Pretty Geek

Question 1

A planetary nebula is   

· 1.

· a shell of ejected gases.

· 2.

· the spherical cloud of gas produced by a supernova explosion.

· 3.

· a gas cloud surrounding a planet after its formation.

· 4.

· the formation stages of planets around stars.

1 points

Question 2

·   Which force induces the core to contract inward and get hotter in massive stars at the conclusion of each episode of nuclear fusion, such as the carbon-, oxygen-, and silicon- fusion cycles?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· gas pressure produced by the very high gas temperatures

· nuclear attractive force between nuclei and between neutrons and protons

· gravity

· electron degeneracy pressure

·  
1 points

Question 3

·   Some objects in the Milky Way Galaxy are observed to eject two oppositely directed jets of X rays. These X-ray jets are believed to be from the accelerations of   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· energetic, charged particles ejected along the magnetic axes of a rotating neutron star.

· the material squirted out along the rotation axis of an accretion disk around a

· neutron star in a binary star system.

· the material expelled from the far side of the companion star in a binary system,

· repelled by magnetic interaction with the pulsar.

· the material transferred onto the surface of a white dwarf star in a binary star system,

· then subsequently blasted into space by runaway thermonuclear fusion reactions.

·  
1 points

Question 4

·   Where would you expect to see a supernova explosion?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· only in irregular galaxies, like the Large Magellanic Cloud, where star formation

· remains an ongoing process

· in the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy

· in the globular clusters surrounding the Milky Way galaxy

· only in other galaxies with active nuclei

·  
1 points

Question 5

·   The luminosity of a typical supernova star during the initial phases of the explosion increases by a factor of   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· 106.

· 103.

· 2–3, since the star is already very bright.

· 108.

·  
1 points

Question 6

·   How did supernova SN 1987A differ from most other observed supernovae?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· Supernova SN 1987A occurred in an external galaxy, not the Milky Way Galaxy.

· Supernova SN 1987A reached a maximum luminosity ten times that of a normal

· supernova.

· Supernova SN 1987A declined in brightness much faster than most supernovae.

· Supernova SN 1987A was a blue supergiant when it blew up rather than the usual

· red supergiant.

·  
1 points

Question 7

·   Which nuclear fusion cycle is the next one to begin after helium fusion ends in a massive star?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· carbon fusion

· silicon fusion

· oxygen fusion

· iron fusion

·  
1 points

Question 8

·   The nuclear process in which helium fusion occurs in the deep interiors of red giant stars produces   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· hydrogen nuclei by the splitting of helium nuclei.

· carbon and oxygen nuclei.

· iron nuclei.

· pure energy from the nuclear mass.

·  
1 points

Question 9

·   After the material in the core of a massive star has been converted to iron by thermonuclear reactions, further energy can be released to heat the core only by   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· gravitational contraction.

· the absorption of neutrinos.

· nuclear fission, or splitting of nuclei.

· thermonuclear fusion of iron into heavier elements.

·  
1 points

Question 10

·   In which order does a single star of about 1 solar mass progress through the various stages of evolution?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· planetary nebula, main sequence, red giant, white dwarf

· planetary nebula, main sequence, neutron star, black hole

· T Tauri, main sequence, planetary nebula, white dwarf

· T Tauri, red giant, white dwarf, neutron star

Question 11

·   Who developed the classification system that divides galaxies into spiral, elliptical, and irregular and classifies spirals by the size of their nuclear region and the tightness of winding of their arms?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· Sir John Herschel

· Ejnar Hertzsprung

· Edwin Hubble

· Olaus Roemer

·  
1 points

Question 12

·   One of the big puzzles about the properties and behavior of large clusters of galaxies is that   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· each cluster appears to consist of the same type of galaxy, some made up totally

· of spiral galaxies while others contain only ellipticals.

· they appear to be spread uniformly throughout space in all directions, which is

· difficult to explain with the Big Bang theory.

