Definition And Facts Of Astronomy Quiz
The words, astrology and horoscope are the most searched topics on the Internet. The internet can also not be expected to give accurate information at all time and some may be misleading. The quiz below is designed to test out if you know all your facts on astronomy. Give it a shot!
- 1.What are the main by-products of helium nuclear "burning" in red giant stars?
- A.
Hydrogen nuclei via photodisintegration
- B.
Carbon and oxygen nuclei
- C.
The helium is transformed completely to ƒ× rays, a form of pure electromagnetic energy.
- D.
Iron nuclei
- 2.An asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star is a
- A.
Star in its first red giant phase.
- B.
Blue supergiant.
- C.
Cool main sequence star.
- D.
Red supergiant..
- 3.A "carbon star" has more carbon on its surface than does the Sun. This is the result of
- A.
Neutrinos, which escape easily from the core of a star but react with the cool hydrogen at its surface to form carbon.
- B.
Helium flash, in which the explosion blasts carbon from the core into the surface layers.
- C.
Dredge-up, in which the convective envelope transports material from a star's core to its surface.
- D.
Mass loss, which strips away the outer envelope from an old star and reveals the carbon-rich core.
- 4.A white dwarf is
- A.
An object like Jupiter which was not massive enough to become a star.
- B.
A low-mass star at the end of its life.
- C.
A hot, main-sequence star.
- D.
A type of protostar. star.
- 5.The formation of an iron core is an important stage in the development of a supernova because
- A.
Iron nuclei cannot participate in nuclear reactions.
- B.
When iron nuclei undergo nuclear reactions, they always absorb energy.
- C.
When iron nuclei undergo nuclear reactions, they always give out energy.
- D.
Iron nuclei make the core magnetic.
- 6.A Type Ia supernova is the
- A.
Explosion of a massive star that has lost its hydrogen-rich outer layers through a stellar wind or mass transfer in a binary star system.
- B.
Explosion of a white dwarf in a binary star system after mass has been transferred onto it from its companion.
- C.
Collapse of a blue supergiant star to form a black hole.
- D.
Explosion of a massive star after silicon burning has produced a core of iron nuclei.
- 7.The diameter of a typical neutron star of 1 solar mass is predicted to be approximately
- A.
1 km.
- B.
That of the Sun.
- C.
That of an average city, about 30 km.
- D.
That of Earth, 12,800 km.
- 8.What range in the electromagnetic spectrum was being observed when the first pulsars were discovered?
- A.
X-ray
- B.
Visible
- C.
Radio
- D.
A period of 1.337 seconds corresponds to a very low wave frequency of 0.7479 Hz.
- 9.What is a pulsar?
- A.
A pulsating white dwarf star, fluctuating rapidly in brightness
- B.
A rapidly rotating neutron star, producing beams of radio energy and in some cases, light and X-rays
- C.
A rotating black hole, producing two jets of gas in opposite directions and pulses of gravitational energy
- D.
A Cepheid variable star with a period of a few days
- 10.Which of the following descriptions does not represent a property of neutron stars?
- A.
Emitters of relatively narrow beams of radio energy and other electromagnetic radiation
- B.
Rotation rates from one to thirty times each second
- C.
Strong gravitational fields but weak magnetic fields
- D.
Composed almost entirely of neutrons
- 11.As time progresses, the pulse rate for most solitary pulsars is
- A.
Slowing down, because rotational energy is being used to generate the pulses
- B.
Absolutely constant, pulsars providing ideal frequency standards or clocks.
- C.
Varying periodically as the neutron star undergoes periodic expansions and contractions.
- D.
Speeding up, as the neutron star slowly contracts under gravity.
- 12.The interior of a neutron star is believed to consist of
- A.
Superconducting neutrons and superfluid electrons.
- B.
Superfluid neutrons and superconducting protons.
- C.
Superfluid neutrons and superconducting electrons.
- D.
Superconducting neutrons and superfluid protons.
- 13.The pressure within a neutron star that opposes the inward force of gravity comes from
- A.
Gas pressure, very similar to that described by the ideal gas equation.
- B.
Degenerate electron pressure.
- C.
Both degenerate electron pressure and degenerate neutron pressure.
- D.
Both degenerate neutron pressure and the repulsive hard core aspect of the nuclear force between neutrons.
- 14.According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, a clock that ticks at a regular rate far from a source of gravity will appear to tick
- A.
