Exam Review of Chapter 6 Astronomical Instruments

Astronomical observatories have been available since ancient times, and many cultures set aside special sites for astronomical observations.  The thing modern observatories have that was missing from these older observatories until about 1610 was:

• a dark site, where lights did not get in the way

• a method of keeping good record

• a way of measuring from what general direction in the sky a beam of light was coming

• telescopes

The most important function of an astronomical telescope is to:

• collect as much light as possible and bring it to a focus

• enhance the violet colors of an object, which our eyes have trouble seeing

• bring distant objects closer by pulling on the light

• pierce through the clouds so a cloudy night is not wasted

The first person who regularly turned a telescope to astronomical observations (and published his observations) was:

• Isaac Newton

• Galileo Galilei

• Edwin Hubble

• Adam Refractor

The size of the device that collects radiation (such as light) is called the telescope's:

• magnification

• resolution

• aperture

• focal width

The earliest telescopes used by astronomers were:

• reflectors

• refractors

• radio telescopes

• about the aperture of the telescope on Mount Palomar

When a knowledgeable amateur astronomer tells you that she has a 14-inch telescope, what does the number 14 refer to?

• the number of times the image is magnified (how much bigger it looks)

• the length of the main telescope tube

• the focal length

• the diameter of the primary lens or mirror

An astronomer is studying galaxies of stars that are very far away and thus look extremely faint (using visible light).  What kind of telescope should she and her graduate students apply for time on?

• a refractor

• the telescope with the biggest aperture possible

• telescope with a small aperture but with eyepieces that have good magnification

• a telescope built before 1948

The largest visible-light telescopes in the world use what device to collect as much light as possible before the light is brought to a focus (to act as the “light bucket”)?

• a lens

• a spectroscope

• a CCD

• a mirror