PSU Astro 001 Unit 3 Exam
A large luminosity star - ✔✔Emits more light than a low luminosity star
If a red giant appears the same brightness as a red main sequence star, which one is further
away? - ✔✔The red giant
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PSU Astro 001 Unit 3 Exam
A large luminosity star - ✔✔Emits more light than a low luminosity star
If a red giant appears the same brightness as a red main sequence star, which one is further
away? - ✔✔The red giant
The heaviest nuclei of all are formed - ✔✔During a supernova explosion
Hydrogen-2 + proton = ? - ✔✔Hydrogen-2 + proton = Helium-3
Why does the main sequence part of a star's life end? - ✔✔The hydrogen in the core is exhausted
Many of the brightest 100 stars viewed from Earth are not on the main sequence (even though
most stars are) because... - ✔✔The most luminous stars are giants and super giants that have
already finished their main sequence lifetimes
A 2 solar mass main sequence star is at the same distance as a 0.2 solar mass main sequence star.
Which star appears brighter? - ✔✔The 2 solar mass main sequence star appears brighter
The temp. of the photosphere of the Sun is closest to... - ✔✔6,000 kelvin
An estimate of the number of communicating/ technological civilizations that we expect in our
galaxy would have a larger number if... - ✔✔The average number of planets that could support
life for each star was larger
If the Sun had twice it's mass, then which of the planets would be in it's habitable zone? -
✔✔Jupiter
In the transit method of finding extrasolar planets, the distance of the planet from it's star is
found from: - ✔✔Kepler's 3rd law using the period of the planet's orbit (how often a transit
occurs)
How do astronomers measure the temperature of stars? - ✔✔By looking at which absorption
lines are present in the star's spectrum
If two stars are the same temperature, how can one be more luminous than the other? - ✔✔It can
have a larger radius
The largest fraction of nearby stars (e.g. within 100 light years) are... - ✔✔Red main sequence
stars
The parallax angle of a nearby star is measured to be 0.02 arc seconds. What is the distance to
the star? - ✔✔50 parsecs
Star A is 9 times more luminous than Star B. The two stars appear the same brightness. What is
true about their distances? - ✔✔Star A is 3 times further away than Star B.
What is the name of the slightly cooler layer of the Sun just outside the photosphere? -
✔✔Chromosphere
How does a star move on the H-R diagram during the period of time it is converting hydrogen to
helium in it's core? - ✔✔It remains at a certain point on the main sequence and does not move in
the H-R diagram
If the entire mass of Earth were concentrated in a region the size of a marble, the resulting object
would be... - ✔✔A black hole
How does the habitable zone change depending on the mass of a star? - ✔✔A more massive star
has a habitable zone father from the star.
Habitable zone - ✔✔Region around a star where liquid water could be present on a planet's
surface
If a star begins with less than (<) 8 solar masses... - ✔✔Core becomes White dwarf
If a star begins with 8-40 solar masses... - ✔✔Core becomes neutron star
If a star begins with greater than (>) 40 solar masses... - ✔✔Becomes black hole
Drake equation - ✔✔Method to estimate the number (N) of communicating/ technological
civilizations in our galaxy
The sun is made up of... - ✔✔73% hydrogen and 25% helium
Suns core - ✔✔High density and temperature, nuclear reactions occur, gamma rays produces
Suns radiative zone - ✔✔Photons are reabsiebed and emitted, energy of photon can take
170,000yrs to pass through
Convective zone - ✔✔Hot gas rises as cold gas sinks, light traverses in 1 week
99% of the solar systems mass is in... - ✔✔The sun
Luminosity - ✔✔The absolute power output at the source
Brightness - ✔✔The apparent output as observed at some distance
Suns corona - ✔✔Low density, temp 1 million k, visible during solar eclipse
Chromosphere - ✔✔Red or orange, we see through this to the photosphere
Brightest nighttime star - ✔✔Sirius, "Dog Star", 2x size of sun
Nearest star - ✔✔Alpha Centauri, 4.3 light years from the sun
Cooler stars are colored - ✔✔Red
Hotter stars are colored - ✔✔Blue
On the H-R diagram, the horizontal axis is - ✔✔Surface temperature, increasing to the left
The h-r diagram temps are measured using... - ✔✔The spectral class
Spectral classes of stars, from hotter to cooler... - ✔✔OBAFGKM "oh, be a fine guy, kiss me!"
Vertical axis on the H-R diagram - ✔✔Luminosity, increasing to the top
For main sequence stars, higher temps mean... - ✔✔Greater lumosity
Main sequence stars are located on the H-R diagram... - ✔✔In a band from lower right to upper
left
Red dwarfs on the H-R diagram are located - ✔✔Lower right because they're cool, faint, and
small
Blue giants are on the H-R diagram are located... - ✔✔Upper left because they're hot, bright, and
large
Red giants and super giants - ✔✔Burning helium and no longer hydrogen, starting to die
White dwarfs - ✔✔Hot, small, dim, dying stars
More massive stars live - ✔✔Few million years, because bigger stars use their fuel faster
Less massive stars live - ✔✔Much more than 14 billion years, little stars live longer than big
stars
First extrasolar planets discovered in 1992 by - ✔✔PSU prof Alex Wolszczan
Thousands of extra solar planets were found during Kepler mission using... - ✔✔The transit
method, the brightness of the star decreases due to the planet passing right in front of it
If Star A is a more massive main sequence star than Star B, and Star A appears fainter, which
star is further away? - ✔✔Star A, because it is more luminous and would not appear fainter
unless it was much farther away
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