Nautical Sciences, Unit Four, Chapter One: Astronomy & Astronomical Observations
This is an Closed Book, Multiple-choice exercise.
Use your mouse to click the box next to the most correct answer. If you fail to select the correct answer you must try again until you select the correct answer.
The study of the stars and other heavenly bodies, their composition, motion, position and size, is known as what?
Astronomy
Astrology
Astrophysics
Cosmology
Geology
Astronomers and other scientists that speculate on the nature of the universe are called what?
Cosmologists
Astrologers
Astrophysicists
Universalists
Deep Thinkers
Who first proposed the expanding-universe or "Big Bang" theory?
Georges Lemaitre
Sir Isaac Newton
Galileo Galilei
Albert Einstein
Edwin Hubble
Which of the following statements about observatories is false?
The telescope and its cameras are operated by astronomers wearing heavy clothing as a protection against the cold.
They must be dark inside and out.
They must be the same temperature inside and out.
They should be located where there is a steady atmosphere.
The location should afford a maximum number of clear nights.
On what does the amount of light a telescope can collect depend?
On the area of its main lens.
On the darkness of the night sky.
On the steady nature of the atmosphere above the telescope.
On the size and shape of its eyepiece.
On the size and shape of the telescope tube.
Which type of telescope uses two lenses?
A refracting telescope
A reflecting telescope
A Newtonian reflector
A Cassegrain reflector
Space telescopes
Where is the largest refracting telescope in the world located?
Williams Bay, Wisconsin
Flagstaff, Arizona
Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Mount Palomar, California
Socorro, New Mexico
Who is credited with inventing the first reflecting telescope?
Sir Isaac Newton
Georges Lemaitre
Galileo Galilei
Albert Einstein
Edwin Hubble
What type of telescope uses an objective mirror in place of the objective lens?
A reflecting telescope
A refracting telescope
A spectrograph
A radiotelescope
A Cassegrain refractor
What is the difference between a Newtonian Reflector and a Cassegrain Reflector?
Newtonian Reflectors focus the image to the side of the telescope while Cassegrain Reflectors focus it to the back of the telescope.
Cassegrain Reflectors focus the image to the side of the telescope while Newtonian Reflectors focus it to the back of the telescope.
Newtonian Reflectors use two lenses and do not have mirrors.
Cassegrain Reflectors use two lenses and do not have mirrors.
There is a hole in the objective mirror of a Newtonian Reflector while there is not one on a Cassegrain Reflector.
With this type of telescope, the secondary mirror causes the light to focus behind the objective mirror.
Cassegrain Reflector
Newtonian Reflector
Refracting
Radiotelescope
Spectrograph
What is the world's largest conventional reflecting telescope having a single primary mirror?
The Subaru telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii
The U.S. Naval Observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona
The Yerkes Observatory at Williams Bay on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Socorro, New Mexico
The Jodrell Bank Observatory at Cheshire, England.
What is the name of the technique where the signals from two or more telescopes at separate locations are combined?
Optical interferometry
Electromagnetic spectrum analysis
Radioastronomy
SETI
Cosmology
What instrument do astronomers use to study light from celestial bodies to determine the amount of hydrogen, helium, and other elements in them?
A spectrograph
A Newtonian reflector
A Cassegrain reflector
A radiotelescope
A sputnik
Which of the following statements about radiotelescopes is incorrect?
Because of the nature of radio waves, radiotelescopes cannot match the precision of optical telescopes.
They must be larger than optical telescopes because radio waves are longer than light waves.
They do not require the precision of optical telescopes.
The antenna dishes can be made of wire mesh.
They must be very sensitive to detect faint radio waves from space.
Where is the world's largest steerable radiotelescope located?
At the Robert Byrd Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia
The Arecibo Observatory at Arecibo, Puerto Rico
At the Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii
At the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, England
At the Yerkes Observatory at Williams Bay on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Which of the following is NOT a site of a large radiotelescope?
The U.S. Naval Observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona
The Robert Byrd Observatory at Green Bank, West Virginia
The Eifel Mountain Observatory near Bonn, Germany
The Jodrell Bank Observatory at Cheshire, England
The Arecibo Observatory at Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Where is the world's largest stationary radiotelescope located?
