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Astronomy Homework

Question 1

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

· 1.

· 1960

· 2.

· Never—no such signals have been detected yet.

· 3.

· 1999

· 4.

· 1985

1 points

Question 2

·   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   Answer

· 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 3

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

· 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 4

·   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   Answer

· 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 5

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

· 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 6

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

· 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 7

·   What do the letters SETI stand for?   Answer

· 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 8

·   The Drake equation attempts to predict the   Answer

· 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 9

·   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?   Answer

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· 0.028 arcseconds; yes

· 0.0027 arcseconds; no

· 115 arcseconds; yes

· 0.0087 arcseconds; yes

·  
1 points

Question 10

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

· 1.

· 2.

· 3.

· 4.

· Titan, a moon of Saturn

· Earth

· Callisto, a moon of Jupiter

· Europa, a moon of Jupiter

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