SMT 314 - Introduction to Cosmology » Fall 2020 » Exam 4
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Question #1
Typical novae occur when
A.
a red-giant star ejects a planetary nebula.
B.
two neutron stars merge, forming a more massive neutron star.
C.
a neutron star's magnetic field becomes strong enough to produce two oppositely directed jets of rapidly moving particles.
D.
an extremely massive star collapses, and also ejects its outer atmosphere.
E.
matter accreted from a companion star unstably ignites on the surface of a white dwarf
Question #2
After the red supergiant phase, if the stellar core retains four solar masses, the result would be a:
A.
supernova
B.
white dwarf
C.
black hole
D.
neutron star
Question #3
Which one of the following statements about our Milky Way Galaxy is false?
A.
Rapid motions of stars near the center suggest that it harbors a black hole, millions of times the mass of our Sun.
B.
It is difficult to see the central regions of our Galaxy in optical (visible) light because intervening dust absorbs and scatters light.
C.
Globular star clusters reside in the halo and contain main-sequence stars spanning all spectral types, from O through M.
D.
New stars generally form in the spiral arms.
E.
Nebulae such as the Orion Nebula are stellar nurseries - regions where new stars are forming, or recently formed.
Question #4
High-redshift arcs around clusters of galaxies at low redshifts are now thought to be examples of gravitational lensing.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #5
White dwarf stars
A.
consist largely of carbon and oxygen.
B.
support themselves against the pull of gravity in the same way as normal stars link the Sun, using the pressure exerted by hot gases within them.
C.
are the end states only of stars whose initial mass if much greater than that of the Sun.
D.
shine only while nuclear reactions continue within them.
E.
consist largely of uranium and other very heavy elements.
Question #6
Planetary orbits about the Sun have slower orbital speed far from the Sun. The rotation curve of our galaxy suggests that orbital speed is constant along the spiral arms. To understand the role of gravity, it has been proposed that our Galaxy has mass at great distances from the galactic center. What does the text identify makes up most of that mass?
A.
dark matter
B.
dark energy
C.
none of these
D.
stars, protons, neutrons, electrons
Question #7
The 21-cm line observed by radio astronomers comes from
A.
the rotation of hydrogen molecules.
B.
the atomic hydrogen spin-flip transition.
C.
electrons in hydrogen atoms jumping from the third to the second energy levels.
D.
dust grains in molecular clouds.
E.
carbon monoxide (CO) molecules.
Question #8
Which kind of galaxies are compact, have only visible red dwarfs, have little dust & gas but are disk-shaped without arms?
A.
irregular
B.
spiral
C.
lenticular
D.
dwarf
E.
elliptical
Question #9
How would we recognize the presence of a black hole?
A.
Identify an accretion disk emitting x-rays.
B.
Find an astrometric binary with a massive companion.
C.
All of these answers would work.
D.
Find star(s) orbiting a blank spot.
Question #10
A dark nebula reflects light from stars that are near the gas.
A.
TRUE
B.
FALSE
Question #11
What would be found on the Main Sequence?
A.
white dwarfs
B.
red supergiants
C.
sun-like stars
D.
super massive black holes
E.
Cepheid variables
Question #12
Out of about 1012 solar masses in the Milky Way, 4 million solar masses are found in the center in what object?
A.
a Blue Supergiant
B.
a captured galaxy
C.
dust and gas
D.
one black hole
Question #13
Which pair of scientific notation match 560,000,000 0.12
A.
5.6 x 107 1.2 x 10-1
B.
5.6 x 108 1.2 x 101
C.
5.6 x 108 1.2 x 10-1
D.
5.6 x 107 1.2 x 101
Question #14
By using the method of gravitational lensing, we can measure the total mass (light matter + dark matter) of the lensing object.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #15
When a main-sequence star runs out of hydrogen fuel in its core,
A.
the core contracts and thus heats up.
B.
the core contracts and thus cools down.
C.
the core expands and thus heats up.
D.
the core remains about the same size, but heats up as fusion of helium to carbon begins immediately after the hydrogen fuel is gone.
E.
the core expands and thus cools down.
