Reference Book

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No.
1
International Space Olympiad 2015
1.How long does it take earth to complete one revolution?

a. 365.25 days
2. The force that tends to pull together the matter in stars and planets is what?
a. gravity
3. What is the most popular theory on how the moon formed?

a. impact theory
4. According to Kepler's 1st Law, all planets in our solar system orbit around the sun in what
shape?
a. ellipse
5. How many planets are there in our solar system?

a. 8
6. How long does it take earth to complete a rotation?

a. 24 hours
7. If it is summer in the northern hemisphere what is the orientation of the southern hemisphere
to the sun?
a. pointing away from the sun
8. Between what two planets is the asteroid belt located?

a. Mars and Jupiter
9. What is the correct order of the layers of the Sun's atmosphere in order of innermost layer to
outermost layer?
a. photosphere, chromosphere, corona
10. How did the solar system form?

a. cloud of gas and dust pulled together by gravity
11. What is a light year?

a. The distance light travels in a year
www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 2

12. What phase of the moon is shown in the image below?
a. wanning gibbous
13. Which is closest to our sun in our solar system?

a. Mercury
14. Which planet in our solar system is known for having a powerful greenhouse effect and a
retrograde rotation?
a. Venus
15. All stars considered to be on the main sequence are in the process of fusing what element
together?
a. hydrogen
16. When the solar system formed which planets lost most of their gasses to the sun?
a. the inner planets
17. Which phase of the moon is this? (the visible part of the moon is represented by the white)
a. waxing crescent
18. What distance is represented by an astronomical unit (AU)?

a. distance from Earth to the Sun
19. When stars run out of hydrogen and instead of dying they begin fusing helium into heavier
elements, what would they be classified as?
a. red giants or supergiants
20. What is the actual brightness of a star called?

a. Absolute magnitude
21. When is a star born?

a. As nuclear fusion starts
22. What color are the hottest stars?

a. blue-white
23. Choose the letter that represents main sequence stars.
a. D
24. If the winter solstice occurs the first weekend we are out for winter break, what can you
infer from it about that day?
a. It will be the shortest day of the year / The sun will rise at its most southeastern point
/ The sun's zenith will be at its lowest point of the year

25. Which is the 5th planet away from the sun in our solar system or the first outer planet?
a. Jupiter
26. What day is it when the sun is at its lowest elevation in the sky all year and we experience
the shortest day of the year?
a. winter solstice
27. The glowing area of gas that surrounds the core of comet is called what?
a. coma
28. The H-R Diagram shows that main sequence stars
a. increase in brightness as they increase in temperature
29. What is a supernova?

a. explosion of a massive star
30. The lifespan of a star will depend on its?
a. mass
31. The moon moves in a line directly between Earth and the sun, casting a shadow on Earth.

a. Solar Eclipse
32. A dark spot on the sun, which is cool by contrast to the surrounding photosphere.
a. Sunspot
33. Planets those are closer to the sun

a. orbit faster than the outer planets
34. The diagram below would be most useful for
a. classifying stars
35. The spinning of a body, such as Earth about its axis.

a. Rotation

36. Use the diagram to write the letter that best represents each class of stars.
a.
B ___ Giants
A Super giants
E White Dwarfs
D or C Main Sequence

37. Write the letter from the diagram of the sun that best matches each word.
a.
C Convection Zone
A Inner Core
E Photosphere
G Corona
F Chromosphere
B Radiative Zone
D Subsurface Flows
38. Which gas gives the planets shown below their color?
a. methane
39. A massive star that has collapsed to such a small volume that its gravity prevents the escape
of everything including light.
a. Black Hole
40.One complete revolution of Earth around the sun is called a

a. year.
41. Select the letter from the diagram of the sun below that best matches each word or phrase.
a.
F Layer briefly seen at start and end of solar eclipse
C Convection Zone
A Inner Core
E Photosphere
G Corona
F Chromosphere
A Where thermonuclear fusion occurs
E Layer where sunspots occur
B Radiative Zone
D Subsurface Flows
G Hottest layer of the sun's atmosphere
E Visible layer of the sun
A Layer containing about 50% of the sun's total mass
F Layer where temperature increases with distance from core
C Layer that transfers energy in currents similar to those that occur in Earth's mantle
42. An average star spends 90 percent of its life as a helium-burning main-sequence star true or false?
a. False
43. Streams of protons and electrons ejected at high speed from the solar corona are called?.
a. solar wind
44. A sudden and tremendous eruption in the solar chromosphere.
a. solar flare
45. Early astronomers were confused because the following planets sometimes reversed their
direction:
a. Mars Jupiter, Saturn
46. A plot of stars according to their absolute magnitude and temperatures.
a. H-R diagram
47. The first layer of the solar atmosphere found directly above the photosphere.
a. Chromosphere
48. One day on Mercury is equal to about 59 Earth days. Which statement best explains this
phenomena?
a. Mercury rotates slower than the Earth
Use the diagram of the moon to answer the question.
49. Which geological event most likely formed Mare Vaporum?

a. ancient volcanic activity
50. Io's friction is due to

a. up and down movement
51. Io's source of heat is the core

a. False
52. Io'is part of

a. Jupiter
53. The four distant planets are made mostly of

a. gas

54. Which planet is pictured below?
a. Mars
55. The diagram below shows ____
a. the morphological classification of galaxies
56. The most abundant element in the early solar system, and the entire universe, is:
a. Hydrogen
57. Approximately how old is the Sun?

a. 4.5 billion years
58. The Sun contains about of the mass in our solar system.
a. 99%
59. Olympus Mons is

a.. the biggest volcano in the solar system
60.Which phrase best describes the sun's age in its stellular life cycle?
a. middle aged
61. The part of the Sun that emits visible light and is typically seen from Earth is the

a. photosphere
62. Which type of the galaxies listed below is not shown on the diagram?
a. irregular
63. From right to left, the Hubble sequence shows

a. elliptical, lenticular, and spiral galaxies
64. Earth is kept in orbit around the sun by

a. inertia and gravity.
65. It is called Earth's twin because it is similar in size, mass, density, and structure (crust,
mantle, and core).
a. Venus
66. The predominant component of the atmosphere of the planet shown below is
a. carbon dioxide
67. The outer weak layer of the solar atmosphere.

a. corona
68. The path the sun appears to follow through the sky is called the:
a. Ecliptic
69. Which statement correctly compares the atmospheres of the Jovian planets and the Earth?
a. they consist mostly of helium and hydrogen like the Earth's earliest atmosphere
70. The rings of the planet pictured below are mainly
a. water ice
71. Unlike most of the other planets, Uranus appears to be rotating ,
perhaps due to a .
a. on its side; planetary collision
72. The measure of a star's brightness is called its

a. magnitude
73. About 25% of the Sun is composed of hydrogen.

a. False
74. The Hubble sequence classifies galaxies based upon their

a. morphology
75. The Milky Way galaxy is a(n)

a. barred spiral galaxy
76. Sunspots are regions of the Sun's surface

a. cooler
77. Name the planet associated with the following feature or fact:
Highest temperature differential between night and day Mercury
Retrograde rotation Venus
Shows evidence of past running water, possible water underground Mars
Strong magnetic field, high oxygen content in atmosphere Earth
81. Day and night are caused by Earth's .

a. rotation
82. Which set of terms is arranged from smallest to largest?

a. star, galaxy, cluster, supercluster

83. Planetary scientists believe that the core of the planet shown below is
a. solid
84. The surface of the planet shown below is most similar to the surface of
a. the moon
85. Which Jovian planets have rings?

a. Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter
86. Because of its rotation, a Neptune day; is than that of one on Earth.
a. shorter
87. The equinox that occurs on September 22 or 23 in the Northern Hemisphere and on March
21 or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere.
a. Autumnal
88. The equinox in spring, on about March 20 in the northern hemisphere and September 22 in
the southern hemisphere.
a. Vernal
89. The solstice that occurs on December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and on June 21
or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere .
a. Winter
90. The solstice that occurs on June 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and on December 21
or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere.
a. Summer

91. The luminosity of the sun results from its
a. energy emission
92. A low mass star will end its life as a:

a. White Dwarf
93.Who discovered sunspots?

a. Galileo Galilei
A bit more than half the size of Earth Mars
Has many, many active volcanoes Venus
96. What is represented by the diagram below?
a. neap tide
97. Refracting telescopes got their name because they refract, or bend , light.
98. Which of the following did not play an important role in the formation of the solar system?
a. lack holes
99. Earth's orbit is shaped like .

a. an oval
100. Lunar phases are a result of the motion of the moon and the sunlight that is
reflected from its surface.
101. Mars is called the Red planet because the iron on it surface gives it a red tinge.
102. It is called the veiled planet because it is covered with thick clouds.
a. Venus
103. A lunar eclipse can only occur during a:

a. Full Moon

104. The region of the sun that radiates energy to space.
a. Photosphere
105. The sun is located in the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
a. False
106. The diagram below shows the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Which
Moon image best represents the phase of the Moon when viewed from the Earth based on the
diagram?
a.
107. What do changes in the Earth's orbit affect?

a. Earth's temperatures
108.The atmosphere on Venus is very thick and comprised mainly of

a. carbon dioxide
109. This planet takes the longest (243 Earth days) to rotate about its axis.
a. Venus
110. Which statement best describes the sun's hydrostatic equilibrium?

a. the outward push of the sun's internal pressure balances the inward force of gravity

111. The temperature of the photosphere is
a. cooler than the core and corona
112. The particles which produce meteor showers come from
a. Dead comets
113. Night and day are caused by the earth's .

a. revolution on its axis
114. A red giant is formed when:

a. A star begins burning its hydrogen shell
115. Mars is the planet from the sun.

a. 4th
116. All the inner planets have atmospheres.

a. True
117. All the inner planets have moons.

a. False
118.Which is NOT true about a protostar:

a. It generates pressure by fusing hydrogen
Caloris Basin Mercury
Has 2 small moons Mars
121.The way scientists measure distance in space is by using

a. Light Years
122. If the moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun, what phase will it be in to an
observer on Earth?
a. New Moon
123. The theory that proposes that the universe originate as a single mass, which subsequently
exploded.
a. Big Bang Theory
124. Extremely distant, bright, energetic object located in the core of some active galaxies.
a. Quasar
125. Solar flares have an effect on Earth.

a. True
126. What color is the Sun really?

a. White
127. Earth rotates on its axis from .

a. west to east
128. Earth rotates once on its axis every .

a. 24 hours
129. Earth is the third planets from the sun in the solar system.
130. What is the diameter of Neptune?

a. 49,532 km
131. The two types of visible light telescopes are reflecting and refracting.
a. True
132. Objects moving away from an observer can cause the wavelengths of light to appear
longer. This may make the light appear to be a lower frequency. This is called:
a. Red Shift
133. The VLA (Very Large Array) and Arecibo telescopes are examples of these types of
telescopes which gather low frequency electromagnetic radiation:
a. Radio
134. Young galaxies are located on the left side of the diagram and older galaxies fall on the
right side of the diagram.
a. False
135. S0 is classified as a spiral galaxy.

a. False
136. The major difference between an E3 galaxy and an E7 galaxy is
a. E7 is more elliptical in shape than E3
137. M95 is classified as a SBb galaxy. Andromeda galaxy is classified as Sb. The difference in
classification indicates which of the following?
a. M95 is a barred galaxy and Andromeda is not
138. Which description best fits a SBc galaxy?

a. barred spiral with loosely wound arms
139. M86 is a slightly elliptical galaxy. Based on the diagram, which would be the best
classification of M86?
a. E3

140. How is the Milky Way Galaxy currently classified on the Hubble sequence?
a. SBc
Has been explored by rovers like spirit, opportunity, and curiosity Mars
142. Mars's atmosphere is 90 times the density of Earth's atmosphere.

a. False
143. During winter it becomes colder because the Earth is farther away from the sun.
a. False
144. How long ago was "The Big Bang"?

a. 15 billion years ago
145. As a low mass star begins ejecting material near the end of its life, it forms what?
a. planetary nebula
146. Based on radiometric dating, the solar system formed about how many years ago?
a. Between 4 and 5 billion years
147. If a total solar eclipse occurs, when must a partial lunar eclipse occur?
a. two weeks before or after the solar eclipse
148. What planet, like Earth, has a magnetic field which causes auroras - northern and southern
lights that glow?
a. Jupiter
149. If two stars have the same absolute magnitude, which of the following must be true?
a. None of the above
150. American astronomer who developed his observations of galaxies into a standard method
of galaxy classification.
a. Edwin Hubble.
151. His inner planet has ice caps of CO2, no known liquid water, and dried coastlines.
a. Mars
152. What elements make up Neptune?

a. Helium, Hydrogen
153. Almost all of the mass of the solar system is within the Sun .
Virtually no atmosphere, but a high percentage of iron Mercury
Its rotation takes almost the same time as Earth's Mars
156. The point in orbit where the planet is far away from the sun is called?
a. Aphelion
157. An eclipse can only occur during a new moon or full moon when the moon's
orbit crosses the plane of the elliptic.
158. The sun would be classified as a G2V star.

a. A brilliant explosion that marks the end of a massive star.
160. The change between day and night is caused by

a. Earth's rotation on its axis
161. What does a Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram show?

