Lyra
Q:4
If we say that the Andromeda galaxy is 2,538, 000 light-years away, how does that afect
how we see it?
a. The star must be very old
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*b. the light lef the star 2.538×10
6
years ago
c. orbitng a diferent Solar System
d. located in the centre of the local supercluster
Q:5 If the life of a star is 5, 000,000,000 years and its distance from the Earth is 1,000, 000 ly is
there any chance that the star might be dead by now mean while its light is stll traveling
towards the Earth?
a. Yes
*b. No
c. Maybe
Q.6
What is the average distance of the Earth to the
a
(alpha) Centauri star
?
a. 4.37 ly
*b. 5.2 ly
c. 4.0 ly
d 6.8 ly
Q.7 The following circle to represent the star Antares’ or
a
(alpha) Bootes diameter
d
Antares
and
the scale given by the line segment
=
=100
R
SUN
( equal to 100 tmes the radius of the sun).
How big is
approximately
Antares in relaton to the sun?
a. 20 tmes
c. 16 tmes
*b. 7 tmes
d. 30 tmes
Q.8
Which of the following is the smallest?
a. The size of a galaxy
b. The radius of the solar system
*c. The planet Jupiter diameter
d. The diameter of Antares
Q.9
It takes light 1.3 seconds to travel from the Moon to Earth and 8 minutes for light to travel
from the Sun to Earth. Which of the following statements is true?
a. The Sun is 6.2 tmes farther from Earth than the Moon
b. The Sun is 10 tmes farther from Earth than the Moon.
*c. The Sun is 370 tmes farther from Earth than the Moon
d.
The Sun is 1800 tmes farther from Earth than the Moon
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Q. 10
.
If the apparent visual magnitude of a star is 9.3, what does this tell us about the
brightness of the star?
a
.
It is one of the brighter stars in the sky
b. It is bright enough that it would be visible even during the day.
c. It appears faint because of its great distance from the Earth
*d. It is not visible with the naked eye
Q.11 Which of the following describes the magnitude scale?
a
.
It originated just afer the telescope was invented
*b. It can be used to indicate the apparent intensity of a celestal object.
c. It was used to determine the rate of precession
d. It is no longer used today
Q.12 If the apparent visual magnitude of star A is 8.1, and the apparent visual magnitude of star
B is -1.6, how do star A and star B compare in terms of apparent brightness as seen from Earth?
a. The star A is brighter than B
b. The star A is 10 tmes fainter than B
*c. Star B is brighter than A
d. Star B is 100 tmer more distant than star A
Q.13 Given the following stars which is one is visible to the naked eye with no difculty?
Star
Magnitude
A
7.20
B
6.31
C
-2.5
a. A
b. B
*c. C
Q.14 Where is the zenith for an observer standing at a point on the Earth’s North Pole?
a. The positon depends on the tme of day
b. Near the horizon and towards the west
*c. Directly above his head
d. Near the horizon and towards the south
Q.15
For an observer in Halifax, at 44.6478° N, 63.5714° W, what is the angle between the
northern horizon and the north celestial pole?
a. 0 degrees
b. 37 degrees
*c. 44.6478 degrees
d. 63.5714 degrees
Q.16 A star is on the north point of the horizon. Where will the star be in 18 hours later.
D
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B
NCP
C
Horizon
A
Horizon
N
STAR
a.
D
b.
C
c.
A
*d. B
Q.17 Why did ancient astronomers believe that the Earth did not move?
a.
Because they believed in circular moton
b.
Because all observable planets follow retrograde moton
c.
Because parallax is only detectable during the day
*d. B
ecause they could not detect parallax
Q. 18 An observer in the northern hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky.
If the illustration depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera
pointing?
a. Due south
b. Due zenith
c. Due west
*d. Due north
Q. 19 An object has been located orbitng the Sun at a distance of 125 AU. What is the
approximate orbital period of this object?
a. 2000 y
b. 365 y
*c. 1397.54 y
d. 120 y
Q. 20 An object has been orbitng the Sun with a period of 750 years. What is the approximate
semimajor axis of its orbit?
*a. 82.55 AU
b. 365 AU
c. 134 AU
d. 120 AU
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Q.21 At which positon (A, B, C) is the gravitatonal force of the Earth on the spaceship going to
the Moon is the greatest?
MOON
EARTH
A
B
C
a. A
b. B
c. *C
Q. 22 Two metal spheres each have mass of 3.0 x 10
8
kg.
If the gravitatonal force of atracton
between them is 37.5 N, what is the distance between their centers of mass?
*a. 400.1 m
b. 150 m
c. 399.5 m
d. 500 m
Q.23 X-rays easily penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere and reach the ground from space
a. True
*b. False
Q. 24 .What is the ratio of the light-gathering power of a future 40-metre telescope to that
of a 1-metre telescope
a. 40 to 1
b. 1 to 40
*c. 1600 to 1
d. 1 to 1600
Q. 25 What happens to a telescope’s light-gathering power and resolving power when you
increase its diameter?
a. Its light-gathering power increases and its resolving power decreases
b. Its light-gathering power decreases and its resolving power decreases
*c. Its light-gathering power and resolving power both increase
Q. 26 Which object is located at one foci of the elliptcal orbit of Mars?
*a. The sun
b. Earth
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c. Jupiter
d. Phobos
Q. 27 The diagram below illustrates three stages of a current theory of the formaton of the
univerese. A major piece of scientfc evidence supportng this theory is the fact that
wavelengths of light from galaxies moving away from Earth in stage 3 are observed to be:
a. Shorter than normal (a red shif)
b. Shorter than normal (a blue shif)
*c. Longer than normal (a red shif)
d. . Longer than normal (a blue shif)
BONUS QUESTION:
Base your answers to this queston on the diagram below, which shows the tlt of Earth on its
axis in relaton to the Sun on one partcular day. Points
A
through
E
are locatons on Earth’s
surface. Point
D
is located in New York State. The dashed line represents Earth’s axis. Which
diagram best represents the angle of the Sun’s rays received at locaton
C
at noon on this day?
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a. First
b. Second
*c. Third
Chapter 1: From Solar System to Galaxy to Universe
Q:1
Which one of the following statements best describes the Sun?
*
a.
generates energy by nuclear fusion
b.
located 10 AU from Earth
c.
orbiting the Solar System
d.
located in the centre of the Milky Way
Q:2 In the organizaton diagram below in which area the term: Polaris would appropriate ft?
a)
Yellow area= Solar
system,
*b) Red area=Milky Way,
c) Light Blue= Universe
.
Q:3 Which of the following sequences objects is in the correct order of increasing distance
?
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a)
Venus, Saturn, Moon, Andromeda galaxy, Polaris
b)
*Moon, Venus, Saturn, Polaris, Andromeda galaxy
*b)
c)
Polaris, Andromeda galaxy, Moon, Saturn, Venus
d)
Andromeda galaxy, Saturn, Venus, Polaris, Moon.
OR
a)
Alpha Centauri, Uranus, Mercury, Small Magellanic Cloud, Coma Supercluster
b)
Mercury, Uranus Alpha Centauri ,Small Magellanic Cloud, Coma Supercluster ,
*b)
c)
Cloud, Coma Supercluster, Mercury, Small Magellanic Cloud, Uranus
d)
Small Magellanic Cloud, Coma Supercluster, Alpha Centauri, Uranus, Mercury
Q:4 The nearest star to our solar system is alpha Centauri at 4.0
10
16
m (4.3 ly away). The diameter of
the sun is 1.4
10
9
m. How many suns would it take to line up adjacent to each other in order to reach
alpha Centauri?
a) 5.6
10
6
,
b) 5.6
10
6
,
c) 2.8
10
25
*d) 2.8
10
7
Q:5 There approximately 100 billion stars in our galaxy. If there 100 billion observable galaxies in our
universe, what is a reasonable estmate for the total number ion the universe?
*a) 1.0
10
22
b) 2.0
10
20
c) 1.5
10
15
d) 1.0
10
24
Q:6 The distance to a super cluster galaxy might be:
*a) 100 Mpc
b) 10 Kpc
c) 120 Ly
d) 10 AU
Q:7 Approximately 100 Earths would ft inside Jupiter. This Jupiter’s radius
must be …………….tmes larger
that Earth’s radius.
a) 100
b) 12
*c)10
d) 1000
Q:8) A spherical partcle in the ring of Saturn has radius of about 1m. The surface area of the partcle in
the area of radiaton fow is:
a) 125 m
2
b) 3.14 m
2
*c) 12.6 m
2
d) 14 m
2
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Q:9) A spherical partcle in the ring of Saturn has radius of about 1m. The cross sectonal area of the
partcle in the area of radiaton fow is:
a) 125 m
2
*b) 3.14 m
2
c) 12.6 m
2
d) 14 m
2
Q:10) If the landing lights in Denver airport were switched on, then in one second these photons travel
to:
a) New York (1580 km)
b) Alpha Centauri (40,000,000,000 000 km),
c) The Sun(150,000,000 km)
*d) Moon (384,000 km)
Q:11) Sirius the brightest star in the sky is about 9 ly away. If the speed of light became half of its present
value, how far would Sirius be?
a) 9 ly
*b) 18 ly
c) 4.5 ly
d) 32 ly
Q:12) The Andromeda galaxy is about 2,000,000 ly away. Therefore light started its travel:
a) 1,000,000 y
*b) 2,000,000 y
c) Just a second ago,
d) Can’t be determined
ago.
Q:13) In the diagram, what is the diameter of Mercury?
a.
about 240 km
*b.
about 2400 km
c.
about 24,000 km
d.
about 240,000 km
Q:15) . What is 5.7×10
7
the same as?
a.
5.7 million
b.
57 thousand
c.
570 thousand
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*d.
57 million
Q:16 If the distance from the Sun to the Earth is represented by roughly 15 metres, then what would the
distance from the Earth to the Moon on the same scale be?
a.
about 30 metres
b.
about 10 metres
c.
about 1 metre
*d.
smaller than the width of your hand
Q 17. Approximately how many times larger than the diameter of a typical planet (the Earth) is the
diameter of a typical star (the Sun)?
a.
10 times
*b.
100 times
c.
1000 times
d.
10,000 times
.
Q: 18 What does the Solar System contain?
*a.
the Sun, its planets, and some smaller bodies
b.
the Sun, galaxies, planets, and stars
c.
the Sun, planets, moons, and stars
d.
the Sun, planets, asteroids, and galaxies
. Q: 19 What does the Solar System contain?
*a.
the Sun, its planets, and some smaller bodies
b.
the Sun, galaxies, planets, and stars
c.
the Sun, planets, moons, and stars
d.
the Sun, planets, asteroids, and galaxies
Q 20. What is the approximate diameter of the Earth?
a.
1 AU
b.
13,000 light-years
*c.
13,000 kilometres
d.
1,000,000 kilometres
Q 21. Which of the following is no longer considered a major planet?
a.
Mercury
b.
Uranus
*c.
Pluto
d.
Saturn
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Q: 1 Which of the following definitions best describes a constellation?
*a.
a region of the sky containing a certain star pattern
b.
a group of very bright stars
c.
a group of very faint stars
d.
the dividing line between the north and south celestial
hemispheres
Q:2 Which of the following best describes the Big Dipper?
*a.
an asterism
b.
a faint star near Polaris
c.
the North Star
d.
a constellation
Q:3 . What do stars in the same constellation have in common?
a.
They probably formed at the same time.
b.
They must be part of the same cluster of stars in space.
c.
They must have been discovered at about the same time.
*d.
They are in the same part of the sky as seen from the Earth.
Q: 4 What languages do the standard constellation names come from?
*a.
Greek and Latin
b.
Latin and Arabic
c.
Greek and Arabic
d.
Arabic and Sanskrit
Q:5 Table 2-1
Star
Name
Apparent Visual
Magnitude
δ Dra
3.07
α Cet
2.53
Nim
8.07
α CMa
−1.46
Refer to Table 2-1. Which star in the table would appear brightest to an observer on Earth?
a.
δ Dra
b.
α Cet
c.
Nim
*d.
α CMa
Q:6 What causes the precession of the Earth’s rotation axis?
*a.
the force of gravity from the Sun and Moon on the Earth's equatorial
bulge
b.
the force of gravity from the Sun and Jupiter on the Earth–Moon system
c.
the magnetic field of the Earth
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d.
the impacts of asteroids
Q:6 A star is on the north point of the horizon. Where will the star be in 6 and 12 hours later.
D
B
NCP
C
Horizon
A
Horizon
N
STAR
a) D
*b) C
c) A
d) B
Q:7 The Earth revolves in a counter clockwise directon around the sun at about 1 deg/day (360 deg and
365 days).
Then this moton makes the sun to appear moving:
*a) 1 deg per day eastward
b) 1 deg per day westward
c) 15 deg per day eastward
d) 15 deg per day westward
e) not at all-the sun does not appear to move.
Q:8 Which of the following diagrams represent the area of the sky where an ancient Greek astronomer
could observe the planets? (Ancient Greeks knew the 5 planets, in fact the word planet comes from the
Greek word “planetes” = wanderer.)
*a)
b)
c)
Q:9) A person in Nashville , TN observes Venus in the western part of the horizon. Six hours later Venus
will be:
a) low in the south,
b) high in the south,
*c) not visible
d) nearly overhead.
Q:10) A person in Denver Colorado observes Jupiter in the eastern horizon right afer the sunset. Where
would the planet be afer six hours?
*a) low in the south,
b) high in the south,
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c) not visible
d) nearly overhead
e) low in the west
Q:11) An observer in Lincoln Nebraska (lattude= 41 deg N)
sees three stars rising in the eastern horizon.
Which of these stars might later on pass through zenith point?
Eastern Horizon
A
B
C
a)
*A
b)
B
b)
C
Q: 12 How many moons can be stacked from the horizon to the zenith?
a) 90
b) 360
*c) 180
d) 45
Zenith
Moon
………………………………..Horizon……………………………………
Q:13 Where is an observer's nadir?
a.
the east point on the observer's horizon
b.
the north point on the observer's horizon
*c.
the point directly opposite the observer's zenith
d.
the point directly opposite the north celestial pole
Q: 14 If the apparent visual magnitude of a star is 7.3, what does this tell us about the brightness of the
star?
a.
It is one of the brighter stars in the sky.
b.
It is bright enough that it would be visible even during the day.
*c.
It is not visible with the unaided eye.
d.
It appears faint because of its great distance from the Earth.
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Q:15 The star Vega has an apparent visual magnitude of 0.03 and the star HR 4374 has an apparent visual
magnitude of 4.87. It has been determined that both stars are at the same distance from the Earth. What
does this information tell us about the two stars?
a.
Together the two stars would have a magnitude of 4.9.
b.
Vega must produce less energy per second than HR 4374.
*c.
Vega must produce more energy per second than HR 4374.
d.
Vega will appear fainter to us than HR 4374.
Q:16 . What is the apparent visual magnitude of a star a measure of?
a.
the star’s size as perceived by human eyes on Earth
b.
the star’s temperature as perceived by human eyes on Earth
c.
the star’s colour as seen by human eyes on Earth
*d.
the star’s brightness as seen by human eyes on Earth
Q: 17 Which of the following is equivalent to one-3,600
th
of a degree?
a.
precession
*b.
second of arc
c.
minute of arc
d.
angular diameter
Q: 18 What is the term for the point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer, no matter where on
the Earth the observer is located?
a.
north celestial pole
b.
south celestial pole
*c.
zenith
d.
nadir
Q: 19 Where is the zenith for an observer standing at a point on the Earth’s equator?
*a.
directly overhead
b.
near the horizon and towards the south
c.
near the horizon and towards the west
d.
the position depends on the time of day
Q: 20 If the Earth had an orbital tlt of 0 degrees ( obliquity) then:
a. The direct rays of the sun would shine on the equator
b.
Day and night would be 12 long every day everywhere on the Earth
c.
An observer at the equator would see the sun pass at zenith every day
d.
There would not be no seasons
*e.
All of the above
Q: 21 The orbit of the Earth had an eccentricity 0.017. If the eccentricity increased to 0.65 what would
happened to the Earth’s sesons?
e=
0.017
e
= 0.65
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*a) More intense seasons
b)
Less intense seasons
c)
No appreciable change
Q: 22 On an imaginary planet that has an orbital tlt of 32 degrees, its corresponding Tropic of Cancer can
be found at the lattude of:
a) 23.5
N
*b) 32
o
N
c) 58
o
N
d) 66.5
o
N
Q:23 Which of the following locatons are closer to the South Celestal Pole ?
a)
(RA= 14h Declinaton=+88
o
)
*b) (RA= 14h Declinaton=-88
o
)
c)
(RA= 23h Declinaton=2
o
)
d)
(RA= 18h Declinaton=-66
o
)
Q: 24 Based on your computer clock lets say that today is August 31, 2015 the sun is:
a)
North on the Celestal equator moving North
b)
South on the Celestal equator moving South
*c) North on the Celestal Equator moving South
e)
South on the Celestal equator moving North
Q: 25 How ofen is the sun at zenith for an observer at the equator?
a)
Never
*b) Twice per year
c)12 tmes per year
d) Every day
Q: 26 An observer in the northern hemisphere watches the sky for several hours. Due to the motion of the
Earth, this observer notices that the stars near the north celestial pole appear to move. What pattern does
this apparent movement follow?
a.
clockwise around the celestial pole
*b.
counter-clockwise around the celestial pole
c.
from left to right
d.
from right to left
Q. 27
If an observer travels north, toward higher latitudes, how does the number of circumpolar stars that
he or she sees in the sky change?
a.
remains constant
b.
decreases
*c.
increases
d.
also depends on the longitude of the observer
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Q. 28 If you were standing at the Earth's North Pole, which of the following would be located at the
zenith?
a.
the nadir
b.
the star Vega
c.
the celestial equator
*d.
the north celestial
pole
Q
. 29 How much of the night sky lies north of the celestial equator?
a.
