EC Astronomy

1.
	According to Copernicus, retrograde motion for Venus must occur around Student Response Value Correct Answer  A. inferior conjunction, when it passes between us and the Sun.    B. quadrature, when the planet is 90 degrees away from the Sun. C. opposition, when the planet lies opposite the Sun in the sky. D. superior conjunction, when the planet is on the far side of the Sun. E. greatest elongation, when the planet is farthest from the Sun.
2.
	Which wave will travel in a vacuum ? Student Response Value Correct Answer A. Sound waves B. water wave  C. X-ray    D. No wave can
3.
	Since the difference in energy between the different rotational states in a molecule is very small, many molecular lines can be observed with: Student Response Value Correct Answer A. high energy observatories like Chandra, in orbit above our atmosphere. B. ultraviolet balloons flying above the ozone layer. C. infrared telescopes on mountaintops. D. visible light spectrometers.  E. radio or microwave telescopes. 100%    Score: 0.75/0.75
4.
	When the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, its phase is Student Response Value Correct Answer A. waxing or waning crescent B. first or third quarter. C. new. D. waxing or waning gibbous.  E. full. 100%    Score: 0.75/0.75
5.
	In astronomy, an interferometer can be used to Student Response Value Correct Answer A. speed up the processing of CCD images  B. improve the angular resolution of radio telescopes 100%    C. yield better seeing conditions with optical telescopes D. decrease the effects of light pollution in getting darker sky backgrounds E. increase the sensitivity of infrared telescopes to longer wavelengths Score: 0.75/0.75
6.
	According to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, if the Moon were three times further from Earth, the force by Earth on the Moon would Student Response Value Correct Answer A. decrease by a factor of 3.  B. decrease by a factor of 9. 100%    C. increase by a factor of 9. D. increase by a factor of 3. E. stay the same. Score: 0.75/0.75
7.
	What is the line of nodes ? Student Response Value Correct Answer A. The line connecting the earth and the sun  B. The junction between the ecliptic and the moon rotation plane 100%    C. The plane where the moon rotates D. The line connecting the moon and the earth Score: 0.75/0.75
8.
	Which statement about Right Ascension is FALSE? Student Response Value Correct Answer A. Each hour is equal to 15 degrees of sky. B. Its origin is the Vernal Equinox.  C. It is very similar to latitude on the Earth. 100%    D. It is measured eastward in units of time. E. It turns the sky into a vast 24 hour clock face. Score: 0.75/0.75
9.
	Which of the following is the reason for the solar day being longer than a sidereal day? Student Response Value Correct Answer A. precession of Earth's axis B. the non-circular orbit of Earth around the Sun  C. the combined effect of the rotation of Earth and its orbit about the Sun 100%    D. the tilt of Earth's axis E. Earth year being a non-integer number of Earth days Score: 0.75/0.75
10.
	Hydrogen in the interstellar media ( gas that is in the empty space between star) emits a .....................spetrum Student Response Value Correct Answer A. emission  B. Continous 0% C. absorption    Score: 0/0.75
11.
	Which statement about the length of a day is FALSE? Student Response Value Correct Answer A. At the equator, every day is twelve hours long, then twelve hours of night. B. For the United States, June 21st will be the longest day. C. The solar day is four minutes longer than the sidereal one.  D. The sidereal day includes both the Earth's rotation and revolution around the Sun. 100%    E. At the North Pole, the day lasts six months, then six months of night. Score: 0.75/0.75
12.
	According to Copernicus, the retrograde motion for Mars must occur Student Response Value Correct Answer A. at inferior conjunction, when Mars laps the earth and passes between us and the Sun. B. at greatest elongation, when Mars can get up to 47 degrees from the Sun.  C. at opposition, when the earth overtakes Mars and passes between Mars and the Sun. 100%    D. at superior conjunction, when Mars lies on the far side of the Sun. E. at quadrature, when Mars lies exactly 90 degrees east or west of the Sun. Score: 0.75/0.75
13.
	An incandescent light (glowing tungsten filament) produces: Student Response Value Correct Answer A. an emission spectrum, with bright lines due to ionized tungsten. B. a continuum, with bright tungsten lines added. C. an absorption spectrum, with dark lines due to the solid filament.  D. a continuous spectrum, with the peak giving the temperature of the filament. 100%    E. a continuum, with dark lines of tungsten and argon as well. Score: 0.75/0.75
14.
	A fatal flaw with Ptolemy's model is its inability to predict the observed phases of Student Response Value Correct Answer  A. Mercury and Venus. 100%    B. Mars and Jupiter. C. Jupiter and Saturn. D. the Moon in its monthly cycle. E. the Sun during an eclipse. Score: 0.75/0.75
15.
	Which of the choices below correctly lists things in order from largest to smallest? Student Response Value Correct Answer A. Solar System, Local Group, Universe, Milky Way B. Universe, Milky Way, Local Group, Solar System C. Milky Way, Universe, Solar System, Local Group D. Local Group, Solar System, Milky Way, Universe  E. Universe, Local Group, Milky Way, Solar System 100%    Score: 0.75/0.75
16.
	Some type of solar eclipse will happen about: Student Response Value Correct Answer A. every year at new moon. B. every month at new moon. C. every month at full moon. D. every week at full moon.  E. about every six months at new moon. 100%    Score: 0.75/0.75
17.
	Which was a contribution to astronomy made by Copernicus? Student Response Value Correct Answer A. His theory of gravity accounted for the variable speeds of the planets. B. His telescope revealed the four moons of Jupiter, a model solar system. C. He discovered the Sun was not at the center of the Milky Way.  D. He laid out the order and relative motion of the known solar system. 100%    E. The planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits. Score: 0.75/0.75
18.
	Which of the following type of electromagnetic radiation has the highest energy? Student Response Value Correct Answer A. ultraviolet  B. X-ray 100%    C. visible D. radio E. infrared Score: 0.75/0.75
19.
	Our calendar has leap years because Student Response Value Correct Answer A. there is a difference between a sidereal year and a tropical year. B. there is one more sidereal day in a year than solar days.  C. a tropical year is slightly more than 365 days. 100%    D. the perihelion of Earth's orbit is slowly advancing. Score: 0.75/0.75
20.
	The force of gravity is an inverse square law. This means that, if you double the distance between two large masses, the gravitational force between them Student Response Value Correct Answer A. also doubles.  B. weakens by a factor of 4. 100%    C. weakens by a factor of 2. D. strengthens by a factor of 4. E. is unaffected. Score: 0.75/0.75