a. the absolute magnitude and temperature of the stars
162. Mars is called the "red planet."
163. Moon phases are the changing the appearance of the moon as seen from
Earth.
164. Severe solar storms that can disrupt telecommunications on Earth are called
a. solar flares
165. In 2015, the New Horizons Spacecraft should reach:

a. Pluto.
166. What describes the relationship between temperature and size of stars ON THE MAIN
SEQUENCE.
a. larger stars have higher temperatures
167. Which of the following classes of stars would have the highest luminosity with a low
temperature?
a. Ia
168. The difference between a meteor and a meteorite is that a meteorite is a space object that
reached Earth's surface.(T/F)
a. True
Named for the goddess of love and beauty Venus
Valles Marineris Mars
171.This inner planet has ice caps of CO2, no known liquid water, and dried coastlines.
a. Mars
172. What elements make up Neptune?

a. Helium, Hydrogen
173. Almost all of the mass of the solar system is within the Sun .
Virtually no atmosphere, but a high percentage of iron Mercury
Its rotation takes almost the same time as Earth's Mars
176. The point in orbit where the planet is far away from the sun is called?
a. Aphelion
177. An eclipse can only occur during a new moon or full moon when the moon's
orbit crosses the plane of the elliptic.
178. The sun would be classified as a G2V star.

a. A brilliant explosion that marks the end of a massive star.
180. The change between day and night is caused by

a. Earth's rotation on its axis
181. What does a Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram show?

a. the absolute magnitude and temperature of the stars
182. Mars is called the "red planet."
183. Moon phases are the changing the appearance of the moon as seen from
Earth.
184. Severe solar storms that can disrupt telecommunications on Earth are called
a. solar flares
185. In 2015, the New Horizons Spacecraft should reach:

a. Pluto.
186. What describes the relationship between temperature and size of stars ON THE MAIN
SEQUENCE.
a. larger stars have higher temperatures

187.Tilt precession of the Earth's orbit around the sun occurs about .
a. every 41,000 years
188. Astrobiology is best described as

a. the study of life in the universe
189. The Greco-Egyptian scientist who perfected the system of equants, deferents, and
epicycles for explaining planetary motions was
a. Ptolemy
190. The amount of light that enters a telescope is proportional to the lens' or mirror's
a. Area
a. Surface temperature of 900 degrees Fahrenheit Venus
Maxwell Montes Venus
193. The point at which the Earth is closest to the sun is the:
a. perihelion
194. Which of the following stars is brightest?

a. M= -2.3
195. At different latitudes the sun's energy strikes Earth

a. at different angles
196. Which planet is warmer at its south pole, by 8 - 10 degrees, than at its equator?
a. Saturn
197. Which planet is the Valles Marineris on and what is it?

a. Mars; the "Grand Canyon" of the Solar System
198. The time it takes for the moon to complete one entire cycle of phases from new moon to
new moon is called a:
a. Synodic Month
199. A red giant star follows what path on the HR diagram after it begins fusing helium?
a. Horizontal Branch
200. Star A has an absolute magnitude of -4.9. Star B has an apparent magnitude of -6.2.
Which star is the shortest distance from earth?
a. There is not enough information

201.When the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, the northern hemisphere has fewer daylight
hours.(T/F)
a. False
202.Which of the following stars is most likely to have a degenerate helium core at some point?
a. A star that is the same mass as our sun
203.What form of energy is produced when a positron collides with an electron in the proton-
proton chain?
a. Gamma Radiation
204.What is a better, more scientific name for the stuff that makes up this universe?
a. Matter
205.The solstice occurs twice a year in June and December, when Earth's
rotational axis is tilted towards the sun or away from the sun.
206.What are the lines radiating out from Tycho?

a. ejecta material
207.Which lunar mare appears to be the largest in diameter?

a. Imbrium
208.Based on the image, which feature has the highest albedo?

a. Tycho
209.Which two moon features are not labeled on the image?

a. mountains and highlands
210.Which geological event most likely formed Mare Nubium?

a. ancient volcanic activity
211. The photo shows the side of the moon, which is the hemisphere that
faces the Earth.
a. near; toward
212. Copernicus is approximately 90 km in diameter. Which is the best estimate of the diameter
of Eudoxus?
a. 70 km
213. Plato and Tycho are both

a. craters
214.What type of rock most likely dominates Mare Cognitum?

a. basalt
215.Which was the landing location of Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the
moon?
a. Mare Tranquillitatis
216.The main difference between a reflecting telescope and a refracting telescope is that a
reflecting telescope uses a(n) mirror to focus the incoming light.
217.When the helium and hydrogen shells around a low mass star's core begin burning, the star
will become:
a. AGB Giant
218.What will happen to a low mass star on the HR diagram after it begins ejecting its
envelope near the end of its life.
a. It will move to the left, appearing hotter as the core is exposed
219.When the sun is highest in the sky, the time of day is .

a. solar noon
220.The atmospheres on Venus and Mars primarily consist of carbon

dioxide .
221.Venus is called the veiled planet because it is covered

with thick clouds .
222.The force that holds planets in their orbits is called

a. gravity
This word terra means Earth/Ground/Land.
223.Highest tidal range that occurs during the alignment of Earth, the moon, and the sun.
a. Spring Tide
224.The point between two objects where they balance each other.
a. Barycenter
225.Lowest tidal range, occurring near the times of the first-quarter and third-quarter phases of
the moon.
a. Neap Tide
226.A slow motion of Earth’s axis that traces out a cone over a period of 26,000 years.
a. Precession
227.The moon was most likely created by a collision between the Earth and a smaller space
body.(T/F)
a. True
228.A theoretical object that absorbs all radiation and is a perfect emitter is called:
a. Black Body
229.Unlike the other planets, the axis of Uranus is

a. horizontal.
230.In which type of binary star system will the smaller star steal mass from its larger
companion?
a. semi-detached
231.When stars fuse helium, they can begin to periodically change in size. These stars are
called variable stars .
232.Which of the following stars would be most likely to spend the longest time on the main
sequence?
a. a star with 1.2 solar masses
233.Which of the following describes deuterium?

a. It is an isotope of hydrogen which has one neutron
234.Binary star systems are used to determine what property of stars?

a. Mass
235.A very slow directional shift of the Earth's axis that requires 26,000 years to complete is
called
a. precession
236.Earth's axis is tilted so that it always points toward

a. Polaris
237.Which of the following demonstrates the order of planet formation?

a. planetesimals-protoplanets-planets
238.Lunar phases are caused by motions of the Moon and the sunlight that is reflected
from its surface.
239.The diagram below shows the moon in different positions as it orbits the Earth. Write
"solar eclipse" on the line(s) by the moon's position(s) where a solar eclipse may possibly be
seen from Earth. Write "lunar eclipse" on the line(s) where a lunar eclipse may possibly be

viewed from Earth.
a .Solar Eclipse - when moon is directly between the Earth and light from sun (3:00
on diagram)
Lunar Eclipse - when Earth is between the moon and light from the sun (9:00 on
diagram)
240.Approximately how long does it take for the moon to go through all of its phases?
a. 30 days
241.About how much would a person weigh on the sun?

a. 2,000 pounds
242.What is the approximate diameter of the sun?

a. 1.4 million km
243.Observing the black body curve of distant stars allows astronomers to determine:
a. temperature
244.The seasons are caused by the Earth's distance from the sun.(T/F)
a. False
245.Large collections of gas and dust which may contain thousands of solar masses spread out
over hundreds of light years are
called Giant Molecular Clouds .
246.What kind of stars are NOT usually found in a globular cluster?

a. High Mass
247.Which is the smallest inner planet?

a. Mercury

248.The Solar System is defined as:
a. The family of the sun, planets, and their moons
249.Which object has such a strong surface gravity that light cannot escape it?
a. black hole
250.The term equinox means

a. equal night
251.The first person to use a telescope for astronomy was

a. Galileo
252.As the days get shorter in the winter, the sun is rising:
a. South of East
253.Kepler's first law is known as the law of ellipses , because it states that
planet's orbits are this shape.
254.Pluto, Eris, and similar objects that are too small for planets but too large for asteroids are
classified as Dwarf planets
255.The solar system most likely began as a giant cloud of gas and dust called
a planetary nebula
256.The tilt of Earth's axis causes variations in the intensity and duration of sunlight
striking Earth.
257.What lies at the center of our solar system?

a. the sun
258.British astronomer who proposed that the comet observed in 1456, 1531, 1607, and 1682
were the same comet. He then predicted correctly that the comet would return in 1758.
a. Edmond Halley
259.This British astronomer discovered Uranus and his sister Caroline was the first woman to
discover a comet.
a. William Herschel
260.What is the shape of a planet's orbit?

a. elliptical
261.The color of the hottest stars is violet , while the coolest stars tend to
be red .

262.A type of star that is extremely hot but do not have much luminosity is called
a white dwarf
263.Which of the following stars would be hottest?

a. O4
264. Absolute Magnitude is a measure of how bright stars are

relative to each other.
265.The earth's movement around the sun is called its

a. revolution
266.There are 88 recognized constellations. (How many)
267.A group of thousands of mostly older stars gathered in a relatively small area would most
likely be
a. Globular Cluster
268.In a degenerate helium core, temperature will continue to increase but the
internal pressure will not.
269.A star burning its hydrogen shell, but does not have enough heat to begin helium fusion,
will not collapse under gravity due to an effect described by the Pauli exclusion principle.
This effect is called electron degeneracy pressure.
270.Earth's shape, where the diameter along the polar axis is slightly less than the diameter at
the equator is called a/an oblate spheroid .
271.A flat structure where gas and dust particles are attracted to each other by gravity, which
some researchers speculate could form planets, is called a/an accretion
disc .
272.When the Sun is highest in the sky, the time of day is .

a. solar noon
273.The largest volcano in the solar system is called and is found on the
planet Mars .
a. Olympus Mons
274.The inner planets are made of mostly _______.

a. refractory materials
275.Early in the formation of the solar system, a sphere of hot gas was glowing in the center of
the system. This is called a because it has not yet become a star.
a. protosun
276.99% of the matter in the solar system is found in the
a. Sun
277.The start of fall is marked by a point where earth receives equal amounts of day and night.
This is known as the .
a. autumnal equinox
278.What is the first stage in the formation of a star?

a. A nebula or cloud of dust and gases.
279.The Hubble Telescope was repaired and is able to detect galaxies and stars that are light
years away from us.(T/F)
a. True
380.Mars's polar caps are made of

a. Water ice
281.What 2 planets do we know have polar ice caps?

a .Earth and Mars
282.Compare and contrast solar winds and flares.

a .flares - violent eruption of energy, occur in areas of sunspots, occur for only a few
minutes or hours at a time, can interrupt radio communication on Earth
winds - constant stream of charged particles from the all over sun (although not
uniform) that extended into the solar system, interacts with Earth’s magnetic field to
create aurora borealis and can interrupt telecommunications
283.About 90% of stars fit in a section of the H-R diagram called the _________
a. main sequence
284.A star with higher luminosity will also have higher

a. absolute magnitude
285.The classification system that uses letters and is used in HR Diagrams is based on
the of stars. (Hint: a property)
a. temperature
286. is a measure of how bright a star appears to a viewer on Earth.

a. Apparent Magnitude
287. is a measure of how much energy is released by a star.

a. Luminosity

288.Describe the sun's rotation.
a .since the sun is not solid, it rotates at different rates, faster at the equator (about 26
days) and slower at the poles (about 36 days)
289.Circle the letter of the two main motions of the Earth.

a. rotation and revolution
290. is the spinning of the earth on its axis.

a. rotation
291.A group of thousands of mostly older stars gathered in a relatively small area would most
likely be
a. Globular Cluster
292.A nebula in which the gases have absorbed radiation from stars and glow by releasing it is
a(n) .
a. emission nebula
293.Which of the following stars allow astronomers to calculate distance due to a relationship
between their periodicity and luminosity?
a. Cepheids
294.After leaving the main sequence, a star that is one fifth the mass of our sun will most likely
become a _______.
a. red dwarf
295.During the winter solstice, the sun is at its farthest point south (north, south) of
its east to west motion.
296.The movement of the earth around the sun is called rotation.(T/F)

a. False
297.The process that makes solar energy is:

a. nuclear fusion
298. was the first planet to be predicted and discovered mathematically.

a. Neptune
299. are temporary dark spots on the Sun's surface correlated with increases in
solar radiation.
a. Sunspots
300.Distance, measured in degrees, north and south of the equator is .
a.latitude
301.Distance, measured in degrees, east and west of Greenwich, England is .
a. longitude

302.Venus's topography has been mapped from space and Earth, using radar pulses.
303.How often does Neptune orbit the sun?

a. once every 165 years
304.The telescope that detects wavelengths other than visible light

a. radio telescope
305.What is the approximate time that it takes Earth to rotate on its axis?
a. 24 hours
306.When giving coordinates for an object on the celestial sphere, the up and down position
given in degrees is called the:
a. Declination
307.Uranus's moon ______has a greater variety of Landforms than any solar system body yet
examined.
a. Miranda
308.The amount of detail that a telescope can see is called its

a. angular resolution
309.Circle the letter of Mercury's position in the solar system.
a. innermost terrestrial planet
310.What does the law of universal gravitation state?

