Astrophysics Quiz

How far does light travel in one year?

• 600,000,000,000 miles

• 60,000,000,000 miles

• 6,000,000,000,000 miles

• 6,000,000 miles

What is the distance of the Moon from Earth in light-seconds?

• 1 light-second

• 4 light-seconds

• 8 light-seconds

• 12 light-seconds

How many light years away is the nearest star beyond our Sun?

• 3.24 light years

• 2.24 light years

• 1.24 light years

• 4.24 light years

What is the approximate width of our Milky Way in light years?

• 50,000 light years

• 100,000 light years

• 500,000 light years

• 10,000 light years

What concept is used to measure the distance of nearby stars?

• Cosmic parallax

• Astronomical parallax

• Geometric parallax

• Trigonometric parallax

What type of star is used as a standard candle in astronomy?

• Red giant

• Cepheid Variable

• Supergiant

• Neutron star

What is the maximum distance up to which individual stars can be observed?

• 30,000,000 light years

• 30,000 light years

• 40,000,000 light years

• 40,000 light years

What type of stellar explosions are used as standard candles to probe distances up to several billions of light years away?

• Type 1a supernovae

• Type 3 supernovae

• Type 1b supernovae

• Type 2 supernovae

What does the light emitted by the Sun take to reach Earth?

• 4 minutes

• 6 minutes

• 8 minutes

• 10 minutes

What do astrophysicists try to understand by studying the history of the universe?

• The origin of life on Earth

• The formation of galaxies

• The expansion of the universe

• The history of the universe and the origin of everything