AST 1002
Test 3, Fall 2004
QQ 1 The Asteroid Belt is located 
AA S 1 (1) between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
(2) from Neptune's orbit (around 30 AU) out to 100 AU
(3) between the orbits of Earth and Jupiter
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 2 The Kirkwood gaps are at values of semimajor axis 
corresponding to periods in resonance with 
AA S 1 (1) Jupiter
(2) Mars
(3) Mimas
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 3 Judging from the connection between asteroids and some 
meteorites based on similarities in reflection spectra, 
the asteroids in the outer part of the Asteroid Belt which 
have very low albedos (are very dark) are like the 
AA S 1 (1) primitive meteorites such as the carbonaceous 
chondrites
(2) processed meteorites such as the iron meteorites
(3) parent meteorite bodies
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 4 The "frost line" in the Solar System is the 
AA S 1 (1) minimum distance where volatiles could condense out 
of the planetary disk
(2) minimum distance where planets could have frost 
(water ice) freeze out of their atmospheres
(3) maximum distance where refractories could condense out of 
the planetary disk
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 5 The strongest evidence for the existence of differentiated 
parent meteorite bodies is 
AA S 1 (1) the iron crystals (Widmanstaetten figures) inside iron 
meteorites, which indicate they were once near the center of 
moderately large bodies and cooled slowly
(2) the fact that there are a few asteroids today which have 
sizes comparable to the estimated sizes of parent meteorite 
bodies
(3) the small inclusions of iron scattered throughout stony-iron 
meteorites
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 6 The plasma or gas tail of a comet is pushed away from the Sun 
by
AA S 1 (1) the solar wind
(2) solar radiation pressure
(3) the solar magnetic field
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 7 The nucleus of a comet is best described as 
AA S 1 (1) a chunk of ices with rock and dust mixed in
(2) a loose swarm of ice-coated rocks and dust
(3) a single large rock with a thick coating of ices
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 8 The planet Neptune was discovered by 
AA S 1 (1) Galle and d'Arrest
(2) Adams and Leverrier
(3) Clyde Tombaugh
(4) Percival Lowell
(5) NVA

QQ 9 Hydrostatic equilibrium is the balance between 
AA S 1 (1) the inward pull of gravity and the outward push of 
pressure difference
(2) the inward pull of magnetic force and the outward push 
of pressure difference
(3) the inward pull of gravity and the outward push of 
centrifugal "force"
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 10 Which of the following processes transports energy 
through the outer part of the Sun (i. e., directly below the 
photosphere)?
AA S 1 (1) convection
(2) radiation
(3) conduction
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 11 Which of the following fusion processes requires the 
highest temperature to get going?
AA S 1 (1) triple-alpha process (helium to carbon)
(2) proton-proton chain (hydrogen to helium)
(3) carbon or CNO cycle (hydrogen to helium)
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 12 The neutrino problem for the Sun, which indicated for some 
time that the computer models of the Sun were wrong, was 
basically that 
AA S 1 (1) the Sun wasn't producing as many neutrinos as were 
predicted based on the models
(2) the Sun was producing way more neutrinos than the models 
predicted it should
(3) the Sun was producing neutrinos, which it shouldn't be 
doing at all if the models were right
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 13 Which of the following is found in the Sun's photosphere?
AA S 1 (1) sunspots
(2) prominences
(3) spicules
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 14 Sunspots are darker than their surroundings because 
AA S 1 (1) they are cooled by their strong magnetic fields
(2) they are higher in the Sun's atmosphere than the surrounding 
gas and thus are cooler
(3) they are gaps in the Sun's atmosphere where we can "see" 
to denser (and thus darker) material below
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 15 The color index $(B-V)$ for a bluish star is 
AA S 1 (1) less than zero
(2) zero
(3) greater than zero
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 16 The Harvard spectral classification, in order of 
increasing temperature from left to right, is
AA S 1 (1) MKGFABO
(2) OBAFGKM
(3) ABFGKMO
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 17 The masses of the two stars in a binary system can be 
estimated if the binary is
AA S 1 (1) eclipsing and double-line spectroscopic
(2) visual, distance unknown
(3) eclipsing and single-line spectroscopic
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 18 The method of estimating a star's distance based on its 
shift on the sky as the Earth orbits the sun is termed 
AA S 1 (1) trigonometric parallax
(2) spectroscopic parallax
(3) period-luminosity relation
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 19 The points representing the stars with the largest radii 
(sizes) are in which part of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?