a. All objects in the universe exhibit a gravitational pull on each other.
311.A star's color reveals information about its

a. temperature
312.The spectral classification system uses the letters to categorize stars from
Violet to Red.
a. OBAFGKM
313.Stellar Parallax is a method of determining the of some stars.

a. distance
314.Pluto's orbit is , causing it to sometimes travel inside the orbit of

Neptune.
a. highly eccentric
315.The time when sunlight shines equally on the northern and southern hemispheres is know
as what?
a. Equinox

316.During the winter, the combination of fewer daylight hours and less direct rays of the sun
causes lower average temperatures.(T/F)
a. True
317.The leftover material orbiting the young sun forms a flat, circular plane called
an accretion disc.
318.When the cloud collapsed to form the solar system, it began to spin due to its
angular momentum.
319.The sun is a planet!(T/F)

a. False
320.The sun produces energy by nuclear fission.(T/F)

a. False
321.Which star below blows up in a supernova explosion?

a. massive star
322.What is the outermost part of the sun's atmosphere?

a. corona
323.Explain the difference between the geocentric and heliocentric models of the universe.
a. In the geocentric model, the sun and the planets revolve around Earth. In the
heliocentric model, Earth and the other planets revolve around the sun.
324.Which planet is 1.00 au from the sun?

a. Earth
325.The distance that light travels in one year is a(n)

a. light-year
326.Who was the first test pilot to successfully fly the X-1?
a. Chuck Yeager
327.What is the name of the dark region on the surface of the photosphere?
a. sunspot
328.A very small part of the universe is matter.(T/F)

a. True
329.What are the two main motions of the Earth?

a. rotation and revolution
330.The light gathering ability of a telescope is related to the diameter of its mirror.(T/F)
a. True
331.All of Kepler's laws help describe the motion of planets around

the sun .
332.The earth's poles "wobble" as it spins in a circle that takes 26,000 years to complete a
cycle. This wobbling is known as precession
333.The path the sun follows across the sky is called the ecliptic
334.The imaginary sphere around the Earth onto which astronomers project the stars when
locating objects is called the celestial sphere .
335.Explain the relationship between the Doppler effect and what astronomers call "red shift"
and "blue shift". Be sure to explain what we can learn about objects by observing the
Doppler effect and where the terms red shift and blue shift come from.
a. If the apparent frequency of EM waves is higher than the actual frequency, the object is
moving closer relative to earth. If the apparent frequency is lower than the actual
frequency, the object is moving away. It is called red shift and blue shift because in
visible light, an object moving away would look more red, while an object moving
toward the observer would look more blue due to the lower and higher frequencies
respectively.
336.What is the name of the relatively thin layer of the sun's atmosphere?
a. Chromosphere
337.The planets that are also known as gas giants

a. Jovian planets
338Which planet is noted for its Great Red Spot?

a. Jupiter
339.The geocentric model was created by Aristotle who said that all planets
revolved around the Earth .
340.Understanding peak emission allows astronomers to calculate

the temperature of distant objects.
341.All stars eventually run out of fuel and collapse due to gravity.(T/F)
a. True
342.Explain the event called a helium flash. Be sure to include as much as possible of the
following:
what happens, the mass of stars this is likely to occur in, what temperature ranges it occurs

in, what effect it has on the temperature and magnitude of the star (if any), and what stage of
a star's life this event would occur.
a. A helium flash is when a degenerate helium core reaches the temperature necessary to
start the triple alpha process (helium fusion). This usually occurs around 100,000,000 k
and can last until around 350,000,000 k, at which time the core leaves its degenerate
state and produces pressure. The star rapidly fuses helium causing the temperature to
increase quickly, even though the pressure remains the same. Despite its name, the
helium flash does not make the star suddenly brighter. This would occur during the red
giant phase of a star less than about 2 solar masses.
343.What is rotation?
a. The turning, or spinning, of a body on its axis.
344.Distances to stars are usually expressed in units called

a. light-years
345.Binary stars can be used to establish what property of stars?

a. Binary stars can be used to establish a star's mass.
346.What is apparent magnitude?

a. The brightness of a star as seen from Earth.
347.Which color stars have the highest surface temperature?

a. Blue
348.Which planet has the largest volcano?

a. Mars
349.The distance from the sun to the earth

a. 150 million km
350.What is the gas that makes up most of the Martian atmosphere?

a. carbon dioxide
351.Astronomers usually study an object by looking directly through a telescope.(T/F)

a. False
352.The most famous geocentric model of the solar system, that was used for over a thousand
years, was created by a Roman mathematician and astronomer called Ptolemy
353.What does the Doppler effect do to emission and absorption lines?

a. The pattern stays the same, but it will shift toward the red or blue end of the spectrum.
354.What year was Uranus discovered?

a. 1781
355.An element's emission lines always correspond to its absorption lines.(T/F)
a. True
356.Earth can support life because of the presence of

a. liquid water
357.What is the last stage in the formation of a star?

a. A black dwarf.
358.The hottest stars fall in what region of the H-R diagram?

a. main sequence
359.Does a star's position on the H-R diagram stay constant or does it change over time?
Explain.
a. Its position changes as it evolves depending on its mass.
360.List 3 important advantages of exploring space.

a.
• A global perspective—the ultimate high ground
• A clear view of the heavens—not blurred by the atmosphere
• A free-fall environment—letting us develop advanced materials
that we couldn’t make on Earth
• Abundant resources—such as solar energy and materials found
on other planets in space
• A unique challenge as the final frontier
361.List 3 ways that Remote-sensing technology has helped to improve modern life.
a. 1. This technique lets city planners better keep up with urban sprawl and gives soldiers
the latest maps of new terrain.
2. Remote-sensing spacecraft have become very helpful in preventing the destruction of
the environment, because they can precisely monitor large areas to evaluate the spread
of pollution and other damage.
3.Remote-sensing data can also help us manage other scarce resources by showing us
the best places to drill for water or oil.
4. there may be other correct answers as well.
362.Describe the life cycle of a massive star? Include all 8 possible steps.
a. Nebula-protostar-blue star-yellow star-super red giant star- supernova-black hole or
neutron star.
363. Wien 's Law can be paraphrased to "the hotter an object is, the bluer it is".
364.The planet that is brighter than all other planets is

a. Venus
365.How do absorption and emission lines help us better understand the composition of matter
in the universe?
a. Every element has its own particular pattern of emission/absorption lines that act as a
fingerprint.
366.List the major features of the solar system in order from the sun to the interstellar medium.
You should include all 8 planets, the asteroid belt, the Kuiper belt, and the Oort cloud.
a . 1. Sun
2. Mercury
3. Venus
4. Earth
5. Mars
6. Asteroid Belt
7. Jupiter
8. Saturn
9. Uranus
10. Neptune
11. Kuiper Belt
12. Oort Cloud
13. Interstellar Medium
367.Compare and contrast the similarity between a lunar and solar eclipse.
a. Student answer(s) must indicate that A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes
directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow). Solar eclipse answers might include
options [total/full, partial eclipse] however, answer must indicate that the Moon passes
between the Earth and the Sun.
368.The point in the earth's orbit where the earth is furthest from the sun is called its .
a. aphelion
369.What is the name for the time of year in which Earth is farthest from the Sun?
a. aphelion
370. The time it takes the moon to go through a complete cycle of phases (from new moon to
new moon) is called a month. The time it takes the moon to make a complete
360 degree revolution is a sidereal month.
a. synodic
371.A star's color can tell you what its approximate temperature is.(T/F)
a. True
372.What is Saturn's most prominent feature?

a. ring system
373.What does the term equinox mean?

a. day and night are equal length
374.Which type of star is the sun?

a. main sequence
375.The first type of telescope invented

a. refractor telescope
376.Which of the eight planets has the shortest year? Explain.

a. Mercury because it is closest to the sun therefore has the shortest orbital pathway.
377.In Aristotle's geocentric model of our solar system, the was considered to be the
center of the universe.
a. earth
378.The universe is fairly young but very big.(T/F)

a. False
379.What does the term solstice mean?

a. sun is at its highest/lowest point for the year at noon
380.In the space provided or using a blank sheet of paper; draw(sketch) and label the phases of
the moon, starting with a full moon. Drawing/sketch must show Sun, Moon and Earth in
position with each other.
a. Student answers will vary. However, information should show the phases of the moon
starting in the position of a full moon.
381.What is a light year?

a. The distance that light travels in one year.
382.In a lunar eclipse, what seems to darken?

a. Moon
383.If you put all the planets together, they would be larger than the Sun.
a. False
384.Neptune has the slowest winds in the Solar System.(T/F)

a. False
385.List three factors that control the apparent brightness of a star as seen from Earth.
how big it is, how hot it is, how far away it is
386.If the distance to a star is tripled, what will be the reduction in its brightness?
a. It is reduced to 1/9 the brightness
387.How could a star have a very high luminosity but a relatively low temperature?
a. The star could be very large
388.The sun's surface exists in what state of matter?

a. plasma

389.What are absorption lines?
a. These are missing parts of the spectra due to the absorption of photons as light passes
through a gas.
390.Name 2 major categories of optical telescopes.

a. Reflecting and refracting
391.ow does the brightness of supergiant stars compare to the brightness of dwarf stars?
a. supergiants are brighter than dwarfs
392The majority of stars are located in which region of the H-R diagram?
a. main sequence
393.According to the diagram, what is the approximate temperature of the Sun?

a. 5,500°C
394.A H-R diagram shows the relationship between what two properties of stars?
a. temperature/spectral class and brightness/absolute magnitude
395.Which stars have high luminosity and low temperatures?

a. supergiants
396.Are giant stars brighter or dimmer than supergiant stars?

a. dimmer
397.Betelgeuse is a reddish star. Based on this information, can you accurately locate
Betelgeuse on the H-R diagram? Explain.
a. No, need information about Betelgeuse's brightness, otherwise it could be a supergiant,
giant, or main sequence star.
398.Which region of the diagram would a K class star that is 100 time brighter than the Sun
fall?
a. Giants
399.The shape of a planet's orbit.

a. Ellipse
400. Nicholas Copernicus proposed a new model that said

the sun was fixed and a rotating earth travelled westward around it.
401.Using Brahe's precise observations, discovered three laws of planetary motion.

a. Kepler
402.The point in the earth's orbit where the earth is closest to the sun is called its .
a. perihelion

403.How many moons does Neptune have?
a. 13
404.Describe the nebular theory of the formation of the solar system.

a. theory that the solar system formed when a molecular cloud of hydrogen collapsed
under gravitational forces and started rotating, most of the mass collapsed in the center
and became the sun; the formation of our star led to the formation of the planets and
objects orbiting it
405.Which Planet is closest to the Sun?

a. Mercury
406.What must happen in order for an eclipse to take place?

a. The earth or the moon must block out the sun.
407.The geocentric theory claims that the is at the center of the universe.
a. earth
408.A star that explodes and sometimes leaves behind a neutron star is called
a(n) .
a. supernova
409.The telescope that uses both lenses and mirrors to gather light
a. composite telescope
410.A star enters the stage called the main sequence when what occurs?
a. It begins fusing hydrogen (begins the proton-proton chain)
411.When is the moon nearest to Earth during its orbit?

a. during perigee
412.Day and night are caused by Earth's revolution on its axis.

a. False
413.According to the heliocentric theory, the is at the center of at least the solar system.
a. sun
414.List the four main parts of the sun.

a. Solar interior, photosphere, chromosphere,corona
415.The earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun
416. The ______ was useful for predicting dates and times at which
celestial bodies rose and set.
a. Earth Centered Model
417. What is escape velocity?

a. Minimum velocity required for something to break free from gravitation pull -
418. As the Earth orbits the sun, the length of days can change. What characteristic of the earth
makes this happen? It also causes us to have seasons.
a. The tilt of earth's axis
419.Name the eight stages in the life span of a star starting with its birth and ending with its
death.
a. Dust and gases, protostar, main sequence, red giant, variable stage, planetary nebula,
white dwarf, black dwarf
420. Is Mercury a terrestrial planet or a Jovian planet?

a. Terrestrial
421. When does summer solstice occur in the Northern Hemisphere?

a. June 21
422.What is the difference between a total solar eclipse, an annular solar eclipse, and a partial
solar eclipse? In which is the corona visible?
a. A total eclipse is when the sun is completely blocked by the moon. The corona is visible.
An annular eclipse is when the moon passes directly in front of the sun but is too small
to block it out completely. A partial eclipse is when the moon does not pass directly in
front of the sun and only blocks a portion of it.
423. List the main three forms of radiation in which solar flares release energy.
a. Ultraviolet, radio, and X-ray
424.What is the name of the brief outburst associated with sunspot cluster?
a. Solar flare
425.Different parts of the sun rotate at different speeds.(T/F)

a. True
426. described the behavior of moving objects.

a. Galileo
427.Most large optical telescopes are reflectors.(T/F)

a. True
428.What is the name of the huge cloudlike structure of chromospheres gases?

