Chapter 14

The Stars:
How much longer can the Sun sustain life on Earth?
1. The energy source of stars is primarily associated with a. the reactions of atoms in the star corona. b. the reactions of nuclei in the star core. c. the reactions of atoms in the outer regions of the star. d. burning of elements until they become radioactive. e. burning of elements heavier than lead. 2. If scientists located a Dyson Sphere, they would find a. something made from a dismantled planet. b. a planet in orbit around our closest star. c. an energy source built to surround a planet. d. an object at the core of the Sun. e. the corona during a total eclipse. 3. The solar wind a. extends into space as far as Mercury. b. consists of hydrogen and carbon particles. c. is a part of the Suns atmospheric circulation. d. affects the magnetic fields of planets. e. is another term for the Suns chromosphere. 4. Which of the following can be said about large stars? a. Large stars have a longer lifetime than smaller stars. b. Large stars have a shorter lifetime than smaller stars. c. Large star lifetime is about the same as that of smaller stars. d. The helium in the large star's core burns to produce hydrogen. e. Large stars are the source of oxygen in photosynthesis. 5. At this moment, the Sun is producing energy by burning a. plutonium. b. anthracite. c. hydrogen. d. helium. e.iron. 6. The end products of fusion in the Sun's core are a. helium isotopes, protons, and gamma rays. b. hydrogen isotopes, photons, and infrared rays. c. helium ions, photons, and hydrogen isotopes.

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Chapter 14 d. hydrogen ions, protons, and gamma rays. e. deuterium, photons, and gamma rays. 7. Approximately how long does it take the energy of the Sun to be transferred from the stellar core to the photosphere? a. one light-year b. many thousands of years c. 24 hours d. one month e. eight minutes 8. Which of the following affect the life of a star? a. gravitational force b. mass c. temperature d. fusion processes e. all of the above 9. From what part of the electromagnetic spectrum is most of the Suns energy emitted? a. radio waves b .infrared waves c. visible light waves d. gamma rays e. microwaves 10. Which of the following satellite observatories could not detect the presence of a black hole? a. Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) b. Chandra X-ray Observatory c. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) d. Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) e. only a and b 11. Differences in how a star appears in the sky are a function of a. the size of the star. b. how far away the star is from Earth. c. the total energy emitted by the star. d. the stars apparent brightness. e. all of the above 12. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is a graphical technique used in astronomy to compare a. the surface temperature versus the energy output of a star. b. the stars luminosity versus its distance from Earth. c. the absolute magnitude of the star versus the stars relative temperature. d. the distance the Sun is from the nearest red giant. e. the location of possible solar systems in the Milky Way.

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Chapter 14 13. Where in the Milky Way galaxy would astronomers expect to find planetary systems other than our own? a. Dyson Sphere b. nebulae c. supernovas d. black hole e. Cepheid stars 14. Which of the following is not an endpoint of stellar evolution? a. white dwarf b. main sequence star c. pulsar d. black hole e. neutron star 15. Where were the heaviest chemical elements on Earth created? a. neutron stars b. black holes c. the Sun d. supernovae e. the asteroid belt 16. If you were to observe a pulsar, what would you see? a. a blinking red glow b. intermittent radio waves c. a steady glow that oscillates among the stars d. the sudden brightening of a star e. the total eclipse of the Sun 17. What is Supernova 1987A likely to become? a. black hole b. pulsars c. main sequence star d. Cepheid variable e. solar wind 18. If the Hubble telescope detects an intensely bright region in the sky that lasts only a few days, it has probably found evidence of a a. white dwarf. b. supernova. c. main sequence star. d. new galaxy. e. black hole. 19. Which of the following star variables would not be in an astronomers data? a. wave length

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Chapter 14 b. intensity c. sound d. position e. brightness 20. Which of the following telescopes would have a collecting mirror? a. Chandra X-ray orbiting observatory telescope b. Hubble telescope c. Very Large Array telescope in New Mexico d. Hertzsprung-Russell telescope at Harvard e. all of the above 21. Which of the following is among the things scientists predict for Sun's demise? a. The burning of helium will produce a carbon ash core. b. The Sun will expand until it extends past the present orbit of Venus. c. The sun will emit more energy but appear to be cool. d. At different points in its final years, the Sun will become a red giant and a white dwarf. e. All of the above are true. 22. Red giants can be described as a. huge planets that are surrounded by gases. b. large stars that emit a lot of energy but have cool surfaces. c. large stars that emit a lot of energy but have glowing, hot surfaces. d. stars that are in the hydrogen-burning stage of their lives. e. large planets with glowing iron oxide surfaces. 23. The starry night sky seen from Earth is a temporary phenomenon that has lasted about 15 billion years. 24. Some stars will burn forever. 25. The Sun's peak output of energy is within the visible spectrum. 26. Record numbers of neutrinos from the Sun have been isolated at the solar neutrino laboratory in South Dakota. 27. All objects with temperatures above absolute zero will radiate some form of electromagnetic waves. 28. Except for visible light and radio waves, the atmosphere of the Earth is opaque to most of the electromagnetic spectrum. 29. The absolute magnitude of a star is the brightness as seen from Earth, depending on the stars distance from Earth.