· there appears to be insufficient mass in the luminous matter (stars, and so on) to

· hold the cluster together gravitationally.

· they appear not to take part in the general expansion of the universe, in contrast

· to single separate galaxies, probably because they are gravitationally bound to

· one another.

·  
1 points

Question 13

·   What method is used to determine the distances of very remote galaxies?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· measurement of the apparent magnitudes of Type Ia supernovae in the galaxies

· measurement of the angular size of a galaxy and an assumption about the actual

· physical size of the galaxy

· comparison of the apparent and absolute magnitudes of the galaxies

· measurement of the apparent brightness and period of Cepheid variable stars in

· the galaxies

·  
1 points

Question 14

·   What is the Local Group?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· cluster of about 40 galaxies of which the Milky Way is one

· stars that occupy the same spiral arm as the Sun

· group of about 100 stars within 20 ly of the Sun that appear to have been formed

· at about the same time from similar material

· group of galaxies clustered around the Andromeda Galaxy M31, apparently

· gravitationally bound to it but separate from the Milky Way

·  
1 points

Question 15

·   The following distance-measuring techniques, arranged in order of the distance for which they are most effective, from smallest to greatest, are   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· Cepheid variables, spectroscopic variables, Type Ia supernovae, and Tully-Fisher relation.

· Cepheid variables, spectroscopic parallax, Type Ia supernovae, and Tully-Fisher relation.

· spectroscopic parallax, Cepheid variables, Tully-Fisher relation, and Type Ia supernovae.

· spectroscopic parallax, Tully-Fisher relation, Cepheid variables, and Type Ia supernovae.

·  
1 points

Question 16

·   In our universe, we can consider four different regimes of space in which distances between objects might be changing as a result of the general expansion of the universe: (1) distances between different parts of Earth, (2) distances between planets in our solar system, (3) distances between stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, and (4) distances between clusters of galaxies. In which of these regimes are the distances changing because of the universal expansion?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· 4 and 3

· 4, 3, and 2

· 4, 3, 2, and 1

· 4 only

·  
1 points

Question 17

·   By 2004 astronomers were able to observe galaxies about 13.2 billion light-years away. Thus, they were observing these galaxies   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· at about half their present age.

· a few billion years after the beginning of the universe.

· at about 90% of their present age.

· almost immediately after the Big Bang.

·  
1 points

Question 18

·   Globular clusters   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· can be formed in collisions of galaxies and thus can be young if the collision

· occurred recently.

· are old formations and always contain only old, red stars.

· are young formations and always contain many hot O and B type stars.

· are continually forming in spiral galaxies, like the Milky Way, and thus they

· show a great range of ages in any one galaxy.

·  
1 points

Question 19

·   In which direction do galaxies evolve on the Hubble “tuning fork” classification scheme and what is the evolutionary significance of this diagram, shown in Figure 16-14 of Comins and Kaufmann, Discovering the Universe, 8th ed.?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· ThPresent evidence suggests that galaxies do not evolve from one kind to another.

· Elliptical galaxies slowly condense and spin up to form spiral galaxies, the

· increasing stellar collisions forming the interstellar material in the spiral arms.

· Stars slowly die and the spiral arms slowly spin up and tighten to transform

· spiral galaxies into elliptical galaxies.

· The “young” irregular and lenticular galaxies in the center of the “tuning fork”

· evolve to either elliptical galaxies if the material is metal-poor or spiral galaxies

· if the material is metal-rich.

·  
1 points

Question 20

·   An elliptical galaxy typically contains which of the following kinds of stars?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· stars of all ages, but all metal-poor

· primarily old, metal-poor stars

· stars of all ages from young, metal-rich stars to old, metal-poor stars

· primarily young, metal-rich stars

Question 21

·   The first successful detection of signals from extraterrestrial civilizations was accomplished in which year?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· 1960

· Never—no such signals have been detected yet.