a. Prominence

429. Describe the major contributions of Copernicus and Galileo to the field of astronomy
during the renaissance.
a. Copernicus published a book demonstrating the simplicity and effectiveness of a
heliocentric solar system. Galileo argued for the heliocentric solar system after
improving the telescope and using it watch the heavens, especially the moons of Jupiter.
430.How did Americans react when they found out that the Russians put a man in space before
they did?
a. Angry, Jealous, Inspired
431.What is the difference between a solar day and a sidereal day? Be sure to mention what
each is based upon, the degree of rotation, and the time it takes for each.
a. A solar day is based on the sun, it requires the earth to rotate 361 degrees, and takes 24
hours. A sidereal day is based on the stars, it requires the earth to rotate 360 degrees
and takes 23 hours 56 minutes.
432.What are emission lines?

a. Narrow bands of light created when a gas is heated and emits photons of a particular
wavelength/energy
433.The earth is flattened at the poles and bulged at the

a. equator
434.The dark areas on the surface of the sun are called

a. sunspots
435.Planets that are like the earth in density and size are called planets.
a. terrestrial
436.List the planets whose orbital planes lie more than 3 degrees from the plane of the sun's
equator.
a. Mercury (Pluto)
437.What is the solar wind?

a. Streams of protons and electrons that boil from the corona
438.The Jovian planets are huge, rocky giants.(T/F)

a. False
439.Why is it unlikely that life as we know it exists on Mercury?

a. The temperatures are too extreme. Too cold and too hot.
440.Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer, demonstrated that the orbits of the planets
have shapes.
a. elliptical
441.How many hours of daylight does the North Pole receive on June 21st?
a.24 hours
442.The nearest approach to the sun

a. Perihelion
443.Why do space telescopes produce clearer images than telescopes on Earth?

a. They do not have to go through the Earth's atmosphere.
444.Circle the letter of the planet(s) that have ring systems.

a. all four Jovian planets
445.What can astronomers learn by studying a star's color?

a. Astronomers can learn about a star's temperature by studying its color.
446.Distances to nearby stars can be determined from

a. stellar parallax
447.What is the name of the outermost part of the sun's atmosphere called?
a. Corona
448.Kepler's second law states that an imaginary line between a planet and the sun, sweeps out
equal areas in equal time. What observable effect does this have on the revolution of the
planet?
a. It means the planet will speed up as it gets near its star and will slow down as it gets
farther from the sun.
449.In what position is Earth in early January relative to the sun?

a. Perihelion
450.The largest volcano on Mars is over two and one half times higher than Mount
Everest.(T/F)
a. True
451.The terrestrial planets are relatively small and rocky.
452.List four reasons Venus is referred to as Earth's twin.

a. Size, density, mass, and location in the solar system.
453.List two advantages of radio telescopes over optical telescopes.

a. Less affected by turbulence in the atmosphere, no protective dome is required, viewing
is possible 24 hours a day, can see through interstellar dust clouds, can detect clouds of
gases too cold to emit visible light.

454.What are binary stars?
a. Pairs of stars, pulled toward each other by gravity.
455.Color changes on Mars's surface observed from Earth may be caused

by in Mars's atmosphere.
a. Extensive dust storms
456.Besides the sun, the solar system includes , dwarf planets, and small solar
system bodies such as asteroids and comets.
a. planets
457.The galaxy that contains the earth's sun is the galaxy.

a. Milky Way
458.Which gas gives Uranus its light blue color?

a. methane
459.The farthest point from the sun in a planet's orbit

a. aphelion
460.The dwarf planet Makemake is about 46 AU away from the sun. How many Earth years
does it take Makemake to complete an orbit around the sun? (Round to a whole number)
a. 312 years
461.How did the earth and other planets' low eccentricity contribute to making the solar system
models of Copernicus and Galileo seem accurate until Kepler came along? (Be sure to
mention what eccentricity means and how Kepler was different)
a. A low eccentricity means an orbit is nearly circular. Since Copernicus and Galileo had
perfect circles, they worked very well, but not perfect. Kepler demonstrated that they
must be ellipses, rather than perfect circles.
462.Why do sunspots appear dark?

a. Their temperature is about 1500K less than that of the surrounding solar surface.
463.What is albedo a measure of?

a. The amount of light reflected by an object
464.What is solar wind?

a. Streams of protons and electrons that boil from the corona.
465.Jupiter is composed mainly of .
a. Hydrogen
466.How do constellations help astronomers locate objects in the sky?

a. Constellations help astronomers divide the sky into pieces relative to each other. This
allows them to orient and get a general idea of where an object will be.
467._____has the greatest Temperature extremes of any planet.
a. Mercury
468.The measure of the brightness of a star is

a. Magnitude
469.How many planets are there in our solar system?

a. 8
470 The Jovian planets lack oxygen and .

a. water
471.In what way do the inner planets differ from the outer planets?
a. Inner planets are terrestrial and outer planets are gaseous.
472.What was the most important accomplishment of the Apollo moon missions?
a. Landing on the moon and collecting data and samples from the moon's surface.
473.Brahe's observations, especially of , were far more precise than any made
previously.
a. Mars
474.Nearby stars have large parallax angles.(T/F)

a. True
475.List 3 major forms of technology that have improved the ability of large optical telescopes
to see clearly and give a brief description of each.
a. CCD
Adaptive optics
Active optics
476.Name 4 types of reflecting telescopes and draw a diagram of each.

a. Prime
Newtonian
Cassegrain
Coude (Nasmyth)
477. Different space telescopes collect the same information about an object in space.(T/F)
a. False
478. Moons are smaller objects that orbit a planet. A body that orbits a larger body can
also be called a .
a. satellite

479.The darker inner portion of a sunspot is the
a. umbra
480.What are the outermost group of planets called?

a.Jovian
481.To pass in front of the sun as viewed from the earth.

a. Transit
482.Which of the following is an optical illusion?

a. superior planet retrograde motion
483.Circle the letter of the answer that correctly describes Jupiter's mass.
a. 2 and one half times greater than the mass of all of the other planets and moons combined
484.Why is it unlikely that life as we know it exists on Venus?

a.High temperatures, Atmosphere 97 percent Carbon Dioxide, Atmospheric pressure 90
times that of Earth.
485.Is Uranus a terrestrial planet or a Jovian planet?

a.Jovian
486.A(n) is a cloud of dust and gas in space.

a. Nebula
487.What is an orbiting observatory?

a.An orbiting observatory is research satellite, designed for the study or observation of
distant stars, planets, galaxies or similar objects.
488.Why do the auroral displays vary with the 11-year sunspot cycle?
a.Auroral displays are caused by sunspot activity.
489What is the function of the objective lens of a refracting telescope?

a.Produces an image by bending light from a distant object so that the light converges at
an area called the focus.
490.The outer portion of a sunspot is called the

a. penumbra
491.List the four main parts of the sun.

a.solar interior, photosphere, chromosphere, corona
492.Is Neptune a terrestrial or Jovian planet?

a.Jovian

493.Astronomers have calculated the parallax angles of millions of stars.(T/F)
a. False
494.Saturn has large cyclonic storms similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot.(T/F)
a. True
495.What is unique about Uranus's axis of rotation?

a.It lies nearly parallel with the plane of its orbit.
496.What did a pilot have to do to be memorialized on Pancho's wall?

a.He had to die.
497.Space probes have shown that ____has thousands of rings .

a. Saturn
498.Refracting telescopes suffer from an optical defect called chromatic aberration.(T/F)

a. True
499. Why do auroras occur near the polar regions instead of other locations on Earth?
a.The ionized particles in the solar flares are attracted to the north and south magnetic
poles of Earth's magnetic field.The ions follow the magnetic field lines because a force
is generated when they move with some component perpendicular to the lines, and the
field lines mostly reach Earth at the magnetic poles.
500.One piece of evidence that there was once water on Mars is that some areas have drainage
patterns similar to those made by Streams on Earth.
501.What does the retrograde motion of Neptune's moon Triton indicate about its origin?
a.Triton formed independently of Neptune and was gravitationally captured.
502.Give two reasons why the Jovian planets have much thicker atmospheres than the
terrestrial planets.
a.greater escape velocities, cooler temperature
503. Describe how Eratosthenes measured the size of Earth.

a.He observed and calculated the difference between the angles of the noonday sun in two
cities.
504. Why is an understanding of light important to astronomers?

a.Scientists can better understand the nature of more distant objects in space.
505.Describe the heliocentric model of the universe.

a.The sun is at the center of the solar system and the planets orbit the sun.
506. Visible light makes up only a small portion of the energy given off by the sun.
a.True
507.Is Jupiter a terrestrial or Jovian planet?

a.Jovian
508.What unusual feature does Saturn's moon Titan share with Neptune's moon Triton?
a. They both have substantial atmospheres.
509.Why does the moon appear to be as large as the sun when viewed from the earth?
a.The moon is 400 times closer to the earth than the sun.
510.Describe the forces responsible for keeping the planets in orbit around the sun. Make sure
to appropriately use the words: inertia, angular momentum, and gravity. What scientist is
responsible for developing the ideas and models to explain this?
a. Planetary orbits are created by a balance between angular centripetal forces and the
gravitational pull of the moon. Inertia is the force of an object in motion that keeps it in
motion unless acted upon by another force.
511.What can a star's spectrum tell astronomers about the star?

a. It identifies the elements present and the star's chemical composition.
512. Copernicus developed a model of the solar system with the sun at the
center.
513. The “lens” is actually a massive cluster of galaxies known as _______

a. Abell 2744.
514.List the four main differences between the terrestrial and Jovian planets.
a. Size, Density, Chemical Makeup, Rate of rotation
515.What planet is the brightest object in the sky, after the sun and moon?
a. Venus
516.What are Jupiter's rings made up of?

a. Fine, dark particles, similar in size to smoke particles.
517.How were the large canyons on Mars thought to have formed?

a. Slippage of material along huge faults in the crustal layer.
518.Name the eight planets.

a. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
519.What are the groups of substances that make up the planets?

a. Minerals, Metals, Gases

520.What is perhaps the most successful scientific spacecraft studying the sun?
a. SOHO - Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
521.What will happen to the Sun before it dies and how does it affect Mercury and Venus?
a. Before the sun dies it will expand, when this happens it will consume Mercury and
Venus.
522.Define the term astronomy.

a. The study of the universe beyond Earth.
523.The idea that the moon, sun, and known planets orbit Earth is called
the geocentric model of the universe.
524.To escape from a planet's gravity, an object must reach a speed called
the escape velocity .
525.How would geometry and trigonometry have been useful to early astronomers?
a. These would have provided a method of approximating sizes and distances.
526.When a light source approaches an observer its

a. light becomes bluer
527.When a light source moves away from an observer its

a. light becomes redder
528.What Mercury astronaut had a pulse rate of 170 at lift-off-John Glenn, Alan Shepard or
Gus Grissom?
a. Gus Grissom
529.How many planets are there in our solar system?
a. Eight
530.What is an astronomical unit? What is it used for?

a. An Astronomical unit is the approximate distance from earth to the sun. It is used to
measure the distance between planets.
531.List three accomplishments of Hipparchus.

a. Star catalog, measured length of year, developed method for predicting lunar eclipses.
532.An eclipse of the moon, moon passes through Earth’s shadow

a. Lunar Eclipse
533.He winter solstice happens on 21st/22nd.

a. December
534.The equinox happens on September 22nd/23rd.

a. autumnal
535.The vernal (spring) equinox happens on 21st/22nd.

a. March
536.The solstice happens on June 21st/22nd.

a. summer
537.Collisions between galaxies are believed to be and result

in .
a. common; new star formation
538.Energy that can travel through space is called:

a. Radiation
539Why does the moon exert a greater influence on Earth's tides than the sun?
a. It is closer
540.Write the color a star appears for each surface temperature range listed below.
a. orange-red <3,000°C
blue 25,000°C−50,000°C
yellow 4,500°C−5,500°C
white 7,500°C−11,000°C
541.Spring tides are associated with the first and last quarter phases of the moon.(T/F)
a. False
542.Messier 95 is classified as a SBb galaxy using the Hubble sequence. Which of the
following best describes the classification of Messier 95?
a. barred spiral galaxy
543.Earth is the densest and 5th largest planet in our solar system.(T/F)
a. True
544.A spectral class K star is than a spectral class F star.

a. cooler
545.Why does the moon exert a greater influence on the Earth's tides than the sun?
a. It is closer
546.Eccentricity refers to
a. the elliptical shape of the Earth's orbit
547.Who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system?

a. Copernicus
548.As an observer moves north, the altitude of Polaris

a. increases
549.Which planet has the highest surface temperature?

a. Venus
550.Which planet has the most complex ring system?

a. Saturn
551.Which planet is the red planet?

a. Mars
552.The earth is sometimes described as a giant .

a. magnet
553.Which chemical or gas produces a green-blue to blue color in Uranus and Neptune?
a. methane
554.The first American to go into outer space was in fact a monkey.(T/F)

a. True
555.Which part of the comet is on the opposite side of the comet from the sun?
a. tail
556.Fusion occurs in the Sun's .

a. core
557.Aristotle provided the first ideas that the Earth was round.(T/F)
a. True
558.We know a lot about the ancient Egyptians and how they used astronomy.(T/F)
a. False
559.The Greeks were the first known astronomers.(T/F)

a. False

560.The cycles refer to the Earth's orbits, tilt and wobble that leads to
increased glaciation.
a. Milankovich
561.Which of the following elements is formed in stars?

