Astronomy Astronomy MCQ 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A star's color is primarily an indicator of its what?
- Mass
- Surface temperature (Correct answer)
- Distance
- Age
Correct answer: Surface temperature
Blue stars are hotter and red stars are cooler, so color tracks surface temperature.
Question 2: What is a light-year a measure of?
- Time
- Brightness
- Distance (Correct answer)
- Mass
Correct answer: Distance
A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, about 5.9 trillion miles.
Question 3: Which layer of the Sun do we see as its visible surface?
- Corona
- Chromosphere
- Photosphere (Correct answer)
- Core
Correct answer: Photosphere
The photosphere is the layer that emits the visible light we observe.
Question 4: What is the most likely fate of a low-mass star like the Sun?
- Supernova
- Black hole
- White dwarf (Correct answer)
- Neutron star
Correct answer: White dwarf
After shedding its outer layers, a Sun-like star leaves behind a hot, dense white dwarf.
Question 5: Which planet rotates on its side with an axial tilt near 98 degrees?
- Neptune
- Uranus (Correct answer)
- Saturn
- Jupiter
Correct answer: Uranus
Uranus has an extreme tilt, likely caused by a giant collision, so it rolls along its orbit.
Question 6: What are the small rocky bodies orbiting mainly between Mars and Jupiter called?
- Comets
- Meteors
- Asteroids (Correct answer)
- Moons
Correct answer: Asteroids
The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter contains countless rocky bodies.
Question 7: What phenomenon occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth?
- Lunar eclipse
- Solar eclipse (Correct answer)
- Equinox
- Transit
Correct answer: Solar eclipse
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks the Sun's light from reaching Earth.
Astronomy Astronomy MCQ 3
A star's color is primarily an indicator of its what?