Question 1

How many neutrinos from the Sun pass through your outstretched hand (10 × 10 cm) every second,day and night?

Accepted Answer

A)   10 trillion, or 10¹³, in daytime and almost none during the night because they are stopped by Earth
B)   10 trillion, or 10¹³
C)   just a few, thankfully!
D)   10 billion, or 10¹⁰E) C) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 2

Figure 9-22b of Comins,Discovering the Essential Universe,6th ed.,shows that all of the Sun's luminosity is generated within the inner 25% of the solar radius.What can you say about the correlation of the other graphs in the figure with the luminosity graph?

Accepted Answer

A)   Almost all of the Sun's mass is located within the inner 25% of the solar radius.
B)   The core has a temperature of 15.5 × 10⁶ K, the temperature needed for hydrogen fusion, throughout this inner 25% of the solar radius.
C)   The temperature actually peaks in the convection zone, driving the convection process.
D)   The density is greatest within the inner 25% of the solar radius, causing the high pressure and temperature required for hydrogen fusion.E) B) and C)
F) All of the above

Question 3

Other stars:

Accepted Answer

A)   have never been detected producing a solar wind.
B)   produce their own solar winds, but these are too weak to reach the vicinity of the solar system.
C)   produce their own solar winds, but most are prevented from reaching the planetary region of our solar system by our Sun's heliosphere.
D)   produce their own solar winds, and these galactic cosmic rays contribute the bulk of the cosmic ray flux we receive on Earth.E) A) and B)
F) C) and D)

Question 4

If sunspots are cooler than the photosphere (by as much as 1500 K) ,what would be the peak wavelength in a sunspot spectrum compared with the peak wavelength of the photospheric spectrum?

Accepted Answer

A)   shorter
B)   either shorter or longer, depending on the magnetic field strength in the sunspot
C)   same because the chemical composition is the same (hydrogen and helium) 
D)   longerE) None of the above
F) All of the above

Question 5

A solar plage is a:

Accepted Answer

A)   cooler region of the photosphere surrounding the very cold central region of a sunspot.
B)   brightening of a portion of the Sun in light from hydrogen and other atomic species, appearing just before a sunspot and then surrounding it.
C)   "hole" in the hot corona through which solar wind escapes into interplanetary space.
D)   gigantic loop of gas, lifted by magnetic fields above the solar surface, appearing dark against the photosphere and bright against dark space.E) A) and B)
F) B) and C)

Question 6

Sunspots appear dark because they:

Accepted Answer

A)   are coronal holes.
B)   are cooler than the surrounding surface.
C)   are regions from which the light is prevented from escaping by strong magnetic fields.
D)   have a different chemical composition than the surrounding surface.E) B) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 7

The hydrogen fusion reaction is 4 ¹H → ⁴He + neutrinos + energy.What forms does this energy take?

Accepted Answer

A)   kinetic energy associated with the motion of the four protons
B)   kinetic energy associated with the motion of the helium, protons, and gamma-ray photons
C)   chemical energy associated with the electrons in orbit around the helium nucleus
D)   gravitational energy associated with the attraction of the particles at close rangeE) A) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 8

A supergranule on the Sun is:

Accepted Answer

A)   a large area of slowly rising and falling gas containing hundreds of ordinary granules.
B)   another name for a large, long-lived sunspot group.
C)   a large area in which the rapid convection of the gas destroys all granules that would otherwise form in that area.
D)   a very large but otherwise ordinary granule in the photosphere.E) A) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 9

Of the three ways in which energy is transported in nature,which two are important in the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)   radiation and conduction
B)   convection and conduction
C)   The question is wrong; all three ways in which energy is transported are equally important in the Sun.
D)   radiation and convectionE) None of the above
F) B) and D)

Question 10

What is the average length of a complete cycle of sunspots and magnetic fields on the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)   22 years
B)   7 years
C)   4.5 years
D)   11 yearsE) C) and D)
F) None of the above

Question 11

What change in spectral lines emitted by atoms is described by the Zeeman effect?