Less than half, because of the tilt of the equator to the ecliptic
plane.
b.
More than half, because of the precession of the poles.
*c.
Exactly half.
d.
All of the night sky.
Q. 30 Seen from Winnipeg (latitude 50 degrees North), where is the star Polaris in the sky?
a.
directly overhead
b.
40 degrees above the horizon
*c.
50 degrees above the horizon
d.
the position depends on the time of day
Q. 31 For an observer in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, at a latitude of 73° North, what is the angle between the
northern horizon and the north celestial pole?
a.
17°
b.
23.5°
c.
27°
*d.
73°
Q.
32 For an observer in Oberon Bay, Australia, at a latitude of 39° South, what is the angle between the
southern horizon and the south celestial pole?
a.
23.5°
*b.
39°
c.
45°
d.
51°
Q. 33 If the north celestial pole appears on your horizon, what is your latitude?
*a.
0°
b.
45° N
c.
90° N
d.
90° S
Q. 34 If the north celestial pole appears on your horizon, what is your latitude?
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*a.
50° N
b.
50° S
c.
90° N
d.
90° S
Q. 35 An observer in the northern hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the
illustration depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing?
*a.
due north
b.
due south
c.
due west
d.
straight up, directly overhead
Q.36 An observer in the northern hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the
illustration depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing?
a.
due north
*b.
due south
c.
due east
d.
straight up, directly overhead
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Q.37
An observer in the southern hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky.
If the illustration depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera
pointing?
a.
due north
b.
due south
*c.
due east
d.
due west
Q: 38 Where in the sky would an observer at the Earth's equator see the celestial equator?
a.
The celestial equator would be at 45 degrees above the northern horizon.
b.
The celestial equator would be at 45 degrees above the southern horizon.
c.
The celestial equator would coincide with the horizon.
*d.
The celestial equator would be directly overhead.
Q:39 Which of the following best defines the ecliptic?
a.
the plane that is perpendicular to the Earth's axis of rotation
b.
the projection of the Earth's equator onto the sky
c.
the path traced out by the Moon in our sky in one month against the background stars
*d.
the path traced out by the Sun in our sky over one year against the background stars
Q: 40 Which of the following best defines the ecliptic?
a.
the plane that is perpendicular to the Earth's axis of rotation
b.
the projection of the Earth's equator onto the sky
c.
the path traced out by the Moon in our sky in one month against the background stars
*d.
the path traced out by the Sun in our sky over one year against the background stars
Q:41 Which of the following describes a concept very similar to latitude?
a.
right ascension
*b.
declination
c.
magnitude
d.
meridian
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1.
In 1054 CE, the Chinese recorded a very interesting and powerful cosmic event. What was this
event?
a.
a star merger
*
b.
a supernova
c.
a galactic collapse
d.
simultaneous solar and lunar eclipses
2.
What was a common feature of astronomy as practiced worldwide prior to the Greeks?
*
a.
recognizing patterns
b.
making hypotheses
c.
defining the 24-hour clock
d.
observing supernovae
3.
What did Eratosthenes measure very accurately?
*
a.
the size of the Earth
b.
the length of the year
c.
the distance to the Moon
d.
the length of the month
4.
Who were the two great authorities of Greek astronomy?
*
a.
Aristotle and Ptolemy
b.
Julius Caesar and Aristotle
c.
Columbus and Ptolemy
d.
Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar
5.
Whose writings became so famous that he was known throughout the Middle East simply as
“The Philosopher”?
a.
Ptolemy
b.
Eratosthenes
*
c.
Aristotle
d.
Hipparchus
6.
Which of the following statements reflects beliefs that were almost universally held in pre-
Copernican astronomy?
a.
The planets travelled in elliptical orbits around the Earth.
b.
The planets travelled in elliptical orbits around the Sun.
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c.
The Sun was at the centre of the universe.
*
d.
The Earth was at the centre of the universe.
7.
In what circumstances is retrograde motion observable?
a.
It is observable for planets located between the Earth and the Sun.
*
b.
It is observable for planets more distant from the Sun than the Earth
c.
It is only observable for the Moon.
d.
It is observable for all planets.
8.
You are observing the night sky from Mars. In what circumstances is retrograde motion
observable?
*
a.
It is observable for planets more distant from the Sun than Mars.
b.
It is observable for planets located between Mars and the Sun.
c.
It is only observable for Earth and Venus.
d.
It is observable for all planets.
9.
What is the term for the apparent westward motion of a planet in the sky compared to the
background stars (as viewed from the Earth) when observed on successive nights?
a.
epicycle
*
b.
retrograde motion
c.
prograde motion
d.
heliocentric motion
10.
What is parallax?
*
a.
the apparent motion of an object due to the motion of the observer
b.
the distance between two straight lines
c.
the small circle that the planets slid along in Ptolemy’s geocentric universe
d.
the distance between two foci of an ellipse
11.
What was the reason for using epicycles and deferents to explain the motion of the planets in
the night sky?
a.
prograde motion
b.
Mercury and Venus’s limited angular distance from the Sun
*
c.
retrograde motion
d.
non-uniform speed of the planets in their orbits
12.
Why did ancient astronomers believe that the Earth did not move?
*
a.
because they could not detect parallax
b.
because they believed in circular motion
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c.
because all observable planets follow retrograde motion
d.
because parallax is only detectable during the day
13.
In Ptolemy’s view of the universe, what is at the centre of a planet’s epicycle?
a.
the Sun
b.
the Earth
*
c.
the deferent
d.
the equant
14.
What is the term for a small circle that has its centre located on the circumference of another
larger circle?
a.
equant
b.
deferent
c.
retrograde loop
*
d.
epicycle
15.
What feature of Ptolemy’s model of the universe made it possible to explain retrograde
motion?
a.
heliocentrism
b.
elliptical orbits
*
c.
epicycles
d.
geocentrism
16.
Which of the following astronomers described the universe in a way that matches the
diagram?
a.
Kepler
*
b.
Ptolemy
c.
Copernicus
d.
Galileo
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17.
The Copernican system was no more accurate than the Ptolemaic system in predicting the
positions of the planets because of a key factor that was unchanged from the Ptolemaic system.
What was that factor?
a.
The Copernican system assumed the Earth was at rest at the centre.
b.
The Copernican system used elliptical planetary orbits.
*
c.
The Copernican system used uniform circular motion.
d.
The Copernican system assumed all planets orbited the Sun.
18.
What is the book
“De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium”
about?
a.
It describes how Galileo’s observations and Kepler’s calculations proved the
Copernican theory.
b.
It describes the construction of Galileo’s telescope and his observations.
c.
It is a dialogue written to convince the general public of the merits of the Copernican
theory.
*
d.
It lays out the Copernican theory for the first time.
19.
What was the greatest inaccuracy in Copernicus’s model of the solar system?
*
a.
that the planets travelled in circular orbits with uniform motion
b.
that the planets travelled on epicycles, the centres of which followed orbits around the
Sun
c.
that the planets travelled in elliptical orbits
d.
that the planets were allowed to travel backwards in their orbits
20.
Which of the following objects cannot transit (i.e. pass in front of) the Sun, as seen from
Jupiter?
*
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1. Why do astronomers build radio telescopes?
*a.
Radio waves give a different view of the universe.
b.
Radio waves from space reach the Earth’s surface.
c.
Radio telescopes can detect signals from aliens.
d.
Radio telescopes can be much larger than optical telescopes.
2. What type of telescope is most likely to suffer from chromatic aberration and have a low light-
a.
a small diameter reflecting telescope
b.
a large diameter reflecting telescope
*c.
a small diameter refracting telescope
d.
a large diameter refracting telescope
3. When does chromatic aberration occur in a telescope?
a.
when different colours of light do not focus at the same point in a reflecting telescope
*b.
when different colours of light do not focus at the same point in a refracting telescope
c.
when light of different wavelengths gets absorbed by the mirror in a reflecting telescope
d.
when light of different wavelengths gets absorbed by the lens in a refracting telescope
4. What type of telescope is a radio telescope?
*a.
reflecting
b.
refracting
c.
deflecting
d.
retracting
5. What type of telescope has a lens as its objective and contains no mirrors?
a.
deflecting
b.
reflecting
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*c.
refracting
d.
compound
6. How is the objective of most radio telescopes similar to the objective of a reflecting optical tel
*a.
They are both bowl-shaped (concave).
b.
They are both hill-shaped (convex).
c.
They are typically the same size.
d.
They are both made of metal.
7. What type of primary is found in a reflecting telescope?
a.
prism
*b.
mirror
c.
lens
d.
diffraction grating
8. You point your backyard reflecting telescope at the star Vega. Where does Vega’s light go?
*a.
from the primary mirror, to the secondary mirror, to the eyepiece
b.
from the primary mirror to the eyepiece
c.
through the primary lens, to the secondary mirror, to the eyepiece
d.
through the primary lens, through the secondary lens, to the eyepiece
9. Which of the following best explains the concept of atmospheric windows?
a.
Holes in the Earth’s atmosphere allow ultraviolet radiation to reach the North and South p
b.
X-ray radiation from space can see through the atmosphere to observe activities on the gro
*c.
Only certain wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation from space reach the Earth’s surfac
d.
The Earth’s atmosphere can be “closed” or “open” to electromagnetic radiation, dependin
10. What is the main reason for building large optical telescopes?
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a.
It’s the best way to see through clouds and other light-absorbers in the atmosphere.
*b.
It’s the best way to collect as much light as possible from faint objects.
c.
It’s the best way to nullify the blurring effects of the Earth’s atmosphere and thus produce
d.
It’s the best way to magnify objects and make them brighter.
11. An astronomer takes two pictures of the same object using the Hubble Space Telescope. One
*a.
Blue light will show finer details.
b.
Red light will show finer details.
c.
Both should be the same.
d.
The amount of detail depends on the distance to the object.
12. Which property of a telescope determines its light-gathering power?
a.
the focal length of the objective
b.
the focal length of the eyepiece
*c.
the diameter of the objective
d.
the length of the telescope tube
13. What is the light-gathering power of a telescope directly proportional to?
*a.
the diameter of the primary mirror or lens
b.
the focal length of the primary mirror or lens
c.
the length of the telescope tube
d.
the diameter of the eyepiece
14. Why can’t a telescope image be magnified to show any level of detail?
*a.
Diffraction limits the amount of detail that is visible.
b.
Telescopes only view a small region of the sky.
c.
Magnification depends on focal length.
d.
Resolving power depends on wavelength.
15. Which of the following has the most light-gathering power?
a.
a telescope of 5 centimetres diameter and focal length of 50 centimetres
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*b.
a telescope of 6 centimetres diameter and focal length of 100 centimetres
c.
a telescope of 2 centimetres diameter and focal length of 100 centimetres
d.
a telescope of 3 centimetres diameter and focal length of 75 centimetres
16. How is the resolving power of a telescope defined?
*a.
It is a measure of the minimum angular separation that can be seen with the
telescope.
b.
It is a measure of the amount of light that the telescope can gather in one second.
c.
It is the separation between the objective and the image.
d.
It is a measure of how blurry objects appear in the telescope.
17. What happens to a telescope’s light-gathering power and resolving power when you increase
*a.
Its light-gathering power and resolving power both increase.
b.
Its light-gathering power increases and its resolving power
decreases.
c.
Its light-gathering power decreases and its resolving power
increases.
d.
Its light-gathering power and resolving power both decrease.
18. What can be done to improve the resolving power of ground-based optical telescopes?
a.
Use them at longer wavelengths.
*b.
Equip them with an adaptive optics
system.
c.
Change them from reflectors to refractors.
d.
Increase their focal length.
19. The pupil of the human eye is approximately 0.8 centimetres in diameter when adapted to the
a.
2 : 1
b.
20 : 1
c.
400 : 1
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*d.
40,000 : 1
20. What is the ratio of the light-gathering power of a 10-metre telescope to that
of a 1-metre telescope?
a.
10 to 1
b.
1 to 10
*c.
100 to
1
d.
1 to
100
21. The diagram below illustrates the layout and light path of a reflecting telescope
of the ____________________ design.
ANSWER:
Cassegrain
22. A(n) ____________________ is used to measure the brightness and colour of stars.
*ANSWER:
photometer
23. 300 nanometre light has a lower frequency than 500 nanometre light.
a. True
*b. False
24. X-rays easily penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere and reach the ground from space.
a. True
*b. False
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25. What is the purpose of interferometry?
*a.
It is used to improve the resolving power of telescopes.
b.
It is used to decrease the chromatic aberration of a telescope.
c.
It is used to make large X-ray and ultraviolet telescopes.
d.
It allows radio telescopes to be within a few hundred feet of each other.
1.
Which of the following statements best describes the wavelength of a wave?
a.
the measure of how strong the wave is
*b.
the distance between two adjacent peaks of the wave
c.
the measure of how fast the wave is
d.
the distance between a peak of the wave and the next trough
2.
Which form of electromagnetic radiation travels fastest?
a.
gamma rays
b.
radio waves
*c.
all electromagnetic radiation travels at the same speed
d.
the speed of radiation depends on the brightness of the source
3.
What does the word “radiation” mean when used by scientists?
a.
invisible forms of light such as X-rays and radio waves
b.
the light emitted by black holes and protostars
c.
high-energy particles from nuclear reactors
*d.
anything that spreads out from a central source
4.
What does a nanometre measure?
a.
frequency
b.
energy
c.
mass
*d.
length
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5.
In which way is a photon of blue light identical to a photon of red light?
a.
energy
*b.
speed
c.
wavelength
d.
frequency
6.
Which of the following types of light has wavelengths that are longer than the wavelengths of visible light?
a.
gamma rays
b.
ultraviolet
*c.
infrared
d.
X-rays
7.
What is the longest wavelength of light that can be seen with the human eye?
a.
400 nanometres
*b.
700 nanometres
c.
7000 nanometres
d.
3×10
8
m
8.
How does long-wavelength visible light appear to the average human eye?
a.
invisible
b.
green
c.
blue
*d.
red
9.
What is the relationship between colour and wavelength for light?
*a.
Wavelength increases from blue light to red light.
b.
Wavelength decreases from blue light to red light.
c.
All colours of light have the same wavelength.
d.
Wavelength depends on intensity, not colour.
10.
Which of the following sequences of electromagnetic radiation shows the order of increasing energy correctly
a.
gamma rays, X-rays, infrared, radio
*b.
visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays
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c.
visible, microwave, radio, infrared
d.
infrared, visible, radio, X-rays
11.
Which of the following types of light has wavelengths that are shorter than the wavelengths of visible light?
*a.
gamma rays
b.
radio waves
c.
infrared radiation
d.
microwaves
12.
Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation has the smallest frequency?
a.
X-rays
*b.
radio waves
c.
visible light
d.
infrared radiation
13.
Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation has the greatest energy per photon?
a.
X-rays
b.
radio waves
*c.
gamma rays
d.
infrared radiation
14.
Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation has the lowest energy per photon?
a.
X-rays
b.
ultraviolet light
c.
gamma rays
*d.
infrared radiation
15.
Which of the following statements about the Earth’s atmosphere is true?
*a.
The atmosphere is transparent to most radio waves.
b.
The atmosphere is opaque to most radio waves.
c.
The atmosphere is transparent to X-rays.
d.
The atmosphere is opaque to most visible wavelengths.
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16.
How does the energy of a photon relate to the other properties of light?
a.
Energy is directly proportional to the wavelength of the light.
*b.
Energy is inversely proportional to the wavelength of the light.
c.
Energy depends only on the speed of the light.
d.
Energy is inversely proportional to the frequency of the light.
17.
How do photons of blue light differ from photons of red light?
*a.
Blue light photons have more energy than photons of red light.
b.
Blue light photons have a lower frequency than photons of red light.
c.
Blue light photons have a longer wavelength than photons of red light.
d.
Blue light photons travel faster than photons of red light.
18.
What statement below best describes the refraction of light?
a.
the absorption of light as it travels though a dense, transparent material
b.
the spreading out of white light according to wavelength
*c.
the change in direction of a light ray as it passes to a medium of different optical density
d.
the change in direction of a ray of light as it reflects off a surface
19.
What is a photon?
a.
a type of electromagnetic radiation
b.
a particle within the atmospheric window
c.
a particle produced when light interacts with vacuum
*d.
a particle of light
20.
Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation is absorbed by water lower in the Earth’s atmosphe
*a.
infrared radiation
b.
ultraviolet radiation
c.
radio wave radiation
d.
X-ray radiation
21.
Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation is absorbed by ozone in the Earth’s atmosphere?
a.
infrared radiation
*b.
ultraviolet radiation
c.
X-ray radiation
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d.
visible light
22.
What is a similarity between radio and optical telescopes?
*a.
Both can observe from the Earth’s surface.
b.
Both are usually located on mountaintops.
c.
Both are usually made as refracting telescopes.
d.
Both can detect radiation with charge-coupled devices.
1.
How can the density of the Sun be measured?
a.
by using the density of hydrogen as measured on Earth
b.
by analyzing samples of the solar wind
c.
by using the amount of area covered by Venus during a transit
d.
*by using Newton’s laws and the Sun’s diameter
2. What is the defniton of Absolute Zero?
a. zero degrees Celsius
*b. the temperature at which no thermal energy can be extracted from atoms
c. the temperature at which water freezes
d. the temperature at which molecules split into atoms
3.
The temperature of an object is 273K. What is the temperature in degrees
a. 273
b.-273
*c. 0
d. 373
4. The temperature of an object is 373K. What is the temperature in
degrees Celsius?
a. -273
*
b.-173
c. 173
d. 273
5. What is the temperature of an object from which no heat energy can
be extracted?
