AST 1002
Test 2, Fall 2007
1
QQ The chemical element that an atom or ion (charged atom) 
belongs to is given by its
AA S 1 (1) atomic number
(2) atomic mass/weight
(3) number of electrons 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

2
QQ In the case of the hydrogen atom (the simplest) the 
ground state is the state in which the electron is 
in
AA S 1 (1) the innermost possible orbit
(2) the outermost allowed orbit 
(3) the nucleus
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

3
QQ The term ionization refers to 
AA S 1 (1) an electron that was bound to a nucleus being 
given enough energy to escape 
(2) a free or unbound electron being captured by a 
nucleus
(3) an electron that is bound to a nucleus being given 
enough energy to move to a higher energy level
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

4
QQ An emission line is produced when a large number of 
atoms of a given element in a certain ionization stage 
AA S 1 (1) have electrons moving from a particular energy 
level to a particular lower energy level
(2) have electrons moving from a particular energy level 
to a particular higher energy level
(3) are capturing free electrons into a particular energy 
level
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

5
QQ Which of the following is not a type of 
information that could in principle be obtained from 
an emission-line or absorption-line spectrum?
AA S 1 (1) [all three kinds can be obtained]
(2) chemical composition
(3) physical conditions (temperature, pressure) 
(4) radial velocity
(5) NVA

6
QQ If the emission lines in the spectrum of a source 
are shifted to shorter wavelengths the source has a 
AA S 1 (1) negative radial velocity
(2) positive radial velocity 
(3) positive space velocity
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

7
QQ The type of telescope that has an objective lens 
as its light-collecting element is the 
AA 1 (1) refractor  (2) reflector   (3) NVA   
(4) NVA    (5) NVA

8
QQ The theoretical (diffraction-limited) resolution 
of a telescope 
AA S 1 (1) improves as the aperture increases
(2) gets worse as the aperture increases
(3) is independent of the aperture
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

9
QQ The instrument that is used on a telescope to 
measure the apparent brightness of one star at a 
time is the 
AA S 1 (1) photometer
(2) CCD camera
(3) spectrograph
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

10
QQ Adaptive optics is a system for counteracting 
the effects of 
AA S 1 (1) atmospheric "seeing"
(2) light pollution
(3) extinction ("dimming") of light by the atmosphere
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

11
QQ The highest resolution in the radio part of the 
electromagnetic spectrum is obtained with 
AA S 1 (1) the very long baseline interferometer
(2) a very large single dish, as at Arecibo in 
Puerto Rico
(3) an interferometer array such as the VLA in 
New Mexico
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

12
QQ The orbital element that specifies the orientation 
of the orbit plane relative to a reference plane 
(usually the ecliptic plane) is the 
AA S 1 (1) inclination i
(2) semimajor axis a
(3) eccentricity e
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

13
QQ The location of comets in approximately circular 
orbits just beyond Neptune is called the 
AA S 1 (1) Kuiper Belt
(2) Asteroid Belt
(3) Oort Cloud
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

14
QQ Which of the following is a jovian planet?
AA S 1 (1) Neptune 
(2) Pluto
(3) Mars
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

15
QQ Compared to jovian planets, terrestrial planets 
have 
AA S1 (1) higher mean density 
(2) faster rotation (shorter rotation periods)
(3) more moons/satellites
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

16
QQ Because the separation between stars is so much 
greater than the stars' sizes, the probability of a 
very close encounter between a star and the Sun to 
create planets is extremely small.  For a long time 
this fact by itself implied that 
AA S 1 (1) planetary systems around stars should be 
rare and life exceedingly rare
(2) the close encounter or binary hypothesis cannot 
be correct
(3) the nebular hypothesis cannot be correct
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

17
QQ The spinning off of the nebular disk from the 
protosun was the result of 
AA S 1 (1) conservation of angular momentum
(2) conservation of energy
(3) magnetic braking
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

18
QQ Which of the following would be classified as 
a volatile?
AA S 1 (1) water
(2) rock 
(3) helium
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

19
QQ The temperature gradient in the nebular disk 
was 
AA S 1 (1) negative; that is, decreasing from the 
inside out
(2) positive; that is, increasing from the inside 
out
(3) flat; that is, the same at all points
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

