Exploring the Cosmos - Life and Death of Stars (Part 2)
1. Globular clusters in our galaxy consist of groups of
very large stars.
newly born stars.
burnt out stars.
very old stars.
2. An open cluster consists of stars which are all
on the main sequence.
around the same age.
the same mass.
the same temperature.
3. Which of the following elements makes up a large fraction of a main sequence star?
Carbon
Iron
Helium
Oxygen
4. T Tauri stars are
frequently strong infrared sources.
remnant cores of dead stars.
standard candles.
optically visible in their cocoon.
5. The Sun generates heat by converting
helium to carbon through the triple alpha reaction.
hydrogen to helium through the triple alpha reaction.
hydrogen to helium through the proton-proton chain.
helium to carbon through the CNO cycle.
6. Main sequence stars with higher luminosity than the Sun
have a lower surface temperature than the Sun.
are only observed in globular clusters.
have a shorter lifetime than the Sun.
must be red giants.
7. Globular clusters mainly consist of groups of
black holes.
very old stars.
newly born stars.
very large stars.
8. T Tauri stars are
standard candles.
frequently strong infrared sources.
optically visible in their cocoon.
remnant cores of dead stars.
9. Open clusters
are metal poor.
contain the oldest stars in our galaxy.
are only found in distant galaxies.
have a smaller density of stars than globular clusters.
10. Stars in a single cluster differ widely in
distance.
mass.
chemical composition.
age.
11. Bok globules are
small star clusters.
T Tauri stars.
dense dust clouds out of which stars form.
Herbig Haro objects.
12. The Crab Nebula is of interest because it
contains a black hole.
is in the centre of the constellation Cancer.
surrounds the supernova SN1987A.
contains a pulsar.
13. A globular cluster in our Galaxy is
an asterism like the Pleiades.
a group of very young stars.
a group of very old stars.
a constellation such as Orion.
14. Type I and II supernovae
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
are both standard candles.
can reoccur.
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
15. The main sequence is
OBAFGKMRN.
the succession of stages in the life of a star.
a line on a graph of luminosity against temperature.
a nuclear reaction in very hot stars.
16. An open cluster in our Galaxy is
a constellation such as Orion.
most likely to be found in the galactic halo.
a group of newly formed stars.
a group like the Pleiades.
17. White dwarfs
are the remains of stars much less massive than the Sun.
are very small in number.
are very hot.
are low magnitude stars.
18. Hydrogen burning in stars
produces water vapour in interstellar space.
is a reaction in which hydrogen fuses with oxygen.
can occur in the proton-proton chain reaction.
is a nuclear reaction only occurring in the hottest stars.
19. One element not expected to be produced in the core of stars is
helium.
carbon.
gold.
silicon.
20. Gas clouds contract to form stars because of
electrical attraction.
nuclear forces.
internal pressure.
gravity.
21. Stars in a single cluster differ widely in
mass.
chemical composition.
distance.
age.
22. Which of the following elements is not expected to be common in the core of a white dwarf?
Silicon
Oxygen
Carbon
Hydrogen
23. The CNO cycle is a nuclear reaction which
occurs in stars with cores hotter than the Sun.
causes the helium flash.
produces 'metals'.
occurs in carbon white dwarfs.
24. The final state of a star depends mainly on its
degeneracy.
magnitude.
chemical composition.
mass.
25. T Tauri stars are
remnant cores of dead stars.
frequently strong infrared sources.
optically visible in their cocoon.
standard candles.
26. Given that the radius of the Sun is about 700,000 km
it takes a few hours for light to travel from the core to the photosphere.
light takes 2 to 3 seconds to travel from the core to the photosphere.
energy from fusion appears almost instantly at the photosphere.
energy from fusion takes about 1 million years to travel this distance.
27. Protostars heat up mostly due to
gravitational contraction.
radioactivity.
nuclear fission.
nuclear fusion.
28. If 4 hydrogen nuclei fuse to form a helium nucleus
the mass drops by about 1%.
energy is absorbed.
the mass-energy increases by about 1%.
the mass is conserved.
29. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the radius of a black hole.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
around ten times the solar mass.
the maximum radius of a red giant.
30. Type I and II supernovae
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
are both standard candles.
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
can reoccur.
31. Type Ia supernovae are
are thought to be exploding white dwarfs.
caused by stars collapsing upon themselves.
very bright, newly-formed stars.
have strong H lines.
32. When the Sun becomes a Red Giant
its surface will become hotter than it is now.
hydrogen fusion in its core will have ceased.
it will eventually become a supernova.
it will produce iron and heavier elements in its core.
33. Which of the following elements is not expected to be common in the core of a white dwarf?
Carbon
Silicon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
34. The triple-alpha reaction is
a nuclear reaction in which helium fuses to form carbon.
an intermediate stage in the Carbon-Oxygen-Nitrogen cycle.
an intermediate stage in the proton-proton chain reaction.
responsible for the formation of globular clusters.
35. The supernova SN1987A
was seen in the nearby Andromeda galaxy.
is the most distant supernova seen until now.
was at the same position as a previously catalogued star.
emitted gravitational radiation which was detected on Earth.
36. One element not expected to be produced in the core of stars is
gold.
silicon.
helium.
carbon.
37. The supernova SN1987A
emitted gravitational radiation which was detected on Earth.
was seen in the nearby Andromeda galaxy.
was at the same position as a previously catalogued star.
is the most distant supernova seen until now.
38. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
the radius of a black hole.
around ten times the solar mass.
the maximum radius of a red giant.
39. Black holes
are caused absorption of light in cold, dense nebulae.
are detected as dark clouds at the centre of galaxies.
cannot be directly observed.
are the final stages of stars like the Sun.
40. The Schwarzschild radius gives
the radius of the observable Universe.
the maximum size of a white dwarf.
the size of a neutron star.
the size of a black hole.
41. Type I and II supernovae
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
are both standard candles.
can reoccur.
42. The Pauli Exclusion Principle explains
the solar neutrino problem.
why white dwarfs are stable.
why neutron stars collapse.
supernovae.
43. The final state of a star depends mainly on its
chemical composition.
magnitude.
mass.
degeneracy.
44. One element not expected to be produced in the core of stars is
helium.
carbon.
gold.
silicon.
45. The position of white dwarfs on a HR diagram is
to the right of the main sequence.
to the lower left of the main sequence.
on the upper part of the main sequence.
at random points on the diagram.
46. When the Sun becomes a Red Giant
its surface will become hotter than it is now.
hydrogen fusion in its core will have ceased.
it will eventually become a supernova.
it will produce iron and heavier elements in its core.
47. The CNO cycle is a nuclear reaction which
occurs in stars with cores hotter than the Sun.
causes the helium flash.
occurs in carbon white dwarfs.
produces 'metals'.
48. Black holes
exert a strong gravitational pull.
can only exist at the centres of galaxies.
are also called accretion disks.
are massive neutron stars.
49. Electron degeneracy
causes pulsars to have a strong magnetic ï¬eld.
prevents the Sun from collapsing within a few years.
prevents black hole formation in massive stars.
prevents neutron star formation in solar-like stars.
50. Globular clusters
are found in elliptical but not spiral galaxies.
are probably the largest clusters of stars in the Universe.
contain mainly stars of low metallicity.
are recently formed collections of approximately 10^6 stars.
51. Black holes
are often observed due to their tidal effect on nearby matter.
are often observed by their tidal effect on the Earth.
can never be observed.
have never been observed.
52. Neutrinos
are too weak to have any effect.
are mainly associated with type Ia supernovae.
carry most of the energy away from a type-II supernova.
cause massive stars to collapse.
53. A main-sequence star 10 times as massive as the Sun
has a core temperature that is much higher than that of the Sun.
is much denser than the Sun so has roughly the same diameter.
obtains most of its energy by the triple alpha process.
has about 10 times the amount of hydrogen and so burns approximately 10 times longer than the Sun.