Question #16
At the present time, stars in our Galaxy tend to be most readily formed in
A.
the Galactic halo.
B.
giant molecular clouds in spiral arms.
C.
globular star clusters.
D.
the Galactic bulge.
E.
the central supermassive black hole.
Question #17
Which statement regarding deuterium is false?
A.
It has one electron, so it is not an ion.
B.
It has one neutron and one proton.
C.
It is an isotope of hydrogen.
D.
It has one more proton than an average hydrogen atom.
Question #18
Clouds of ionized hydrogen are called emission nebulae or
A.
HII regions
B.
HI regions
C.
HIII regions
D.
Type Ia regions
Question #19
Spiral arms are usually the most prominent features in the disk of a spiral galaxy. Which one of the statements about spiral arms is false?
A.
Spiral arms are usually the most prominent features in the disk.
B.
Clouds of gas and dust are mostly found in spiral arms.
C.
Spiral arms contain most of the hot, young, massive stars.
D.
Spiral arms consist mostly of dark matter.
E.
Emission nebulae are mostly found in spiral arms.
Question #20
Distant galaxies have small lookback times, allowing us to study the evolution of galaxies.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #21
Inverse square law: If Stars Fred and Ernie have the same apparent brightness, but Star Fred is 4 times farther away from Earth than Star Ernie, then Star Ernie's luminosity (absolute magnitude) is _________ times the luminosity of Star Fred. o Earth * Ernie * Fred
A.
16
B.
1/4
C.
1/16
D.
1
E.
4
Question #22
Where does the hydrogen fuel come from to cause a white dwarf to nova or supernova?
A.
outer shells of gas
B.
supernovae
C.
passing nebulae (cocoon)
D.
nearby main sequence cluster stars
E.
neighboring giant
Question #23
Which kind of galaxies are compact, have only visible red dwarfs, have little dust & gas but no disk or arms?
A.
lenticular
B.
elliptical
C.
irregular
D.
spiral
E.
dwarf
Question #24
The retrograde motion of Pluto can be attributed to the relatively high eccentricity of its orbit around the Sun, as compared normal planets.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #25
Which one of the following statements about the expanding Universe and Hubble's law (v = Hod) is false?
A.
Hubble's law can be used to determine the lookback times of distant galaxies - that is, how far back in time we are seeing them.
B.
Hubble's law alone implies that as the distance of a particular galaxy increases with time, it moves away from us progressively faster; in other words, it's accelerating away from us.
C.
Despite the expansion of the Universe, pairs of galaxies can still sometimes move toward each other and even merge together.
D.
If Galaxies Luke and Yoda both satisfy Hubble's law, and Galaxy Luke's distance is three times Galaxy Yoda's distance, then Galaxy Luke is moving away from us three times faster than Galaxy Yoda.
Question #26
A white dwarf in a binary star system can undergo nuclear reactions on its surface, producing a nova but not destoying the entire star.
A.
TRUE
B.
FALSE
Question #27
Which celestial body has a retrograde rotation?
A.
Io
B.
Uranus
C.
Triton
D.
Venus
Question #28
Spiral galaxies contain only relatively young stars; there are no ancient stars anywhere within them.
A.
TRUE
B.
FALSE
Question #29
The chemical composition of a black hole can be determined from measurements conducted outside the black hole.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #30
Mass exchange from one star to the other can occur if one star extends into the ________________ of its companion.
A.
center of mass
B.
gravitational funnel
C.
Roche Lobe
D.
Roche Limit
Question #31
Which one of the following statements about galaxy evolution is false?
A.
In the past, there existed a population of small, blue, irregular galaxies that have either merged together or faded from view.
B.
Astronomers can learn about the evolution of galaxies with images of the same galaxies taken by Edwin Hubble in the early 20th century.
C.
Most elliptical galaxies formed within the first few billion years after the big bang.
D.
Our Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy are likely to form an elliptical galaxy at some time in the future.
E.
At least some galaxies formed from the joining together (merging) of small groups of stars.
Question #32
Structure of the Universe: 2dF and the Sloan Microwave Digital Survey plotted clusters of galaxies. What kind of structure was seen among super-clusters of galaxies?
