ASP Knowledge 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the name of the region of the solar system where most short-period comets originate?
- Oort Cloud
- Asteroid Belt
- Kuiper Belt (Correct answer)
- Scattered Disc
Correct answer: Kuiper Belt
The Kuiper Belt, a disk of icy bodies beyond Neptune's orbit, is the primary source of short-period comets that orbit the Sun in under 200 years.
Question 2: Which instrument is used to analyze the spectrum of light from a star?
- Photometer
- Spectrograph (Correct answer)
- Astrograph
- Magnetometer
Correct answer: Spectrograph
A spectrograph disperses starlight into its component wavelengths, allowing astronomers to study composition, temperature, velocity, and other stellar properties.
Question 3: What does the term 'magnitude' refer to in astronomy?
- The physical size of a celestial object
- The brightness of a celestial object (Correct answer)
- The mass of a celestial object
- The age of a celestial object
Correct answer: The brightness of a celestial object
Magnitude is a logarithmic scale of brightness; lower numbers (and negative values) indicate brighter objects.
Question 4: What is a planetary nebula?
- A cloud of gas and dust where planets form
- The glowing shell of gas expelled by a dying low-mass star (Correct answer)
- A nebula surrounding a gas giant planet
- A supernova remnant
Correct answer: The glowing shell of gas expelled by a dying low-mass star
A planetary nebula forms when a low-mass star sheds its outer layers at the end of its life, creating an illuminated shell around the remaining white dwarf.
Question 5: Which law states that equal areas are swept out in equal times as a planet orbits the Sun?
- Newton's first law
- Kepler's first law
- Kepler's second law (Correct answer)
- Hubble's law
Correct answer: Kepler's second law
Kepler's second law (law of equal areas) states that a line joining a planet to the Sun sweeps equal areas in equal intervals of time, implying planets move faster near perihelion.
Question 6: What is the approximate age of the observable universe?
- 4.6 billion years
- 10 billion years
- 13.8 billion years (Correct answer)
- 20 billion years
Correct answer: 13.8 billion years
Based on CMB measurements and the expansion rate of the universe, cosmologists estimate the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old.
Question 7: What type of object results when a very massive star (>25 solar masses) undergoes a supernova explosion?
- White dwarf
- Brown dwarf
- Neutron star
- Black hole (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Black hole
When the core of a very massive star collapses after a supernova, the resulting object's gravity is so extreme that not even light can escape, forming a black hole.
ASP Knowledge 5
What is the name of the region of the solar system where most short-period comets originate?