Creating an Eclipse: Coronagraphs Explained Quiz

  • 10th Grade
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| Questions: 20 | Updated: Feb 20, 2026
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1. What is the primary purpose of coronagraphs explained in the context of exoplanet research?

Explanation

If a star is significantly brighter than its orbiting planets, and if that glare hides the faint planets from our view, then a coronagraph acts as a shield to remove the starlight so the planet becomes visible.

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About This Quiz
Creating An Eclipse: Coronagraphs Explained Quiz - Quiz

Creating a total eclipse on demand. By using a specialized mask inside a telescope to block out the bright center of a star, we can finally see the dim planets nearby. This coronagraphs explained quiz explains the tech that creates artificial darkness.

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2. High-contrast coronagraph imaging is necessary because a star can be 10 billion times brighter than an Earth-like planet.

Explanation

If a Sun-like star emits 10^10 more photons than its planet reflects, and if those photons flood the telescope's sensors, then specialized imaging techniques are required to suppress the star's light to see the planet.

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3. A coronagraph is a specialized part of telescope instruments that is placed ________ the telescope's optical path.

Explanation

If a coronagraph is a series of masks and mirrors built into the camera system, then it is considered an internal component of the telescope's hardware rather than an external spacecraft.

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4. Why were the first blocking starlight telescopes originally invented in the 1930s?

Explanation

If the Sun's corona is too faint to see against the brightness of the Sun's surface, and if astronomers needed a way to study it without waiting for an eclipse, then the coronagraph was developed to create an artificial eclipse.

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5. In coronagraphs explained, what is the specific function of the "occulting mask"?

Explanation

If the star is located at the center of the image and the planet is at the edge, and if an opaque disk is placed exactly in the center, then the star's light is physically obstructed while the planet's light passes by.

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6. The "Lyot stop" is used in coronagraph imaging to clean up the light that bends around the edges of the first mask.

Explanation

If light behaves as a wave and diffracts (bends) around the edges of an occulting mask, and if that stray light creates a ring of glare, then a second mask called a Lyot stop is required to filter out that unwanted diffraction.

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7. The challenge of seeing exoplanets near stars is easier when the planet is located at a large ________ separation from the star.

Explanation

If the distance between two objects in the sky is measured in angles, and if a planet is further from the star's central mask, then it is less likely to be hidden by the star's remaining glare.

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8. Which of the following describes the "Inner Working Angle" in coronagraph imaging?

Explanation

If the coronagraph blocks a circular region around the star, then any planet inside that radius is also hidden; if the edge of that region defines the limit of detection, then that limit is the Inner Working Angle.

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9. Which factors can interfere with the performance of telescope instruments like coronagraphs?

Explanation

If a coronagraph requires perfect alignment of light waves to cancel them out, then atmospheric blurring, mirror bumps, heat-induced shifting, and physical vibrations will all cause starlight to "leak" past the mask.

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10. Why is seeing exoplanets near stars more successful when using space-based telescopes rather than ground-based ones?

Explanation

If the Earth's atmosphere distorts light waves and makes stars "twinkle," and if a coronagraph requires extremely stable and undistorted light, then space is the ideal environment to achieve high-precision light suppression.

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11. To find an Earth-like planet, blocking starlight telescopes must be able to suppress light by a factor of 10^10.

Explanation

If an Earth-sized planet is 10 billion times dimmer than its star, and if a 1/10^10 ratio is required to see the planet, then the telescope must be capable of that level of light suppression to succeed.

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12. Using coronagraphs explained in modern missions, the area where starlight is removed to find planets is called the "Dark ________".

Explanation

If the coronagraph and adaptive optics work together to perfectly cancel out starlight in a specific region of the image, then that region appears as a black void where planets can be spotted, known as the dark hole.

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13. How does a coronagraph differ from the "Transit Method" for finding planets?

Explanation

If the transit method measures a drop in a star's brightness as a planet passes in front, and if a coronagraph blocks the star to capture an actual image of the planet, then they are two entirely different observation techniques.

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14. What is the role of "Adaptive Optics" in high-contrast coronagraph imaging?

Explanation

If tiny imperfections in the light path cause starlight to leak around the coronagraph mask, and if a flexible mirror can change its shape to correct those waves, then Adaptive Optics is the technology that ensures the star's light is perfectly blocked.

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15. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) uses telescope instruments known as coronagraphs to study dust disks around young stars.

Explanation

If JWST is equipped with multiple coronagraphic masks in its NIRCam and MIRI instruments, and if those masks allow it to see faint disks and planets around bright stars, then the statement is factually correct.

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16. Which future or current space telescopes are designed with advanced coronagraphs explained in their missions?

Explanation

If a mission is designed for exoplanet or stellar environment imaging, it includes a coronagraph; Hubble and Webb have them, and the Roman telescope will test a highly advanced "active" coronagraph system.

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17. What is a "Starshade," and how does it relate to blocking starlight telescopes?

Explanation

If a coronagraph is internal to the telescope, and if a starshade is a separate, flower-shaped spacecraft positioned thousands of miles away to cast a shadow, then the starshade is an external method of blocking light.

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18. The study of seeing exoplanets near stars by capturing their light directly is called ________ imaging.

Explanation

If astronomers are capturing the actual photons reflected or emitted by the planet rather than inferring its presence through gravity or shadows, then the technique is called direct imaging.

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19. Which type of planet is currently easiest for telescope instruments with coronagraphs to detect?

Explanation

If young planets are still hot from their formation and glow in infrared, and if being far from the star keeps them away from the central glare, then "hot Jupiters" in wide orbits are the most detectable targets.

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20. Scientists use coronagraph imaging to analyze the chemical composition of a planet's atmosphere through spectroscopy.

Explanation

If a coronagraph can isolate the light of a planet from its star, and if that light is passed through a prism to see its spectrum, then researchers can identify specific gases like methane or oxygen in the planet's atmosphere.

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What is the primary purpose of coronagraphs explained in the context...
High-contrast coronagraph imaging is necessary because a star can be...
A coronagraph is a specialized part of telescope instruments that is...
Why were the first blocking starlight telescopes originally invented...
In coronagraphs explained, what is the specific function of the...
The "Lyot stop" is used in coronagraph imaging to clean up the light...
The challenge of seeing exoplanets near stars is easier when the...
Which of the following describes the "Inner Working Angle" in...
Which factors can interfere with the performance of telescope...
Why is seeing exoplanets near stars more successful when using...
To find an Earth-like planet, blocking starlight telescopes must be...
Using coronagraphs explained in modern missions, the area where...
How does a coronagraph differ from the "Transit Method" for finding...
What is the role of "Adaptive Optics" in high-contrast coronagraph...
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) uses telescope instruments known...
Which future or current space telescopes are designed with advanced...
What is a "Starshade," and how does it relate to blocking starlight...
The study of seeing exoplanets near stars by capturing their light...
Which type of planet is currently easiest for telescope instruments...
Scientists use coronagraph imaging to analyze the chemical composition...
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