A.
Super-clusters expand outward from a Big Bang source.
B.
Super-clusters are uniform & homogeneous across the universe.
C.
Each cluster of galaxies is the same size.
D.
Filaments of galaxies surround voids that have no or very few galaxies inside.
Question #33
The Sculptor Galaxy is spiral galaxy of Hubble type Sc, located within the Local Group. It is located 11.7 million light years from us. What is its lookback time? Please write out the whole number (long hand with zeros and commas) and the correct units.
A.
11,700,000 light years
B.
117,000,000 years
C.
1,170,000 years
D.
11,700,000 years
Question #34
At mid-northern latitudes (California), the full moon passes higher in the sky in winter than in summer.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #35
A red giant forms a planetary nebula when its outer atmosphere becomes unstable, producing a gentle ejection of hydrogen and helium, while leaving a neutron star.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #36
Hubble's Law implies that:
A.
the Universe is expanding in a linear fashion with constant speed.
B.
collapsing very slowly.
C.
the Universe is expanding in a exponential fashion, accelerating faster and faster.
D.
maintaining the same size.
Question #37
The presence of a black hole in a galatic core can be inferred from:
A.
the distance of the galaxy from the Milky Way Galaxy.
B.
the diminished brightness of starlight in the galaxy core, relative to surrounding areas.
C.
the total mass of the galaxy.
D.
the color of the galaxy.
E.
the speeds of the stars near the core.
Question #38
Which planet's orbit is elliptical enough that the seasons are not equal in length?
A.
Venus
B.
Earth
C.
Uranus
D.
Mars
Question #39
An emission nebula can form when gas is ionized by a nearby young star, often of spectral type G, K, or M.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #40
Match something in its possible evolutionary line with its progenitor: Red giant
A.
Sun-like star
B.
Binary system with a white dwarf
C.
the collision of two neutron stars or two black holes
D.
Supergiant
Question #41
Match something in its possible evolutionary line with its progenitor: Type II supernova
A.
Binary system with a white dwarf
B.
Supergiant
C.
Sun-like star
D.
the collision of two neutron stars or two black holes
Question #42
Match something in its possible evolutionary line with its progenitor: Type Ia Supernova
A.
Sun-like star
B.
Supergiant
C.
Binary system with a white dwarf
D.
the collision of two neutron stars or two black holes
Question #43
Match something in its possible evolutionary line with its progenitor: gravitational waves
A.
the collision of two neutron stars or two black holes
B.
Sun-like star
C.
Supergiant
D.
Binary system with a white dwarf
Question #44
Match something in its possible evolutionary line with its progenitor: Nova
A.
Binary system with a white dwarf
B.
Supergiant
C.
Sun-like star
D.
the collision of two neutron stars or two black holes
Question #45
Match something in its possible evolutionary line with its progenitor: White dwarf and planetary nebula
A.
Sun-like star
B.
Supergiant
C.
the collision of two neutron stars or two black holes
D.
Binary system with a white dwarf
Question #46
Match something in its possible evolutionary line with its progenitor: Supernova remnant
A.
Binary system with a white dwarf
B.
the collision of two neutron stars or two black holes
C.
Supergiant
D.
Sun-like star
Question #47
Where in our galaxy is there enough dust and gas to make new stars?
A.
spiral arms
B.
dark matter halo
C.
stellar halo
D.
nuclear bulge
Question #48
In what kind of nebula would we find ionized gas sending out its own light?
A.
dust
B.
reflection
C.
emission
D.
absorption
Question #49
Galaxies move about the center of mass of their supercluster, sometimes merging due to:
A.
gas & dust
B.
ignition
C.
gravity
D.
supernova explosions
Question #50
Inside a red supergiant, denser elements fuse and emit sufficient energy to balance thermal expansion versus gravity, until ________________ is produced.
A.
helium
B.
iron
C.
deuterium & tritium
D.
silica & sulphur
E.
carbon & oxygen
Question #51
What is a planetary nebula?
A.
a planet atmosphere
B.
a small black hole
C.
an expelled shell of gas
D.
an exploding white dwarf
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