Name:__________________
Test 3
Solar System Formation, Stars, and Light
The Sun
Label the following diagram with the choices below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Corona
Core
Photosphere
Chromosphere
Spicules
TRUE (a) FALSE (b)
6.
All the planets orbits lie roughly in a single plane.
7. Planets all orbit in the same direction that the sun rotates.
8. The main sequence is a mass sequence.
9. A star’s structure is determined mainly by its mass.
10. The conversion of hydrogen to helium in the sun is called fission.
11. Most meteorites probably came from a limited number of asteroidal parent bodies.
12. The most massive stars live the longest.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
13. The wavelength of emission lines in a spectrum depends on (a) the structure of the atom doing
the emitting (b) the levels of the orbits transited by the electron (c) the composition of the
emitting gas (d) all of the above
14. A relatively cool gas in front of a hotter gas will produce (a) an emission spectrum (b) an
absorption spectrum (c) a hot blackbody spectrum (d) a cool blackbody spectrum
15. The determination of stellar parallax is important because it allows the direct determination
of (a) mass (b) distance (c) diameter (d) velocity (e) all of the above
16. The observed differences between stellar spectra are caused primarily by differences in
stellar (a) luminosity (b) chemical composition (c) temperature (d) motions (e) locations in
space
17. If you know both the apparent and absolute magnitude of a star you can determine
its (a) color (b) mass (c) distance (d) temperature (e) radius
18. Which is hottest? (a) a blue star (b) a red star (c) a yellow star (d) temperature doesn’t
determine color
19. Main sequence stars may generate their energy through (a) hydrogen fusion (b) helium
fusion (c) carbon fusion (d) hydrogen fission (e) none of the above
20. The regulation of the sun’s thermonuclear energy generation is caused by
a. Hydrostatic equilibrium
b. The balance between gravitation and thermally produced pressure
c. If the sun were to produce more energy its temperature would go up, it would expand and
cool
d. If the sun were to produce less energy its temperature would drop, it would contract and
gravitationally produced energy would reheat the core
e. All of the above
21. If a light is moved 3 times farther away, it becomes
a. 3 times fainter
b. 9 times fainter
c. 27 times fainter
d. 81 times fainter
22. The two longest stages in the lifetime a one solar mass star, each lasting billions of years, are
a. Protostar and main sequence
b. Main sequence and redgiant
c. Red giant and white dwarf
d. Main sequence and white dwarf
23. A white dwarf star is internally supported by: (a) a thermonuclear outflow (b) degenerate
electrons (c) degenerate neutrons (d) gas pressure
24. Consider the following stars of apparent magnitudes 5, 0, -2. Rank them in order of increasing
apparent brightness. (a) 5, 0, -2 (b) -2, 0, 5 (c) 0, 5, -2 (d) 5, -2, 0 (e) -2, 5, 0
25. Luminous stars with low temperatures (a) have small diameters (b) have large
diameters
(c) do not exist (d) are white dwarfs
26. 21. Hydrogen burning for a sun-like star lasts for approximately (a) 1 million years (b) 10
million years (c) 100 million years (d) 1 billion years (e) 10 billion years
MULTIPLE CHOICE
Stellar Properties
Of the star clusters in the diagram above, look at the lines representing (a) NGC 188 and (b) M41.
27. Which is older? A, B, or can’t tell (C)
28. Which cluster (as a whole) is redder? A, B, or (C)
29. Which cluster has the highest abundance of heavy elements? A or B?
30. Which cluster is more likely a globular cluster? A or B?
31. Which cluster is more likely an open cluster? A or B?
32. Stars on the main sequence (a) all have the same mass (b) have their position correlated with
mass (c) are placed randomly with respect to mass (d) are placed with lower mass at higher
temperature
33. The parallax of a star is generally a) increases with distance b) can only be measured for
relatively nearby stars c) can only be measured for high luminosity stars d) all of the above
34. The fundamental quantity which determines a main sequence star’s central pressure and
temperature is
(a) mass (b) luminosity (c) surface temperature (d) chemical
composition (e) radius
35. Energy is transported through the sun by a) radiation, b) convection, c) both, d) none of the
above
36. The sun’s central temperature is (a) hundreds of degrees (b) thousands of degrees
(c) millions of degrees (d) billions of degrees
37. Which of the following lists the objects in order of DECREASING mass? (a) neutron star, white
dwarf, black hole (b) black hole, neutron star, white dwarf (c) white dwarf, black hole, neutron
star (d) black hole, white dwarf neutron star (e) they all have approximately the same mass
38. Which of the following is a regularity NOT found in our solar system a) direction of planet
revolution matches the spin direction of the sun, b) all of the planets’ orbits roughly lie in the
ecliptic, c) all planets have their poles more or less perpendicular to the ecliptic, d) the regular
satellites of the plans revolve in the same direction as the planets spin.
39. Pulsars are known to be (a) pulsating white dwarfs (b) pulsating neutron stars (c) rotating white
dwarfs (d) rotating neutron stars (e) rotating black holes
40. Luminous stars with low temperatures (a) have small diameters (b) have large diameters (c) do
not exist (d) are white dwarfs