Julian Date: 2459244.18
2020-2021: LXXX
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, January 29, 2021
Exploratorium XV: Week 4 Quiz
Another week, another quiz!
Next week, which should be a full one, we'll continue our exploration of space-time in present, past and future. We thank you kindly for riding with us!
1. In approximately ______________ years, Earth will become too hot to sustain life.
a. 100 million
b. 1.1 billion
c. 2.3 billion
d. 5 billion
2. How will the Sun's effective temperature change over the next four billion years?
a. it will decrease dramatically
b. it will increase dramatically
c. it will remain stable
d. it will fluctuate wildly, first increasing, then decreasing, then increasing again.
3. Although Apollo is associated with the Delphic Oracle, who actually constructed it?
a. Zeus
b. Athena
c. Gaia
d. Themis
4. Astronomers believe that a supernova exploded within 100 light years of Earth about ____________ years ago.
a. 100
b. 10,000
c. 3 million
d. 45 million
5. How do two different isotopes of the same element differ?
a. they have different numbers of protons
b. they have different numbers of neutrons
c. they have different numbers of electrons
d. all of the above
e. none of the above.
6. In the first mythical account of Excalibur, on which date did the sword appear embedded in an anvil?
a. Candlemas
b. Christmas Eve
c. Beltane
d. Samhain
7. Who did we encounter in Thursday's mythological excursion?
a. Jason
b. Gilgamesh
c. Long Sash
d. Nobody
8. What is a "rogue" planet?
a. a planet that follows an orbit highly inclined to the ecliptic
b. a planet that is unattached to any star
c. a planet with no moons
d. a planet that is larger than its parent star
9. Approximately how many rogue planets might exist in the galaxy?
a. a few dozen
b. 100 - 1000
c. around 10,000
d. millions
10. The _______________ Space Telescope, slated for launch in 2025, will be used in part to search for rogue planets.
a. Nancy Grace Roman
b. Tycho Brahe
c. Thales of Miletus
d. Fred Hoyle
ANSWERS
1. In approximately ______________ years, Earth will become too hot to sustain life.
b. 1.1 billion
Although the Sun will continue to fuse hydrogen into helium for the next five billion years, its luminosity will gradually increase. About 1.1 billion years from now, the Sun will become about 10% more luminous than it is today. Consequently, Earth will become too hot to sustain life.
2. How will the Sun's effective temperature change over the next four billion years?
c. it will remain stable
Even though the core temperatures will increase, the Sun will also expand which will largely offset the temperature rise. As a consequence, the Sun's effective temperature will remain about the same over the next four billion years.
3. Although Apollo is associated with the Delphic Oracle, who actually constructed it?
d. Themis
The goddess of law, order and justice was also endowed with foresight. Consequently, she built the Delphic Oracle, only to eventually give it to Apollo.
4. Astronomers believe that a supernova exploded within 100 light years of Earth about ____________ years ago.
c. 3 million
A highly massive star likely exploded within 100 light years of our solar system approximately 3 million years ago. Astronomers believe this event occurred at that time based on chemical analysis of ocean crust material which collected a special iron-60 isotope generally associated with supernovae.
5. How do two different isotopes of the same element differ?
b. they have different numbers of neutrons
Iron contains 26 protons. However, Iron-56 contains 30 neutrons, while Iron-58 contains 32 neutrons. The proton number defines the element.
6. In the first mythical account of Excalibur, on which date did the sword appear embedded in an anvil?
b. Christmas Eve
The future King Arthur was the only one able to withdraw the sword from the anvil that had been placed on a stone. By virtue of this feat, he became the rightful heir to the throne of Uther Pendragon.
7. Who did we encounter in Thursday's mythological excursion?
d. Nobody
Yes, the idiot spaced it on Thursday.
8. What is a "rogue" planet?
b. a planet that is unattached to any star
On Thursday we "visited" a rogue or runaway planet outside of the Andromeda Galaxy. It was frozen solid because it had become separated from its parent star and so received no stellar energy at all.
9. Approximately how many rogue planets might exist in the galaxy?
d. millions
Our galaxy might be littered with millions of rogue planets, those that became dislodged from their parent stars. It is even possible that the number of rogue planets could be equal to the number of planets in orbit around stars.
10. The _______________ Space Telescope, slated for launch in 2025, will be used in part to search for rogue planets.
a. Nancy Grace Roman
It is named for Nancy Grace Roman (1925-2018) who was noted for her work in stellar classification as well as other endeavors. She also became NASA's first female executive. She also served as NASA's first Chief of Astronomy throughout the 1960s' and 70s'.
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