· 1999

· 1985

·  
1 points

Question 22

·   The meteorite ALH 84001 was discovered in Antarctica in 1984. Some researchers claimed that it came from Mars and that it showed fossilized evidence of life. At the present time the scientific community is in general agreement that this meteorite   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· came from Mars.

· does not contain fossilized life forms.

· came from Mars and contains fossilized life forms.

· contains fossilized life forms.

·  
1 points

Question 23

·   One of the great lessons being learned from modern astronomy is that   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· Earth

‘s position and circumstances in the universe are quite ordinary and

· certainly not unique.

· Earth occupies a unique position in the universe, and nowhere else are

· conditions equivalent to those in the solar system likely to be found.

· Earth is at the center of a very massive black hole, and all the observed

· cosmological effects such as redshift and cosmic background radiation

· and even the evolution of life are a consequence of the unique position

· Earth occupies.

· the chemistry, geology, and physics on Earth are unique to our planet,

· and the behavior of matter anywhere else appears to be significantly

· different from that on Earth.

·  
1 points

Question 24

·   The so-called water hole, a region of the radio spectrum chosen for searches for signals from intelligent life because galactic and Earth-based noise and atmospheric absorption are at a minimum, is so named because   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· water vapor (H2O) has an intense laserlike emission line at this wavelength

· that extraterrestrials might use to communicate with us.

· two astronomically important wavelengths, the 21-cm line of H and a line

· from the hydroxyl radical OH, are in this region, the letters H and OH signifying water.

· water vapor absorption in Earth’s atmosphere reaches a sharp minimum at this wavelength.

· water vapor emissions from planets at this wavelength will be a good indicator of

· life on other planets since water is essential for life as we know it.

·  
1 points

Question 25

·   Which of the following observations regarding the likelihood of life existing elsewhere in the universe has NOT yet been made?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· discovery of assemblies of organic molecules into cell-like, self-replicating

· structures in the soils of Mars and the atmosphere of Venus

· discovery of long-chain amino acid protein molecules in meteorites

· discovery of long-chain carbon-based molecules in interstellar clouds by radio

· astronomers

· manufacture of organic compounds in laboratory simulations of primordial

· planetary atmospheres

·  
1 points

Question 26

·   Why is it highly likely that life, should it exist elsewhere in the universe than just on Earth, would be based on carbon chemistry?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· Carbon is expected to be far more abundant than silicon or other like elements

· that can combine to produce complex molecules.

· Carbon combines more readily than other atoms with nitrogen, the major

· component of atmospheres such as that of Earth, to produce complex molecules.

· Carbon releases more energy than do most other atoms when it combines with

· oxygen, providing the energy for life processes in living organisms.

· Carbon can bond with many more atomic species in a wider variety of complex

· forms than other equivalent elements, such as silicon.

·  
1 points

Question 27

·   What do the letters SETI stand for?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· sourcebook of extrasensory transient incidents

· search for extra-terrestrial intelligence

· search for extra-terrestrial invaders

· search for evidence of terrestrial-planet inhabitants

·  
1 points

Question 28

·   The Drake equation attempts to predict the   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· number of intelligent civilizations that exist in the whole universe.

· number of technically advanced civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy.

· probability of primitive life existing elsewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy.

· number of inhabitable planets around stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.

·  
1 points

Question 29

·   Earth has been sending out radio messages for about 115 years, so detection equipment on a hypothetical planet 115 light-years away might just now begin receiving them. What is the parallax angle subtended by a system at this distance? Can we detect such a parallax angle with our present technology?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· 0.028 arcseconds; yes

· 0.0027 arcseconds; no

· 115 arcseconds; yes

· 0.0087 arcseconds; yes

·  
1 points

Question 30

·   Which object in the solar system seems to be the only one capable of fostering an advanced civilization?   

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· Titan, a moon of Saturn

· Earth

· Callisto, a moon of Jupiter

· Europa, a moon of Jupiter

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