At the same rate in a gravitational field if it is an atomic clock but at a slower rate if it is a mechanical clock.
- B.
At the same rate wherever it is placed in a gravitational field.
- C.
Faster, the closer it comes to the source of gravity.
- D.
Slower, the closer it comes to the source of gravity.
- 15.According to general relativity, why does Earth orbit the Sun?
- A.
Space around the Sun is curved and Earth follows this curved space.
- B.
The Sun exerts a gravitational force on Earth across empty space.
- C.
Matter contains quarks, and Earth and Sun attract each other with the “color force” between their quarks.
- D.
Earth and the Sun are continually exchanging photons of light in a way that holds Earth in orbit.
- 16.A black hole can be thought of as
- A.
Strongly curved space
- B.
A star with a temperature of 0 K, emitting no light.
- C.
The point at the center of every star, providing the star's energy by gravitational collapse.
- D.
Densely packed matter inside a small but finite volume.
- 17.Evidence for the existence of supermassive black holes has now been found
- A.
In every known galaxy.
- B.
Nowhere in our observable universe, though the existence of such black holes has been predicted by theory.
- C.
In several dozen galaxies.
- D.
In only one galaxy, our own Milky Way galaxy.
- 18.At what location in the space around a black hole does the escape velocity become equal to the speed of light?
- A.
At the point where escaping X-rays are produced
- B.
At the point where clocks are observed to slow down by a factor of 2
- C.
At the event horizon
- D.
At the singularity
- 19.What prevents a neutron star from collapsing and becoming a black hole?
- A.
Gravity in the neutron star is balanced by an outward force due to neutron degeneracy.
- B.
Neutron stars are held up by the centrifugal force due to their rapid rotation.
- C.
Neutron stars are solid, and like other solid spheres they are held up by the repulsive force between atoms in the solid.
- D.
Gravity in the neutron star is balanced by an outward force due to gas pressure, as in the Sun.
- 20.Why are black holes called black holes?
- A.
Nothing, not even electromagnetic radiation, can escape from inside them.
- B.
Only nonvisible radiation longer than about 1,000 nm wavelength (infrared and radio radiation) can escape from them.
- C.
They are always surrounded by an accretion disk which absorbs all light escaping from the inside of the black hole.
- D.
They emit an electromagnetic spectrum which matches that of a perfect blackbody.
- 21.Why are we able to see only a small part of our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy?
- A.
There are so many stars in our galaxy that the more distant ones are hidden behind the nearer ones.
- B.
Distant stars are obscured by dust in interstellar space.
- C.
Expansion of the universe has carried the more distant stars out of our view.
- D.
Distant stars are obscured by gas in interstellar space.
- 22.Cepheid stars are useful to astronomers as indicators of
- A.
White dwarf star behavior.
- B.
Distance, particularly to stars in our galaxy and to nearby galaxies.
- C.
Stars with very high speed motion.
- D.
The mechanics of eclipsing variable stars.
- 23.The dimensions of the disk of our Milky Way galaxy are
- A.
Diameter 80,000 light-years; thickness, 6,500 light-years.
- B.
Diameter 6,500 light-years; thickness 2000 light-years.
- C.
Diameter 2000 light-years; thickness, 160,000 light-years.
- D.
Diameter 160,000 light-years; thickness, 2000 light-years
- 24.Much of the mass of our galaxy appears to be in the form of "dark matter" of unknown composition. At present this matter can be detected only because
- A.
It absorbs light from distant galaxies and quasars and obscures them.
- B.
It emits synchrotron radiation.
- C.
Its gravitational pull affects orbital motions of matter in the galaxy.
- D.
It blocks out the light from distant stars in the plane of our galaxy.
- 25.Where is the solar system located in our galaxy?
- A.
It is not in a galaxy, but in intergalactic space.
- B.
In the galactic halo
- C.
In the galactic disk
- D.
In the galactic nucleus
Questions: 10 | Attempts: 10618 | Last updated: Dec 17, 2019
-
Sample QuestionThe earth is a tilted planet. What is the degree of tilt?
Questions: 10 | Attempts: 7857 | Last updated: Mar 8, 2021
-
Sample QuestionWhat type of galaxy is our Milky Way?
Questions: 12 | Attempts: 5203 | Last updated: Dec 12, 2019
-
Sample QuestionWhy are certain telescopes in space?
Back to top