a. gold
562.John Riccoli created the first lunar map. (T/F)

a. True
563.Caroline Hershel Helped her brother discover the planet Uranus, but was not credited with
any assistance. (T/F)
a. True
564.Ancient Mesopotamians are credited with using 12 major constellations that became the
foundation for astrology.(T/F)
a. True
565.Maximilian Wolfe was responsible for studying asteroids and creating a camera that could
connect to a telescope.(T/F)
a. True
566.Tycho Brahe identified and cataloged over 1000 stars and changed the way astronomers
looked at the skies. (T/F)
a. True
567.Why was Aristotle convinced the Earth was round?

a .He based his conclusion on his observations of different stars/constellations that
could be seen near the equator vs more northern latitudes, which could be explained by
the Earth being a sphere.
568.A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. (T/F)
a. False
569.Uranus is the planet furthest from the sun at approximately 2.8 billion miles.(T/F)
a. False
570.The solar variability theory states that the sun puts out inconsistent amounts of
energy.(T/F)
a. True
571.What is Jupiter's diameter at its equator?

a. 142,800 km
572.Jupiter is composed of .
a. hydrogen and helium
573.An path corresponds to the zodiac constellations and the apparent path of the
sun through the sky.
a. ecliptic
574.The daily rising in the east and setting in the west of celestial objects is known as
Circumpolar motion. (T/F)
a. False
575.The slow conical motion of the Earth's axis of rotation due to the gravitational effects of
the Sun and Moon is known as .
a. precession
576.The horizon system divides the celestial dome into imaginary lines referred to
as altitude and .
a. azimuth
577.Looking into the sky, the appears overhead, with the other half below
the horizon.
a. celestial dome
578. utilizes the Sun and stars to find ones position on Earth.
a. Celestial navigation
579.Who was the first person to propose that Earth and the other planets move around the sun?
a. Copernicus
580. is one of Jupiter's moons and also the largest moon in the solar system.
a. Ganymede
581.How far is Jupiter from the sun?

a. 5.2 AUs
582.How much larger is Jupiter than all the other planets combined?
a. 2.5 times larger
583.What god was Jupiter named after?

a. the king of gods
584.If we compare two stars of different temperature, the hotter star emits more energy from
each unit area of surface, so it
a. will have a brighter absolute magnitude

585.Write the letter that best represents each class of stars.
B Giants
A Supergiant
E White Dwarfs
D Main Sequence
586.1 parsec is about equal to light-year(s).

a. 3.26
587. is the process where the hydrogen atoms are joined to form helium and release
tons of energy.
a. Nucler fusion
588.Alpha Centauri has a parallax of 0.74 arcsec. What is the approximate distance to Alpha
Centauri in parsecs?
a. 1.35 parsec
589.First layer of Sun's atmosphere, also the surface of the Sun is

a. photosphere
590.Sunspots seem to move across the surface of the Sun. This proves .
a. the sun rotates
591.The solar system coalesced due to rotational forces and

a. gravity
592.The gravitational pull between the moon and earth causes waves on the ocean and seas to
increase/decrease. (T/F)
a. True
593.He invented calculus, laws of physical motion, and a law of universal gravitation.
a. Isaac Newton
594.Parallax is useful for measuring the distance of stars up to about light-year(s)

from Earth.
a. 100

595.Energy moves as electromagnetic waves from Sun's core to
the radiation zone. Since the radiation is packed densely with gases, it takes years
from core to move through the radiation zone.
a. 100000
596. is the sphere/layer of the sun which produces visible light.

a. Photosphere
597.The core of sun is ______ degree Celsius hot and has very
high pressure allowing fusion.
a. 15 million
598.The greater the distance of a galaxy away from the earth

a. the greater the observed red shift.
599.What did Penzias and Wilson discover in 1964?

a. radiation left over from the Big Bang
600.The Zenith lies...

a. Directly overhead
601.Seasonal motion is the cycle that brings the same stars to back to their same place at the
same time each year. (T/F)
a. True
602.The solar system coalesced due to rotational forces and

a. gravity
603.The inner planets are the planets closest to the sun.

a. four
604.The parallaxes of nearby stars are produced by

a. Earth's revolution around the sun.
605.Large round pits, some hundreds of miles across, made by meteorite impacts.
a. Craters
606.The larger, less dark part of the shadow of an eclipse.

a. Penumbra
607.The darkest part of the moon's shadow during an eclipse.

a. Umbra

608.He built telescopes better than anyone shortly after their invention and used them for
astronomical observations.
a. Galileo Galilei
609.______ cause magnetic storms

a. Solar winds
610.A steady stream of electrically charged particles the Sun ejects is called . It causes
disruptions in Earth's magnetic field.
a. solar winds
611.His book that described the sun-centered universe, de Revolutionibus, was published after
his death.
a. Nicholas Copernicus
612. M89 is an elliptical galaxy classified as E0. NGC 584 is an E4 elliptical galaxy. Which
statement best compares the morphology of the two galaxies?
a. NGC 584 has a more elliptical shape than M89
613. The height of the tide depends upon the relative positions of ________
a. Sun, Earth , and Moon
614. Tides are mainly caused by

a. Moon's gravity
615. The parallax of a star is inversely related to its

a. distance.
616. If a star has a parallax of arcseconds, then its distance is .

a. 0.25; 4 parsecs
617. is a circular path through space.

a. Orbit
618. Constellations are

a. patterns of stars in the sky.
619.What is the fuel for the nuclear fusion in the sun's core?
a. Hydrogen
620.The Sun makes up about 50% of the mass in our Solar System. (T/F)
a. False
621.Dark spots on the surface of the sun

a. Sunspots

622. _____ is massive eruptions of electromagnetic radiation into space as prominences
crash/meet each other.
a. Solar flares
623. are huge, reddish loops of gas, which often link or connect sunspots.
a. Prominences
624. Photo means _____.

a. Light
625.Darkest, smallest part of an eclipse.

a. Umbra
626.The Earth casts a shadow on the moon (the Earth blocks out the sun).
a. Lunar eclipse
627.The moon casts a shadow on Earth (moon blocks out the sun).
a. Solar eclipse
628.A shadow that one object casts on another space object (blocks the light).
a. Eclipse
629.Moon mountains, formed by the peaks of craters, that give the moon a rugged landscape.
a. Highlands
630.Largest part of an eclipse, less dark, outer part of the shadow

a. Penumbra
631.Dark, flat areas formed from huge, ancient lava flows

a. Maria
632. Not long after the death of Nicholas Copernicus, a Danish nobleman used giant
instruments to make observations of the planet's motions with unprecedented accuracy. This
man was .
a. Tycho Brahe
633. The solar system coalesced due to rotational forces and

a. gravity
634. Johannes Kepler's theory was based upon analysis of planet observations taken
by .
a. Tycho Brahe
635. Sunspots occur on an year cycle.

a.11
636. are dark spots on the surface of the Sun. They are dark because they
contain cooler gas compared to the surroundings.
a. Sunspots
637 Chromo means ______

a. Color
638.The telescope that uses a mirror to gather light

a. reflector telescope
639. means crown. It looks like a Halo/Crown and is the outermost layer of Sun's
atmosphere.
a. Corona
640.A star has a parallax of 0.5 arc sec. Calculate the distance to the star in parsecs.
a. d = 1/0.5 = 2 parsecs
641.What does NASA stand for?

a. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
642.A large piece of space debris, such as an asteroid, that crashes into a planet is called a
a. bolide
643.Venus has a surface temperature of
a. 475° Celcius
644.A large piece of space debris, such as an asteroid, that crashes into a planet is called a
a. bolide
645. Halley's comet will return in ?

a. 2061
646.Why is it not practical to measure the distance to other galaxies in miles?

a. the distances are too far apart
647.In ancient civilizations, astronomy was used extensively

for agricultural and navigational purposes.
648.One AU is equal to the distance between the Sun and the Earth, which is
about miles.
a. 93,000,000
649.What is the name of the icy bodies that lie beyond Neptune's orbit?

a. The Kuiper Belt
650.What is unusual about the orbits of Neptune and Pluto?

a. Pluto is sometimes nearer the sun than is Neptune
651.Last planet visited by Voyager II was?

a. Neptune
652.Who published the first heliocentric model?

a. Copernicus
653.Earth's axis is inclined at 23.4 degrees, while Uranus' axis is tilted at

an 97.8 degrees.
654.Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and it takes a total of 84 earth years to
orbit the sun.
655.The rings of Uranus are made up of a thin layer of dark boulders and
they were discovered during an occultation .
656. William Herschel discovered Uranus by accident.
657.Lowell predicted that Pluto would look like a 13th-magnitude

object and contain about 7 Earth masses
658.Percival Lowell founded the Lowell Observatory to study Neptune. (T/F)

a. False
659. Percival Lowell spent his life looking for a planet beyond Neptune
but couldn't find it. Even though his approximations were irrelevant, Clyde
Tombaugh found Pluto 6 degrees from the predicted position by accident.
660.The New Horizons probe, due to arrive in 2015 , will send the
first close-up images of Pluto and its moons.
661. What is gamma in n dimensional space ( n>4)?
a. Gamma matrix
662. The boundary of a black hole at which everything including light is pulled into it is called?

a. eventhorizon
663. The field that imparts mass to every particle ?
a. higgs fields
664. The mass above which stars could turn into a supernovae is called?
a. Chandrasekhar limit
665. The value of Chandrasekhar limit ?

WMAP stands for?
a. Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe
666. When was WMAP launched?
a. June 30, 2001.
667. COBE stands for?
a. Cosmic Background Explorer
668. Expansion of M-theory?
a. Membrane Theory
669. Bode's law, also known as?
a. Titus-bode law
670. _______ and _______ are said to have inferior orbits due to their greater nearness to the
sun than earth
a. mercury&Venus
671. When mercury or Venus is in line with the sun and the earth it is called?
a. conjunction
672. "_________" of the astrologers the same as the nine planets known to astronomers?
a. Navagrahas
673. The estimated total mass of all the asteroids is less than ____ per cent of the earth's
mass
a. 0.1
674. Which Italian astronomer reported sighting a network of "canali" on mars?
a. G.V. Schiaparelli
675. In which year,Uranus was found to have thin rings around its equator.
a. 1977
676. What is the period of Halley’scomet ?
a. 76 earth years
677. What kind of material does a comet contain?
a. frozen gasses and dust
678. What is the shape of comet’s orbit?
a. ellipse
679. Short period comets have periods up to ______ centuries?
a. 2
680. Tewfik’s comet discovered in Egypt in ______?
a. 1882
681. Which ancient civilization studied comets closely?
a. Chinese
682. The '________' symbol is believed to be a representation of a comet with multiple gas
jets.
a. swastika
683. The '________' symbol is believed to be a representation of a comet with multiple tails.
a. menorah
684. In 1846, the comet _______was observed to split into two fragments which moved
together with each part showing all the characteristics of a comet including head and tail.
a. biela
685. In July 1994, the comet _________collided with Jupiter.
a. shoemaker-levy-9
686. Craters can be caused by impact of?

a. comets or asteroids.
687. Comets in the ______ cloud cannot be detected from earth.
a. oort
688. Space probe Giotto was launched from earth in ______ on a fifteen-year mission.
a. 1985
689. By international convention ______ number of major constellations has now been
recognized.
a. eighty eight
690. In modern sky charts, ______ alphabets are used to designate the stars in a
constellation.
a. Greek
691. The zodiacal constellations refer to ______ number of specified constellations.
a. twelve
692. The word zodiac means?

a. circle of animals
693. The movement of earth in the _______axis is known as precession of earth.
a. wobbling axis
694. The northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere is called ?
a. North Polar Region
695. In which constellation is the centre of the Milky Way located?
a. sagittarius (also known as dhanu or archer).
696. In which constellation is Alpha Centauri (mitra), the star system closest to the sun,
located?
a. Centaurs (naraturanga).
697. What is the relative mass of earth with respect to the moon?
a. 81 times the mass of the moon
698. What is the gravity on the moon's surface?
a. one sixth of the gravity on the earth's surface.
699. Barycenter of the earth moon system located about _____ km below the earth's surface.

a. 1700 km
700. The moon rotates on its axis in every _____days
a. 27.322
701. In which year, Sir William Herschel discovered the existence of the planet Uranus.
a. 1781
702. Mercury, Venus, earth and mars called "________" planets?
a. terrestrial
703. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune called "_________"?
a. gas giants
704. The period of one day for mercury is _____ earth days?
a. 59
705. Who discovered, it had four moons revolving around Jupiter.
a. Galileo Galilee
706. Which planet is known as the 'red planet'?
a. mars
707. Deimos is about _____ km away and phobos is less than _____km away
a. 20,000 and 6,000
708. Whose laws specify the sun as one focus of the planet's elliptical orbit.
a. Kepler's law
709. Which of the following is not a Jovian planet?
a. earth
710. Which planet has a cratered surface similar to earth’s moon?
a. Saturn
711. Comets with short orbital periods are located in what region?
a. Kuiper belt
712. Which planet has a large red spot?
a. Jupiter