AA S 1 (1) upper right
(2) lower left
(3) upper left
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 20 The Cepheid variable stars belong to which class of variable?
AA S 1 (1) pulsating
(2) eruptive
(3) eclipsing
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 21 The age of a star cluster can be determined from where the 
main sequence turnoff is in its Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.  For 
the globular clusters, which are all old, the turnoff is located 
AA S 1 (1) low on the main sequence, below where the Sun is
(2) near the middle of the main sequence
(3) high on the main sequence
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 22 Which of the following does not encourage gravitational 
instability of a gas cloud, which leads to star formation?
AA S 1 (1) low gas density
(2) low temperature
(3) external pressure such as that from a supernova remnant, a 
protostellar jet, or an H II region
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 23 The value of the minimum mass of a main sequence star 
is set by the dominance of which kind of pressure inside the 
protostar before the temperature gets high enough for fusion?
AA S 1 (1) electron degeneracy pressure
(2) gas pressure
(3) radiation pressure
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 24 The "helium flash" occurs in 
AA S 1 (1) stars of about the Sun's mass only
(2) all stars
(3) massive stars only
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 25 A star whose point in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is 
on the horizontal branch has what process generating energy in 
its core?
AA S 1 (1) helium being converted to carbon 
(2) hydrogen being converted to helium 
(3) silicon being converted to iron
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 26 The Algol paradox is when the more highly evolved star 
in a close binary system has less mass than its companion.  
The explanation is that 
AA S 1 (1) the star that was originally more massive and which 
evolved faster initially transferred mass to its companion
(2) the stars formed separately and the less massive one is 
much older han its companion
(3) proximity by itself causes the stars to age at differing rates
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 27 Neutron stars are supported against their own gravity by 
which kind of pressure?
AA S 1 (1) neutron degeneracy pressure
(2) electron degeneracy pressure
(3) radiation pressure
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 28 A Type Ia or white dwarf supernova occurs when a white 
dwarf 
AA S 1 (1) in a binary system gains mass and goes over the 
Chandrasekhar limit, causing it to collapse 
(2) in a binary system accretes mass and gets hot enough for 
hydrogen fusion to ignite 
(3) reaches nuclear exhaustion, being composed of iron
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 29 Pulsars are 
AA S 1 (1) rotating magnetic neutron stars
(2) pulsating white dwarfs
(3) rotating white dwarfs
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 30 The event horizon of a black hole is defined as 
AA S 1 (1) the minimum distance from the center of the 
black hole where events can be seen from outside
(2) the minimum distance an object can approach a black hole 
without being pulled in
(3) the maximum distance at which an event can be observed 
by an observer at the center of the black hole
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 31 Which of the following is found in the halo of the 
Milky Way?
AA S 1 (1) globular cluster
(2) O star 
(3) the Sun
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 32 The orbits of stars in the disk are 
AA S 1 (1) approximately circular and almost all in the 
same direction (galactic rotation)
(2) highly eccentric but almost all in the same direction 
(galactic rotation)
(3) highly eccentric and randomly oriented, with roughly 
the same number in one direction of rotation as the other
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 33 Population II stars are in general
AA S 1 (1) old and metal-poor
(2) old and metal-rich
(3) a mix of various ages young and old and metal-rich
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 34 The rotation curve of the Milky Way is 
AA S 1 (1) mainly flat, indicating the presence of mass that 
is in addition to the stars and gas we see (dark matter)
(2) linear, like that of a merry-go-round, indicating a 
uniform mass density
(3) Keplerian, like the Solar System, indicating the mass is 
effectively concentrated at the center
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 35 The "grand design" spiral structure in galaxies is 
believed to be explained by which theory?
AA S 1 (1) density wave theory
(2) sequential star formation theory
(3) Babcock mechanism
(4) NVA
(5) NVA