Best Astronomy Quiz For Astronomy Experts

Tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background show variations in the density of the early universe. What mechanism is believed to have made some regions denser and others more rarefied?

Supernovae

Electromagnetic waves

Sound waves

Matter transport through wormholes

Correct! Wrong!

A surface explosion on a white dwarf, produced by falling matter from the atmosphere of its binary companion, produces what sort of object?

Nova

Planetary nebula

Type-II supernova

Type-I supernova

Correct! Wrong!

The cosmic background is usually characterized as having a temperature of 2.725 Kelvin - that's 2.725 degrees Celsius above absolute zero. What does it mean to say that these photons have a temperature?

Temperature is a measure of kinetic energy: these photons move more quickly than 1-Kelvin photons.

The "cosmic microwave background temperature" is really the temperature of the vacuum the photons are moving through.

Their energy spectrum is characteristic of thermal radiation from a source at that temperature.

If they hit an object at absolute zero, this is the maximum temperature to which they could heat that object.

Correct! Wrong!

It's a challenge to determine the best placement for a satellite observatory; you need stable positioning, a clear field of view, and a nice line of sight back to Earth. For deep-sky observations like probes into the cosmic microwave background, it's also

The second Lagrange point (L2)

The first Lagrange point (L1)

The Nemesis point

The Trojan point

Correct! Wrong!

As the cosmic microwave background is made up of light waves, we can use well-known techniques of wave analysis to examine it. One useful tool includes looking at the angular sizes of variations in the CMB. It turns out that the largest variations in the

The universe is basically flat.

The universe is ten times older than we had thought from other evidence.

There is about as much antimatter in the universe as there is matter.

The universe has a small-scale "clone."

Correct! Wrong!

Very nearly uniform in every direction, the cosmic microwave background shows an early universe in thermal equilibrium -- but maybe it's a little too uniform. Its uniformity was originally rather awkward for astrophysicists to explain because it gives ris

Different parts of the universe should NOT be in thermal equilibrium, due to the vast distances between them.

As mapped by the cosmic microwave background, the universe appears much more curved than it should be.

We should not be able to observe as much of the background as we do.

So many stars and galaxies have arisen since the early universe that the background should no longer be uniform.

Correct! Wrong!

If the Earth were to be compressed down in size until it became a black hole, its Schwarzschild radius would be

1 cm

10 km

1 km

Correct! Wrong!

The headline for the March 15, 2010 edition of "Scientific American" read "Star set to collide with solar system". The orange dwarf star called Gliese 710 is considered 86% likely to collide with what part of our solar system within the next million and a

Luna

Earth

Oort Cloud

Sol

Correct! Wrong!

Given how hard astrophysicists have struggled to make precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background, you might be forgiven for thinking that it's an extremely arcane phenomenon, well out of reach for mere mortals. However, you can see it for you

As UV-A radiation that makes light-colored objects glow eerily

As part of the static when you tune an analog television between channels

As the buzzing sound when you turn on a cheap fluorescent light bulb

As the distortions that make stars appear to twinkle

Correct! Wrong!

Temperature maps of the cosmic microwave background exhibit a remarkable characteristic. Over the entire field of view, one side of the sky appears a bit colder and the other side appears a bit warmer; the difference is about seven-thousandths of a degree

Half of the universe is expanding faster than the other half, and therefore appears cooler.

Microwave signals from Earth contaminate the signal.

The region of the universe where the Big Bang occurred still retains some extra heat.

The motion of the solar system through space distorts our view of the CMB photons.

Correct! Wrong!

Best Astronomy Quiz For Astronomy Experts

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Tiny variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background show variations in the density of the early universe. What mechanism is believed to have made some regions denser and others more rarefied?

A surface explosion on a white dwarf, produced by falling matter from the atmosphere of its binary companion, produces what sort of object?

The cosmic background is usually characterized as having a temperature of 2.725 Kelvin - that's 2.725 degrees Celsius above absolute zero. What does it mean to say that these photons have a temperature?

It's a challenge to determine the best placement for a satellite observatory; you need stable positioning, a clear field of view, and a nice line of sight back to Earth. For deep-sky observations like probes into the cosmic microwave background, it's also

As the cosmic microwave background is made up of light waves, we can use well-known techniques of wave analysis to examine it. One useful tool includes looking at the angular sizes of variations in the CMB. It turns out that the largest variations in the

Very nearly uniform in every direction, the cosmic microwave background shows an early universe in thermal equilibrium -- but maybe it's a little too uniform. Its uniformity was originally rather awkward for astrophysicists to explain because it gives ris

If the Earth were to be compressed down in size until it became a black hole, its Schwarzschild radius would be

The headline for the March 15, 2010 edition of "Scientific American" read "Star set to collide with solar system". The orange dwarf star called Gliese 710 is considered 86% likely to collide with what part of our solar system within the next million and a

Given how hard astrophysicists have struggled to make precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background, you might be forgiven for thinking that it's an extremely arcane phenomenon, well out of reach for mere mortals. However, you can see it for you

Temperature maps of the cosmic microwave background exhibit a remarkable characteristic. Over the entire field of view, one side of the sky appears a bit colder and the other side appears a bit warmer; the difference is about seven-thousandths of a degree

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