Accepted Answer

A)   the broadening of the lines associated with the high temperature of the emitting gas
B)   the change in relative intensity of different lines from sources of different temperature
C)   the shift in the lines because of the movement of the source
D)   the splitting of lines because the atoms are within an intense magnetic fieldE) None of the above
F) All of the above

Question 12

What is the name of a sudden,highly energetic,eruptive surge on the surface of the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)   prominence
B)   sunspot
C)   plage
D)   flareE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 13

What are the names of the three layers in the Sun's atmosphere,in order from lowest to highest?

Accepted Answer

A)   corona, chromosphere, photosphere
B)   photosphere, chromosphere, corona
C)   photosphere, corona, chromosphere
D)   chromosphere, photosphere, coronaE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 14

To what does the symbol Fe XIV refer?

Accepted Answer

A)   compound of iron, xenon, iodine, and vanadium
B)   iron atoms that have lost 15 electrons
C)   iron atoms that have lost 14 electrons
D)   iron atoms that have lost 13 electronsE) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 15

What is the threshold temperature for the fusion of hydrogen to helium to occur?

Accepted Answer

A)   19,000 K
B)   153,000 K
C)   107 K
D)   1.55 X 107 KE) C) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 16

On its passage through the Sun's interior,a particular photon experiences:

Accepted Answer

A)   only one collision.
B)   thousands of collisions.
C)   millions of collisions.
D)   collisions numbering more than millions.E) C) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 17

One technique for the detection of neutrinos from outer space involves the reaction of neutrinos with protons in a water tank,with the resulting high-speed positrons,or positive electrons,then generating Cerenkov radiation in the water.How is the Cerenkov radiation produced?

Accepted Answer

A)   by the passage of the charged positron through the water at a speed greater than the speed of light in a vacuum
B)   by the recombination of the positron with a proton to produce neutral hydrogen and Balmer series line emissions
C)   by the annihilation of a negative electron in the water by the positron
D)   by the charged positron moving in the water faster than the speed of light in waterE) B) and C)
F) All of the above

Question 18

Where is the COOLEST region in the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)   just below the photosphere, in the convective zone
B)   in the lower corona
C)   in the lower photosphere
D)   in the lower chromosphereE) None of the above
F) A) and C)

Question 19

What is the rotation period of the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)   about two rotations per year
B)   about one rotation per day
C)   about four rotations per month
D)   about one rotation per monthE) All of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 20

Which recently discovered fact about the Sun might have some bearing on climate changes and the weather on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   The Sun's surface is oscillating up and down every 5 minutes.
B)   There are far fewer neutrinos emitted from the Sun than predicted.
C)   Solar wind seems to originate in cooler regions of the corona-the coronal holes-and their number varies month by month.
D)   The Sun's overall energy output depends on the 11-year sunspot cycle.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Exam 9: The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

The hydrogen fusion reaction is 4 ¹H → ⁴He + neutrinos + energy.What forms does this energy take?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How many neutrinos from the Sun pass through your outstretched hand (10 × 10 cm) every second,day and night?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which recently discovered fact about the Sun might have some bearing on climate changes and the weather on Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the rotation period of the Sun?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A solar plage is a:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Where is the COOLEST region in the Sun?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the threshold temperature for the fusion of hydrogen to helium to occur?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

To what does the symbol Fe XIV refer?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the average length of a complete cycle of sunspots and magnetic fields on the Sun?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What are the names of the three layers in the Sun's atmosphere,in order from lowest to highest?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Sunspots appear dark because they:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Of the three ways in which energy is transported in nature,which two are important in the Sun?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Figure 9-22b of Comins,Discovering the Essential Universe,6th ed.,shows that all of the Sun's luminosity is generated within the inner 25% of the solar radius.What can you say about the correlation of the other graphs in the figure with the luminosity graph?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the name of a sudden,highly energetic,eruptive surge on the surface of the Sun?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What change in spectral lines emitted by atoms is described by the Zeeman effect?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

One technique for the detection of neutrinos from outer space involves the reaction of neutrinos with protons in a water tank,with the resulting high-speed positrons,or positive electrons,then generating Cerenkov radiation in the water.How is the Cerenkov radiation produced?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

On its passage through the Sun's interior,a particular photon experiences:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If sunspots are cooler than the photosphere (by as much as 1500 K) ,what would be the peak wavelength in a sunspot spectrum compared with the peak wavelength of the photospheric spectrum?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A supergranule on the Sun is:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Other stars:

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