Space Science MCQs
Space Science MCQs
The following Space Science MCQs have been compiled by our experts through research, in order to test your knowledge of the subject of Space Science. We encourage you to answer these 90+ multiple-choice questions to assess your proficiency.
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1: A typical neutron star is more massive than our sun and about the size (radius) of ________.
A. Jupiter
B. The Moon
C. A small asteroid (10 km in diameter)
D. Earth
2: As wavelength increases, the energy of a photon __________ and its frequency __________.
A. Decrease; decrease
B. Decrease; increase
C. Increase; decrease
D. Increase; increase
3: In the northern hemisphere, it is colder in the winter than in the summer because ________.
A. The Sun shines down at more of an angle during the winter
B. The Sun is closer to Earth during the winter
C. The Sun shines down more directly during the winter
D. The Sun is farther from Earth during the winter
4: Rigel’s radius is about _____ times the sun’s radius.
A. 90
B. 80
C. 100
D. 70
5: Stellar occultations are the most accurate way to measure the _________ of a solar system object.
A. Mass
B. Density
C. Temperature
D. Diameter
6: The sun has _____ times more mass than the earth.
A. 3,330
B. 33,300
C. 333,000
D. 3,330,000
7: Our sun is all of the following except ____.
A. Part of a binary system
B. A yellow star
C. A main sequence star
D. Of average absolute magnitude
8: Venus's atmosphere has much more carbon dioxide than earth's because ________.
A. Venus lacks oceans
B. A white dwarf
C. Venus's relatively high ratio of deuterium to ordinary hydrogen atoms
D. Too little water vapor
9: We estimate the mass of the galaxy by observations of its ________ curve.
A. Density
B. Spiral
C. Temperature
D. Rotation
10: The total number of stars in the observable universe is about _________.
A. The number of grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth.
B. The number of grains of sand on Miami Beach.
C. Infinity
D. None of these
11: A comet entering the inner solar system from afar will __________
A. Mars and Jupiter
B. Yes, but must have been the core of a shattered asteroid
C. It would cause widespread devastation and climate change
D. No, because Jupiter prevented one from accreting
E. Form a coma and some time later from a tail
12: Io experiences tidal heating primarily because __________
A. Io is made of relatively soft materials thatdeform quite easily
B. Io has an unusually elongated shape that makesit look more like an egg than a sphere
C. Its elliptical orbit causes the tidal force to vary as Io orbits Jupiter
13: The schwarzschild radius of a black hole depends on ________.
A. The observationally measured radius of the black hole
B. The way in which the black hole formed
C. Both the mass and chemical composition of the black hole
D. Only the mass of the black hole
14: Red light has a _____ wavelength and a _____ frequency than does blue light.
A. Longer, lower
B. Shorter,higher
C. Shorter,lower
D. Longer,higher
15: The more massive a white dwarf, the ________.
A. Smaller its radius
B. Greater its radius
C. Equal its radius
D. None of the above
16: Select all of the answers that apply. dark matter may be _____.
A. Superhot gas between stars
B. Cold matter that emits little radiation
C. The cause of the expansion of the universe
D. A new form of subatomic particle
17: One-way streets have unique features including __________.
A. Pull as far off the road as possible and turn on your emergency flashers
B. Lanes that are more narrow than regular-lanes
C. Shift to a lower gear
D. Turn the heater on high and let the engine warm up
18: The primary way in which we learn about the history of life on earth is through ___________.
A. The study of fossils
B. Laboratory experiments
C. SETI
D. Dissecting stromatolites
19: Kepler's third law, p2 = a3, tells us that ________.
A. More distant planets orbit the Sun more slowly
B. He believed that the element that the Greeks called
C. Copernicus used perfect circles for the orbits of the planets.
D. Phases of Venus
20: ________ gave galileo a huge advantage over his astronomical predecessors.
A. Use of a telescope
B. Unadulterated genius
C. The fresh perspective of Copernicus's ideas about a geocentric universe
D. Newton's laws of motion
21: Saturn is famous for its ________ that rotate around it.
A. Have
B. Rings
C. Gas
D. Giants
22: Recall that 1 foot = 12 inches. therefore, 1 square foot = _____ square inches.
A. 144 square inches
B. 150 square inches
C. 155 square inches
D. 160 square inches
23: A(n) ____ is a circle whose center is located on the circumference of another circle.