*a.
0 Kelvin
b. 100 Kelvin
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c. 100 Celsius
d.
Celsius
6. The surface temperature of the Sun is about 5800K. Based on this
temperature, what is the expe
a.
orange
* b. green
c. yellow
d.
red
7.
Which of the following measures the average speed of the partcles (atoms
or molecules) in a gas?
a.
Heat
b. Compositon
*c. Temperature
d.
Binding energy
8
.
A plot of the contnuous spectra of four diferent stars is shown in the fgure.
Based on these spectra
*a.
A
b.
B
c.
C
d.
D
.
9.
A plot of the contnuous spectra of four diferent stars is shown in the fgure. Based on these spectra, which o
a.
A
b.
B
c.
C
*d.
D
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10.
The Sun emits its maximum intensity of light at about 520 nm. According to Wien’s Law, at what wavelength
*a.
260 nm
b.
1040 nm
c. 5800 nm
d.
11600 nm
11
.
What is the sequence of star colours in order of increasing temperature?
*a.
red, yellow, blue
b.
red, blue, yellow
c. yellow, blue, red
d.
blue, yellow, red
12.
Is it possible for a red star to emit more energy than a blue star?
a.
No, because the red star has a lower temperature.
* b.
Yes, if the red star has a larger area.
c. Yes, if the red star has a larger wavelength of maximum intensity.
d.
No, because red stars are less massive than blue stars.
13.
The Stefan-Boltzmann law says that hot objects emit energy proportonal to the fourth power of their tempe
more energy per second will the hoter star radiate from each square meter of its surface? (Please see appendix
a.
5 tmes
b.
25 tmes
*c.
625 tmes
d.
10
15
tmes
14.
What is the explanaton for the patern of granulaton seen on the visible surface of the Sun?
a.
The granules form the base of a circulaton patern that extends from the photosphere
to the outer corona.
b.
The granules are regions of nuclear energy generaton
in the photosphere of the sun
c.
Each granule contains a strong magnetc feld, which compresses and heats the
gas underneath it.
*
d.
The granules are the tops of hot gases that have risen from the Sun's convectve
Zone
15.
What is found in the centers of granules?
*a.
hot material rising to the photosphere from below
b.
cool material falling from the photosphere to the regions below
c.
material that is fainter and hoter than its surroundings
d. material that is brighter and cooler than its surroundings
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16.
What is responsible for binding the electrons to the nucleus?
a.
Kirchhof's law
b.
Wien’s law
*c.
Coulombs Law
d.
Balmer series
17.
Which of the following is a set of rules that describes how atoms and subatomic partcles behave?
a.
Kirchhof's law
b.
Wien’s law
*c.
Quantum Mechanics
d.
General Relatvity
18.
What is the lowest energy level in an atom called?
*a.
Ground State
b.
The absolute zero temperature
c.
The ionizaton level
d.
The energy level from which the Paschen series of hydrogen originates
19.
The energy of the frst level in an atom is 2.2
×
10
-18
J, and the energy of the second energy level is 1.6
a.
3.5
×
10
-36
J
*
b.
6.0
×
10
-19
J
c.
3.5
×
10
-18
J
d.
6.0
×
10
-18
J
20.
The diagram illustrates a light source, a gas cloud, and three diferent lines of sight (the observer is locat
a.
1
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b.
2
*c.
3
21.
Which of the following can be determined from the spectrum of a star, without additonal informaton?
*a. radial velocity
b core temperature
c.
distance
d.
velocity across the sky
22.
Which of the following is a property of the Sun’s chromosphere?
a. produces a coronal fltergram
b. is below the visible surface of the Sun
c.
is above the corona
*
d.
hoter than the photosphere
23
. BONUS queston
: A boy has mass equal to 35 kg on the surface of the Earth? What is his weight on the surfa
*a. 9579.5 N
b. 343.35 N
c. 957.95 N
d. 3.43 N
2.
How can the density of the Sun be measured?
a.
by using the density of hydrogen as measured on Earth
b.
by analysing samples of the solar wind
c.
by using the amount of area covered by Venus during a transit
d.
*by using Newton’s laws and the Sun’s diameter
3.
Which two quanttes are needed to calculate density of any object?
a.
*mass and volume
b.
temperature and diameter
c.
mass and temperature
d.
volume and temperature
3. What is the defniton of Absolute Zero?
a. zero degrees Celsius
*b. the temperature at which no thermal energy can be extracted from atoms
c. the temperature at which water freezes
d. the temperature at which molecules split into atoms
4.
The temperature of an object is 273K. What is the temperature in degrees Celsius?
a. 273
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b.-273
*c. 0
d. 373
5. The temperature of an object is 373K. What is the temperature in degrees Celsius?
a. -273
*
b.-173
c. 173
d. 273
6. What makes up the neutral hydrogen atom?
a. one proton one neutron
b. one proton
c. one proton one neutron one electron
*d. one proton one electron
7. What is the temperature of an object from which no heat energy can be extracted?
*a.
0 Kelvin
b. 100 Kelvin
c. 100 Celsius
d.
Celsius
8.
Summer temperatures on Mars can reach 310 K. How would humans deal with such a temperature o
a. This temperature is so low that a human would freeze to death
b. This is a Canadian winter temperature; humans could survive with a winter jacket and boots
* c. This is a Canadian summer temperature; humans could be comfortable in shorts and a T-shirt
d. This temperature is so high that a human would die of heatstroke
9.
Which of the following contains two or more atoms that are bound together by exchanging or sharing
a.
nucleus
b. ion
c.
proton
*d.
molecule
10. The surface temperature of the Sun is about 5800K. Based on this temperature, what is the expected
a.
orange
* b. green
c. yellow
d.
red
11. What does a non-ionized atom always contain?
a.
the same number of protons and neutrons
* b. the same number of protons and electrons
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c. twice as many protons as neutrons
d.
twice as many neutrons as protons
12.
Which of the following measures the average speed of the partcles (atoms or molecules) in a gas?
a.
Heat
b. Compositon
*c. Temperature
d.
Binding energy
13
.
A plot of the contnuous spectra of four diferent stars is shown in the fgure. Based on these
*a.
A
b.
B
c.
C
d.
D
.
14.
A plot of the contnuous spectra of four diferent stars is shown in the fgure. Based on these spectra, which
a.
A
b.
B
c.
C
*d.
D
15.
The Sun emits its maximum intensity of light at about 520 nm. According to Wien’s Law, at what wavelength
*a.
260 nm
b.
1040 nm
c. 5800 nm
d.
11600 nm
16.
The Sun emits its maximum intensity of light at about 520 nm. According to Wien’s Law, what would the tem
*a.
1040 K
b.
2900 K
c. 5800 K
d.
10400 K
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17
.
What is the sequence of star colours in order of increasing temperature?
*a.
red, yellow, blue
b.
red, blue, yellow
c. yellow, blue, red
d.
blue, yellow, red
18.
Is it possible for a red star to emit more energy than a blue star?
a.
No, because the red star has a lower temperature.
* b.
Yes, if the red star has a larger area.
c. Yes, if the red star has a larger wavelength of maximum intensity.
d.
No, because red stars are less massive than blue stars.
19.
Where does most of the visible light we see coming from the Sun originate?
a.
Chromosphere
* b. Photosphere
c. Corona
d.
Sunspots
20.
What is the phase of mater in the Sun?
a.
Solid
* b. Plasma
c. Gas
d.
Liquid
1.
What is the spectral sequence in order of increasing temperature?
a.
MKFAGBO
b.
BAFGKMO
*c.
MKGFABO
d.
ABFMKGO
2.
Which of the following can we use to determine the surface temperature of a star?
a.
determining if the star has a companion star
*b.
studying its line absorption spectrum
c.
measuring the star’s distance
d.
measuring the star’s parallax
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Table 1
Star Name
Spectral Type
α For
F8
ο Cet
M7
γ Tri
A0
ξ Per
O7
3.
The table lists the spectral types for each of four stars. Which star in this table would have the lowest surface te
a.
α For
*b.
ο Cet
c.
γ Tri
d.
ξ Per
4.
The table lists the spectral types for each of four stars. Which star in this table would have the highest surface t
a.
α For
b.
ο Cet
c.
γ Tri
d.
ξ Per
ANSWER:
d
5.
What properties of a star determine its luminosity?
a.
distance and diameter
b.
temperature and distance
c.
temperature and diameter
*d.
apparent magnitude and temperature
6.
How do we know that giant stars are larger in diameter than the Sun?
*a.
They are more luminous but have about the same temperature.
b.
They are less luminous but have about the same temperature.
c.
They are hotter but have about the same luminosity.
d.
They are cooler but have about the same luminosity.
7.
Sirius A and B are two stars at the same distance from the Earth. In this binary system, Sirius A is much brighte
*a.
Sirius B must be much smaller than Sirius A.
b.
Sirius B must be much larger than Sirius A.
c.
Sirius B must be much more massive than Sirius A.
d.
Sirius B must be much less massive than Sirius A.
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8.
In a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, where are the stars with the smallest radius found?
a.
in the upper left corner
b.
in the upper right corner
*c.
in the lower left corner
d.
in the lower right corner
9.
In a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, where are 90 percent of all the stars found?
a.
in the giant region
b.
in the supergiant region
c.
on the dwarf sequence
*d.
on the main sequence
11.
The star named Sheat is of spectral type M2 and luminosity class II. Based on this information, how does She
*a.
Sheat is cooler and larger than the Sun.
b.
Sheat is cooler and smaller than the Sun.
c.
Sheat is hotter and more luminous than the Sun.
d.
Sheat is hotter and larger than the Sun.
12.
The star named Circini has the spectral type and luminosity class of O 8.5 V. Based on this information, how
a.
Circini is cooler and larger than the Sun.
b.
Circini is cooler and smaller than the Sun.
*c.
Circini is hotter and more luminous than the Sun.
d.
Circini is hotter and less luminous than the Sun.
13.
Where are red giant stars found in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?
*a.
above the main sequence
b.
below the main sequence
c.
on the lower main sequence
d.
on the upper main sequence
Table 2
Star
Parallax
(sec of arc)
Spectral
Type
δ Cen
0.026
B2 IV
HR 4758
0.05
G0 V
HD 39801
0.005
M2 I
9 CMa
0.4
A1 V
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14.
Which star in the table is the closest to Earth?
a.
δ Cen
b.
HR 4758
c.
HD 39801
*d.
9 CMa
15.
Which star in the table has the highest surface temperature?
a.
δ Cen
b.
HR 4758
c.
HD 39801
*d.
9 CMa
16.
Which star in the table has the largest diameter?
a.
δ Cen
b.
HR 4758
*c.
HD 39801
d.
9 CMa
1.
The parsec is defined so that a star at a distance of 1 parsec has a parallax of one arcsecond. If a star has a para
distance?
a. 2 parsecs
b. 5 parsecs
c. 20 parsecs
*d. 50 parsecs
2.
The parsec is defined so that a star at a distance of 1 parsec has a parallax of one arcsecond. If a star has a para
a. 2 parsecs
b. 5 parsecs
*c. 20 parsecs
d. 50 parsecs
3.
The parsec is defined so that a star at a distance of 1 parsec has a parallax of one arcsecond. If a star is located
*a. 0.1 arcseconds
b. 0.01 arcseconds
c. 1 arcsecond
d. 10 arcseconds
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4.
The parsec is defined so that a star at a distance of 1 parsec has a parallax of one arcsecond. If a star is located
a. 0.25 arcseconds
*b. 0.025 arcseconds
c. 0.04 arcseconds
d. 0.05 arcseconds
5.
How do humans use their eyes to measure relative distance by parallax?
a. By continuously focusing our eyes on distant objects, we can determine distance.
*. b. Since our eyes are separated, the brain interprets the relative look angles of the two eyes in terms of dist
c. Our eyes can measure the time it takes light to travel from an object, and from this we get distance.
d. As we move our heads from side to side, our brain compares angles from each of these positions to work o
7.
What would make parallax easier to measure?
*a. the Earth's orbit being larger
b. the stars being farther away
c.
the Earth moving faster along its orbit
d. stars moving faster in their orbits
8.
If two stars are emitting the same amount of light, how will the star that is farther away appear?
a. brighter
*b. dimmer
c. redder
d. bluer
9.
What is absolute visual magnitude?
a.
the luminosity of a star observed from Earth
b.
the luminosity of a star observed from a distance of 1000 parsecs
*c. the apparent magnitude of a star observed from a distance of 10 parsecs
d.
the apparent magnitude of a star observed from Earth
10.
Absolute magnitude is defined as the apparent magnitude that a star would have if observed at a distance of 3
*a. It would be less than +5.
b. It would be exactly +5.
c.
It would be greater than +5.
d.
More information on the star’s luminosity would be required to answer this question.
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11.
What aspect of a star is a measure of the total energy radiated by the star in one second?
a. apparent visual magnitude
b. luminosity class
c. spectral type
*d. luminosity
12.
Which stars have a large positive absolute magnitude?
a.
stars of high luminosity
*b. stars of low luminosity
c. nearby stars
d. distant stars
13.
If you compare two stars, which one will always have the greater luminosity?
a.
The one with the larger radius will always have the greater luminosity.
b.
The one with the higher surface temperature will always have the greater luminosity.
*c. The one with the smaller absolute magnitude will always have the greater luminosity.
d.
The one with the largest distance will always have the greater luminosity.
14.
The nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is about four light-years away and has a luminosity about 0.001 times tha
*a. twice as bright
b. four times as bright
c. 16 times as bright
d. 4000 times as bright
15.
How does a star’s surface temperature determine the appearance of its spectrum?
a.
Surface temperature affects which elements are solid, liquid, or gaseous.
b.
Surface temperature determines the luminosity of the star.
c.
Surface temperature affects which elements can escape from the surface of the star.
*d. Surface temperature determines the velocity of collision rates of atoms and ions.
16.
What is the most accurate way to determine the surface temperature of a star?
*a. Study the pattern of absorption lines from various atoms.
b.
Study the relative intensities of light measured through different photometric filters.
c.
Study the peak wavelength of the star's continuum blackbody spectrum.
d.
Study the pattern of emission lines on the star's spectrum.
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17.
Which of the following can the strength of spectral lines tell you about a star?
a. the radius
b. the distance
*c. the temperature
d. the visual magnitude
18.
You observe medium hydrogen Balmer lines, as well as neutral helium spectral features, in a star. What is the
a. G
b. M
c. F
*d. B
19.
You observe medium hydrogen Balmer lines, as well as neutral helium spectral features, in a star. What is the
a. 3000 K
b. 10 000 K
*c. 20 000 K
d. 5500 K
20.
What is the spectral sequence in order of decreasing temperature?
*a. OBAFGKM
b. OBAGFKM
c. BAGFKMO
d. ABFGKMO
1.
Stars with masses below a certain threshold produce most of their energy via the proton-proton chain. What is
a.
0.01 solar masses
b.
0.1 solar masses
*c.
1.1 solar masses
d.
11 solar masses
2.
Which of the following is considered to be the best explanation for the missing solar neutrinos?
a.
The Sun is fusing helium but not hydrogen.
b.
Nuclear reactions do not produce neutrinos as fast as theory predicts.
c.
The Sun may contain matter we haven't yet identified.
*d.
Neutrinos may oscillate between three different flavours.
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3.
How did observations at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory solve the solar neutrino problem?
*a.
They showed that the “missing neutrinos” had changed into a different type.
b.
They showed that other experiments had miscounted the number of solar neutrinos.
c.
They showed that models for the number of neutrinos produced by the Sun were wrong.
d.
They showed that neutrinos were not escaping from the core of the Sun.
4.
Why does the main sequence have a limit at the lower end?
a.
Low mass stars form from the interstellar medium very rarely.
b.
Low mass objects are composed primarily of solids, not gases.
c.
The lower limit represents a star with zero radius.
*d.
A minimum temperature is required for hydrogen nuclear fusion to take place.
5.
Why is there a main sequence mass-luminosity relation?
a.
because helium fusion produces carbon
*b.
because more massive stars support their larger weight by making more energy
c.
because the helium flash occurs in degenerate matter
d.
because all stars on the main sequence have about the same radius
6.
What is the approximate mass of the lowest mass object that can initiate the thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen
*a.
0.08 solar mass
b.
1 solar mass
c.
8 solar masses
d.
80 solar masses
7.
Which of the following is most similar in size to a brown dwarf?
*a.
the planet Jupiter
b.
a red dwarf
c.
a white dwarf
d.
a Bok globule
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8.
Which of the following are star-like objects that contain less than 0.08 solar masses and will never raise their c
*a.
brown dwarfs
b.
Herbig-Haro objects
c.
Bok globules
d.
T Tauri stars
9.
What would happen if the nuclear reactions in a star began to produce too much energy?
a.
The star would shrink.
*b.
The star would expand.
c.
The star would collapse.
d.
Nothing would happen.
10.
How much of its lifetime does the average star spend on the main sequence?
a.
1%
b.
10%
c.
20%
*d.
90%
11.
The lower edge of the main-sequence band represents the location in the H-R diagram at which stars begin th
*a.
the zero-age main sequence
b.
the birth line
c.
the Coulomb barrier
d.
the evolutionary track
Main
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12.
On the H-R diagram, the line indicates the location of the main sequence. Which of the four labeled locations
a.
1
b.
2
*c.
3
d.
4
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13.
Refer to the H-R diagram. Which point represents a star in which the proton-proton chain is occurring?
a.
1
b.
2
*c.
3
d.
4
14.
The Sun has an expected main-sequence lifetime of about 10
10
years. What is the lifetime on the main sequen
a.
1.8×10
6
years
*b.
1.8×10
9
years
c.
1.8×10
10
years
d.