54. Analysis of the H-R diagram for a cluster is a good means to
estimate the distance to the cluster.
count the number of stars in the cluster.
estimate the mass of dust in the cluster.
estimate the age of the cluster.
55. Neutron stars
are very dense and so cannot rotate faster than about once an hour.
can rotate at a rate of more than 100 revolutions per second.
are about the same density as white dwarfs, but made of nuclear material.
contain most of the neutrinos in the known Universe.
56. Open clusters are
an unnamed constellation.
several galaxies weakly bound by gravity.
any number of stars in a group.
several stars weakly bound by gravity.
57. T Tauri stars, EGGs and Bok globules are associated with
main sequence stars.
star birth.
most pulsars.
star death.
58. Pulsars
pulse uniformly over their whole surface in a perfectly synchronised manner.
have not yet been detected.
are made of neutrons and so have zero electric and magnetic ï¬eld.
are known to be nearly perfect spheres.
59. Open clusters within the Galaxy
are never surrounded by dust clouds.
often contain metal-rich stars.
contain about 1 million stars in a sphere of typically 25 parsecs diameter.
usually contain only very old stars which have then spread apart.
60. White dwarfs are
about as hot as the Sun but typically smaller.
so hot that IR radiation dominates, but smaller than the Sun.
typically hot enough to be strong X-rays emitters and about the size of the Earth.
cold and tiny compared to the Sun.
61. The crab pulsar is seen to pulse brightly
only very rarely.
about once a day.
nearly 30,000 times each second.
about 30 times each second.
62. Protostars are normally visible in which two bands of the electromagnetic spectrum?
IR and x-ray.
UV and gamma.
visible and UV.
Radio and visible.
63. The helium flash occurs
in a star of 1 solar mass near the end of the main sequence stage.
when fusion begins in a proto-star of about 1 solar mass.
in the few seconds before a supernova explosion in a 10 solar mass star.
when a 1 solar mass black hole forms from a white dwarf.
64. Pulsars are
always observed as optical objects.
too hard to detect to be able to make any clear statements about them.
never observed as gamma-ray objects.
seen in all the main observing bands within the EM spectrum.
65. Supermassive stars
form iron cores in the final stages of their development
are the usual precursors of white dwarfs.
live longer than all other types of star, as they have a greater store of fuel.
are too large to form black holes.
66. Type II supernovae
are well-recognised standard candles.
are rare but exceedingly bright night-sky objects lasting many years.
are thought to be due to gravitational collapse of a white dwarf.
typically show hydrogen lines in their spectra.
67. Sirius B is
a star slightly heavier than Sirius A that causes Sirius A to wobble.
a black hole that is difficult to observe because it is so close to Sirius a which is a very bright star.
the "dog star"
a white dwarf close to Sirius A.
68. Neutron degeneracy
prevents white dwarfs from collapsing to form neutron stars.
prevents neutron stars from collapsing to form black holes.
determines the size of black holes smaller than 3 solar masses.
affects how neutrons react within the proton-proton chain.
69. Synchrotron radiation is
a feature of the heat from a red giant.
caused by radioactive decay in a Type-II supernova.
a feature of radiation from a neutron star.
a pulsed source of radio interference.
70. Supermassive black holes are
found at the centre of nearly every galaxy.
thought to be very rare in the universe.
usually violent sources of energy that can destroy galaxies.
only found in distant galaxies.
71. The best evidence of black holes comes from
signs of the effect of strong gravitational fields.
x-ray sources which are always black holes.
direct observation of black areas in space.
evidence of their extreme magnetic fields.
72. Pulsars typically spin
about once a year.
about once a day.
many times per second.
many thousands of times per second.
73. Neutron degeneracy
leads to the formation of heavy metals like gold in supernovae.
causes supernova explosions.
prevents the collapse of a white dwarf in a supernova.
stops collapse in a supernova.
74. An emission nebula is
usually dark as it blocks the light from stars.
internally heated by stars.
blue as it scatters the light from stars.
red as it scatters the light from stars.
