AST 1002
Test 3, Spring 2005
QQ 1 The average densities of the Galilean moons of Jupiter decrease 
as the distance from Jupiter increases.  This is consistent with 
the outer ones having 
AA S 1 (1) more ice and less rock than the inner ones
(2) more rock and less metal than the inner ones
(3) more rock and less ice than the inner ones
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 2 Which of the following moons has a substantial atmosphere?
AA S 1 (1) Titan, largest moon of Saturn
(2) Io, the innermost of the Galilean moons of Jupiter
(3) Mimas, aka the "Death Star," a medium-sized moon of Saturn
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 3 The small "ringlets" in Saturn's ring system are kept from 
spreading out by
AA S 1 (1) shepherd satellites 
(2) resonance with Mimas, an inner moon of Saturn
(3) electrical attraction between ring particles
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 4 The Asteroid Belt lies between the orbits of 
AA S 1 (1) Mars and Jupiter
(2) Jupiter and Saturn
(3) Mars and Neptune
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 5 Chaos theory explained which of the following for the asteroids 
in the Asteroid Belt?
AA S 1 (1) Kirkwood gaps 
(2) Hirayama families
(3) the differences between the asteroids in the inner and outer 
parts of the Belt
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 6 The carbonaceous chondrites are noteworthy for having 
AA S 1 (1) organic molecules such as amino acids
(2) Widmanstaetten figures, which are large iron crystals
(3) microscopic fossils of life forms
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 7 The type of comet tail that stretches straight away from 
the Sun without flaring out is pushed back by 
AA S 1 (1) the solar wind
(2) solar radiation pressure
(3) the solar magnetic field
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 8 Comets with very eccentric elliptical orbits (e 
approximately 1) are associated with 
AA S 1 (1) the Oort Cloud
(2) the Kuiper Belt
(3) a star other than the Sun
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 9 Shower meteors are associated with 
AA S 1 (1) debris from past or present comets
(2) debris from past or present asteroids
(3) impact events on other planets that have blasted material 
from the surface
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 10 The Sun is at present producing energy by 
AA S 1 (1) converting hydrogen to helium, mainly by the 
proton-proton chain
(2) converting helium to carbon by the triple-alpha process
(3) converting gravitational potential energy into heat and 
radiation
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 11 Which of the following are found in the Sun's 
photosphere?
AA S 1 (1) sunspots
(2) prominences
(3) spicules
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 12 According to the "butterfly" diagram, sunspots appear 
AA S 1 (1) at larger latitudes at the beginning of the spot cycle 
and closer to the Sun's equator towards the end
(2) close to the Sun's equator at the beginning of the spot cycle 
and farther away towards the end
(3) at latitudes that are pretty much random throughout the 
spot cycle
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 13 The Harvard stellar spectral types in order of 
increasing surface temperature are 
AA S 1 (1) MKGFABO
(2) OBAFGKM
(3) ABFGKMO
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 14 Which of the following is a basic property of stars (as 
opposed to observable properties)?
AA S 1 (1) luminosity 
(2) apparent magnitude
(3) color index
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 15 For which kind of binary system is it possible, at least 
in principle, to determine the radii of the two stars?
AA S 1 (1) eclipsing and double-line spectroscopic
(2) visual, distance known
(3) astrometric
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 16 Which distance estimation method is limited to relatively 
nearby stars?
AA S 1 (1) trigonometric parallax
(2) spectroscopic parallax
(3) radar
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 17 The main-sequence lifetime of a star depends on its mass.  
Which statement is correct?
AA S 1 (1) The lifetime decreases with increasing mass.
(2) The lifetime increases with increasing mass.
(3) The lifetime increases with decreasing mass until one 
reaches the Sun's mass, after which it decreases with mass.
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 18 The stars in the upper right part of the 
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram are 
AA S 1 (1) large and cool, with high luminosity
(2) small and hot, with low luminosity
(3) large and hot, with high luminosity
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 19 Which of the following is a type of pulsating variable 
star?
AA S 1 (1) Cepheid variable
(2) supernova
(3) an eclipsing binary
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 20 A star cluster whose main-sequence turnoff is situated 
at the Sun's location on the main sequence is 
AA S 1 (1) old
(2) of medium age 
(3) young
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 21 A gas cloud is more likely to contarct and form stars 
if it has 
AA S 1 (1) low temperature and high density
(2) low temperature and low density
(3) high temperature and low density
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 22 A brown dwarf is an object that becomes electron 
degenerate before its central temperature reaches the 
minimum required for the proton-proton chain, which is 
approximately
AA S 1 (1) 1,000,000 K
(2) 10,000,000 K
(3) 100,000,000 K
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 23 Radiation pressure depends on
AA S 1 (1) temperature only
(2) density only
(3) density and temperature
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 24 A star in the horizontal branch phase produces 
energy by 
AA S 1 (1) helium core-burning and hydrogen shell-burning
(2) helium shell-burning 
(3) hydrogen shell-burning only
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 25 A Type II supernova is a massive star that has 
AA S 1 (1) collapsed gravitationally after reaching 
nuclear exhaustion
(2) gained mass from a close companion star and 
exceeds the Chandrasekhar limit for white dwarfs
(3) many nuclear reactions ignite in different 
shells at one time
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 26 The Algol paradox refers to a binary system 
in which  
AA S 1 (1) the more massive star appears to be less evolved 
(2) the less massive star appears to be less evolved
(3) the more massive star is cooler than the less massive one 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 27 Pulsars are 
AA S 1 (1) rotating magnetic neutron stars
(2) pulsating white dwarfs
(3) pulsating neutron stars
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 28 Cygnus X-1 is the best example of a 
AA S 1 (1) stellar black hole
(2) neutron star
(3) supermassive black hole
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 29 Which of the following is associated with Baade's 
Population II?
AA S 1 (1) a globular cluster
(2) an O star
(3) the Sun
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 30 The "grand design" type of spiral structure in galaxies 
is attributed to 
AA S 1 (1) the density wave theory
(2) the sequential star formation theory
(3) the galaxy collision theory
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 31 Which type of galaxy has the highest percentage of gas 
and dust and the youngest stars on average?
AA S 1 (1) irregular (amorphous, not peculiar)
(2) elliptical
(3) spiral (either normal or barred)
(4) lenticular
(5) NVA

QQ 32 Which of the following distance determination methods  
applies out to the greatest distance?
AA S 1 (1) Type Ia (white dwarf) supernovae
(2) period-luminosity relation for Cepheids
(3) main-sequence fitting
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 33 The fundamental problem posed by quasars was 
AA S 1 (1) very high luminosity from very small size
(2) very high luminosity
(3) very small size
(4) NVA
(5) NVA

QQ 34 The term associated with the present speeding 
up of the expansion of the Universe is 
AA S 1 (1) dark energy
(2) dark matter
(3) inflation 
(4) NVA
(5) NVA