At the Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico
At the Eifel Mountain Observatory near Bonn, Germany
At the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, England
At the Robert Byrd Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia
At the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona
What is special about the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Socorro, New Mexico?
It combines a number of small radiotelescopes via computer control to form the equivalent of a giant radiotelescope.
It is the location of the world's largest stationary radiotelescope.
It is the location of the world's largest steerable radiotelescope.
It is the site of the world's largest conventional reflecting telescope.
It has an array of radar telescopes which allows the accurate measurement of distances to objects within our solar system.
What celestial objects look like normal stars yet emit hundreds of times more energy than most galaxies?
Quasars
Pulsars
Coronas
SETIs
Black Holes
What celestial objects are thought to be rapidly rotating compressed stars in the last stages of stellar life?
Pulsars
Quasars
Black Holes
Coronas
SETIs
What type of telescopes can measure accurate distances to celestial objects near the earth?
Radar Telescopes
Radiotelescopes
Cassegrain Reflectors
Newtonian Reflectors
Spectrographs
What is the name of the effort to scan microwave frequencies of the 1,000 closest stars to Earth in search of radio transmissions of intelligent origin?
SETI
OSO
Hubble
Sputnik
COBE
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of balloon astronomy over spacecraft astronomy?
Balloon-mounted telescopes can get clearer images of objects than spacecraft-based telescopes.
It is easier to carry tons of astronomical instruments onboard balloons.
Balloons are much cheaper than spacecraft.
Balloon observatories can easily carry people aloft in their gondolas.
Pictures and other findings can be brought directly down to Earth, rather than sent by radio transmission.
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of space-based telescopes over balloon-mounted telescopes?
The ability to carry more equipment.
They are more stable.
They are self-propelled.
They don't have problems with distortions caused by the Earth's atmosphere
All of these are advantages of space-based telescopes over balloon-mounted telescopes.
The launch of what satellite marked the beginning of the space age?
Sputnik I
Explorer I
Skylab
Galileo
Voyager I
What was the name of the first U.S. satellite?
Explorer I
Sputnik I
Skylab
Voyager I
MIR I
Which of the following spacecraft was NOT manned?
Galileo
Skylab
Mir
The International Space Station
Gemini III
Which of the following is NOT one of the phases of the study of our solar system by manned and unmanned spacecraft since 1957?
Experimentation
All of these are distinct phases.
Reconnaissance
Exploration
Intensive Study
Which phase of the study of our solar system involves the use of orbiter and probe spacecraft to do detailed mapping and measurement?
The Exploration Phase
The Reconnaissance Phase
The Intensive Study Phase
The Experimentation Phase
The Probe Phase
Which phase of the study of our solar system consists of flybys, photography, and, more recently, TV imaging.
The Reconnaissance Phase
The Exploration Phase
The Intensive Study Phase
The Experimentation Phase
The Probe Phase
Approximately how many spacecraft made up the U.S. Explorer series?
50
100
25
30
10
The series of 8 spacecraft called the OSO series studied all of the following except....
The Earth's Magnetosphere
The Sun's Corona
Solar Flares
The Sun's X-Ray activity
The Sun's Ultraviolet activity
What was the first series of U.S. spacecraft to explore other planets in our solar system?
Mariner
Explorer
The Orbiting Solar Observatories (OSO)
Pioneer
Sputnik
What was the first artificial satellite to escape our solar system?
Pioneer 10
Voyager II
Mariner II
Explorer I
Voyager I
What series of U.S. spacecraft were the first to land on Mars?
Viking
Mariner
Galileo
Apollo
Explorer
What U.S. spacecraft produced the first detailed radar maps of Venus?
Magellan
Mariner
Galileo
Viking
Explorer
What was the name of the spacecraft that focused on the study of Jupiter and its Moons?
Galileo
Mariner
Viking
Explorer
Skylab
What were the first and the last Apollo missions to the Moon where astronauts actually walked on the surface?
Apollo 11 and Apollo 17
Apollo 13 and Apollo 17
Apollo 11 and Apollo 13
Apollo 1 and Apollo 20
Apollo 11 and Apollo 20
What NASA mission to Saturn arrived in July of 2004?