A. Ellipse
B. Deferent
C. Epicycle
D. Retrograde loop
E. Equant
24: Blue main sequence stars have ___________ than red main sequence stars.
A. Less mass and a longer lifetime
B. More mass and a shorter lifetime
C. Core, radiation, convection
D. Converting hydrogen into helium
25: We measure the temperature of the stars using the ________ temperature scale.
A. Kelvin
B. Luminosity
C. Density
D. Spiral
E. Temperature
26: ____ are patterns of stars in the sky.
A. Galaxies
B. Star clusters
C. Constellations
D. Binaries
27: When we say that a substance is radioactive, we mean that it ________.
A. Is composed of matter with unstable nuclei
B. Galaxies
C. Star clusters
D. Constellations
28: A spinning neutron star has been observed at the center of a ________.
A. Protostar.
B. Supernova remnant.
C. Planetary nebula.
D. Red supergiant
29: A(n) ____ is a small circle whose center is located on the circumference of another larger circle.
A. Ellipse
B. Deferent
C. Epicycle
D. Retrograde loop
E. Equant
30: According to kepler's 2nd law each 30 day period a planet will _________.
A. Sweep out equal areas
B. Ellipse
C. Deferent
D. Epicycle
E. Retrograde loop
31: Based on observations of the universal expansion, the age of the universe is about ________.
A. 13 billion years
B. 10 billion years
C. 14 billion years
D. 11 billion years
32: The energy that is released in the hydrogen fusion reaction comes from __________.
A. E = mc2
B. The tremendous heat in the center of the Sun.
C. The fact that a single neutron has slightly more mass than a single proton.
D. The difference in mass between the four hydrogen nuclei and the single resulting helium nucleus
33: We can estimate the age of an open cluster of stars by examining _________.
A. The turnoff point of the clusters main sequence.
B. The tremendous heat in the center of the Sun.
C. The fact that a single neutron has slightly more mass than a single proton.
D. The difference in mass between the four hydrogen nuclei and the single resulting helium nucleus
34: People once believed that all planets and stars orbited around ____.
A. Mercury
B. Earth
C. Venus
D. Mars
35: Planetary orbits that are more elliptical have a greater _________
A. Focus
B. Eccentricity
C. Period
D. Retrograde
36: Planets revolve around the sun along _____ paths because of gravity.
A. ELLIPTICAL
B. Focus
C. Period
D. Retrograde
37: Star formation occurs primarily in the galaxy's ________.
A. Disk
B. Focus
C. Eccentricity
D. Period
E. Retrograde
38: The ability of a telescope to show two very close objects separately is called its ________.
A. Light gathering power
B. Resolving power
C. Magnification
39: Thermal radiation is defined as ________.
A. Light gathering power
B. Resolving power
C. Magnification
D. Radiation with a spectrum whose shape depends only on the temperature of the emitting object
40: The number of wave cycles that pass in one second is called the _______ of the wave.
A. Frequency
B. Light gathering power
C. Resolving power
D. Magnification
41: The number of waves that pass a point each second measures ________.
A. Light gathering power
B. Resolving power
C. Magnification
D. Frequency
42: The o and b stars in our galaxy are located _________.
A. In the disk but not the halo.
B. In both the halo and the disk.
C. In neither the halo nor the disk.
D. In the halo but not in the disk
43: Water is found as a solid, liquid, and gas on ____.
A. Earth
B. Mars
C. Moon
D. Venus
44: Of all the jovian planets ______ shows signs of tectonic plate motion.
A. Jupiter
B. Saturn
C. Uranus
D. Neptune
E. None of the above
45: Of all the terrestrial planets, ______ has the longest solar day.
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
46: Prominences and flares on the sun can best be described as ____.
A. Binary star system
B. Electrically charged particles
C. Part of a binary system
47: Saturn's rings are composed of __________.
A. Lots of individual particles of ice and rock
B. Light from the Sun reflects off the material of the rings
C. Saturn's rings look bright
48: The larger of the jovian moons ________.
A. Are larger than Mercury but smaller than Mars
B. An orbital resonance
C. Is too cold
D. Most volcanically active world in the solar system
49: We can study how galaxies evolve because ________.
A. Galaxies are transparent to visible light.
B. We are really smart astronomers.
C. We can watch as they interact in real time.
D. The farther away we look, the further back in time we see.
50: In materials like glass or water the speed of light is _________.
A. Reduced
B. Increased
C. The same as in vacuum
D. Sometimes reduced and sometimes increased
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