75. A protostar forms due to
changes in the early stage of a main sequence star.
gravitational attraction due to a nearby star.
collapse of a high density region of gas.
collapse of a low density region containing hydrogen.
76. Main sequence stars
are hydro-dynamically unstable.
stay approximately constant in size.
are continuously cooling.
are continuously contracting.
77. If 4 hydrogen nuclei fuse to form a helium nucleus
the mass drops by about 1 %.
the mass-energy increases by about 1 %.
energy is absorbed.
the mass is conserved.
78. Given that the radius of the Sun is about 700,000 km
energy from fusion takes about 1 million years to travel this distance.
energy from fusion appears almost instantly at the photosphere.
light takes 2 to 3 seconds to travel from the core to the photosphere.
it takes a few hours for light to travel from the core to the photosphere.
79. Which of the following is Betelgeuse?
A nova
A star
A cluster
A constellation
80. The Hertzprung-Russell diagram relates which two properties of a star?
Luminosity and temperature
Time and distance
Luminosity and time
Time and temperature
81. The surface temperature of a type G2 star is about what?
820 K
58 000 K
5 800 K
8 200 K
82. If the core temperature of a main sequence star increases, what happens to it?
The star shrinks and heats.
The star shrinks and cools.
The star expands and cools.
The star expands and heats.
83. Which of the following tends to escape the core of a star?
Positrons
Neutrinos
Protons
Neutrons
84. A planetary nebula is associated with which of the following?
White dwarfs
Red giants
Supernovae
Asteroids
85. The light curve of a type-II supernova has
no H-lines and a plateau.
H-lines and no plateau.
no H-lines and no plateau.
H-lines and a plateau.
86. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the minimum mass of a black hole.
2.8 solar masses
due to boson degeneracy.
caused by electrons being fermions.
87. Neutron stars are approximately as dense as which of the following?
A mountain squashed into a thimble.
The mass of the Earth squashed into a thimble.
Water
The mass of the Sun squashed into the volume of the Earth.
88. Jocelyn Bell-Burnell discovered
novae
black holes
supernovae
pulsars
89. Which one of the following statements is TRUE?
Reflection nebulae emit light from ionising hydrogen.
Emission nebulae appear blue.
Bok globules often emit infrared radiation.
Extinction nebulae can only be formed by black holes.
90. A nebula is a
cloud of gas and dust.
star about to collapse.
cluster of galaxies.
cluster of small stars
91. Hydrogen burning in stars
is a reaction in which hydrogen fuses with oxygen.
produces water vapour in interstellar space.
is a nuclear reaction only occurring in the most massive stars.
can occur via the proton-proton chain reaction.
92. The Sun generates heat by converting
hydrogen to helium through the proton-proton chain.
helium to carbon through the triple alpha reaction.
hydrogen to helium through the triple alpha reaction.
helium to carbon through the CNO cycle.
93. When the Sun becomes a Red Giant
it will eventually become a supernova.
its surface will become hotter than it is now.
hydrogen fusion in its core will have ceased.
it will produce iron and heavier elements in its core.
94. Type I and II supernovae
can reoccur.
are both standard candles.
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
95. White dwarfs are
very hot.
very small in number.
low magnitude stars.
the remains of stars much less massive than the Sun.
96. Neutrinos are
derived from Neutrons.
produced in the centre of stars.
dangerous to human health.
particles of about the same mass as protons.
97. Black holes
are massive neutron stars.
exert a strong gravitational pull.
are also called accretion disks.
can only exist at the centres of galaxies.
98. The Schwarzschild radius gives the
radius of the observable Universe.
size of a neutron star.
maximum size of a white dwarf.
size of a black hole.
99. Stars in the same cluster differ widely in
chemical composition
distance
mass
age
100. A globular cluster in our Galaxy is
a group of very young stars.
a constellation such as Orion.
a group of very old stars.
an asterism like the Pleiades.
101. Stars of ten times the solar mass
are only found in globular clusters.
shine for longer than the Sun.
burn out more quickly than the Sun.
are more common than stars like the Sun.