713. At what speed is the sun moving as it orbits the Milky Way galaxy?
a. about 275 km/sec
714. How long does the sun take to complete one revolution around the centre of the milky
way galaxy?
a. about 225 million years
715. Quasar is the abbreviation for?
a. quasi-stellar object
716. The first quasar was discovered in 1963 by _______?
a. mount Wilson
717. Cepheid variables vary in magnitude over a period from ?
a. 1 to 60 days
718. ________ refers to the study of the universe as a whole.
a. cosmology
719. The cataclysmic explosion at the time of the birth of the universe has been nicknamed
as?
a. "big bang"
720. ______ refers to the rarefied matter that exists in the space between the galaxies.
a. inter-galactic matter
721. The Pleiades and the Hyades are examples of _______ visible to the naked eye.
a. galactic clusters
722. What planet is about the same size as earth?
a. Venus
723. What is the first planet to be discovered mathematically rather than by observation?
a. Neptune
724. What was the name of the first man-made satellite in space?
a. sputnik
725. The length of an earth day is determined by the time required for approximately one
a. earth rotation

726. To an observer in buffalo, new york, the north star, Polaris, is always located above the
northern horizon at an altitude of approximately
a. 43°
727. Which planet is approximately thirty times farther from the sun than earth is?
a. Neptune
728. Which object is located at one foci of the elliptical orbit of mars?
a. the sun
729. The apparent daily path of the sun changes with the seasons because
a. earth's axis is tilted
730. This object orbits earth in both the earth-centered (geocentric) and sun-centered
(heliocentric) models of our solar system?
a. The moon
731. Which planet takes more time to complete one rotation on its axis than to complete one
revolution around the sun?
a. Venus
732. At which location wills the highest altitude of the star Polaris be observed?
a. arctic Circle
733. Which star is cooler and many times brighter than earth’s sun?
a. betelgeuse
734. Which planet has an orbit with an eccentricity most similar to the eccentricity of the
moon’s orbit around earth?
a. Saturn
735. A major belt of asteroids is located between mars and Jupiter. What is the approximate
average distance between the sun and this major asteroid belt?
a. 390 million kilometers
736. A cycle of moon phases can be seen from earth because the
a. moon revolves around earth
737. Ganymede is a moon of which planet?
a. Jupiter
738. What is the name of Saturn’s largest moon?
a. Titan
739. Olympus Mons is a large volcanic mountain on which planet?
a. Mars

740. The largest circular storm in our solar system is on the surface of which of the following
planets?
a. Jupiter
741. The rapidly moving stream of charged particles that is being driven away from the
sun is known as what?
a. solar wind
742. Which is the biggest asteroid known?

a. Ceres
743. Rounded to the nearest day, the Mercurian year is equal to___ earth days?
a. 88
744. What is the duration of sunspot cycle?
a. 11 years
745. The hertzsprung-russel diagram of stars directly compares what all properties of stars?
a. temperature & luminosity
746. Which type of galaxy is Andromeda?

a. spiral
747. Who was the first man to classify stars according to their brightness?
a. Hipparchus
748. What is the name given to the configuration when three celestial bodies are in a line?
a. syzygy
749. What term is used in astronomy to indicate the reflecting power of an object?
a. albedo
750. The visual aurora consists of luminous arcs, rays or bands in the night sky, usually
confined to high latitudes and located in _________ region of atmosphere.
a. ionosphere
751. Phobos and deimos (pron: dee-mos) are moons that orbit which planet?
a. mars
752. The two main radiation belts that surround the earth are known by what name?
a. Van Allen belts
753. A break in the rings of Saturn explains _______.

a. Cassini’s division
754. A pulsar is actually a________.

a. neutron star

755. After what geophysical occurrence might you see Bishop's Ring around the Sun?
a. Volcanic eruption
756. Whose paradox asks why the sky is not ablaze with starlight if the universe is infinite in
extent and uniformly filled with stars?
a. Olber's paradox
757. How many people have set foot on the Moon?

a. 12
758. Where is the Great Red Spot?

a. Jupiter
759. When could you see Bailey's Beads?

a. total solar eclipse
760. The diameter of the earth is approximately_____.

a. 13,000 km
761. What name is given to the situation where the sun crosses the celestial equator around
March 21?
a. VERNAL EQUINOX
762. What is the principal source of a young star's energy?
a. FUSION OF HYDROGEN TO HELIUM
763. What causes the gas tail of a comet to always point away from the sun?
a. solar wind
764. What phenomenon causes a planet to have a magnetic field?

a. Dynamo effect
765. What is the point at which the orbit of Mercury comes closest to the Sun called?
a. PERIHELION
766. What is a star like object with a very large red shift called?
a. quasar.
767. Name the type of variable star which is a red dwarf star and shows rapid and irregular
changes in light?
a. FLARE STAR
768. What is the name of the spacecraft that used Jupiter's gravitational field to redirect its
course toward the Sun's polar regions?
a. ULYSSES

769. Who leads the exoplanets group at Yale? These are her famous sayings “Computers
can’t find the unexpected, but people can, when they eyeball the data.”
a. Debra Fischer.
770. The fabrication of the two-element achromatic objective lens, the largest lens ever made
at the time, caused years of delay. The famous large telescope maker was in charge of the
optical design. Who was that?
a.Alvan Clark.
771. A planetary nebula, often abbreviated as PN or plural PNe, is a kind of emission nebula
consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from old red giant stars late
in their lives .who invented planetary Nebula?
a.William Herschel
772. Amalthea is the third moon of Jupiter in order of distance from the planet. It was
discovered on September 9, 1892, who discovered it?
a.Edward Emerson Barnard.
773. Source of long-period comets is thought to be the far more distant spherical Oort cloud
(after the Dutch astronomer who hypothesized its existence).who is that Dutch astronomer?
a.Jan HendrikOort.
774. Which Greek historian reported that a comet(3D/Biela in 1846 and 73P/Schwassmann–
Wachmann from 1995 to 2006 ) split apart as far back as the winter , Comets are suspected
of splitting due to thermal stress, internal gas pressure, or impact ?
a.Ephorus.
775. A scientist using his Principia Mathematica of 1687 proved that an object moving under
the influence of his inverse square law of universal gravitation must trace out an orbit
shaped like one of the conic sections, and he demonstrated how to fit a comet's path through
the sky to a parabolic orbit, using the comet of 1680 as an example. Who is that?
a. Issac newton
776. Delta Equulei is the second brightest star in the constellation Equuleus. Delta Equulei is
a binary star system about 60 light years away. Who later showed this to be an unrelated
optical double star?
a. Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve
777. Northern star is the brightest star in the constellation, Ursa Minor, and the 45th brightest
star in the night sky. It is very close to the north celestial pole. Who invented it?
a.Was discovered in 1780 by William Herschel.

778. Polaris A, the supergiant primary component, is a classic Population I Cepheid
variable,It’s a variable star.Who Observed it for the first time?
a.Ptolemy.
779. Capella is the brightest star in the constellation Auriga, the sixth brightest in the night
sky and the third brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere. Who observed it first and
stated it as a binary star?
a.Professor William Wallace Campbell of the Lick Observatory announced that Capella was
binary in 1899.
780. A corona (Latin, 'crown') is an aura of plasma that surrounds the Sun and other celestial
bodies. The Sun's corona extends millions of kilometres into space and is most easily seen
during a total solar eclipse. Who observed and studied about it for the first time.?
a.BengtEdlén, following the work of Grotrian (1939), first identified the coronal lines in 1940.
781. GK Persei (also Nova Persei 1901) was a bright nova occurring in 1901. It reached a
maximum magnitude of 0.2, the brightest nova of modern times until Nova Aquilae 1918.
Who discovered It.?
a.Nova Persei 1901 was discovered 21 February by Scottish clergyman Thomas David
Anderson.
782. Which team reported the discovery of the first Earth-sized extra solar planets?
a.On December 20, 2011, the Kepler Space Telescope team.
783. Who was instrumental in the creation of the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina
(begun 1999) which gathered the data that led to major discoveries in cosmic-ray
astronomy?
a.Alan Andrew Watson, FRS, (born 26 September 1938, Edinburgh) is an Emeritus Professor
at the University of Leeds, UK.
784. Who discovered the first known periodic variable star (as opposed to cataclysmic
variables, such as novas and supernovas), Mira, in August 1596?
a.David Fabricius.
785. Who discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter, the mountains on the Moon, and first
observed the rings of Saturn?
a.Galileo,
786. Who engaged in the SAS-II Small Gamma Ray Astronomy Satellite experiment
development, data analysis, and first detection and imaging of our universe in gamma rays ?
a.HakkıBoranÖgelman.

787. Who discovered Cassiopeia A (Cas A) for the first time?
a.John Flamsteed on August 16, 1680.
Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant (SNR) in the constellation Cassiopeia and the
brightest extra solar radio source in the sky at frequencies above 1 GHz. It had a flux density
of 2720±50 Jy at 1 GHz in 1980;[3] its flux density at 1 GHz is decreasing at a rate of
0.97±0.04 percent per year.
788. Who predicted that Cas A had a black hole In 1999, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory
found a "hot point-like source" close to the center of the nebula that is quite likely the
neutron star or black hole predicted but not previously found?
a.In 1979, Shklovsky.
789. Who discovered Sagittarius A* (pronounced "Sagittarius A-star", standard

abbreviation Sgr A*) is a bright and very compact astronomical radio source at the center of
the Milky Way galaxy, near the border of the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius. It is
part of a larger astronomical feature known as Sagittarius A?
a.Sgr A* was discovered on February 13 and 15, 1974, by astronomers Bruce Balick and
Robert Brown using the baseline interferometer of the National Radio Astronomy
Observatory
790. The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years
(2.4×1019 km) from Earth in the Andromeda constellation. Also known as Messier 31, M31,
or NGC 224, it is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts.The
Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest spiral galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy. Who discovered
the same?
a.Germ an astronomer Simon Marius on December 15, 1612
791. A supermassive black hole (SMBH) is the largest type of black hole, on the order of
hundreds of thousands to billions of solar masses. Most—and possibly all—galaxies are
inferred to contain a supermassive black hole at their centers.In the case of the Milky Way,
the SMBH is believed to correspond with the location of Sagittarius A*. Who observed it for
the first time?
a.Donald Lynden-Bell and Martin Rees hypothesized in 1971
792. Messier 87 (also known as M87, Virgo A or NGC 4486) is a supergiant elliptical
galaxy. It was discovered in 1781 by French astronomer Charles Messier, who cataloged it
as a nebulous feature. The second brightest galaxy within the northern Virgo Cluster, it is
located about 16.4 million parsecs (53.5 million light-years) from Earth. Who discovered it?
a.In 1781, French astronomer Charles Messier.

793. Which is the boundary line lies at an altitude of 100 kilometers (62 mi) above the
Earth's sea level, and commonly represents the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere
and outer space? The line is named after?
a.Theodore von Kármán, a Hungarian-American engineer and physicist (Karman line).
794. Who was the master brain behind the invention of “satellite-borne detectors
“whichwere developed to measure the threat to survival in space environments?
a.Tony McDonnell.
795. Who was the principal author of the Vis5D, Cave5D and VisAD open source
visualization systems?
a. Bill Hibbard.
Vis5D was the first open-source 3D visualization system and is the leading system for
animated 3-D visualization of weather simulations. Cave5D is the most widely used
software system for scientific visualization in immersive virtual reality. VisAD is the
leading visualization system written in Java.
796. Who was the lady behind the Developing solar system exploration programs for
NASA; she was the Director Emeritus of the Geophysical Laboratory?
a. Wesley T. Huntress, Jr.
797. Who designed and ran the orbiting Mars camera (part of the larger Mars Global
Surveyor spacecraft) which took more than 212,000 high-resolution photos of Mars over a
nine-year period?
a.Michael C. Malin.
798. Which was the space scientist who was director of Germany's Max Planck Institute
for Aeronomy from 1974 to 1990 and received awards Rutherford Medal (RSNZ)
1994,Chapman Medal (RAS) 1994,Fellow of the Royal Society etc .And his research was
focused on the interaction of the sun with the magnetic field of earth (magnetosphere) or the
interstellar medium (heliosphere).?
a. Sir William Ian Axford.
799. Who is the British space scientist and former President of the Royal Astronomical
Society (2012-2014). Until 2011 he was Director of Science and Robotic Exploration at the
European Space Agency.?
a.David Southwood.
800. Who is the American space scientist worked on space elevators, including a lunar
space elevator?

a. Jerome Pearson.
He is president of STAR, Inc., and has developed aircraft and spacecraft technology for the
United States Air Force, DARPA, and NASA. He holds several patents and is the author of
nearly 100 publications in aircraft, spacecraft, electrodynamic tethers, SETI, and global
climate control
801. Who received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1984 for his work on the
IRAS and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for his work on the Voyager encounter
with Uranus.?
a.William I. McLaughlin
802. Who established a station for ionospheric observations in Tsumeb, Namibia and
cooperated with the Finnish EISCAT facility in Sodankylä?
a. Walter Dieminger.
803. Who was the scientist designed the heat shields for Apollo program spacecraft and
was named the principal investigator for NASA's Kepler mission (was awarded the United
States National Academy of Science’s Henry Draper Medal for his work with Kepler.)?
a.William J. Borucki.
804. Who was the space scientist who developed instruments for Apollo 15, Apollo 16,
Apollo 17, the Pioneer Venus project, and Giotto mission? He also designed the mass
spectrometer for the Phoenix Mars Lander mission in May 2008?
a. John H. Hoffman.
805. Who was awarded the “Giordano Bruno Award” by the SETI League, "for his efforts
to establish a radio observatory on the far side of the Moon?
a. Claudio Maccone.
806. Whoisthe only known developer of liquid propellant rocket engine experiments and
was Peruvian scientist, who is considered one of the "fathers of aeronautics?
a. Pedro Paulet.
807. The U.S. first launched a person into space within a month of Vostok 1 suborbital
flight in Mercury-Redstone 3?
a. Alan Shepard's.
808. Who wasthe first woman in space, orbited the Earth 48 times aboard Vostok 6 on 16
June 1963?
a.Valentina Tereshkova.