20
QQ Because of the condensation sequence and the 
temperature gradient in the nebular disk, 
AA S 1 (1) only refractories condensed inside the 
"frost line" and both volatiles and refractories 
outside it 
(2) only refractories condensed inside the "frost 
line" and only volatiles condensed outside it 
(3) only refractories and volatiles condensed 
inside the "frost line" and hydrogen and helium 
condensed outside it along with refractories and 
volatiles
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

21
QQ The "frost line" was situated 
AA S 1 (1) between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, 
where the Asteroid Belt is today
(2) inside the orbit of Mercury
(3) in the middle of where the jovian planets are 
today, between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

22
QQ The process of nebular capture is 
AA S 1 (1) the gravitational trapping of gas 
from the nebular disk by icy jovian planetesimals
(2) the trapping of gases inside terrestrial planets
during their formation 
(3) the slowing down of passing asteroids by the 
nebular disks around jovian planets, resulting in 
their becoming moons or satellites
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

23
QQ The asteroids and comets are thought to have been 
"left over" after 
AA S 1 (1) what remained of the nebular disk had 
been blown out of the Solar System by the solar wind
(2) all the gas had been completely used up in 
forming the jovian planets 
(3) all the planetesimals had finished colliding 
with each other
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

24
QQ The Moon is believed to have been formed as the 
result of 
AA S 1 (1) impact of a Mars-sized planetesimal on 
the Earth, which sprayed out debris that later 
condensed
(2) capture of a passing planetesimal by the Earth 
as a result of tidal forces
(3) splitting off from the Earth because of its 
then-rapid rotation
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

25
QQ The lunar maria were formed as a result of 
AA S 1 (1) impacts of few very large objects in 
the late bombardment 
(2) impacts of a large number of very small 
objects during the early bombardment
(3) impacts of a few large objects throughout 
its entire existence
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

26
QQ The transit method of detecting exoplanets 
involves 
AA S 1 (1) watching for dimming of a star as the 
planet passes in front of it
(2) looking for a variation in a star's radial 
velocity caused by its motion around the center 
of mass of the planetary system 
(3) watching for the brightening of a distant 
star's light as the planet's gravity focuses it 
on the Earth
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

27
QQ The lithosphere of a planet or moon is 
AA S 1 (1) the solidified outer part 
(2) the solid inner core 
(3) the same thing as the crust
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

28
QQ The interior structure of the terrestrial 
planets, with a dense core and less-dense mantle, 
is the result of the process of 
AA S 1 (1) differentiation
(2) convection
(3) accretion
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

29
QQ Which of the following bodies is the least 
geologically active?
AA S 1 (1) Mercury 
(2) Venus
(3) Earth
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

30
QQ Considering the process of thermal escape, which 
of the following gases is most easily retained by 
a planet?
AA S 1 (1) carbon dioxide, molecular mass 44
(2) methane, molecular mass 16
(3) hydrogen, molecular mass 2
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

31
QQ Starting at the center, Jupiter's interior probably 
consists of 
AA S 1 (1) a small solid core, a liquid metallic 
hydrgen zone, a liquid molecular hydrogen zone, an 
outer gaseous hydrogen zone
(2) a metal inner core, a rock outer core, a liquid 
molecular hydrogen zone, and an outer gaseous hydrogen 
zone 
(3) a solid core, a mantle of hydrogen compounds, 
and an outer gaseous hydrogen zone
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

32
QQ The high level of volcanic activity on Io, the 
innermost of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, is 
driven by heating due to 
AA S 1 (1) tidal friction 
(2) impacts of particles from Jupiter's rings on its 
surface, converting gravitational potential energy
(3) Jupiter's intense magnetic field 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

33
QQ The thin ringlets in Saturn's ring system are 
kept focused by 
AA S 1 (1) shepherd satellites or moons
(2) resonances with Mimas, a medium-sized inner 
moon of Saturn 
(3) electromagnetic forces
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

34
QQ The Earth's atmosphere is most transparent in 
which of the following regions of the electromagnetic 
spectrum?
AA S 1 (1) radio wave
(2) infrared radiation
(3) X-ray
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

35
QQ Which of the following planets has the strongest 
greenhouse effect?
AA S 1 (1) Venus
(2) Earth 
(3) Mars
(4) NVA
(5) NVA