SNC1D Astronomy Quiz
1. In which season can you see the big dipper in the northern hemisphere?
a) winter
b) spring
c) summer
d) fall
e) all year
2. Constellations in the night sky appear to move throughout the night because
a) Earth is rotating on its axis.
b) the stars actually move together through space.
c) the Moon pulls on the stars with its gravity.
d) Earth is changing its distance from the sun.
3. What is the name of our galaxy?
a) Andromeda
b) Virgo
c) Milky Way
d) Triangulum
4. Approximately how many galaxies make up our ‘Local Group’?
a) One dozen
b) Two dozen
c) Three dozen
d) Thousands
5. Which of the following best describes our type of galaxy?
a) spiral
b) lenticular
c) elliptical
d) irregular
6. According to the Hertzspurng-Russell diagram, which of the following colour of star would be the coolest?
a) blue
b) white
c) yellow
d) orange
e) red
7. Which of the following information can a spectral pattern of a star show us?
a) Temperature of the star
b) Composition of the star
c) Direction the star is moving relative to Earth
d) Speed with which the star is approaching or receding Earth
e) All of the above
8. What is the brightest star in the night sky?
a) Polaris
b) Rigel.
c) Sirius
d) Proxima Centauri
9. Which of the following best describes the Sun in its current life stage?
a) Main sequence
b) White dwarf
c) Red giant
d) Neutron star
10. In which region of the Sun do nuclear fusion reactions take place?
a) radiative zone
b) photosphere
c) corona
d) core
11. What is the factor that determines whether a black hole will form at the end of a star’s life?
a) composition
b) luminosity
c) mass
d) colour
12. What is the final stage in the life cycle of a medium mass star, like our sun?
a) white dwarf
b) black dwarf
c) neutron star
d) red giant
True or false?
13. Fusion is the splitting of helium atoms into hydrogen atoms. T F
14. Light from distant galaxies that is red-shifted suggests that the galaxies T F
are moving away from us.
15. The distance of the earth from the sun causes the cycle of seasons. T F