809. China first launched a person into space 42 years after the launch of Vostok 1, on 15
October 2003, aboard the Shenzhou 5 (Spaceboat 5) spacecraft.who was it ?
a.Yang Liwei.
810. The German V-2 was the first rocket to travel into space, overcoming the problems
of thrust and material failure.Who all was the masterminds behind this?
a.Jules Verne and H.G.Wells
811. Who first coined the term "space medicine" in 1948?
a.Hubertus Strughold
812. Which scientist placed the sun, not the Earth, at the center of the solar system?
a.Nicolaus Copernicus.
813. Who devised mathematical laws that successfully and accurately predict the motions of
the planets in elliptical orbits?
a.Johannes Kepler.
814. Who discovered that Jupiter has moons like the Earth?
a.Galileo Galilei.
815. Who determined that comets seen in 1531 and 1607 are the same object following a 76-
year orbit? His prediction is proven in 1758 when the comet returns. Unfortunately, he had
died in 1742, missing the momentous event. Who Is that ?
a. Edmund Halley.
816. Which scientists (brother and sister) found that the entire sky and prove that our solar
system resides in a gigantic disk of stars that bulges in the center called the Milky Way ?
a. William Herschel and his sister Carolyn.
817. Who unveiled the theory of general relativity in which he proposes that mass warps
both time and space; therefore large masses can bend light. The theory is proven in 1919 by
astronomers using a solar eclipse as a test. ?
a. Albert Einstein.
818. Who determined the distance to many nearby galaxies and discovers that the farther
they are from us, the faster they are flying away from us. ?His calculations prove that the
universe is expanding.
a.Edwin Hubble.
His calculations prove that the universe is expanding.

819. Who invented radio astronomy and discovers a strange radio-emitting object at the
center of the Milky Way. He determined that the static is coming from an unknown source at
the center of the Milky Way by its position in the sky.?
a.Karl Jansky (Bell laboratories).
820. Which scientists discovered cosmic microwave background radiation, which they
suspect is the afterglow of the big bang?
a.Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson.
821. Who is the Space James webbTelescope Project Scientist Wins Nobel Prize for Physics
- NASA 2006?
a.John.C.Mather
822. A lady astronaut spends six months aboard the International Space Station Expedition
5; performed a 4-hour space walk to install parts of the Space Station structures; and she was
the first NASA Science Officer. Who is she??
a.Peggy Whitson. NASA
823. Who was the master mind behind Hubble Space Telescope ?
a. John Mather, PhD
Nobel Prize in Physics (2006).
824. Who was the Chief scientist for theHubble Space Telescope?
a.Edward Weiler, PhD.
825. “I have been very fortunate to beamong a very small group ofindividuals to have seen
the HubbleSpace Telescope in space—twice. Who is this astronaut ?
a.Steven Hawley, PhD
Astronaut on STS-41D (1984),
STS-61C (1986), STS-31 (1990),
STS-82 (1997), and STS-93 (1999).
826. “On July 23, 1999, I had the incredible privilegeof commanding the Space Shuttle
Columbia, which took the Chandra X-ray Observatory into space”. This words was said by
the NASA’s first woman Space Shuttle pilot and commander. Who is she?
a.Eileen Collins
Colonel, US Air Force (retired).
827. Who is the Associate director for research at NASA Headquarters Earth Science
Division.?
a.Jack Kaye, PhD.

828. Who was the major astronaut associated with successful global terrain mapping bythe
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (STS-99) in 2000.?
a.Tom Jones, PhD
829. SIR-C* flight, which demonstrated for thefirst time ‘color’ imaging radars with
multifrequency/multi-polarizationcapability, and it is still considered the ‘gold standard’ for
later missions;and 2) the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission flight, which
revolutionizedtopographic mapping by acquiring global digital topography data
usinginterferometric radar. Both of these flight missions was controlled and Organised by??
a.CharlesElachi, PhD
Director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology.
830. Principal investigator orco-investigator on seven space missions, starting with STS-9
(1983). Alternate payload specialist on STS-58 (1993). Founding director of the National
Space Biomedical Research Institute.Apollo Program professor of astronautics and professor of
health sciences and technology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Identify the person
?
a.Laurence Young, ScD.
831. Who commanded STS-90Neurolab, focusing on the effects of weightlessness on the

brain and nervous system. ?
a.RichardSearfoss
Colonel, US Air Force (retired).
Pilot for STS-58 (1993) and
STS-76 (1996).
Commander for STS-90 (1998).
832. Principal investigator on threeSpacelab missions—STS-40 (1991), STS-58 (1993), and

STS-90 (1998)—and a Physiological Anatomical Rodent Experiment. Muscle Team leader,
2001-2009, for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute.
Identify the person ?
a.Ken Baldwin, PhD.
833. “Shuttle left a legacy, albeit incomplete, of the theory andpractice for exercise
countermeasures in space. Whowas the principal investigator and original inventor of the
shuttle treadmill.
a.William Thornton, MD, astronaut.
834. Who was the inventor of White Light-emitting Diode Illuminators ?

a. Kenneth li (NASA).

835. Which scientists invented the Combustion Product Analyzer Ensures Crew Breathed
Clean air ?
a.David Marco GertrudaAlberti, Maurice Stephan van Doeselaar (Russia).
836. Scientists behind the invention ofReal-time monitoring of volatile organic compounds
using chemical ionization mass spectrometry?
a.Curtis Dale Mowry, Steven Michael Thornberg (Sandia Corporation).
837. Who are the scientists behind the invention of HEPA filter ?
a.Peter Tsai, Sanjiv R. Malkan
The University Of Tennessee Research Corporation.
838. Nobel Prize winner in medicine, 1976.Professor of Medicine Fox Chase Cancer
Center.Former director of Astrobiology Ames Research Center, California. Identify the
person?
a.Baruch Blumberg, MD.
839. Who was the inventor behind ”Animal Holding Facility “ in space shuttles?
a. Thinh T. Nguyen
840. Which scientist was behind the study of frog embryology in absence of gravity?
a.Mark Lee
General Purpose Work Station.
841.
Identify the person?
a.William Thornton,

Principal investigator for the first in-flight studies of space motion sickness on
shuttle.Astronaut on STS-8 (1983) and STS-51B (1985).
842. The Biomass Production System installed on STS-111 (2002) carrying plants grown in
the InternationalSpace Station (ISS) for return to Earth. Who was The ISS Flight Engineer
(pictured) conducted all of the plant experiments?
a.Dan Bursch.
843. Which scientist, in the middeck of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, activates the MICROBE
experiment, which investigated changes to Salmonella virulence after growth in space?
a.Astronaut HeidemarieStefanyshyn-Piper.
844. NASA developedthree-dimensional (3-D) imaging software to facilitate and expedite

the microscopic analysis of thin sections of the body’s balance organ—the vestibular system
of the inner ear. Which scientist was behind all this?
a.Dr. Stephen Schendel,

Stanford University.
845. Who was behind Microgravity—A Toolto Provide New Targetsfor Vaccine Design
(Fluid Processing Apparatus)?
a. Astronaut John Phillips.
846. Colon Cancer Cells’unique response in microgravity: reassembly and reconstruction of

their tissue origin. Who was the astronaut experimented this bioreactor?
a. Mary Ellen Weber, PhD.
847. Who was the, payload specialist for the mission, working at the Drop Physics Module
using the glove box inside the first US Microgravity Laboratory science module on STS-
50.?
a. Eugene Trinh, PhD
848. The person in the picture, in the year 1899, was the first to _____??

a. Record cosmic waves
849. The person in the photo below is known to have formulated an equation on the thermal
ionization of elements. Name the person__
a. Meghnad Saha
850. The person in the picture below founded the physical research laboratory in
Ahmedabad, name the person____

a.Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai
851. Who invented the traveling wave tube
a. John Robinson Pierce
852. The satellite shown in the image was names after a great personality who contributed
greatly to astronomy name it?
a. XMM Newton
853. The equipment in the picture shown below was named after a scientist name it

a. Hubble telescope
854. The person in the picture below founded an organization closely linked with space
exploration name the person___
a.ElonMusk( founder of spacex)
855. The woman in the picture holds a reputable position at a us space agency who is the
person___

a. Ellen Stofan (chief scientist of NASA)
856. The person in the picture is the CEO of a space agency name person___
a.Bas Lansdorp (CEO of mars one)
857. . Which of the following BEST explains why there are more craters on the moon than
on the earth?
a. Earth has an atmosphere.
858. .Which planet has the "Great Dark Spot", which is blown around by strong winds and is
larger in size than Earth?
Neptune

859. .What do the outer planets all have in common?
a. a thick, gaseous atmosphere
860. .What makes the outer planets different than the inner planets?
a. he outer planets have many moons
861. .Which of these planets in the solar system most likely has a mass 300 times greater
than the mass of Earth?
a. Jupiter
862. Which of the following planets has a large, solid core?

a. Mercury
863. The Sun is the to the Earth.

a. closest star
864. The moon was formed when

a. a chunk broke away from Earth
865. The Sun is million miles away from the Earth.

a. 93
866. The largest planet in our solar system is .

a. Jupiter
867. When meteoroids land on earth, their name changes to .

a. Meteorites
868. The sun is made up primarily of

a. hydrogen and helium
869. .A frozen chunk of ice dust whose orbit around the sun is elliptical is called
a .
a. comet
870. If Neptune was hollow, about how many Earth's could fit in it?
a. 60
871. What planet is about the same size as Earth? a.Venus

872. Which planet is the biggest?
a. Jupiter
873. What is the hottest planet in the solar system?
a.Venus
874. What is light pollution?
a.Bad outdoor lighting that causes a glow above a city, interferes with viewing the night sky, and
disrupts the environment.
875. Which two planets are closest to Earth?

a.Venus and Mars
876. What is the coldest planet in the solar system?

a. Pluto
877. What is the closest star to Earth?
a.The sun
878. Which planets are made of gas?
a.Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
879. Which of the following is not affected by light pollution?

a) Birds
b) Insects
c) Amphibians
d) Reptiles
e) Humans
f) None of the above. All are affected.
a.F
880. Which planet has the biggest known storm and how
many times can Earth fit inside it?
a.Jupiter’s storm can fit 2-3 Earth’s inside of it.
881. Which planet has a longer day than its year, and how is
this possible?
a.Venus. It takes longer for Venus to rotate once than it does for it to orbit all
the way around the sun.
882. How many moons does Mars have?
a.Two, Phobos and Diemos
883. What is the first planet to be discovered mathematically rather than by observation?
a.Neptune
884. Which planet rotates on its side?
a.Uranus
885. Which one causes light pollution?

a) Fully-shielded lighting
b) Excessive outdoor night lighting
c) Motion sensors on security lights
d) Turning off lights when not in use
a.B
886. What is Valles Marinaris and how big is it?

a. Valles Marinaris is the largest canyon in the solar system. It’s on Mars and is about 3,000 miles long.
887. Light pollution negatively affects astronomy. How?

a) It keeps everyone from seeing the stars at night.
b) It’s hard to study the universe in telescopes.
c) It makes it more expensive to study deep space.
d) All of the above.
a.D
888. How many times have humans been to the moon?

a.6
889. What does ‘no atmosphere’ on Mercury mean?
a.No wind, no rain, and no erosion to change the shape of the land.
890. Name two things that are unique to Pluto’s orbit.

a. Pluto’s orbit is very oval shaped, it orbits with Kuiper belt objects, its orbit is sometimes closer to the
sun than Neptune. Its orbit is not in the same disk as the rest of the planets.
891. How do plate tectonics affect the surface of Earth?

a.It causes mountains, volcanoes, tidal waves, Earthquakes, and sea trenches, all which change the way
the surface of the Earth looks over time.
892. What is a shooting star?

a.A meteor falling to Earth.
893. What is the Kuiper belt?

