Q1 | Quizzer Data File, type 1, for ON DISK MONTHLY
Astronomy Quiz
Copyright 1993 Softdisk, Inc.
Sean Golden | Author credit
84 | ODM Issue number of publication. Use "." to omit.
50 | # questions in quiz
What is the closest star to the Earth?
Sol
Alpha Centauri
Andromeda
Betelguese
Luna
The speed of light (mathematically represented as "c") is:
298,000,000 meters per second.
765 miles per hour at sea level.
93,000,000 miles per hour.
11 parsecs per hour.
2.98 meters per second.
According to current cosmological theory, the universe is about ____ years old.
10 billion
Fifteen thousand
4.5 billion
10 million
4.5 million
According to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, ________ causes the spacetime continuum to curve.
gravity
electro-magnetism
the nuclear force
a quasi-Stellar object
mathematics
The study of the structure of the universe is known as __________.
Cosmography
Astronomy
Astrology
Phrenology
Galaxology
The most common substance in the universe is __________.
hydrogen
iron
uranium
water
silicon
The star which is closest to our solar system is __________.
Alpha Centauri
Betelguese
Sol
Andromeda
Jupiter
Our galaxy is known as the _____________ galaxy.
Milky Way
Andromeda
Oort
G-00934-A3
Titan
An area of space filled with gas or dust is known as a __________.
nebula
galaxy
solar system
black hole
pharnabula
An object that is so dense that light cannot escape from its gravity well is called a __________.
black hole
quasar
neutron star
celestial Abyss
currant
Stars (like our sun) which follow a predictable life cycle and fall into well-defined categories are known as _________ stars.
main sequence
yellow
habitable
planetary
binary
How many stars are estimated to be in the Milky Way Galaxy?
100,000,000,000 (one hundred billion)
10,000,000 (ten million)
100,000 (one hundred thousand)
10,000,000,000,000 (ten trillion)
1,000,000,000 (one billion)
A _________ is a collection of thousands of stars in a relatively small area, all held together by mutual gravitational attraction.
globular cluster
nebula
galaxy
constellation
solar system
The _________ is thought to be either the remains of colliding planets, or the inability of a planet to form because of the influence of Jupiter's gravitational field.
asteroid belt
moon
oort cloud
Crab nebula
stellar corona
A __________ is an exploding star.
nova
comet
asteroid
meteorite
quasar
Usually only seen when they plummet into the interior of the solar system, __________ are thought to be simple balls of ice and dust.
comets
meteors
cosmic rays
stellar fluxes
auroras
Our own galaxy is classified as a __________ galaxy, the most common type of galaxy observed.
spiral
globular
double
dwarf
circular
When the moon's orbit takes it between the sun and the earth, a __________ may be seen by people in some areas on the earth.
solar eclipse
lunar eclipse
phase shift
sunspot
meteor shower
The discovery of __________ is considered one of the fundamental supports of the Big Bang Theory.
background radiation
galactic bubbles
cosmic strings
invisible matter
black holes
The __________ holds that there is nothing special or unique about the earth's vantage point in observing the universe.
Cosmological Principle
Pragmatic Theory
Theory of Relativity
Axiom of Tobias
Grand Unification Theory
The most violent energy sources in the universe, __________, are thought to be exploding galaxies.
quasi-stellar objects (quasars)
black holes
naked singularities
supernovas
neutron stars
A star which has run out of fuel and collapsed into a super-dense mass of nuclear material is called a __________.
neutron star
black hole
photon
cosmic string
red dwarf
According to _________, no physical matter can exceed the speed of light.
the Theory of Relativity
the Principia Mathematica
Planck's Constant
the Archimedes Principle
the Principle of Conservation of Angular Momemtum
The moon shows one side to the earth because of this phenomenom.
gravitational tidal lock
the precession principle
solar gravity
solar wind
lunar tri-phasing
According to the best estimates of astronomers, how many galaxies are in the observable universe?