1.8×10
11
years
16. What type of star is our Sun?
a. intermediate-mass star
b. yellow giant
*c.low-mass star
d. high-mass star
17. What is the lifetime of a 10 solar mass star on the main sequence?
*a.
3.2×10
7
years
b.
1×10
9
years
c.
1×10
11
years
d.
3.2×10
12
years
18. What characteristic of a star primarily determines its location on the main sequence?
a. age
b. distance from the galactic centre
*c. mass
d. radius
19. In which option below are the stellar types sorted from shortest to longest main-sequence lifetime?
*a.
O, A, K, M
b.
A, B, F, G
c.
K, F, B, O
d.
B, A, M, G
20. Consider two stars of the same mass: star 1 has just moved on to the main sequence, and star 2 is about to lea
a.
Star 2 has more helium in its core and a hotter surface.
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19. In which option below are the stellar types sorted from shortest to longest main-sequence lifetime?
*a.
O, A, K, M
b.
A, B, F, G
c.
K, F, B, O
d.
B, A, M, G
20. Consider two stars of the same mass: star 1 has just moved on to the main sequence, and star 2 is about to lea
a.
Star 2 has more helium in its core and a hotter surface.
*b.
Star 2 has more helium in its core and a cooler surface.
c.
Star 1 is more luminous and has a hotter surface.
d.
Star 1 is more luminous and has a cooler surface.
1.
Which of the following relationships is the key to nuclear reactions in a star’s core remaining
under control?
a.
Luminosity depends on mass.
*b.
Pressure depends on temperature.
c.
Density depends on mass.
d.
Weight depends on temperature.
2.
What is opacity?
a.
the balance between the pressure and force of gravity inside a star
b.
the force that binds protons and neutrons together to form a nucleus
c.
the temperature and density at which a gas will undergo thermonuclear fusion
*d.
a measure of the resistance to the flow of radiation (photons) through a gas
3.
What causes the outward gas pressure that balances the inward pull of gravity in a main-sequence star?
a.
the rapid outward flow of gas
b.
the rapid inward flow of gas
*c.
the high temperature and density of the gas
d.
the low mass of helium nuclei
4.
Why is convection important in stars?
a.
because it mixes the star’s gases and increases the temperature of the star
*b.
because it mixes the star’s gases and transports energy outwards
c.
because it carries energy toward the core of the star
d.
because it carries the neutrinos to the surface of the star where they can escape
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5.
How does the temperature inside a star determine how energy flows inside it?
a.
The radiation rate depends on temperature.
*b.
The dependence of opacity on temperature makes convection happen.
c.
The dependence of opacity on temperature makes conduction happen.
d.
The temperature determines how much energy is produced at each layer.
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6.
Which of the following is the best example of energy transport by conduction?
a.
Your feet are warmed when you hold them in front of a fire.
b.
Your feet are warmed when you wear socks.
*c.
Your feet get cold when you stand on a cold floor.
d.
Your feet get cold when you hold them over a cool air vent.
ANSWER:
7.
What does solving equations on a computer have to do with making a stellar model?
*a.
The equations apply the laws of stellar structure at locations within the star.
b.
Equations can describe the H-R diagram and a star’s location on it.
c.
The mass-luminosity equation tells you how to find a star’s luminosity given its mass.
d.
Equations are used to model the nuclear reactions inside a star.
8.
What does the strong force do?
a.
It binds electrons to the nucleus in an atom.
b.
It holds the Moon in orbit around the Earth.
c.
It creates the magnetic field associated with sunspots.
*d.
It binds protons and neutrons together to form a nucleus.
9.
What concept explains why both fusion and fission release energy?
a.
proton-proton chain energy
b.
Coulomb barrier energy
c.
strong force energy
*d.
nuclear binding energy
10.
What is the name of the process by which the Sun turns mass into energy?
a.
nuclear fission
*b.
nuclear fusion
c.
convection
d.
radiation
11.
While on the main sequence, what is a star’s primary energy source?
*a.
nuclear fusion
b.
nuclear fission
c.
gravitational potential energy
d.
magnetic fields
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13.
Why do nuclear fusion reactions only take place in the interior of a star (rather than at the surface)?
a.
The magnetic fields are strongest there.
*b.
The temperature and density are highest in the centre.
c.
The core is the only place where hydrogen is found.
d.
The strong nuclear force is only active in the centers of stars.
14.
What is produced in the proton-proton chain?
a.
two hydrogen nuclei, a single helium nucleus, and energy in the form of visible light
b.
four hydrogen nuclei and energy in the form of gamma rays
*c.
a helium nucleus and energy in the form of gamma rays
d.
two hydrogen nuclei and energy in the form of visible light
15.
What happens in the proton-proton chain?
a.
Two protons are fused to make a helium nucleus.
b.
Three protons are fused to make a lithium nucleus.
c.
A helium nucleus is split into four protons.
*d.
Four protons are fused to make a helium nucleus.
16.
What is the term for the process that fuses hydrogen into helium in the cores of massive main-sequence stars?
*a.
the CNO cycle
b.
the proton-proton chain
c.
hydrostatic equilibrium
d.
the neutrino process
17.
What happens in the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle?
a.
Carbon nuclei are split 3 ways to make helium nuclei.
b.
Carbon and oxygen combine to form nitrogen, which produces energy.
c.
Carbon and nitrogen combine to form oxygen and energy.
*d.
Four hydrogen nuclei combine to form one helium nucleus and energy.
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18.
Stars with masses below a certain threshold produce most of their energy via the proton-proton chain. What is
a.
0.01 solar masses
b.
0.1 solar masses
*c.
1.1 solar masses
d.
11 solar masses
19.
Which of the following is considered to be the best explanation for the missing solar neutrinos?
a.
The Sun is fusing helium but not hydrogen.
b.
Nuclear reactions do not produce neutrinos as fast as theory predicts.
c.
The Sun may contain matter we haven't yet identified.
*d.
Neutrinos may oscillate between three different flavours.
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20.
How did observations at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory solve the solar neutrino problem?
*a.
They showed that the “missing neutrinos” had changed into a different type.
b.
They showed that other experiments had miscounted the number of solar neutrinos.
c.
They showed that models for the number of neutrinos produced by the Sun were wrong.
d.
They showed that neutrinos were not escaping from the core of the Sun
1.
As a star exhausts the hydrogen in its core, what happens?
a.
It becomes hotter and more luminous.
b.
It becomes hotter and less luminous.
c.
It becomes cooler and less luminous.
*d. It becomes cooler and more luminous.
2.
When does a star experience helium fusion?
a.
just before it enters the main sequence
b.
after it has become a red giant star
*c. when it is on the horizontal branch
d. before it leaves the main sequence
3.
Why are giant and supergiant stars rare?
*a. The giant and supergiant stages are very short.
b.
The star blows up before the giant or supergiant stage is reached.
c.
They do not form as often as main sequence stars.
d.
The giant or supergiant stage is very long.
4.
Which of the following statements best describes why stars eventually die?
a.
Their lifespan is limited.
*b. They exhaust all their fuel.
c.
Their cores become hotter.
d. They become less luminous.
5.
Which of the following occurs during the giant stage?
*a. helium fusion in the core and hydrogen fusion in the surrounding shell
b.
hydrogen fusion in the core and helium fusion in the surrounding shell
c.
hydrogen and helium fusion in the core
d. hydrogen flash
6.
In what way are giants and supergiants similar?
a.
They are the main sequence stars.
b.
They undergo a helium flash stage as they enter the main sequence.
*c. They are very luminous.
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1. What is the term for a collection of 105 to 106 old stars in a region 30 to 100 light-years in
diameter?
a.
Herbig-Haro object
*b.
globular cluster
c.
open cluster
d.
giant cluster
2. What is the defining characteristic of stars within a cluster that are at the turnoff point?
*a.
They are just leaving the main sequence.
b.
They are just becoming white dwarfs.
c.
They are just entering the main sequence.
d.
They are about to explode in supernovae.
Cluster
3. What is the approximate age of the star cluster in the H-R diagram? (Hint: Main sequence
stars of spectral types O and B have a core supply of hydrogen that is sufficient to last about 250
million years; types A and F, about 2 billion years; type G about 10 billion years; types K and M
about 30 billion years. The apparent magnitude scale means that larger numbers are toward the
bottom of the vertical axis.)
a.
200 million years
b.
2 billion years
*c.
10 billion years
d.
30 billion years
4. Refer to the H-R diagram. How would the H-R diagram of a more distant star cluster look
different?
*a.
The points would shift down, because all of the stars would have larger apparent
magnitudes.
b.
The points would shift to the right, because all of the stars would appear to be cooler.
c.
The points would shift up, because all of the stars would have smaller apparent
magnitudes.
d.
The points would shift to the left, because all of the stars would appear to be hotter.
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5. Which nuclear fuels does a one solar mass star use over the course of its entire lifespan?
a.
hydrogen
*b.
hydrogen and helium
c.
hydrogen, helium, and carbon
d.
hydrogen, helium, carbon, and oxygen
6. What is the ultimate fate of our Sun?
a.
It will become a neutron star.
b.
It will explode in a supernova.
*c.
It will become a white dwarf.
d.
It will explode in a nova.
7. Which of the following is the most important factor that determines a life cycle of a star (for
example, why some stars have a short life span)?
*a.
mass
b.
temperature
c.
luminosity
d.
radius
8. What principle explains why matter flowing from one star in a binary system to its companion
forms an accretion disk?
a.
conservation of tidal forces
b.
conservation of temperature
*c.
conservation of angular momentum
d.
conservation of energy
9. Suppose you discover a binary star system with a 0.7 solar mass giant star and a 2 solar mass
main sequence star. Why is this surprising?
a.
0.7 solar mass stars are not expected to become giants.
b.
All 2 solar mass stars should have left the main sequence.
c.
Giant stars are expected to destroy their companions, so the 2 solar mass star shouldn’t
exist.
*d.
The 2 solar mass star should have become a giant before the 0.7 solar mass star.
10. When material expanding away from a star in a binary system reaches the edge of its Roche
lobe, what happens?
a.
The material will start to fall back toward the star.
b.
All of the material will accrete on to the companion.
*c.
The material will no longer be gravitationally bound to the star.
d.
The material will increase in temperature and eventually undergo thermonuclear fusion.
11. When mass is transferred toward a white dwarf in a binary system, the material forms a
rapidly growing whirlpool of material. What is that whirlpool called?
*a.
an accretion disk
b.
an Algol paradox
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c.
a planetary nebula
d.
a supernova remnant
12. Under what conditions are Type Ia supernovae believed to occur?
a.
when the core of a massive star collapses
*b.
when a white dwarf exceeds the Chandrasekhar-Landau limit
c.
when hydrogen detonation occurs
d.
when neutrinos in a massive star form a shock wave that explodes the star
13. Which of the following is almost always associated with a nova?
a.
a very massive star
b.
a star undergoing helium burning
c.
a white dwarf in a close binary system
*d.
a solar-like star that has exhausted its hydrogen and helium
14. Why can’t massive stars generate energy through iron fusion?
a.
because iron fusion requires very high density
b.
because no star can get hot enough for iron fusion
*c.
because both fusion and fission of iron nuclei absorb energy
d.
because massive stars go supernova before they create an iron core
15. If the hypothesis that novae occur in close binary systems is correct, then which of the
following should novae do?
a.
They should produce synchrotron radiation.
b.
They should occur in regions of star formation.
c.
They should all be visual binaries.
*d.
They should repeat after some interval.
16. Why is the material that accretes onto a neutron star or black hole expected to emit X-rays?
a.
The material contains magnetic fields that will produce synchrotron radiation.
b.
Hydrogen nuclei begin to fuse and emit high energy photons.
*c.
The material will become hot enough that it will radiate most strongly at X-ray
wavelengths.
d.
As the material slows down it converts thermal energy to gravitational potential energy.
17. What is the term for the form of electromagnetic radiation produced by rapidly moving
electrons spiralling through magnetic fields?
a.
Lagrangian radiation
b.
ultraviolet radiation
*c.
synchrotron radiation
d.
infrared radiation
18. What type of object is the Crab nebula?
a.
a planetary nebula
b.
an open cluster
c.
an absorption nebula
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*d.
a supernova remnant
19. In the year 1054 CE, Chinese astronomers observed the appearance of a new star. What
occupies that location now?
a.
a molecular cloud
b.
a planetary nebula with a white dwarf in the centre
*c.
a supernova remnant with a pulsar in the centre
d.
nothing
20. What produces synchrotron radiation?
a.
objects with temperatures below 10,000 K
*b.
high-velocity electrons moving through a magnetic field
c.
cold hydrogen atoms in space
d.
helium burning in a massive star
21. Where is synchrotron radiation produced?
a.
in planetary nebulae
b.
in the outer layers of red dwarfs
c.
in the collapsing iron cores of massive stars
*d.
in supernova remnants
22. What does the explosion of a type II supernova typically leave behind?
a.
It leaves behind a planetary nebula.
b.
It leaves behind a shell of hot, expanding gas with a white dwarf at the centre.
*c.
It leaves behind a shell of hot, expanding gas with a pulsar at the centre.
d.
Nothing is ever left behind.
23. Which of the following offered support for the theory that the collapse of a massive star’s
iron core produces neutrinos?
*a.
the detection of neutrinos from the supernova of 1987
b.
the brightening of supernovae a few days after they are first visible
c.
underground counts of solar neutrinos
d.
laboratory measurements of the mass of the neutrino
24. If you were to land on a neutron star, how would your mass change compared to your mass
on the Earth?
a.
It would increase a lot.
b.
It would decrease a lot.
c.
It would increase a little.
*d.
It would remain the same.
1. What is the term for a collection of 105 to 106 old stars in a region 30 to 100 light-years in
diameter?
a.
Herbig-Haro object
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*b.
globular cluster
c.
open cluster
d.
giant cluster
2. What is the defining characteristic of stars within a cluster that are at the turnoff point?
*a.
They are just leaving the main sequence.
b.
They are just becoming white dwarfs.
c.
They are just entering the main sequence.
d.
They are about to explode in supernovae.
Cluster
3. What is the approximate age of the star cluster in the H-R diagram? (Hint: Main sequence
stars of spectral types O and B have a core supply of hydrogen that is sufficient to last about 250
million years; types A and F, about 2 billion years; type G about 10 billion years; types K and M
about 30 billion years. The apparent magnitude scale means that larger numbers are toward the
bottom of the vertical axis.)
a.
200 million years
b.
2 billion years
*c.
10 billion years
d.
30 billion years
4. Refer to the H-R diagram. What type of star do the two data points above spectral type “A”
represent?
a.
massive main sequence stars
b.
massive supergiant stars
*c.
white dwarfs with mass less than the sun’s mass
d.
white dwarfs with mass greater than twice the sun’s mass
5. Refer to the H-R diagram. What type of star do the data points above spectral type “M”
represent?
a.
massive main sequence stars
*b.
main sequence stars with mass less than the sun’s mass
c.
main sequence stars with luminosities higher than the sun’s luminosity
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d.
pre-main sequence stars
6. Refer to the H-R diagram. How would the H-R diagram of an older star cluster look different?
a.
The points would shift to the right, because all of the stars would have lower
temperatures.
*b.
The lower main sequence would look the same, but the turnoff would be at spectral type
K or M.
c.
The points would shift down, because all of the stars would have lower luminosities.
d.
The lower main sequence would look the same, but the turnoff would be at spectral type
F or A.
7. Refer to the H-R diagram. How would the H-R diagram of a more distant star cluster look
different?
*a.
The points would shift down, because all of the stars would have larger apparent
magnitudes.
b.
The points would shift to the right, because all of the stars would appear to be cooler.
c.
The points would shift up, because all of the stars would have smaller apparent
magnitudes.
d.
The points would shift to the left, because all of the stars would appear to be hotter.
8. Which nuclear fuels does a one solar mass star use over the course of its entire lifespan?
a.
hydrogen
*b.
hydrogen and helium
c.
hydrogen, helium, and carbon
d.
hydrogen, helium, carbon, and oxygen
9. Star A is a 1 solar mass white dwarf, and star B is a 1.3 solar mass white dwarf. How would
they differ?
a.
Star A has a smaller radius.
*b.
Star B has a smaller radius.
c.
Star B is supported by neutron degeneracy pressure.
d.
Star A is hotter.
10. What is the source of the energy radiated by a white dwarf?
a.
the proton-proton chain
b.
the CNO cycle
c.
gravitational contraction after becoming a white dwarf
*d.
gravitational contraction during the white dwarf formation phase
11. What does the Chandrasekhar-Landau limit tell us?
a.
Accretion disks can grow hot through friction.
b.
Neutron stars of more than 3 solar masses are not stable.
*c.
White dwarfs more massive than 1.4 solar masses are not stable.
d.
Stars with a mass less than 0.5 solar masses will not go through helium flash.
12. What is the ultimate fate of our Sun?
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a.
It will become a neutron star.
b.
It will explode in a supernova.
*c.
It will become a white dwarf.
d.
It will explode in a nova.
13. Which scenario is most likely to happen when the Sun enters the red giant stage?
*a.
Mercury, Venus, and Earth will be destroyed by the expanding Sun.
b.
Mercury will be destroyed by the expanding Sun, but Venus and Earth will remain intact.
c.
The Sun will engulf and destroy all planets in the Solar System.
d.
The Sun will never expand far enough to reach Mercury or any other planets in the Soar
System.
14. If the stars at the turnoff point of a cluster have a mass of 3 times the mass of the Sun, what is
the age of the cluster?
*a.
6.4×108 years
b.
3.3×109 years
c.
3.0×1010 years
d.
1.6×1011 years
15. Which of the following correctly describes a relationship between pressure, temperature, and
density in degenerate matter?
a.