a. An expanse of thousands of small objects orbiting the sun outside the orbit of Neptune.
894. Name two things you can do to protect the world from light pollution.
a. Use motion sensors, use timers, turn out lights when not in use, use fully-shielded lights, use energy
efficient lights, make sure lights aren’t too bright.
895. Name all of the components of the solar system in order including stars, planets, asteroid belts,
and clouds.
a.Sun, Mercury Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Kuiper Belt,
Pluto, OortCloud
896. At any time we may describe the position of an inferior planet by the angle it makes with the
sun as seen from the earth. This angle is called the:
a. ELONGATION
897. Phobos and Deimos (pron: DEE-mos) are moons that orbit which planet?
a. MARS
898. : The largest moon in our solar system has an atmosphere that is denser than the atmosphere of
Mars. The name of this moon is:
a. TITAN
899. The two main radiation belts that surround the earth are known by what name?
a. VAN ALLEN BELTS
900. On which of the following planets would the sun rise in the west?
a. VENUS
901. Which planet seems to be turned on its side with an axis tilt of 98 degrees?
a. URANUS
902. The planet Neptune was found by studying the deviations in another planet's orbit. Name the
other planet discovered in this fashion.
a. URANUS
903. The angle that the full moon takes up in the night sky is equal to which of the following values?
a. 1/2 DEGREE
904.The period from one full moon to the next is:
a. 29.5 DAYS
905.When a superior planet is at opposition it is making an angle of how many degrees with the sun?
a. 180 DEGREES
906.The word Albedo (pron: al-BEE-doe) refers to which of the following?
a.THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT THE PLANET REFLECTS
907..Galileo discovered something about Venus with his telescope that shook the old theories. Which of
the following was Galileo's discovery?
a. VENUS HAD PHASES LIKE THE MOON
908.Cassini's division is described by which of the following?
a. A BREAK IN THE RINGS OF SATURN
909. The law that says that all planets orbit the sun in elliptical orbits is which of Kepler's three
laws?
a. FIRST
910. Name the astronomer who discovered that Mars orbits the sun in an elliptical orbit.
a. KEPLER
910. Name the phase that the moon is in for each type of eclipse, lunar and solar: w) Full moon for
both phases
a. FULL MOON FOR LUNAR AND NEW MOON FOR SOLAR
911. The orbital plane of the moon is how many degrees inclined from the ecliptic?
a. 5 DEGREES
912. Which JOVIAN planet rotates slower than the earth?
a. NONE

913. Neptune is closest in SIZE to which planet?
a. URANUS
914. Is a sunspot hotter, cooler, or about the same temperature as the region around it?
a. COOLER
915. In the lowest level of the photosphere of the Sun, the temperature is: w) 1,000 degrees Kelvin
a. 6,000 DEGREES KELVIN
916. A Galactic year is the length of time that it takes our sun to orbit the galaxy. In Earth years, how
long is a Galactic year?
a. 230 MILLION YEARS
917. A first magnitude star is how many times brighter than a second magnitude star?
a. 2.5
918. What is the name of the star that is the BRIGHTEST in the sky?
a. SIRIUS
917. Which of the following constellations has more bright stars than any other constellation?
a. ORION
918. 27.A line through the three stars in Orion's belt points toward which one of the following stars?
a. SIRIUS
919. 28.A pulsar is actually a:
a. NEUTRON STAR
920. 29.In the Milky Way there are approximately
a. 200 BILLION STARS
921. 30.Which of the following words best describes the shape of our galaxy?
a. SPIRAL
922. What is the name of the star CLOSEST to our sun?
a. PROXIMA CENTAURI
923. On February 9, 1991, ROSAT, an orbiting observatory, finished the first ever all-sky survey of:
a. X-RAYS
924. On what planet does a "year" last only 88 days?
a. MERCURY
925. The Asteroid Belt is between the orbits of which two planets?
a. MARS AND JUPITER
926. The ring nebula is an example of a planetary nebula. It is:
a. AN EXPANDING RING OF GAS RELEASED FROM A DYING STAR

927. After what geophysical occurrence might you see Bishop's Ring around
the Sun?
a. VOLCANIC ERUPTION
928. A black hole with the mass of the earth would be the size of: w) the Sun
a. A MARBLE
929. How many people have set foot on the Moon?
a. TWELVE
930. How many MANNED moon landings have there been?
a. SIX
931. Which planets are never visible at midnight?
a. MERCURY AND VENUS
932. Whose paradox asks why the sky is not ablaze with starlight if the universe is infinite in extent
and uniformly filled with stars?
a. OLBER'S
933. On one of the moon landings astronauts left an object on the moon. Scientists periodically
bounce a laser beam off of this object to measure the distance between the earth and the moon. What
is this object?
a. MIRROR
934. What are Schmidt, Cassegrainian, and Galilean examples of?
a. TELESCOPES
935. How large of an angle is the tilt of the Earth's spin axis from the normal to the ecliptic plane?
a. 23 AND 1/2 DEGREES
936. What are the two bright spots of light on opposite sides of a halo around the sun called?
a. SUN DOGS
937. What was most significant about the Apollo 11 flight?
a. IT WAS THE FIRST MANNED LANDING ON THE MOON
938. What are the Geminids (pron: JEM-in-ids), the Perseids (pron: PER-see-ids), and the Leonids
(pron: LEE-o-nids)?
a. METEOR SHOWERS
Laika, the first living creature to orbit the earth was what type of animal?
939. Laika, the first living creature to orbit the earth was what type of animal?
a.DOG

940. Most stars are cooler than the sun. These stars, the planets, interstellar clouds and star-forming
regions emit most of their radiant energy in the:
a. INFRARED
941. If the DIAMETER of a reflector's objective mirror is doubled, how many

times as great is its light-gathering power?
a.4 TIMES
942. Astronomers use cepheids principally as measures of what? Is it: w) size
a.DISTANCE
943. What is the name of the class that the andromeda Galaxy belongs to?
a.SPIRAL
944. Where are most asteroids located? Is it between:
a.MARS AND JUPITER
945. What was the year of the first lunar landing by man ?
a.1969
946. What is the Latin name for the lunar seas?
a.MARIA
947. The particles which produce meteor showers come from

a.dead comets
948. I am one of two stars known as the Pointers. My fellow star is Merak (MAIR-ak). Which star
am I?
a.DUBHE (pron: DOO-be)
949. This is a question for you budding young astronomers. What is the sidereal period of the moon?
a.27 AND 1/3 DAYS
950. "The Swan" is the English name for this constellation. Give me the Latin name by which this
constellation is known.
a.CYGNUS
951. A white dwarf has a mass of roughly one solar mass but a size of about: w) a basketball
a.THE EARTH
952. Sirius was identified as a binary star long before its small companion was seen. What kind of
star is the small companion of this binary system?
a.WHITE DWARF
953. Which of the following can be used to see through Venus's clouds?
a.RADAR
954. Name the Chicago area astronaut that drove the Lunar Rover during the Apollo 17 mission to
the moon? A space center is named after this astronaut at Triton College in River Grove.
a. (EUGENE) CERNAN
955. What is the type of reflecting telescope in which the light focused by the primary mirror is
intercepted short of focal point and refocused by a secondary mirror through a hole in the center of
the primary mirror?
a.CASSEGRAIN OR CASSEGRAINIAN
956. The only supernova explosion in modern times visible in the sky to the naked eye became
visible in which year?
a.1987 (It is called 1987w)
957. To within 5% what fraction, by mass, of the observable matter in our universe is helium?
a.24% (accept answers between 19% and 29%)
958. What is the source of energy in a supernova explosion? ( Name or describe the force).
a.GRAVITATION ( Gravitational collapse)
959. Give the year when Pluto was discovered.
a.1930
960. What motivated 18th century astronomers to search for a planet with an orbit about 2.8
AU from the sun?
a. there is a large gap between the orbital distances of Mars and Jupiter
961. Globular clusters in our galaxy are primarily found:

a.in the halo of our galaxy.
962. The phenomenon that causes the Moon's rotation about it's own axis to be equal to the a.Moon's
period of revolution about the Earth is called:
TIDAL FRICTION
963. 72.The Sun rotates about it's own axis approximately:
a.VARIES WITH SOLAR LATITUDE.
964. PRESENTLY, what is the farthest planet from the sun?
a.NEPTUNE
965. Andromeda, the nearest galaxy which is similar to the Milky Way, is how far from the Earth? Is
it:
a.2,000,000 LIGHT YEARS
966. The angular position of an object measured from a fixed point along the horizon is its:
a.AZIMUTH
967. The precession of the Earth refers to the:
a.CHANGE IN ORIENTATION OF THE EARTH'S AXIS.
968. Algol (pron: AL-gall), the Demon star, is a binary star whose larger component revolves around
and regularly eclipses the smaller, brighter star causing periodic changes in brightness. The
constellation that Algol is in is also noted for meteor showers that appear annually in August. Name
the constellation.
a.PERSEUS (pron: PER-see-us)
969. The term "Parsec", a unit of measure for interstellar space, is a contraction of what two words?
a.PARALLAX SECOND
970. The angular position of the sun at solar noon with respect to the plane of the equator is the
definition of:
a.SOLAR DECLINATION ANGLE

971. Which of the following men was the first to make systematic use of a telescope in
astronomy?
a.GALILEO
972. The Magellanic cloud is a:
a.GALAXY
973. The largest circular storm in our solar system is on the surface of
which planet?
a.JUPITER
974. .Which one of the following planets has no moons?
a.VENUS
975. Which planet has the shortest year?
a.MERCURY
976. In kilometers, the earth's average distance from the sun is roughly which of the
following distances?
a.150 MILLION
977. 87.The gravity on the moon is what fraction of the gravity on the earth?
a.1/6
978. The rocks that enter the earth's atmosphere and blaze a trail all the way to the ground
and do not burn up completely are known as:
a.METEORITES
979. 89.95% of the Martian atmosphere is composed of what substance?
a.CARBON DIOXIDE
980. How many of Jupiter's moons did Galileo see with his first telescope?
a.FOUR
981. What is the definition of one Astronomical Unit?
a.it is the distance from the sun to the earth.

(accept average distance or average radius or radius of earth's orbit)

982. What is the motion called when a planet seems to be moving westward in the sky? w)
Retrograde
a.RETROGRADE
983. In the Copernican system, what is the shape of the planets' orbits?
a.CIRCLE
984. With which one of the following astronomical objects are meteor showers associated?
a.COMETS
985. In what year did Galileo first use an optical telescope to study the moon?
a.1611
986. A device which would not work on the Moon is:
a.SIPHON
987. Where is the Great Red Spot?
a.JUPITER
988. What astronomical event made the headlines in 1986?
a.HALLEY'S COMET
989. What celestial body is known for its 11 year cycle?
a.SUN
990. What are Callisto and Ganymede? (pronounced Call-IS-toe and GAN-ee-meaz)
a.TWO OF JUPITER'S MOONS
991. What is the third planet from the sun?
a.Earth
992. What is the Red Planet?
a.Mars
993. Which candy bar is in outer space?
a.Milky Way
994. What is the Latin name for the sun?
a.Sol

995. The body that supplies heat and light to the small planet we call Earth is?
a.Star
996. What objects gravitational pull is so great that nothing – not even light can escape from
it?
a.Black Hole
997. Based on their average distance from the Sun, what is the order of the planets?
a.Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
998. The name of a small object made of ice, frozen gas, and dust that orbits the sun is?
a.Comet
999. How long does it take the earth to go around the sun?
a.One Year
1000. Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is a mission of _____.
a.NASA

Disclaimer
This study material is a collection of questions related to space science collected from various quizzes
from various websites on internet and books available, INTENDED PURELY FOR EDUCATIONAL
PURPOSE AND NOT FOR SALE. The copyright of all pictures, images and supporting figures
belongs to their respective owners and Edu Mithra or International Space Olympiad does not possess
any ownership of the material


Reference Book

Încărcat de

Informații document

Titlu original

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Reference Book

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No.

1.How long does it take earth to complete one revolution?

3. What is the most popular theory on how the moon formed?

5. How many planets are there in our solar system?

6. How long does it take earth to complete a rotation?

8. Between what two planets is the asteroid belt located?

10. How did the solar system form?

11. What is a light year?

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 2

13. Which is closest to our sun in our solar system?

18. What distance is represented by an astronomical unit (AU)?

20. What is the actual brightness of a star called?

21. When is a star born?

22. What color are the hottest stars?

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 4

a. increase in brightness as they increase in temperature

29. What is a supernova?

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 5

33. Planets those are closer to the sun

34. The diagram below would be most useful for

35. The spinning of a body, such as Earth about its axis.

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 6

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 7

40.One complete revolution of Earth around the sun is called a

a. Mercury rotates slower than the Earth

Use the diagram of the moon to answer the question.

49. Which geological event most likely formed Mare Vaporum?

50. Io's friction is due to

51. Io's source of heat is the core

52. Io'is part of

53. The four distant planets are made mostly of

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 10

55. The diagram below shows ____

a. the morphological classification of galaxies

57. Approximately how old is the Sun?

59. Olympus Mons is

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 11

63. From right to left, the Hubble sequence shows

64. Earth is kept in orbit around the sun by

67. The outer weak layer of the solar atmosphere.

70. The rings of the planet pictured below are mainly

72. The measure of a star's brightness is called its

73. About 25% of the Sun is composed of hydrogen.

74. The Hubble sequence classifies galaxies based upon their

75. The Milky Way galaxy is a(n)

76. Sunspots are regions of the Sun's surface

81. Day and night are caused by Earth's .

82. Which set of terms is arranged from smallest to largest?

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 13

85. Which Jovian planets have rings?

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 14

92. A low mass star will end its life as a:

93.Who discovered sunspots?

96. What is represented by the diagram below?

99. Earth's orbit is shaped like .

103. A lunar eclipse can only occur during a:

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 15

107. What do changes in the Earth's orbit affect?

108.The atmosphere on Venus is very thick and comprised mainly of

110. Which statement best describes the sun's hydrostatic equilibrium?

www.internationalspaceolympiad.com Page No. 16

113. Night and day are caused by the earth's .

114. A red giant is formed when: