2023 Bruw Astronomy Review

The universe is believed to be approximately 14 billion years old. As a result of gravitational attraction, which most likely developed first after the Big Bang?

• a planet

• a comet

• a moon

• a star

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

Radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered a microwave signal during their research in 1964. The microwaves were uniform and coming from all directions in the sky. The phenomenon known as Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) provided evidence that the universe was once very hot and dense. How did CMB contribute to the big bang theory?

• CMB confirmed how matter expanded during the big bang.

• CMB was the magnetic field that was created during the big bang.

• CMB was a reflection of the thermal energy generated during the big bang.

• CMB represented energy trails from moving matter that began with the big bang.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

According to the Big Bang Theory, which element most likely formed first?

• carbon dioxide

• hydrogen

• oxygen

• nitrogen

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

According to the Big Bang Theory, how is the universe changing?

• it is contracting

• it is expanding

• only the rim is expanding

• only the center is contracting

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

Scientists measured the patterns of spectral lines given off by distant galaxies and concluded that almost all of these galaxies are moving away from Earth. What did the scientists observe directly?

• a shift toward longer wavelengths of light

• a shift toward shorter wavelengths of light

• the absence of wavelengths in the visible light range

• the compression of wavelengths in the visible light range

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

Scientists discovered that the level of deuterium in comets forming in the Kuiper Belt is nearly identical to the level found in the oceans of Earth. This discovery provides supporting data for which theory?

• the impact of Earth’s gravity on the decay rate of deuterium is the same as the impact of microgravity

• most comets formed from deuterium-based water that was stripped away from early Earth by solar radiation

• most of the water that forms the oceans of Earth arrived by way of impacts with Kuiper Belt comets

• the Kuiper Belt and the oceans of Earth have proportional evaporation rates based on their distance from the Sun

The frost line of the solar system divides the terrestrial planets from the gas-giant planets. What elements make up most of the mass of the planets orbiting outside of the frost line?

• iron and nickel

• carbon and oxygen

• nitrogen and sulfur

• hydrogen and helium

Which information will best help scientists determine if an object is a comet, an asteroid, or a meteoroid?

• the object's diameter

• the object's composition

• the shape of the object's orbit

• the speed at which the object travels

How are the elements that are heavier than helium but lighter than or equal to iron produced?

• Elements heavier than helium but lighter than or equal to iron were already in existence before the Big Bang.

• Elements heavier than helium but lighter than or equal to iron are produced when massive stars reach supernova stage and explode.

• All of the elements were produced during the initial collision of plasma particles before the stars existed.

• Elements heavier than helium but lighter than or equal to iron are produced by nuclear fusion within stars.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

Over the past few centuries, comets have occasionally been observed in the sky. What is one difference between comets and the Moon?

• The Moon has a core of ice, while comet cores are solid rock.

• Comets have large orbits around the Sun, while the Moon orbits Earth.

• The Moon reflects light from the Sun, while comets generate their own light.

• Comets collect debris as they travel in space, while the Moon gives off meteoroids.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1