100,000,000,000 (one hundred billion)
100,000 (one hundred thousand)
1,000,00 (one million)
10,000,000,000,000 (ten trillion)
1,000 (one thousand)
What is the source of energy for our sun and all stars?
nuclear fusion
nuclear fission
electro-magnetic decay effects
matter-antimatter collisions
gravitational friction
The edge of our solar system is called the __________.
heliopause
galactic edge
solar periphery
corona
trans-stellar junction
What is the dominant force in the formation and evolution of the universe?
gravity
electro-magnetic
strong nuclear
weak nuclear
tachyonic
According to the best estimates of astronomers, what is the diameter of our galaxy?
100,000 light-years
25,000 parsecs
1,000,000,000 miles
10,000,000,000 light-years
75,000,000,000 kilometers
A __________ is a light-particle.
photon
quark
neutron
positron
tachyon
Who first used the telescope for astronomical observation?
Galileo Gallilei
Nicholas Copernicus
Albert Einstein
Thomas Edison
Henry Ford
By examining anomolies in the orbit of the planet Uranus, astronomers were able to mathematically project the existence of the planet __________.
Neptune
Pluto
Mercury
Saturn
Vulcan
What was the first man-made object to leave the solar system?
Voyager I
Viking III
Gemini II
Sputnik
space shuttle Columbia
Who "discovered" canals on the planet Mars?
Sir Percival Lowell
Arthur C. Clarke
H. G. Wells
Dr. Stephen Hawking
Isaac Asimov
The sixth planet out from the sun in our solar system is:
Saturn
Jupiter
Mars
Uranus
Pluto
Mars has two moons, named __________ and __________.
Phobos and Diemos
Lowell and Hardy
Ramses and Titan
Charon and Luna
Krona and Vulcan
A spinning neutron star can become a __________, a natural space beacon.
pulsar
photonic dynamo
binary system
Dyson sphere
relativistic transformer
Black holes, while still considered theoretical, may have some observable evidence from a binary system known as __________.
Cygnus X-1
Pegasus Chi-4
Vega Prime
the Centauri system
Andromeda Y-23
Most galaxies that we can observe, and all outside our local cluster, manifest a phenomenon known as __________, indicating that they are rapidly moving away from us.
the red shift
phase cycling
stellar sublimation
precession
mitosis
The __________ was a major disappointment when it was discovered to have a serious flaw in its lens.
Hubble space telescope
Lowell Observatory
Mount Palomar Observatory
Vladivostok Mirrored Array
Arecibo radio telescope
The first useful measurement of distance for astronomical purposes was the __________.
parsec
light-year
kilometer
joule
micron
The North Star is also called:
Polaris
Betelgeuse
Vega
Alpha Centauri
Sirius
_________ is the brightest star in the Northern hemisphere.
Sirius
Polaris
Vega
Cygnus
Arcturus
__________ are collections of stars, as seen from earth, that have some pattern or design.
Constellations
Binary systems
Galaxies
Nebulae
Globular clusters
The first mathematical laws of astronomy were compiled by __________, after long study of the motion of the planets.
Johannes Kepler
Tycho Brahe
Ptolemy
Nicholas Copernicus
Albert Einstein
In the face of strong opposition __________ maintained that the earth revolved around the sun, not the reverse.
Nicholas Copernicus
Ptolemy
Arthur C. Clarke
Gregory Benford
Johannes Kepler
The first person to accurately predict the return of a comet, _________, was rewarded by having a comet named after him.
Edmund Halley
Abdul Kahoutek
Randall Cupid
Percival Lowell
Rancid Crabtree
What is the largest planet in the Solar System?
Jupiter
Mercury
Pluto
Uranus
Earth
Sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" this planet is obscured by clouds of caustic chemicals.
Venus
Mars
Mercury
Vulcan
Neptune
A satellite which is in a precise orbit to keep it above a specific spot on the surface of the earth is said to be in __________ orbit.