102. Interstellar gas is
all at a temperature close to absolute zero.
of little importance astronomically.
mostly hydrogen.
mostly carbon monoxide.
103. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the maximum radius of a red giant.
the radius of a black hole.
around ten times the solar mass.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
104. A red giant
fuses hydrogen in its core.
is hotter than a white dwarf.
looks very large through a telescope.
is a stage in the life of our Sun.
105. The CNO cycle is a nuclear reaction which
occurs mainly in stars with cores hotter than the Sun.
causes the helium flash.
occurs mainly in carbon white dwarfs.
produces 'metals'.
106. The Crab Nebula is of interest because it
is in the centre of the constellation Cancer.
contains a pulsar.
contains a black hole.
surrounds the supernova SN1987A.
107. Pulsars are
very large stars.
rotating neutron stars.
stars that periodically expand and contract.
rotating white dwarfs.
108. The final state of a star depends on its
degeneracy
chemical composition
mass
magnitude
109. A globular cluster in our Galaxy is
an asterism like the Pleiades.
a group of very young stars.
a group of very old stars.
a constellation such as Orion.
110. T Tauri stars are
standard candles.
frequently strong infrared sources.
remnant cores of dead stars.
optically visible in their cocoon.
111. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the radius of a black hole.
the maximum radius of a red giant.
around ten times the solar mass.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
112. Protostars
are most easily observed by the IR radiation emitted.
usually emit pulses observable in radio waves.
are stars with abnormally high proton content.
are Population I stars.
113. Stars on the lower left part of the main sequence on a HR diagram are
white dwarfs.
red giants.
red dwarfs.
blue giants.
114. The Crab Nebula is of interest because it
contains a black hole.
surrounds the supernova SN1987A.
is in the centre of the constellation Cancer.
contains a pulsar.
115. Red giants
have nuclear reactions in their interior.
are very hot.
are a stage in the life of our Sun.
look very large through a telescope.
116. The Pauli exclusion principle explains
why neutron stars collapse.
the solar neutrino problem.
why white dwarfs are stable.
supernovae.
117. Type I and II supernovae
are both standard candles.
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
can reoccur.
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
118. The final state of a star depends mainly on its
chemical composition.
degeneracy.
magnitude.
mass.
119. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Bok globules often emit infrared radiation.
Emission nebulae appear blue.
Reflection nebulae emit light from ionising hydrogen.
Extinction nebulae can only be formed by black holes.
120. Stars in an open cluster are assumed to be
of the same mass.
moving away from each other.
of the same spectral type.
of the same surface temperature.
121. Hydrogen burning in stars
is a reaction in which hydrogen fuses with oxygen.
produces water vapour in interstellar space.
is a nuclear reaction only occurring in the most massive stars.
can occur via the proton-proton chain reaction.
122. Protostars heat up mostly due to
nuclear fission.
gravitational contraction.
radioactivity.
nuclear fusion.
123. Main sequence stars with higher luminosity than the Sun
have a lower surface temperature than the Sun.
must be red giants.
are only observed in globular clusters.
have a shorter lifetime than the Sun.
124. The triple alpha reaction is a nuclear reaction which
produces helium nuclei.
only occurs in stars more massive than the Sun.
produces hydrogen nuclei.
will occur in red giants.
125. SN1987A
is a faint white dwarf companion of the star SN1987.
is a binary star found in 1987 which emitted X-rays.
was a star which exploded in 1987.
was a nova which occurred in 1987.
126. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the radius of a black hole.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
around ten times the solar mass.
the maximum radius of a red giant.
127. Neutron stars
are detected by the neutrons they emit.
are prevented from collapse by electron degeneracy pressure.
are generally thought to have a strong magnetic field.
emit a steady beam of neutrinos.
128. Black holes
are caused absorption of light in cold, dense nebulae.
cannot be directly observed.
are the final stages of stars like the Sun.
are detected as dark clouds at the centre of galaxies.
Submit Quiz