Pressure depends only on the temperature.
*b.
Pressure does not depend on temperature.
c.
Temperature depends only on density.
d.
Pressure does not depend on density.
16. What is a white dwarf composed of?
a.
hydrogen nuclei and degenerate electrons
b.
helium nuclei and normal electrons
*c.
carbon and oxygen nuclei and degenerate electrons
d.
degenerate iron nuclei
17. As a white dwarf cools, its radius remains the same. Why is this?
a.
because pressure due to nuclear reactions in a shell just below the surface keeps it from
collapsing
*b.
because pressure does not depend on temperature for a white dwarf, since the electrons
are degenerate
c.
because pressure does not depend on temperature, since the star has exhausted all its
nuclear fuels
d.
because material accreting onto it from a companion maintains a constant radius
18. What are the two longest stages in the life of a one solar mass star?
a.
protostar, pre–main sequence
b.
protostar, white dwarf
c.
protostar, main sequence
*d.
main sequence, white dwarf
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19. Which of the following is the most important factor that determines a life cycle of a star (for
example, why some stars have a short life span)?
*a.
mass
b.
temperature
c.
luminosity
d.
radius
1. A Black Hole has mass
M
BH
= 15
M
Solar
. What is its Schwarzschild radius?
a. 50.5 km
*b. 44.24 km
c. 76 km
d.100 km
2.
A Black Hole has mass
M
BH
= 1800
M
Solar
. What is its Schwarzschild radius?
a. 150.5 km
b. 444.24 km
*c. 5309.32 km
d.8769.60 km
3. If the Schwarzschild radius of a Black Hole is 10 km, what is its mass?
a. 15
M
solar
b. 6.8
M
solar
*c. 35
M
solar
d.
48
M
solar
4. Why black holes are black?
a. Because they do not have any energy
b. Because nothing escapes
c. Because radiation does not escape
*d. Because light does not escape
5. What is at the center of a black hole?
a. Another black hole
b. A little galaxy
*c. The singularity point
d.
An X-ray source
6. What is a supermassive black hole?
a. Black hole with mass similar to the sun
b. Black hole with mass similar to Jupiter
c. Black hole with mass similar to 3
M
solar
*d.
Black hole with mass (thousand - billion)
M
solar
7. How did the Black Holes were predicted
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a. By observation
b. With radio telescopes
c. With optical telescopes
*d.
Mathematically using Einstein’s general relativity theory
8.
Hawking radiation is black body radiation
due to
a. Electromagnetic effects
*b. Quantum effects
c. Gravity effects
d.
Mechanical effects
9.
Where is the Hawking radiation emitted?
a. Near the singularity
*b. Near the horizon
c. Near the Schwarzschild radius
d.
From particles orbiting the black hole
10. BONUS QUESTION
Two Black Holes have the following masses
M
1
= 100
M
solar
and
M
2
= 40
M
solar
. Show that
Schwarzschild radius of the first black hole satisfies the relation . (Do not panic this is a really
easy question!!. Hint: All you need is the relation that gives the Schwarzschild radius of a black
hole. Look at the lecture slides.)
Old But Good Astronomy
Astronomy is the oldest of the sciences. Humans have always looked to the sky, and
wondered, and thought, and looked again, and said "hmmm...that's funny" (remember I.
Asimov from the quote in the Introduction?) and formulated theories and measured again
and made better instruments and recalculated and reformulated — and so on.
Of course, astronomy was always mixed up with religion — the gods were "up there" and we
- mere mortal human beings - were "down here", although man was, after all, at the centre
of the universe — make no mistake about that! The Sun god (known by various names)
raced across the sky each day, keeping a watch on us. The Moon god kept tabs on us by
night (well, not every night — and wasn't that a little confusing). Then, there were the
planet gods, obviously lesser gods, farther away and not always in the night sky (where
were they during the day?)
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The Sun, Moon and planets previously mentioned were so important that the days of the
week are actually named after the seven visible objects that have been seen, recorded and
named for centuries. In the table shown below it is quite clear how the known heavenly
objects, listed by both their current English names and their old Teutonic names correspond
to today’s English names of the days. The names of days in French and Spanish are
remarkably close to each other and you can certainly see the connection with their English
counterparts.
Heavenly Body
Teutonic Name
English Name
French Name
Spanish Name
Sun
Sun
Sunday
dimanche
domingo
Moon
Moon
Monday
lundi
lunes
Mars
Tiw
Tuesday
mardi
martes
Mercury
Woden
Wednesday
mercredi
miércoles
Jupiter
Thor
Thursday
jeudi
jueves
Venus
Fria
Friday
vendrdi
viernes
Saturn
Saturn
Saturday
samedi
sábado
Ancient peoples had various ways of keeping track of time on a daily, or even a weekly,
basis but what is particularly interesting is how some peoples kept track of time throughout
the year.
The most obvious and best-known device is Stonehenge, located in the south of England.
One of the great mysteries of this structure lies in the construction itself — just how was
this accomplished? It was built over a relatively long time (1200 years from about 2750 BC
to about 1550 BC) — see the pictures here.
This lower picture gives us another view of Stonehenge (from the ground). The inset shows
sunrise on the summer solstice as seen from the centre of the stone circle rising over the
Heel Stone.
Explanation: Stonehenge, four thousand year old monument to the Sun, provides an
appropriate setting for this delightful snapshot of the Sun's children gathering in planet
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Earth's sky. While the massive stone structure dates from around 2000 B.C., this
arrangement of the visible planets was recorded on the evening of May 4th, 2002 A.D.
Bright Jupiter stands highest above the horizon at the upper left. A remarkable, almost
equilateral triangle formed by Saturn (left), Mars (top), and Venus (right) is placed just
above the stones near picture center. Fighting the glow of the setting sun, Mercury can be
spotted closest to the horizon, below and right of the planetary triad.
Who Built Stonehenge?
The question of who built Stonehenge is largely unanswered, even today. The monument's
construction has been attributed to many ancient peoples throughout the years, but the
most captivating and enduring attribution has been to the Druids. This erroneous connection
was first made around three centuries ago by the antiquary, John Aubrey.
Julius Caesar and other Roman writers told of a Celtic priesthood that flourished around the
time of their first conquest (55 BC). By this time, though, the stones had been standing for
2,000 years, and were, perhaps, already in a ruined condition. Besides, the Druids
worshipped in forest temples and had no need for stone structures.
The best guess seems to be that the Stonehenge site was begun by the people of the late
Neolithic period (around 3000 BC) and carried forward by people from a new economy that
was arising at this time. These "new" people, called Beaker Folk because of their use of
pottery drinking vessels, began to use metal implements and to live in a more communal
fashion than their ancestors. Some think that they may have been immigrants from the
continent, but that contention is not supported by archaeological evidence. It is likely that
they were indigenous people doing the same old things in new ways.
Other Interesting Early Structures
Other spectacular (for their period) constructions include the Templo Mayor, situated near
the present-day Mexico City, constructed by the Aztec empire, and the Mayan cities of
Chichén Itzá and Tulum (on the Yucatan coast near Cancun). Here is a scale model of
Templo Mayor, one of the main temples in the ancient city of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico
City). See the Wikipedia entry for Templo Mayor for more information.
These remarkable structures always had some link with solstices and equinoxes as a
focal point, demonstrating a strong working knowledge of serious astronomy.
Possibly the best known construction on the Chichén Itzá site is Kukulcan's Pyramid. El
Castillo (Kukulkan -Quetzalcoatl), a square-based, stepped pyramid that is approximately
75 feet tall. This pyramid was built for astronomical purposes and during the vernal equinox
(March 21) and the autumnal equinox (September 21) at about 3 P.M. the sunlight bathes
the western balustrade of the pyramid's main stairway.
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This causes seven isosceles triangles to form imitating the body of a serpent 37 yards long
that creeps downwards until it joins the huge serpent's head carved in stone at the bottom
of the stairway. Mexican researcher Luis El Arochi calls it "the symbolic descent of Kukulcan"
(the feathered serpent), and believes it could have been connected with agricultural rituals.
A North American site often mentioned is the Big Horn Medicine Wheel (Wyoming, USA), a
much simpler version of Stonehenge, consisting of rocks strategically placed on the ground
in the form of a giant wheel with spokes aligned with the rising and setting of the Sun (on
equinoxes and solstices), Moon and bright stars.
Lunar Cycles
Most ancient civilizations paid particular attention to the 29.5-day lunar cycle and
formulated calendars based on this length of time. Remember the word "month" is
obviously derived from the word "moon".
Because our year of 365 days is not an even multiple of 29.5 the dates of the lunar phases
vary from year to year. However, the fact that 19 calendar years is almost exactly 235 lunar
months means that we get the same lunar phases on about the same dates every 19 years,
a fact recognized as long ago as 432 BC when Greek Mike Meton (well, at least his last
name was Meton!) realized this and now we refer to this lunar cycling as the
Metonic
cycle
(the Jewish calendar follows this cycle).
The date for Easter varies annually (unlike Christmas which always falls on December
25 — a little known fact!!!) and is related to the lunar cycle. Easter Sunday is always the
Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox.
The
Metonic cycle
is not to be confused with the saros cycle, which has to do with the
cycle of eclipses (so many cycles — and not one to ride!).
Above, I have highlighted three specific developments which display the interest in
astronomy by ancient cultures:
Stonehenge in Europe (England)
Chichén Itzá in Mexico (Mayan)
Big Horn Medicine Wheel in the USA (Plains Indians).
Other examples include Greek (Pleiades — more on that later), Incan (South
American — Nazca desert — pictures on various websites) and Polynesian (star positions for
navigation throughout the vast island country). As well, the Chinese had a well developed,
and at times superior, knowledge and use of astronomy (
supernova
— explosion of a giant
star — of 1054 AD).
However, it was in the Middle East (Egypt, Mesopotamia (now Iran and Iraq) and Greece)
that modern science developed and it is through here that our historical journey now takes
us.
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Many names come to mind when considering the enormous influence of the Greek empire
on present-day science. Take a look at the timelines on pages 52 and 53 of the textbook
(also shown below) for a visual representation of the early history of astronomy. Note the
long Dark Ages break between Ptolemy to Copernicus. Once you have finished viewing the
timeline, follow along with the lesson notes for more details.
Thales
of Miletus (624-547 BC) was one of the very early Greek
scholars to promote the notion that the universe was rational and,
therefore, understandable. Previous cultures in Egypt and Babylonia
believed that the real causes of things were mysteries beyond human
understanding. To Thales and his followers the mysteries of the world
(and heavens, etc.) are so because they are unknown,
not
because
they are unknowable.
Pythagoras
(570-500 BC), following from Thales' wisdom, believed
that relationships in nature had developed in accordance with
geometrical or mathematical relationships. His studies in musical
acoustics led him to believe that the planets actually produced music
as they traveled in their orbits, leading to the concept of the "music of
the spheres". You’ve probably heard Pythagoras’ name before and,
yes, he’s the same person who developed the so-called Pythagorean
formula for right-angle triangles you learn about in high school
mathematics.
Socrates
(470-399 BC), a seminal figure in Greek history, was more
of a philosopher than a scientist (there weren't really any scientists, as
we think of them, in these early Greek days) who talked a lot and
wrote nothing, so what we know of him we know through lore and
through his students (Plato being his chief biographer).
He held that virtue is
understanding and that no human being
knowingly does wrong (now how about that for a teacher!). Socrates'
method of philosophical inquiry consisted of questioning people on the
positions they asserted and working them through questions into a
contradiction, thus proving to them that their original assertion was
wrong.
Plato
(428-348 BC) carried on the teachings of Socrates for most of
his early life but actually took little interest in science although he
thought that mathematics was a valuable discipline.
Plato wrote the
Republic
, in which he formulated his ideas of the
perfect state.
According to the
New Lexicon Webster's Dictionary
Plato's greatest
contribution was on his theory of "ideas", of which "love" is one which
he describes as "
as desire for union with the beautiful, ascending
in a scale of perfection from human passion to ecstasy in the
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contemplation of designating love for a person, usually of the
opposite sex, that is free of carnal desire
", so-called Platonic
love — now that's something to aspire to!!
Aristotle
(384-322 BC), a great Greek scholar and thinker, was a
pupil of Plato (and a teacher of Alexander the Great) who really didn't
get along with Plato or anybody else for that matter.
Aristotle could not bring himself to think of the world in abstract terms
(the way Plato did) — instead he believed that the world could be
understood fundamentally through the detailed observation and
cataloguing of phenomena — in other words, knowledge (which is
what the word science means) is fundamentally
empirical
.
Aristotle wrote on many subjects, including physics, mathematics,
meteorology and, anatomy. Although much of what he wrote about
science was wrong, we must recognize that he was not really a
scientist; he was first and foremost a philosopher. Because of his
writings and insight he became the great authority for almost 2000
years and, hence, a great influence on all thinking.
Aristotle tried to understand the universe (not the universe as we
know it today) by combining the most basic observations with first
principles (ideas that he believed were obviously true; like the
perfection of the heavens). He believed that the universe existed in
two parts — Earth (corrupt and changeable) and the heavens (perfect
and immutable). He also believed that the Earth was at the centre of
the universe — another first principle.
Aristotle developed the whole idea of
inductive reasoning
through
learning what was known about a certain topic, gaining a consensus on
the subject by talking to anyone and everyone, testing it thoroughly
(although he was regarded as a know-it-all), and working out the
underlying principles.
This sequence of reasoning is now the basis of all Western scientific
thinking, the so-called scientific method, which we will get to shortly.
Another important figure in Greek science is
Claudius Ptolemy
(90-
168 AD, although these dates are approximate). He developed a
model of the universe based on his observations and those of his
forefathers which predicted fairly well planetary events of the future.
One of the more serious issues that any model had to overcome was
that of the retrograde motion of some of the planets. Ptolemy
borrowed an idea from other scholars that put planets on “epicycles”
or smaller circles around which they would travel as they orbited the
Earth in perfect, larger circles (see below the picture of Ptolemy)
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BUT, the model utilized one tenet which turned out to be the biggest
flaw in the model — an Earth-centred universe.
This concept (the Earth-centred universe) was so ingrained in all
Western thinking, that it influenced the development of science for
centuries.
How could it possibly be any other way?
Humanity just HAD TO BE at the centre of the universe, didn't we???
Let's review a few things
:
Early attempts to model the solar system and the universe belong to
the Egyptians and the Greeks (around the time of Christ). Ptolemy
(Greek) came up with his circular orbit/epicycle/Earth-centred model
around 150 A.D. Nothing much happened for about 1400 years — the
Dark Ages. All this time two things were particularly important for
Church and science. First of all, not much science was done during
these 1400 years and the Church held fast to the idea that:
a
the orbits of the planets, Sun and Moon were perfect circles — after
all, they were heavenly bodies and as such their paths had to be
perfect and nothing was more perfect than a circle, and
b
Earth was at the centre of the universe!
Enter
Nicolaus Copernicus
(1473-1543)
Copernicus was able to study astronomy by virtue of his education and
family wealth. He reviewed current (at that time) naked-eye
measurements and how they fit with the Ptolemaic model and decided
to rethink the basic model by considering Aristarchus' notion of a Sun-
centred solar system (an idea that was now some 1800 years old).
Following consultation with other scholars and following his own inner
urgings to make public his own ideas, he published a book entitled De
Revolutionibus Orbium Caelestium in 1543 (Concerning the
Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), in which he claimed that the
true and accurate model of the solar system could only be that of a
Sun-centred system.
However, he still held that the orbits of the planets had to be circular
(not ellipses as we now know) and, consequently, he had to make use
of the same epicycle system that Ptolemy did with the result that the
predictions of his model produced results that agreed no better with
observations than Ptolemy's model.
Three years after Copernicus' death a Dane,
Tycho Brahe
, was born
(1546-1601).
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Tycho, as he has become known, was born into a respected and noble
family, grew up as an arrogant child and teen and lost part of his nose
in a fight, but became the greatest naked-eye observer of all time. He
had always had an interest in astronomy and when he, as a young
man, observed that the expected conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
was late by two days (based on Copernicus' model) decided to start
compiling his own set of observations.
Eventually, King Frederick II (Denmark) agreed to sponsor his work
and set him up in his own spectacular observatory, on his own island
of Hven in the Baltic Sea, where he did his work. Despite all this, he
failed to come up with any better models of planetary motion.
Just before Tycho's death he engaged a young German
scholar
Johannes Kepler
(1571-1630), who showed great promise
and who inherited Tycho's data.
Kepler, a very religious man, sought to develop a new model of the
solar system, but had great faith in Tycho's measurements and, after
trying desperately to fit the observations of Mars's orbit with a circular
orbit, decided to try something different.
Try to imagine what Kepler's thought pattern might be.
For centuries, scientists and philosophers had tried to fit observations
to models using ideas (such as circular orbits) that were central to
human beliefs. Kepler decided to try the reverse — throw out long-
held beliefs and develop a model that fit observations — some claim
this was the real birth of modern science.
After all, this is precisely how we conduct science today — this is the
scientific model (more on this shortly).
So, Kepler published his three laws of planetary motion (the first two
in 1609, the last in 1619). The laws go something like this:
Kepler's First Law
:
The orbit of each planet around the Sun is an
ellipse with the Sun at one focus.
The diagram below shows what an ellipse is.
An ellipse has two foci (plural of focus) and the Sun is at one focus
(nothing is at the other focus). The major axis is a line drawn through
the two foci and ending at each "end" of the ellipse. Half this distance
is called the
semi-major axis
. The same holds true for the minor axis,
perpendicular to the major axis.