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Chapter 14 30. The distance to stars greater than 500 light-years away is measured using Cepheid variable stars. 31. A main sequence star in the H-R diagram is in the hydrogen burning stage of its existence. 32. A star balances the forces of gravity against the high temperature and pressure of nuclear fires in the stellar core. 33. The degeneracy pressure of electrons is usually measured at the earliest stage of a stars existence. 34. A star will start its existence as a white dwarf and end as a red giant. 35. A neutron star is dense and small, compared to the Sun. 36. The supernova 1987A contradicted all the theories of stellar evolution proposed up to that time. 37. What are the two factors that affect the behavior of every star? 38. The iron in your blood was made during a. a chemical process that occurred during Earth's formation. b. the final moments in the life of a small star. c. fusion during our Sun's creation. d. fission reactions during the Big Bang. e. the nuclear burning of a very large star. 39. If you were describing the structure of the Sun correctly, you would say that a. ten percent of the total volume of the Sun is the core. b. the Suns outer region is a convection zone. c. the photosphere thins away from the Sun's surface. d. a gaseous chromosphere and corona are visible only during a solar eclipse. e. All of the above are true. 40. Why do astronomers prefer orbiting telescopes over Earth-based telescopes? a. lower user costs and more research time options b. exciting space travel possible for observations c. wider range of electromagnetic wavelengths detected d. greater international cooperation e. more aesthetically pleasing 41. It is impossible to extract energy from iron by fusion or fission. 42. Why are new stars made of hydrogen gas?

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Chapter 14 43. What is the difference between apparent brightness and absolute brightness in star classification? 44. Compare the process of hydrogen burning with helium burning in a star. 45. Why do scientists believe that black holes exist, since black holes cannot be seen and none have ever been confirmed in space? 46. From an observers point of view, how would the birth of a star appear different from the death of a large star (supernovae)? 47. From the perspective of Earth, how are neutron stars and pulsars the same and how are they different? 48. Why are imaginary space creatures often depicted as havingeyes larger than those of Earth dwellers? Compare the eyes of a Venusian with the eyes of a Plutonian. Science fiction writers and illustrators may be enlarging 49. What is the answer to the solar neutrino problem? 50. List the events in the life of a Sun-like star in chronological order. Will the star becomes a supernova? Why or why not? 51. What four aspects of photons are measured by astronomers and what instruments do the scientists use? 52. Explain how the Northern Lights are formed. 53. How can the ashes of one stellar nuclear fire become the fuel for the next stellar nuclear fire? 54. Why do larger stars have shorter life spans? 55. How are naturally occurring elements heavier than iron formed in stellar processes? 56. How are Cepheid variables used to classify stars? 57. What advantages might there be to living inside a Dyson Sphere? What would be the limitations future scientists must face before constructing a Dyson Sphere? 58. How are the original telescopes different from modern telescopes? How do the former improve upon the latter? 59. When pulsars were first detected, they were called LGM, which stood for Little Green Men. What characteristic of pulsars might have caused astronomers to give them this name?

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Chapter 14 60. If the Sun had not burned fairly evenly since the creation of the Earth, how would life on Earth be different? 61. If a new star were discovered, what characteristics would it have to have in order to be identified as a main sequence star? 62. During ocean voyages, early sailors used a method called triangulation to determine the location of their ships. How is this same method used today by astronomers to determine the distance to certain neighboring stars? 63. Evaluate the positive and negative aspects of using a star as an energy source as proposed by the construction of a Dyson Sphere. 64. We dont often see stars in the daytime, but if you dug a hole deep enough could you see the stars from the bottom? 65. If some one says to you, all stars are the samejust tiny points of light, how might you convince them they have different temperatures (color) and different magnitudes (brightness). 66. In the 1800s scientists knew that if the Sun was composed of conventional fuels (coal, oil, wood) it would have a burning life of only a few thousand years at best. How might this information impact the debate of how old is the Earth in that era? 67. If the Earth had evolved around a different stara redder star that produced more frequencies in the infrared and microwave bandshow might plant and animal development been altered to respond to these frequencies? 68. What elements on the periodic table are the products of supernovae? Why would this be true? 69. How is it that optical telescopes are placed in orbit but radio telescopes are not?

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