Astronomy Ultimate Trivia Quiz! MCQ

28 Questions | By Catherinehalcomb | Updated: Mar 21, 2022 | Attempts: 187

Questions

Settings

Feedback

During the Quiz End of Quiz

Play as

Quiz Flashcard

Create your own Quiz

Astronomy is a branch of science that studies the laws of the star's celestial objects and phenomena. The origin and evolution are explained by using mathematics, physics, and chemistry. It is one of the oldest natural science. Take this quiz to test your knowledge about astronomy and explore interesting facts.

Questions and Answers

1.

Initially, a filament's temperature is 4000K. Then a knob is turned to make the Filament temperature 5000K. The amount of red light coming from the filament is higher.
- A.
  
  Initially, when it is at 4000K.
- B.
  
  Finally, when it is at 5000K
- C.
  
  The same for these two cases
- D.
  
  Not enough information to solve
2.

Consider a star with twice the surface area of the sun with the same surface temperature as the sun. If the energy flux at the sun's surface is Fsun, what is the energy flux at the surface of that star?
- A.
  
  Fsun
- B.
  
  2 Fsun
- C.
  
  16 Fsun
- D.
  
  Fsun/2
3.

Consider a star with twice the sun's surface area with the same surface temperature as the sun. If the total energy emitted by the sun per second is P watts, what is the total energy emitted by tat star per second?
- A.
  
  P Watts
- B.
  
  2 P Watts
- C.
  
  4 P Watts
- D.
  
  P/2 Watts
4.

If the sun's temperature doubles, how much more total radiated power per square meter (energy Flux) would we receive on earth?
- A.
  
  Twice
- B.
  
  Four times (2^2)
- C.
  
  Eight times (2^3)
- D.
  
  Sixteen times (2^4)
5.

The sun's surface is a good approximation to a black body. Suppose the sun's temperature suddenly doubled. Which of the following statements would be true then?
- A.
  
  The sun would look bluer and radiate more power
- B.
  
  The sun would look redder and radiate more power
- C.
  
  The sun would look bluer but radiate less power
- D.
  
  The sun would look redder and radiate less power
6.

Stars like our sun have low-density gaseous atmospheres surrounding their hot, dense cores. If you were looking at the spectrum of light coming from the sun (or any star), which type of spectrum would you see?
- A.
  
  Continuous
- B.
  
  Emission line
- C.
  
  Absorption line
7.

The moon's diameter (or radius) is about 1/4 of the earth's diameter (or radius). If the density of the moon were the same as the density of the Earth, the moon's mass would be what fraction of the Earth's mass?
- A.
  
  1/4
- B.
  
  1/8
- C.
  
  1/16
- D.
  
  1/64
8.

"Spring Tides" occur on the new moon and full moon days. What is the period between spring tides?
- A.
  
  1/2 Days
- B.
  
  27.32/2 days
- C.
  
  29.53/2 days
- D.
  
  365/2 days
9.

List these planets in increasing order of mass.
- A.
  
  Earth, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune
- B.
  
  Mercury, Neptune, Earth, Jupiter
- C.
  
  Mercury, Earth, Neptune, Jupiter
- D.
  
  Earth, Neptune, Mercury, Jupiter
10.

Which of these planets has the lowest density?
- A.
  
  Venus
- B.
  
  Mars
- C.
  
  Uranus
- D.
  
  Mercury
11.

If an object is in a highly eccentric orbit with a high tilt relative to the ecliptic and gets very close to the sun during its orbit, it is likely to be a
- A.
  
  Asteroid
- B.
  
  Comet
- C.
  
  Planet
- D.
  
  Trans-Neptunian object
12.

The temperature of an object is a measure of:
- A.
  
  How fast the microscopic particles that make up the object are moving
- B.
  
  How fast the object is moving
- C.
  
  How much current is generated due to the motion of the charged particles (e.g. electrons, protons) within it
13.

Which of the following properties is special to light and not true of other types of signal such as sound or seismic waves?
- A.
  
  Can be produced by man-made deceives
- B.
  
  Has properties such as wavelength, and frequency
- C.
  
  Carries information
- D.
  
  Does not need a medium. i.e. it can travel through the vacuum
14.

Which of the following forms of light has a shorter wavelength (higher frequency) than visible light?
- A.
  
  Microwaves
- B.
  
  Infrared light
- C.
  
  Ultraviolet light
- D.
  
  Radio waves
15.

Which of the following is not true about a blackbody?
- A.
  
  It always appears completely black no matter what its temperature
- B.
  
  It absorbs all radiation that falls on it no matter what the wavelength
- C.
  
  It is an idealization that is only an approximation to real objects
16.

The intensity of light coming from a blackbody peak at a wavelength
- A.
  
  That is constant (i.e. is the same for all black bodies)
- B.
  
  That is independent of its temperature but depend on other properties of the black body
- C.
  
  That is proportional to its temperature
- D.
  
  That is inversely proportional to its temperature
17.

The amount of energy radiated by hot coal (which is a good approximation to a blackbody)
- A.
  
  Decreased with increasing temperature
- B.
  
  Is independent of its temperature
- C.
  
  Increases rapidly with increasing temperature
- D.
  
  Depend only slightly on its temperature
18.

A hydrogen atom emits a photon when
- A.
  
  The electron in the atom jumps from a higher orbital to a lower orbital
- B.
  
  The electron in the atom jumps from a lower orbital to a higher orbital
- C.
  
  The atom's temperature drops
- D.
  
  The atom experiences a collision with another atom
- E.
  
  The atom's temperature rises
19.

In a line spectrum produced by a gas, the wavelengths of the specific lines can be used to find
- A.
  
  The chemical elements that make up the gas
- B.
  
  The temperature of the gas
- C.
  
  The pressure of the gas
- D.
  
  How transparent the gas is
20.

A cloud of gas in space is excited by light from nearby stars. If you point a spectrometer at the could itself (not the stars), what type of spectrum would you see?
- A.
  
  A continuous spectrum
- B.
  
  A blackbody spectrum
- C.
  
  An absorption line spectrum
- D.
  
  An emission line spectrum
21.

The energy of a photon is higher if
- A.
  
  It travels at a slower speed than c
- B.
  
  Its wavelength is lower
- C.
  
  It travels at a faster speed than c
- D.
  
  Its frequency is lower
22.

The Doppler effect occurs only when
- A.
  
  The emitter of a wave is moving away from the observer/reciever
- B.
  
  The observer/receiver of a wave is in motion
- C.
  
  There is relative motion between the observer/receiver and the emitter of the wave
- D.
  
  The emitter of a wave is moving toward the observer/receiver
23.

The term redshift refers to
- A.
  
  The wavelength of light from a source becoming longer than its natural wavelength
- B.
  
  The wavelength of light from a source becoming shorter than its natural wavelength
- C.
  
  The speed of light from a source becoming faster than c
- D.
  
  The speed of light from a source becoming shower than c
24.

Eugene Shoemaker was a
- A.
  
  Philosopher
- B.
  
  Geologist
- C.
  
  Chemist
- D.
  
  Physicist
25.

The moon has a better record of impact incidents than the Earth. Which of the following is NOT a reason for this?
- A.
  
  The crater caused by large asteroids/meteoroids are "erased" over time by Earth's geological activity
- B.
  
  The craters caused by large asteroids/meteoroids are eroded over time by liquid water and wind on Earth
- C.
  
  Over the course of history, more asteroids/meteoroids have struck the moon than the Earth
- D.
  
  Smaller asteroids/meteoroids burn up in Earth's atmosphere before they reach the surface