The ratio of the distance between the two foci to the major axis length
is called the
eccentricity
. A circle has an eccentricity of zero (0.00)
because the two foci are on top of each other. A straight line has an
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eccentricity of unity (1.0) because the two foci are as far away from
each other as they can possibly be – at infinity on either side of the
ellipse. So, eccentricities vary from zero to one. The eccentricity of
Venus' orbit is 0.007 (almost a circle) while that of Pluto is
0.248 — fairly eccentric (not unlike your Astronomy prof.!)
Kepler's Second Law
:
As a planet moves around in its orbit, it
sweeps out equal areas in equal times.
As mentioned previously, when the planet is closer to the Sun (around
its perihelion) it moves faster along its orbit than when close to the
aphelion. In the diagram above the picture on the right shows
this. The planet moves from A to B (around its aphelion, farthest from
the Sun) in the same time that it takes to go from A’ to B’ (around its
perihelion, closest to the Sun). The areas shaded in blue are equal.
Kepler's Third Law
:
The squares of the periods of any two planets
have the same ratio as the cubes of their semi-major axes.
Mathematically, we can write this as
p
2
=
a
3
where
p
is the orbital period in years and
a
is the average distance
from the Sun in AU.
This is a remarkably simple relationship. When things work out this
beautifully you just know it's right!!
Here is a nice little animation (really a formula to demonstrate Kepler’s
Third Law) that I would like you to play around with. The idea is to put
a number in the square on either side of the equation and the value
for the other side pops into place. For example, if you put in the
number 1 (on either side) you will see that 1 appears in the other
side; this is the information for Earth where clearly the orbital period is
1 year and the average distance from the Sun is 1 AU (because that’s
how an AU is defined).
Try the formula for other planets, such as Mercury (
p
= 0.24 years and
α
= 0.39 AU) or Saturn
(
p
= 29.5 years and
α
= 9.58 AU).
Please try
other values found in Table A.6 in Appendix A in the textbook.
flash animation
http://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/renaissance/keplers_third.
html
So, there you have it. Kepler's three laws of planetary motion matched
Tycho Brahe's measurements better by far than any other models.
I want you to watch the following video about Kepler’s Laws. In this
clip from Sagan’s COSMOS series (which starts in the middle of a
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thought) quickly leads into Sagan’s brilliant commentary on Kepler’s
discovery of his three laws of orbital motion. It is well worth watching.
Kepler’s Laws (4:09 min.) video:
<div class="player-unavailable"><h1
class="message">An error occurred.</h1><div class="submessage"><a
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFqM0lreJYw" target="_blank">Try watching this
video on www.youtube.com</a>, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your
browser.</div></div>
www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=kepler's+laws+videos&FORM=VIRE15#view=detail&mid=6AA900E8
C72CBB2824C56AA900E8C72CBB2824C5
However, there were still objections to the new model, all based on old
beliefs, but soon all these objections would be met by yet another
brilliant scientist.
Enter
Galileo Galilei
(1564-1642), a contemporary of Kepler.
We won't go into the details of Galileo's work to dispel the remaining
objections to Kepler's work — they are detailed in the text very well.
Among Galileo's great contributions to modern science was his
development called the telescope (Hans Lippershey actually invented
the telescope but only as a toy). He used the telescope for the first
time in 1609-10 (thus, 2009 marked the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s
first use of the telescope and that is why 2009 was the Year of
Astronomy). Although Galileo was not the first to look at the sky using
a telescope he was the one who used the telescope to open the
heavens to mankind. Galileo observed more stars in the Milky Way
than could be counted, four moons orbiting Jupiter, phases of Venus,
and other heavenly phenomena. Concerning stars never before seen,
Galileo wrote:
“I had determined to depict the entire constellation of Orion, but I was
overwhelmed by the vast quantity of stars and by want of time, and so
I have deferred attempting this to another occasion, for there are
adjacent to, or scattered among, the old stars more than five hundred
new stars.”
When he observed the irregular surface of the Moon he proved to
himself, at least, that it was not perfect, as the Church had been
teaching. However, it was his persistent viewing of Jupiter and its
points of light, which turned out to be its moons as he soon realized,
that sealed the fate of the Earth-centred Ptolemaic model of the solar
system. That, along with his observations of Venus going through a
complete set of phases that could only be explained if Venus revolved
around the Sun, which proved to Galileo, and eventually the rest of the
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world that the Sun-centred model was the correct one.
Let’s look at Galileo’s observations of Venus to demonstrate more
convincingly that what he saw demonstrated to him, and anyone else
who cared to review his observations, that the Sun-centred model was
the correct one. First, look at an animation demonstrating what Venus
would look like if the Ptolemaic (Earth-centred) model was correct.
flash animation
http://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/renaissance/ptolemaic.ht
ml
.
With this configuration you see that the Earth is in the centre. Venus
orbits the Earth but on a circle of its own (called an epicycle) while the
Sun orbits Earth beyond that. When you start the animation observe
what Venus must look like from Earth (top right of picture) as Venus
and the Sun orbit Earth. You see that Venus would always show just a
crescent phase.
Now, let’s view another animation demonstrating what Venus would
look like if the Copernican (Sun-centred) model was correct.
flash animation
http://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/renaissance/venusphases.
html
Here you see the correct configuration with the Sun at the centre and
Earth and Venus orbiting the Sun. When you start the animation you
will see Venus going through its phases just as Galileo would have
observed with his telescope. It goes through a full phase cycle just like
the Moon, something possible only if the Sun is at the centre of the
solar system.
As mentioned above, Galileo observed Venus going through a
complete set of phase exactly like the Moon’s phase cycle. The only
possible scenario Galileo could conclude was that Venus must revolve
around the Sun with an orbital radius smaller than Earth’s. Bingo!
The revolution was complete. But what was it that "held" the planets in
their orbits???
Galileo died on January 8, 1642
having failed to convince the
leaders of the Roman Catholic Church that its interpretation of the
Holy Scriptures was inconsistent with observed facts. The Church
pronounced his findings false and heretical and forbade anyone to
teach them and put Galileo under a form of "house arrest". Only
recently was this position of the RC Church recanted (by Pope Jean
Paul II) and a much overdue apology issued.
So blind are the eyes of men when they do not want to see!
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Isaac Newton was born on December 25, 1642
.
He was a sickly child who
eventually attended Cambridge University (England) but returned to home in Woolsthorpe
during the great plague of England. There he investigated mathematics, optics, motion and
discovered gravity.
Before we look at Newton's Law of Gravitation I must caution you that this law involves the
concept of "force", something we have not yet dealt with (although we will study this later
in this module). Basically, a force is either a push or a pull. In the case of a planet circling
the Sun the idea is that something makes it do that, rather than travelling in a straight line.
That is, without a "force" acting on the planet it would travel in a straight line. Because it
travels in a circle (or ellipse) something must be pulling on it to make it follow this path.
Newton cleverly realized that an invisible force must exist between two objects, called it
"gravity", that it must be the same force which causes an apple to fall to the ground and the
rest is history, so to speak.
So, Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, a real "tour de force" (HA!), is summed up nicely
in the diagram shown below.
This law shows that the gravitational force is proportional to the masses of both objects and
inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the masses. This is
mathematical jargon. What it really means is that if the mass of either object is doubled
(say) then the force also doubles; if the mass is tripled then the force also triples, and so
on. Also, if the distance between the masses doubles then the force diminishes by a factor
of four (which is two squared — 2 x 2); or if the distance triples then the force diminishes
by a factor of nine (three squared — 3 x 3), and so on. I've tried to explain this in simple
terms; you may need to read this a few times to understand it, although it is fairly basic
mathematics (think high school math).
With this law Newton was able to derive Kepler's Laws and showed that they applied to any
two bodies moving under the influence of gravity (not just planets) and that they orbited
with the centre of mass at one focus. He was one smart dude!
Furthermore, he showed that a few other orbital paths were possible. Elliptical orbits
are
bound or closed
orbits which keep the two objects circling each other forever. Parabolic
and hyperbolic orbits,
unbound or open
orbits, are also possible.
Comets can be on either a bound elliptical orbit (returning to the Sun like clockwork) or on
an unbound parabolic orbit (passing by the Sun only once before returning to the vast
regions of outer space). The same applies to asteroids or other space objects.
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Newton also derived Kepler's Third Law in a more generalized form which turned out to
have a very useful outcome. It goes something like this:
For any two masses, M
1
and M
2
, the formula for the period or orbit of either mass is given
by
P
2
= 4
π
2
a
3
/(G(M
1
+M
2
))
(G is the universal gravitational constant — a known, but empirical, value).
If M1 is the mass of the Sun (M
s
) and M
2
is the mass of a planet, say, then (M
1
+ M
2
)
becomes M
s
, because the mass of the Sun is so much greater than the mass of the planet,
and the formula now becomes
P
2
= (4
π
2
/GM
s
) a
3
The significance of this outcome is that we have developed the primary method of
determining masses throughout the universe. You see, we can't weigh the Sun? So, we
determine its mass by measuring both the orbital rate of a planet (P) and its average
distance from the Sun (a) and then use the equation to determine the Sun's mass, viz.
M
s
= 4
π
2
a
3
/GP
2
The same holds true for any two objects, one massive and the other a satellite (natural or
otherwise). This little derivation is for information only – no need to memorize it, thank
goodness.
We determine the Earth's mass by observing the Moon. We determine Jupiter's mass by
observing any of its moons. We can only determine a star's mass if we can find something
in orbit around it.
Tides
A very nice application of Newton's Law of Gravitation is the study of tides. You will find this
material in the textbook in section 3.5. On Earth, the oceans go through a daily cycle of
tides that are explained by the gravitational influence of the Moon.
The tides on Earth are mostly the result of the Moon’s gravitational pull on Earth. The
Moon’s gravity pulls more strongly on the near side of the Earth than the far side and this
difference is known as a tidal force. The tidal force, or difference between the force on the
near side and the force on the far side, results in a bulge in the water (high tide) on both
the Moon-facing side of Earth and the opposite side of the Earth. Of course, this also results
in a low tide on the sides of the Earth at 90° to the near and far sides (see diagram below).
So, as the Earth spins around on its axis any location on Earth experiences two high tides
and two low tides every day.
As shown in the diagram below, the side of the Earth facing the Moon feels a stronger
(bigger) gravitational attraction than the side facing away from the Moon.
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As the Earth rotates "inside this bulge" it moves you through each of these two bulges once
each day, thereby creating two high tides and, as a consequence, two low tides, as
mentioned above.
The tides do not occur at the same time each day, as this simplistic explanation suggests,
because of the Moon's rotation around the Earth, adding about 50 minutes each day to the
time of the tidal pattern.
(recall that the lunar cycle is about 29.5 days so it takes the Moon about 24/29.5 hours/day
= 0.81 hours/day = 49 minutes/day)
The Sun can also bring about tides on Earth. Although it is much, much farther away than
the Moon, its mass is considerably larger than the Moon's. It is really the
difference
in
gravitational attraction from one side of the Earth to the opposite side that results in tides;
still, the Sun does cause tiding.
The effect of the Sun is particularly noticeable when the Sun, Moon and Earth are all lined
up, as they are at a new and/or full Moon. At this time of the month, the tides are highest
and are called
spring
tides (has nothing to do with the spring season) because the water
"springs" up the shore. During first and third quarter Moons the tides are called
neap
tides
because the Sun, now perpendicular to the line between the Earth and the Moon, tends to
cancel out the effect of the lunar tides resulting in lower tides than at other times.
Two interesting results of the Earth-Moon tides are that, due to
tidal friction
, the rotation
of the Earth is gradually slowing down (the days are getting slightly longer) and the Moon is
moving further from the Earth. These changes are very, very slight and would become
noticeable over millions of years. Of course, in all of this, angular momentum is still
conserved, although we have yet to learn what "angular momentum" is — that will come
shortly. Tidal friction is believed to be the cause of the Moon's synchronous rotation with the
Earth.
Let’s now move on and learn about the scientific method.
The Scientific Method: Deductive and Inductive Reasoning
In science, knowledge progresses when we apply logical reasoning, devoid of emotion and
personal desires, to the observations from the experiments that we execute.
Two types of reasoning are utilized — deductive and inductive.
"Deductive reasoning" refers to the process of concluding that something must be true
because it is a special case of a general principle that is known to be true. For example, if
you know the general principle that the sum of the angles in any triangle is always 180
degrees, and you have a particular triangle in mind, you can then conclude that the sum of
the angles in your triangle is 180 degrees.
Deductive reasoning is logically valid and it is the fundamental method in which
mathematical facts are shown to be true.
"Inductive reasoning" is the process of reasoning that a general principle is true because the
special cases you've seen are true. For example, if all the people you've ever met from a
particular town have been very strange, you might then say "all the residents of this town
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are strange". That is inductive reasoning: constructing a general principle from special
cases. It goes in the opposite direction from deductive reasoning.
Consider the following example:
Trump
: Every time I kick a ball up, it comes back down, so I presume the next time I kick it
up, it will come back down, too.
Trudeau
: That's because of Newton's Laws. Everything that goes up must come down (not
unlike the stock market!). And so, if you kick the ball up, it must come down.
Trump is using
inductive reasoning
, arguing from observation, while Trudeau is
using
deductive reasoning
, arguing from the law of gravity. Trudeau's argument is clearly
from the general (the law of gravity) to the specific (this kick).
Trump's argument may be less obviously from the specific (each individual instance in which
he has observed balls being kicked up and coming back down) to the general (the prediction
that a similar event will result in a similar outcome in the future) because he has stated it in
terms only of the next similar event—the next time he kicks the ball.
The only reason we go through all of this is because the scientific method is based on both
inductive and deductive reasoning and so we must be aware of both types of reasoning.
The Scientific Method
The basic idea of the scientific method, the cornerstone of modern science, is quite simple:
one looks at a set of observations or demonstrated facts, develops a hypothesis that
satisfies or predicts accurately the observations, makes further observations, tests the
hypothesis and makes adjustments as necessary.
The flow chart shown here is a good pictorial representation of the scientific method.
Science and Nonscience
Now that you have a pretty good idea of what science is, it is important to be aware of what
science is
not
.
Pseudoscience
, or false science, is all around us. Lots of people make predictions based on
reading tea leaves, tarot cards, palms, psychic determinations. Such so-called scientific
prognostications have never met the "test of time" using the accepted scientific method.
(We’ll come to "astrology" shortly)
Nonscience
(notice how close this word is to "nonsense") is a term used to describe
predictions based on intuition, societal traditions (old wives’ tales), faith, political conviction,
and tradition. However, such non-science techniques also do not meet the "test of time" and
when made subject to the scientific method, simply fall apart.
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Sometimes, scientists just make mistakes — a good example of this is the "cold fusion"
proposals of some years ago. An interesting book has been published entitled
When Bad
Astronomy happens to Good People
, by Philip Plait (John Wiley & Sons, 2002), and reviewed
in October 2002 issue of Sky and Telescope.
Astronomy is once again in a period of great growth and interest, perhaps its most
remarkable, fastest-developing phase — in the past 10-15 years there have been startling
developments:
Hubble telescope has brought us pictures of heavenly objects with a clarity never
before seen
have viewed planets around other stars
have seen the births of galaxies at the very edge of the observable universe
discovered rings on all Jovian planets
discovered new moons on some Jovian planets
have found Pluto-sized Kuiper Belt objects
have found pulsars, quasars, and black holes (once thought to be a theoretical
artefact), in fact, we now have evidence that black holes are at the centre of most
galaxies
detected gravitational waves
Astrology
Let's take some time to talk somewhat about the practice of "astrology". In ancient
times astronomy and astrology went hand-in-hand and many astronomers practiced
astrology because it was important to their livelihood, even though most didn't
believe a word of it.
Astrology holds that human events and even traits depend on the positions of the
Sun, Moon, planets and star patterns at a person's birth. Important events in a
person's history, or at any time that seems appropriate to the person "reading the
heavens and predicting your future", were revealed by a certain heavenly alignment.
And so on.
Recall the picture of the Sun and the constellations of the zodiac from Chapter 2,
shown here again
Well, to put it bluntly, there is no scientific proof that "astrology is any more able to predict
the past, present or future than you or I making random choices", to paraphrase your
textbook.
Astrology is more "fun" than anything else and anyone who puts any stock in horoscopes
(or horrorscopes !!!) is only fooling themselves.
Your textbook has a few good pages on this topic in Chapter 2.
Asking a question, "Does it make sense?" is always a good approach — is it consistent with
observations and knowledge? For example, the statement that Derek Jeter (baseball player)
had a batting average of 0.666 appears to be an unreasonable assertion — over what period
of time — last season, last month, last week, yesterday?
The Cosmological Principle
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At the heart of modern astronomy is something called the
Cosmological Principle
. This
principle is based on two fundamental tenets.
There is nothing special or unique about Earth — the Earth is not at the centre of the
Universe or even our own solar system (of course, we now know that) — our location
in the Universe is where it is by chance, nothing more, nothing less — nor is our
galaxy anything special or different; there are thousands of galaxies like ours and
unlike ours
The second is that the laws of physics and chemistry that describe what happens on
Earth are valid throughout the Universe — in a sense, this follows from the first
tenet — we are nothing special (astronomically speaking)
Mankind did not always believe this.
Again, not to bore you but to make the point once again, until Copernicus, Galileo and
others, humans thought the Earth was at the centre of everything; that this was a special
place; and that everything else,
everything else
, revolved around Earth.
Further, we reasoned that the heavens were made of a different type of substance than
Earth-bound objects, and that they had their own set of rules (e.g., Aristotle's belief that
the natural state for any object was "at rest", except for the planets and stars for which
their natural state was to move in perfect circles around Earth).
However, science being what it is, and the scientific method being put to good use, "proved"
that both of these strongly and firmly held ideas were wrong. Notice here that we are
"proving" something wrong,
not
proving something right!!!
