ASP Space Exploration and Modern Astronomy 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the significance of the 51 Pegasi b discovery in 1995?
- It was the first asteroid found orbiting another star
- It was the first confirmed exoplanet found orbiting a sun-like star, a 'hot Jupiter' (Correct answer)
- It was the first exoplanet detected by direct imaging
- It was the first Earth-sized exoplanet found in a habitable zone
Correct answer: It was the first confirmed exoplanet found orbiting a sun-like star, a 'hot Jupiter'
51 Pegasi b, discovered by Mayor and Queloz using the radial velocity method, was the first confirmed exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star, revealing an unexpected 'hot Jupiter' class of giant planets orbiting extremely close to their host stars.
Question 2: What are gravitational waves?
- Sound waves traveling through stellar plasma
- Ripples in spacetime generated by accelerating massive objects, as predicted by general relativity (Correct answer)
- Radio waves generated by pulsars
- Electromagnetic waves produced by solar flares
Correct answer: Ripples in spacetime generated by accelerating massive objects, as predicted by general relativity
Gravitational waves are propagating distortions (ripples) in the fabric of spacetime generated by accelerating massive objects such as merging black holes or neutron stars, traveling at the speed of light.
Question 3: What was the first black hole image released in 2019?
- The black hole at the center of the Andromeda Galaxy
- The supermassive black hole M87* in the center of galaxy M87 (Correct answer)
- Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way
- A stellar-mass black hole in a binary system
Correct answer: The supermassive black hole M87* in the center of galaxy M87
In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration released the first direct image of a black hole — M87*, the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy M87, 55 million light-years away with a mass of 6.5 billion solar masses.
Question 4: What is the Parker Solar Probe's primary mission?
- Studying solar flares from a safe orbital distance
- Flying closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft to study the solar corona and solar wind origin (Correct answer)
- Measuring the Sun's gravitational effect on nearby asteroids
- Deploying solar panels in optimal orbital configuration around the Sun
Correct answer: Flying closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft to study the solar corona and solar wind origin
NASA's Parker Solar Probe is designed to fly within ~6.9 million km of the Sun's surface (inside the solar corona), studying the mechanisms that heat the corona and accelerate the solar wind.
Question 5: What is the significance of NASA's Mars Perseverance rover (launched 2020)?
- It was the first spacecraft to land on Mars
- It is searching for biosignatures of ancient Martian life and collecting samples for eventual return to Earth (Correct answer)
- It is the first nuclear-powered Mars rover
- It is designed to deploy the first Mars satellite
Correct answer: It is searching for biosignatures of ancient Martian life and collecting samples for eventual return to Earth
Perseverance landed in Jezero Crater in February 2021 to search for signs of ancient microbial life, collect rock core samples for future Earth return via the Mars Sample Return mission, and test oxygen production technology.
Question 6: What is the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope's primary contribution?
- It discovered the first exoplanet atmosphere
- It mapped the gamma-ray sky, discovering gamma-ray bursts, pulsars, blazars, and the Fermi bubbles above and below the Milky Way (Correct answer)
- It directly detected dark matter particles
- It found the first evidence for cosmic inflation in CMB polarization
Correct answer: It mapped the gamma-ray sky, discovering gamma-ray bursts, pulsars, blazars, and the Fermi bubbles above and below the Milky Way
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has produced the most comprehensive gamma-ray sky map, detecting thousands of sources and discovering giant gamma-ray-emitting bubbles (Fermi bubbles) extending 25,000 light-years above and below the galactic center.
ASP Space Exploration and Modern Astronomy 2
What is the significance of the 51 Pegasi b discovery in 1995?