Isaac Newton, Gravity and Orbits
The Copernican Revolution resolved the problem of the place of Earth within the solar
system, but the problem of planetary motion was only partly solved by Kepler’s laws. For
the last 10 years of his life, Galileo studied the nature of motion, especially the accelerated
motion of falling bodies. Although he made some important progress, he was not able to
relate his discoveries about motion to those of the heavens. That final step was taken by
Isaac Newton.
As mentioned before Galileo died in January 1642. Some 11 months later, on Christmas day
1642, Isaac Newton was born in the English village of Woolsthorpe. Newton was a quiet
child from a farming family, but his work at school was so impressive that his uncle financed
his education at Trinity College, where he studied mathematics and physics. In 1665, plague
swept through England, and the colleges were closed. During 1665 and 1666, Newton spent
his time back home in Woolsthorpe, thinking and studying. It was during these years that
he made most of his scientific discoveries. Among other things, he studied optics, developed
three laws of motion, probed the nature of gravity, and invented calculus. The publication of
his work in his book
Principia
in 1687 placed the fields of physics and astronomy on a new
firm base.
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It is beyond the scope of these notes to analyze all of Newton’s work, but his laws of motion
and gravity had an important impact on the future of astronomy. In order to understand his
work, we must begin with a general framework for describing the motion of any object.
Position and time specify where and when an object is.
Speed
is the rate at which an object
moves (changes position). It is the total distance moved divided by the total time taken to
move that distance. For example if it took you 2 hours to travel 100 km then your speed
was 50 km/hour. Although we are used to thinking of speeds in km/hour, in science, the
Standard International (SI) units are metres/second.
Velocity
specifies both speed and
direction of travel of an object. For example if car A moves 60 km east in 2 hours and car B
moves 60 km south in 2 hours, they have the same speed of 30km/hour, but their velocities
are different because they are traveling in different directions. Thus,
velocity
can change if:
(i) The speed changes (ii) The direction changes (iii) Both speed and direction change.
Acceleration
is the rate of change of velocity with time. It is thus the change in velocity
divided by the time taken for the change to occur. Since velocity changes if speed changes,
speeding up is an example of acceleration and slowing down is negative acceleration (in a
direction opposing the direction of travel), or deceleration. On the other hand, velocity also
changes if there is a change of direction; so turning is also an example of acceleration.
Thus, an object can be traveling in a circle, let’s say, at constant speed but its direction is
constantly changing and this translates into a change in velocity.
Newton realized that the motion of all objects is a result of the forces (pulls or pushes)
acting on them. He was able to find three universal laws of motion that made it possible to
predict exactly how a body would move if all the forces acting on it were known.
Newton’s
first law of motion
states that an object remains at rest or at constant velocity
unless a net force acts to change its speed or direction. Thus when your car is at rest or
traveling at a constant speed and direction, then the forces exerted by the wheels to drive
you forward is balanced by the wind resistance and other forces in such a way that the net
(total) force is zero. If you wanted to speed up, or slow down or change direction, then the
engine would have to cause an additional force. The effect of this additional force is
described by Newton’s
second law
. If the mass (amount of matter) of the object does not
change, then the acceleration is proportional to the force exerted. Hence if you want to
double your acceleration the applied force must be doubled.
An example of acceleration that we are all familiar with is the acceleration due to gravity. All
falling objects on Earth have a constant acceleration downwards towards the centre of the
Earth. This acceleration was first pointed out by Galileo. The acceleration of gravity,
g,
is
9.8 metres per second per second, more commonly written as 9.8 m/s
2
. This means that if
you drop any object, say an apple, from rest, its speed will increase by roughly 10 m/s with
each second of falling, if one ignores air resistance. Thus after the first second its speed will
be roughly 10 m/s, after two seconds its speed will be 20 m/s and so on until it crashes into
the ground. Conversely, if you throw the apple into the air, there is still a constant
acceleration of 9.8 m/s
2
downwards. Hence the speed of the apple will
decrease
by roughly
10 m/s every second until it comes to a standstill, at which point it will start falling back
towards the ground with its speed increasing by 10 m/s every second. If you were to find
yourself on the surface of Jupiter where the acceleration due to Jupiter’s gravity is 25.4
m/sec
2
then, of course, you (or any other object) would find your speed increasing by about
25 m/sec with each second of falling and in practically no time your speed would be quite
high. In actual fact this wouldn’t happen on Jupiter because, as you will learn in Module
Four, the surface of Jupiter consists of thick gases so the force due to air resistance would
be considerable and you would soon reach some terminal velocity (speed) where the force
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of gravity would be exactly balanced by the air resistance force. This is really more than you
need to know but I’ve mentioned it because it’s interesting and it’s important to know that
what you experience here on Earth will be quite different on any other body in the solar
system.
This brings us to Newton’s
third law of motion
stating that for every action (force) there is
an equal and opposite reaction (force), although the action and reaction forces act on
different bodies. This seems like such a simple law but one that most students have the
most difficulty with, mainly because they forget about the second part of the law about
“acting on different bodies”. In terms of the Earth-Moon system this means that the Earth’s
gravity pulls on the Moon and that’s what keeps the Moon in orbit around the
Earth. However, at the same time the Moon is pulling on the Earth and these two forces
have exactly the same values although, as you can easily comprehend, they do act on
different bodies, one on the Moon and the other one on the Earth. This law has great value
to, let’s say, a spacecraft heading from Earth to Mars. As it moves along through space at
constant speed (because the rockets are turned off) it moves in a straight line and at
constant speed. Let’s suppose we turn on the rockets; this amounts to throwing hot gases
away from the spacecraft in the opposite direction of motion. The action is that the
spacecraft accelerates increasing its speed toward Mars. The reaction is that we’ve expelled
some hot gases away from the spacecraft back toward Earth – action/reaction.
So, Newton’s Laws of Motion are used all the time in astronomy whether it’s determining
orbital mechanics (a fancy way of talking about measuring and determining the speeds of
objects in motion around other objects) or working out how to get a spacecraft from Earth
to Mars (or any other planet or moon) in the shortest possible time.
Here’s a brief (4:24 min) YouTube video summarizing the ideas I’ve presented about
Newton’s Laws of Motion. I hope it helps you to better understand them.
The Universal Theory of Gravitation
When Newton thought carefully about motion, he realized that some force must pull the
Moon toward Earth’s centre. If there were no such force altering the Moon’s motion, then
according to Newton’s first law, it would continue moving in a straight line and leave Earth
forever. It can circle Earth only if Earth attracts it. Newton’s insight was to recognize that
the force that holds the Moon in its orbit is the same force of gravity that makes apples and
all other objects fall to the ground on Earth.
Newtonian gravitation is sometimes called universal mutual gravitation. Newton’s third law
points out that forces occur in pairs. If one body attracts another, the second body must
also attract the first. Thus, gravitation is mutual. Furthermore, gravity is universal. That is,
all objects with mass attract all other masses in the universe. The
mass
of an object is a
measure of the amount of matter or ‘stuff’ in the object, usually expressed in kilograms.
You may be used to thinking of ‘massive’ objects as very large objects. However, in science
massive objects are those that contain a lot of matter. They may or may not be large. For
example, a one-inch ball of lead is more massive than a large balloon full of air. In everyday
life, the terms mass and weight are used interchangeably. Thus when you report your
weight at the doctor’s office as 60kg you are actually reporting your mass. In science, mass
is not the same as
weight
. Mass is an intrinsic property of an object and is the same no
matter what forces are acting on an object. An object’s weight is the force that gravity
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exerts on the object. Thus an object in space very far from Earth might have no weight, but
it would contain the same amount of matter and would thus have the same mass that it has
on Earth.
Often, objects (even humans on board the International Space Station) are referred to as
being in a “weightless” environment. You see objects floating inside the space station and it
is assumed that they are now “weightless”. Quite frankly, this is all wrong. The ISS (and
crew) orbit the Earth at about 420 km above Earth’s surface. At that height there certainly
is a substantial gravitational field due to Earth’s presence so no thing associated with the
ISS is weightless. Remember that weight is the force acting on an object due to the
presence of Earth. It is because of this force and the tangential velocity of the ISS that it is
able to be in orbit around the Earth. So, the point is that the ISS (and its crew) is constantly
falling toward Earth (just like the Moon) – it just keeps missing! As long as it maintains its
tangential velocity it will keep “missing” and remain in the same orbit around Earth. So, the
astronauts, and everything associated with the ISS, are NOT weightless.
To summarize, Newton’s universal law of gravitation states that the force of gravity
attracting two objects to each other equals a constant times the product of their masses
divided by the square of the distance between the objects. Gravity is universal: Your mass
affects the planet Neptune and the galaxy M31, and every other object in the universe, and
their masses affect you—although not much, because they are so far away and your mass is
relatively very small.
Orbital Motion
Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation make it possible for you to understand why and
how the moon orbits Earth, the planets orbit the Sun, and to discover why Kepler’s laws
work. To understand how an object can orbit another object, you need to see orbital motion
as Newton did. Begin by studying ‘Orbiting Earth’ on pages 66-67 (First Canadian Edition)
and notice three important ideas:
1.
An object orbiting Earth, and any orbiting object, is actually falling (being accelerated
due to the gravitational force) toward Earth’s center. An object in a stable orbit
continuously misses Earth because of its horizontal velocity.
2.
Objects orbiting each other actually revolve around their mutual center of mass.
3.
Notice the difference between closed orbits and open orbits. If you want to leave
Earth never to return, you must give your spaceship a high enough velocity so it will
follow an open orbit.
When the captain of a spaceship says to the pilot, “Put us into a circular orbit,” the ship’s
computers must quickly calculate the velocity needed to achieve a circular orbit. That
circular velocity depends only on the mass of the planet and the distance from the center of
the planet. Once the engines fire and the ship reaches circular velocity, the engines can
shut down. The ship is in orbit and will fall around the planet forever, as long as it is above
the atmosphere’s friction. No further effort is needed to maintain orbit, thanks to the laws
Newton discovered.
Newton’s laws of motion and his universal theory of gravitation enabled him to explain
Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. Kepler’s first law that the planets move in elliptical orbits
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is a direct result of the inverse square law of gravitation. Newton proved that any object
moving in a closed orbit according to the inverse square law must follow an elliptical path.
Furthermore, just like the spaceship in stable orbit around the Earth, the planets, the Moon
and all objects in the universe will remain on their respective paths forever unless an
external force (such as for example a collision with another object) acts on them.
Newton’s inverse square law of gravitation also explains Kepler’s second law that reminds us
that planets move faster when they are closer to the Sun. As the planets continuously fall
towards the Sun in their orbits, they go faster when they approach the Sun, thanks to the
inverse relationship between force and distance. A measure of a planet’s rotational motion is
its angular momentum, which is proportional to its velocity and its distance from the Sun.
As a result of Newton’s laws, in the absence of additional rotational forces the total angular
momentum of a planet is conserved. Thus, when its distance from the Sun increases, its
velocity must decrease to balance out the increased distance and vice versa. You can
observe the conservation of angular momentum for yourself by watching an ice skater
spinning on the ice. She can increase or decrease her velocity of rotation by pulling her
arms in or spreading them out and thus increasing or decreasing her ‘distance’ from her
Creative commons licence attribution: PhET Interactive Simulations, University of
Colorado
http://phet.colorado.edu
. (To get this to work you will have to download the
simulation by double-clicking on the picture.
You may have to change your security settings
(temporarily) to allow your computer to download the simulation and you may also have to
upgrade your Java version.
I know this should be simpler but right now that's how it is.)
Newton was also able to combine his laws of motion with the law of gravitation to derive a
relationship between a planet’s orbital period and average distance from the Sun, which was
identical to Kepler’s third law, as detailed above. You now understand the power of
Newton’s work. He was able to explain all the patterns of planetary motion observed by
Kepler by using very simple and universal rules. But this was not all. Gravity is also the key
to understanding another critical phenomenon on Earth: ocean tides.
Newton's Universe
Newton’s insights gave the world a new conception of nature. His laws of motion
were
general
laws that described the motions of
all
bodies under the action of external
forces. Just imagine! A few simple laws that can explain how your car accelerates, how the
Canadian ice hockey team manoeuvres on ice, and even how the planets move! And
furthermore, Newton’s laws and the theory of gravitation allow us to break the bonds of
Earth and the Solar System and understand the motion of all objects in the universe. As you
will see in later chapters, we can detect planets around other stars by observing the motion
of the star as it gravitationally interacts with any planets orbiting it. We can calculate the
mass of these new planets using the law of gravitation. Indeed this has been used to
calculate the mass of Earth and all the other planets, and the Sun. We can even detect
black holes at the centre of galaxies by observing the motion of objects around it.
The story of the development of astronomy that you have just read is also the story of the
development of the scientific method. Ancient astronomers began the process by carefully
gathering and recording data. Gradually models were developed that best fit the data and
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over time they were tested against observations and discarded if necessary. Good scientific
theories are those that can make a broad range of predictions that can be confirmed against
observations, and that can provide new insight into nature. Here we can hearken back to
our study of Johannes Kepler and the development of his three laws of orbital motion. Recall
that he took Brahe’s data and used it to realize that planets orbited the Sun in ellipses and
not in circles. Science and astronomy progress today through the careful application of this
method of studying nature. As the Nobel Prize winning physicist William Lawrence Bragg
said, “The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new
ways of thinking about them.” Sometimes this requires a huge leap of imagination and a
questioning of our most strongly held beliefs. Indeed the shift from the geocentric to the
heliocentric viewpoint was a harsh lesson in humility for humanity. Earth became merely
another planet orbiting the Sun. But this first revolution of thought started us on a fantastic
journey of scientific discovery. The efforts of Newton and his predecessors, all the way back
to our ancient ancestors, opened the door to our modern way of scientific thinking and our
understanding of the universe.
The Physics of Heat
The physics of heat, otherwise known as Thermodynamics, is a well-developed field of study
within physics. It is also an important aspect of the study of astronomy. Therefore, we
present in this section some of the more salient features of the concept of temperature, and
those aspects of thermodynamics that will be relevant to our investigations.
So, hang onto your hats; there'll be a hot time in the old town tonight, and won't that be
cool!!
We measure how hot (or cold) an object is by "taking its temperature". When we do this we
use a temperature scale.
In Canada, we now use the metric system of measurement resulting in temperature being
measured in Centigrade or Celsius degrees. Not that long ago (and still in the United States)
temperature was measured in Fahrenheit degrees. Evidently, there are two systems in use
today in North America that measure temperature. Well, actually there are three systems as
scientists often use a scale in degrees Kelvin.
In the Fahrenheit system water freezes at 32° and boils at 212° and room temperature is
around 68°; there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to this system, although it has
been in use for many years.
In the Celsius system water freezes at 0° and boils at 100°. This seems a little more
sensible. Room temperature is around 20°.
The Kelvin temperature scale is the same as the Celsius scale except that the freezing point
of water is shifted to 273.15 K (the ° sign is not used when writing temperatures in Kelvin)
to result in the lowest possible temperature being 0 K. This temperature, 0 K, is often
called
absolute zero
and is the temperature achieved when all atoms making up a sample
are in their ground state. Absolute zero can never be achieved in the laboratory (what
would you hold it in?) although scientists have got awfully close to it.
So, when we discuss the planets in greater detail we will refer to their surface temperatures
in Kelvin.
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Thermal Energy
If we examine an object at an atomic level (say a bottle of helium) we see that the
individual helium atoms are moving around inside the bottle in all directions in a seemingly
random way. Some are moving slowly while others are moving faster; some may even be
momentarily at rest. The average kinetic energy (energy of motion) of the atoms is what we
call
temperature
, so when we "take its temperature" we are really measuring the average
kinetic energy of the atoms that make up the mass. This total kinetic energy of all particles
in a system is often referred to as
thermal energy
.
Typical speeds of atoms and molecules in the air around you actually move at quite high
speeds — around 0.5 km/sec! What about a solid object? In such an object (a table, the
floor, an apple) the individual atoms do not move around as freely as they do in a gas. The
interatomic forces are strong enough to hold the atoms together in an array that is typical
of that particular solid. However, the atoms vibrate back and forth in various directions in
situ (at their location in the solid) and the speed and amplitude of vibration is an indication
of the object's temperature.
Heat Transfer
Heat is transferred from one body to another body by three unique mechanisms:
conduction
convection
radiation
Conduction
Conduction occurs when the atoms in one part of the substance vibrate or oscillate faster,
or in the case of a gas move around faster, (meaning a higher temperature) than at another
part of the substance (meaning a lower temperature) — this vibrational /translational
energy gets transferred along the chain of neighbours from the hot area to the cool area.
Thus, heat energy (really energy of motion) is transferred from one part of the object to
another in an attempt to make all parts of the object equal energy-wise, a spreading out or
sharing of the thermal energy through diffusion. Some substances are better at this than
others — metals are generally good conductors of heat (and also good electrical conductors)
or good thermal conductors while non-metals (also called insulators) are generally poor
thermal conductors, mainly because of the atomic structure of the materials.
Convection
While the best conductors of heat are generally solids (liquids less so, and gases very
poorly), liquids and gases distribute heat by another process called convection.
Here heat transfer is by the actual transfer of mass (unlike conduction where one
atom/molecule jostles the one next to it and so on).
A good example of this is what you experience at the beach. During the day the ground
(beach) heats up more than the water and the air above the land also gets hotter. It's no
secret that hot air rises (it's less dense and hence lighter) and to fill in the space cooler air
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moves in from the air over the water. Cooler air then drops in over the water and a
convection cycle is established. At night the opposite occurs with the convection cycle
creating a wind away from the land.
Convection also occurs during the heating of a pot of water on the stove — you might have
noticed this while watching (waiting for?) a pot of water or soup to boil.
Here, the bottom of the pot gets hot (conduction at work as the bottom of the pot is in
contact with the hot stove element) warming the water in contact with the bottom of the
pot. Warm water is less dense than cold water so the warm water rises being replaced by
cooler water from above and a convection cell is established.
Convection is one of the ways that terrestrial planets and moons cool down (like Earth,
Mars, and Titan). Heat from the hot core of the planet heats up the portion of the mantle
that it is in touch with core; this rocky material moves (slowly) to the outer part of the
planet (similar to our warming pot of water) being replaced by cooler material from the
upper portion of the mantle and a convection cell is established; see next below.
Radiation
The last form of heat transfer is very different from conduction and convection in that it
actually makes use of a different form of energy to remove (or transport) heat from an
object (or from one place to another).
Inside a solid object light is emitted by atoms all the time. These photons are quickly
absorbed by neighbouring atoms or molecules which themselves emit photons and the
process continues within the object.
So, within any object photons of various frequencies (hence energies) are bouncing around
randomly. The average photon energy depends on the object's temperature. Eventually
some of these photons make their way to the object's surface and are radiated away from
the object, taking with it energy, thus cooling the object.
The heat transferred through light (electromagnetic) waves is commonly called radiant
energy or thermal radiation. The really interesting thing about this is that all objects do this
— stars, cars, bars, Mars, even you! When an object cools by emitting light the radiation is
not at one specific frequency (colour) but rather a spectrum (range) of frequencies (see
below) depending on the temperature of the object.
Two simple rules describe how a thermal radiation spectrum depends on the temperature of
the emitting object:
Rule 1 — Hotter objects emit more total radiation per unit surface area (actually the
radiated energy is proportional to the fourth power of the temperature (in K) — you
don't need to know this — it's just interesting "stuff" — thus, a 600 K object radiates
16 times as much energy as a 300 K (room temperature) object)
Rule 2 — Hotter objects emit photons with a higher average energy (a fireplace
poker which is relatively cool emits infrared radiation (not visible to us) but as it
heats up it gets red (emitting higher energy photons) and at still hotter temperatures
it might get white hot (emitting yellow and blue photons along with the red)
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The graph shown below shows the intensity of light emitted (or energy per unit time) as a
function of wavelength for several objects of different temperatures. You can see the
validity of Rule 1 because the 15,000 K star clearly emits more total radiation than your 310
K human.
Furthermore, the hot star emits the most photons at a shorter wavelength (higher energy)
than our human who emits radiation primarily in the infrared (which is why tracking
binoculars used by police at night allow observers to "see" humans).
A relatively cool star (3000 K) emits mostly red light (such as Orion's Betelgeuse). Our Sun
(5800 K) emits about the same amount of light of all visible colours so it looks yellow. A
very hot star (Orion's Rigel) emits more blue light than any other visible colour so it appears
bluish.
This graph shows the amount of energy radiated by a body across the spectrum for a few
objects at different temperatures.
Types of Electromagnetic Radiation and their Sources
Type of
Radiation
Wavelength Range
(nm)
Object
Temperature
Typical Sources
Gamma Rays
Less than 0.01
More than 108 K
Nuclear reactions
X-rays
0.01 - 20
106 – 108 K
Supernova remnants and
solar corona
Ultraviolet
20 - 400
104 – 106 K
Very hot stars
Visible
400 - 700
103 – 104 K
Stars
Infrared
1000 - 1,000,000
10 – 103 K
Cool clouds of dust,
planets, satellites
Radio
More than 1,000,000
Less than 10 K
No astronomical objects
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are this cold
Light - The Cosmic Messenger
Light is obviously a very important part of astronomy. Let's face it; light is an important part
of living!
Ancient astronomers started to put together models of the universe by observing light from
the Sun, light from the Moon, light from the planets, and light from the stars.
Today we analyze light from stars to learn about the star's temperature, chemical
composition, and motion. Light received from distant galaxies tells us about the expansion
of the universe and possibly about the future of the universe. Light (radio signals) from
spacecraft carries important information about properties of planets and their
moons. Clearly, and this is a very important point, everything
we know about our solar
system (with the exception of what we have learned from manned or robotic lander
missions), everything
we know about our own galaxy and everything
we know about the
universe, we know because of the light we have observed and analyzed originating from
beyond our planet Earth. Light is not just our primary tool; it’s pretty much our only tool.
Thus, it is imperative that we understand what light is, what its properties are, and how we
use it to explore the universe around us.
What is Light?
From a scientific perspective light is a transverse, electromagnetic wave propagating
through space. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's find an easier way to describe
light.
Actually, light is quite analogous to water waves. By observing water waves you learn that
they move away across the surface of the water from the source of the wave (a bobbing
boat, the spot where a thrown stone enters the water, the location where a raindrop meets
the puddle). Closer examination reveals that although the wave moves across the surface of
the water, the water itself doesn't actually move in the direction of the wave. Observe a leaf
floating on the water; as the wave "goes by" the leaf actually moves up and down
perpendicular to the direction of the wave. This indicates that the water just under the leaf
must also simply move up and down.
Light has the same characteristics. As the light moves along through space, the coupled
electric and magnetic fields vary in a wave-like fashion in directions perpendicular to the
light ray's direction. It is not essential that you understand this aspect of light.
Normally we think about light as only the visible (to the human eye) part of the entire light
spectrum. In actual fact, the visible portion of the light spectrum is a very small part of the
entire range of light. From the picture below you can see that X-rays, gamma rays,
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ultraviolet, infrared, and radio and television waves are also light. The only thing that differs
in all of these is the frequency of the wave.
What is Light?
From a scientific perspective light is a transverse, electromagnetic wave propagating
through space. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's find an easier way to describe
light.
Actually, light is quite analogous to water waves. By observing water waves you learn that
they move away across the surface of the water from the source of the wave (a bobbing
boat, the spot where a thrown stone enters the water, the location where a raindrop meets
the puddle). Closer examination reveals that although the wave moves across the surface of
the water, the water itself doesn't actually move in the direction of the wave. Observe a leaf
floating on the water; as the wave "goes by" the leaf actually moves up and down
perpendicular to the direction of the wave. This indicates that the water just under the leaf
must also simply move up and down.
Light has the same characteristics. As the light moves along through space, the coupled
electric and magnetic fields vary in a wave-like fashion in directions perpendicular to the
light ray's direction. It is not essential that you understand this aspect of light.
Normally we think about light as only the visible (to the human eye) part of the entire light
spectrum. In actual fact, the visible portion of the light spectrum is a very small part of the
entire range of light. From the picture below you can see that X-rays, gamma rays,
ultraviolet, infrared, and radio and television waves are also light. The only thing that differs
in all of these is the frequency of the wave.
Light and Matter
Light on its own is fairly interesting but is much more impressive when it interacts with
matter. Every time light interacts with some object, one or more of the following
happens — absorption, transmission, or reflection.
If you paint your bedroom walls green, dyes in the paint absorb all visible light frequencies
except green, which get reflected, giving your walls a green colour. An orange basketball
absorbs all "colours" except those that combine to give the ball an "orange" colour.
The source of all light is atomic or molecular. Light comes from an atom when it undergoes
a transition from one energy level to a lower one. The frequency of the light is directly
dependent on the difference between the energy levels. The higher the energy difference
the closer the light is to the blue end (and beyond) of the spectrum.
Because there are many different energy levels possible in an individual atom there are a
number of different light frequencies that can be generated by a single atom. Each element
(H, He, Na, Au, etc.) has a spectrum (a series of lines) that is unique — a fingerprint
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characteristic of that particular element. Such a spectrum is called an emission spectrum, as
shown in the picture here that is a spectrum for hydrogen. Much of this is outlined on a two-
page spread in your textbook in Section 5.5 – please look at these pages carefully.
Doppler Shift
An interesting and useful phenomenon concerning light (and sound) waves called the
Doppler Effect was first correctly explained by Christian Doppler in 1842. Note that this
phenomenon is known as the Doppler Effect and not
the Doppler Affect (a common error).
If a sound source is moving toward an observer the waves in front of the sound source get
bunched up (closer together) so that the observer hears more waves per second than if the
sound source was not moving. Similarly, if the sound source is moving away from the
observer the waves behind the sound source get pulled apart so that the observer hears
fewer waves per second than if the sound source was not moving.
This situation is shown below where the sound source is a fire truck. Perhaps you have
experienced this situation waiting at a sidewalk and hearing the pitch of an emergency
vehicle siren or bell drop as it passes.
Telescopes - Types, Properties and Uses
Before we get to the point of learning about the different types of telescopes and how they
work we will study a little about common optical devices. In actual fact both the eye and the
camera, optical devices we will study first, are adjuncts to the telescope. Obviously we use
our eyes to "see" the images produced by telescopes and we use cameras to record those
images. Thus, learning about the optics of the eye and the camera first seems a logical
approach.
By now you will have realized that we have learned, or will learn, a great deal about optics,
an important branch of physics. See how sneaky we physicists are; we teach physics
through astronomy!!
Common Properties of Optical Devices
All optical devices use light from some part of the electromagnetic spectrum (often the
visible part).
All optical devices normally gather parallel light rays and make use of a focussing device of
some sort.
All have some kind of a light detection device which transforms the light information into a
more usable form (electric, chemical, etc.).
As well all optical devices have some way of controlling the intensity of the light.
Human Eye
Our study of optical devices starts with the most common (but complex) light-sensitive
instrument — the human eye.
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The eye has a pupil (iris), a lens (for focusing) and a retina (for detecting the light).
Ideally light focuses on the retina which is really a focal plane (somewhat of a misnomer
because it is actually a curved surface).
One important feature of this optical system is the fact that the image is inverted, as shown
above. Thus, you constantly see things upside down but learn early in life to flip the image
top to bottom.
All optical instruments operate this way so when you first use a telescope you must learn to
adjust your thinking to seeing star fields upside down and backwards unless you employ an
inverting device.
Remarkably your pupil dilates in low light environments to allow more light in, allowing you
to see better in the dark.
Angular Resolution
Angular Resolution is a measure of the ability to separate two closely-spaced lights. The
human eye has an angular resolution of about 1 arc minute (1/60th of a degree).
So, if you see a star in the night sky, are you really seeing one star or two (most stars are
at least binary star systems)?
With the naked eye you will see two distinct stars if they are separated by 1 arc minute or
more.
Angular resolution is an important aspect of all optical devices.
Cameras
Cameras have optics similar to the eye with a lens (often interchangeable to change the
focal length), an aperture (to change the amount of light which enters the camera), and a
film (to record the image). Another part, called the shutter (similar to our eyelid), allows
light to be exposed to the film for a controlled amount of time.
Charge-coupled Devices (CCDs)
The quantum efficiency (% of photons striking the surface detected) of the three main
optical recording devices are as follows:
human eye — 1%
photo film — 10%
CCDs — 90%.
Today, digital devices and camcorders employ an image recording device known as
a
charge-coupled device
or CCD. A CCD is a silicon chip made of grid of picture elements
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(pixels) which are very sensitive to light and convert photon energy into an electronic
charge which accumulates. The overall image is stored in a computer for later processing.
Telescopes
Telescopes have come a long way from the modest tool that Galileo first used to examine
the heavens. Today there are large, land-based, visible-light telescopes (the largest will be
a 10.4 metre diameter located in the Canary Islands); X-ray observatories; ultraviolet
spectroscopic units; Very Large Array radio wave telescopes; and the Hubble Space
Telescope — an Earth-orbiting, visible-light telescope that has brought us amazing pictures
of our own solar system and deep-space objects.
There are two basic types of visible-light telescopes; refractive and reflective.
Refractive Telescopes
The basic design of refractive telescope is much like human eye in that it takes light in
through a lens, the image of which is viewed with an eyepiece (a common part of all
telescopes).
The largest refractive telescope is 1 metre in diameter with a telescopic tube 19.5 metres
long. There are several problems with refractors — their large size and weight and the
difficulty in maintaining a consistent glass composition and surfacing during the
manufacturing process. Also, something called
chromatic aberration
(different light colours
focus at different spots) result in fuzzy images. The telescope model on the left (below) is
an example of a refracting telescope.
Reflecting Telescope
Reflecting telescopes are much more common, having none of the difficulties discussed for
refractors. Reflectors use one optical surface to collect light — a spherical mirror surface —
which focuses the light at a point in front of the mirror. The telescope on the right (above)
is an example of a reflecting telescope.
Various arrangements are used to view the image. A Cassegrain focus, a Newtonian focus
and a Schmidt-Cassegrain focus are shown below.
Properties of Telescopes
The two most fundamental properties of any telescope are its light-gathering power and its
resolving power. Note that magnification is NOT listed as an important factor.
Light-gathering power
— Telescopes are described by the diameter of the primary mirror
(or lens) — a 6" reflector has a diameter of 6" and a light-collecting area of about 28 in
2
.
The largest optical telescope today actually the Gran Telescopio Canarias in La Palma,
Canary Islands at 10.4 m followed closely by the Keck I (or Keck II) on Mauna Kea in Hawaii
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(10.0 m). These telescopes consist of 36 hexagonal mirrors pieced together to form a very
large light-collecting device.
Resolving power or Angular Resolution
— Angular resolution is the ability to resolve
two closely spaced light sources. The angular resolution is generally greater the larger the
telescope.
Perfect angular resolution is limited by the very wave nature of light which causes
interference patterns resulting in blurred images. The angular resolution limit owing to this
phenomenon is called its
diffraction limit
, and is not likely a term that you will ever use
unless you are buying a high-end telescope (if you do I hope you will let me come and have
a peek through it!!).
Telescope Uses
Naturally, telescopes are used in obtaining pictures of bodies in the sky (planets, Sun,
moons, individual stars, binary stars, star clusters, galaxies, planetary systems, etc.).
They are also used in carrying out spectroscopy — the science of analyzing light to learn of
its constituent parts thereby determining the composition of the body being examined.
As well, telescopes are involved in longitudinal studies — measuring how light from objects
varies with time.
None of these uses are limited to any particular part of the spectrum as telescopes have
been built for light of all kinds — visible, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, microwave, γ-rays,
radio (long, medium, short), discussed later.
Visible light ground-based telescopes (the ones most of us use) must contend with light
pollution and weather conditions. Anyone who has tried to view the sky, even with the
naked eye, knows well these difficulties. The picture below demonstrates well the growing
problem of Earth-based light pollution.
To circumvent this difficulty some telescopes have been placed in orbit about the Earth,
above the atmosphere. The most famous of these is the Hubble Space Telescope (HST),
commonly known just as the Hubble. The Hubble operates mostly in the visible part of the
spectrum. Others operate at different frequencies. The Spitzer Space Telescope operates in
the infrared. The James Webb Space Telescope (not yet in orbit) is proposed to replace the
Hubble and will operate in the near-infrared. The Chandra X-ray Observatory obviously
operates in the X-ray region of the spectrum. Observing objects at across the entire
spectrum provides us with much more information than viewing at only visible wavelengths.
Some of the most spectacular telescopes are actually arrays of radio telescopes which make
use of radio interferometry, possible because light (of all frequencies) is a wave
phenomenon. The Very Large Array (VLA), shown here, consists of 27 telescopes that can
be moved along train tracks which form a Y shape — the result is a system equivalent to a
single huge (130 metre) telescope.
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Most of everything we know from outside Earth we know because of
our use of what?
-Light
Light is a wave phenomenon with which of the following
characteristics?
-
Wavelength, Frequency, Energy, Speed
What is the range of the wavelength of visible light?
-
400- 700 nanometers
From highest frequency to lowest frequency what is the correct
sequence?
-
Gamma, Xray, Ultraviolet, Visable, infrared, radio waves
The Doppler Efect is a way to determine what?
-
Velocity of an object moving away from us
The two basic types of telescopes are what?
-
Reflective and refractive
The larger the size of the telescope the greater the what?
-
Light gathering ability
The main problem that ground-based telescopes have to contend
with is
- The earths atmosphere, marrying atmospheric conditons, light polluton
Which of the following statements about the Hubble Space Telescope
is false?
- it was designed by a famous astronomer named Edwin Hubble
What is the main advantage of the Hubble Space Telescope?
-
It orbits above the earths atmosphere
The Teutonic name Thor is related to the heavenly body and English
name:
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- Thursday, Jupiter
Stonehenge was built by whom?
-
No body knows for sure
The date for Easter is determined by
-
Full moon following spring equinox
Early Greek philosophers who infuenced the development of
scientifc thought included
-
Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Ptolemy
Nicolaus Copernicus was important because
-
although he didn’t come up with the concept of the heliocentric
model he was convinced that it was the correct model and
wrote about it in a published book
Galileo was a very important fgure in the development of astronomy.
Which of the following statements about Galileo’s accomplishments is
false?
-
Galileo looked at the moon through his telescope and observed rivers,
mountains and lakes filled with liquid
Galileo was a very important fgure in the development of astronomy.
Which of the following statements about Galileo’s accomplishments is
false?
-
The force of gravity is inversely proportional to the
square of the distance between a planet and the sun
-
The scientifc method involves observing some phenomenon,
hypothesizing a theory, observing some more, refning the
hypothesis, and so on
-
True
If you run down the street covering 2 km in 30 minutes your speed is
-
1.1 m/sec
Acceleraton is
-
The rate of change of speed (or velocity) with time
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the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the Earth is
- 9.8 m/sec squared
Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation tells us that the force between
two objects
-
Varies inversely as the square distance between the two objects
Which of the following statements about energy is
false?
-
Energy comes in little blobs that we have seen and can describe
Which of the following statements about momentum is true?
-
Momentum is the product of mass and velocity
An object is able to stay in orbit around another object because
-
It has just the right tangential speed
Two diferent tempuratures scales are
-
Kelvin and Fahrenheit
Heat is transferred from one body to another by
-
Conduction, radiation, convection
A hot star emits primarily what colour of visible light?
-
Blue
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