Astronomy Quiz

Two students are looking at the stars on a moonless night. One student points at a certain star and says that it is closer to Earth than all the other stars. What evidence best supports the student's claim about the closeness of the star?

• The star appears smaller than the other stars.

• The star appears brighter than the other stars.

• The star is twinkling more than the other stars.

• The star is darker than the other stars.

Mary observes three bright stars in the night sky. Star C appears the brightest and Star B appears the least bright. Mary imagined adding the Sun to this diagram. Based on her observation and addition to this diagram, select the order of the stars including the Sun from closest to Earth to farthest from Earth.

• Star B, star A, star C, Sun

• Star C, star A, star B, Sun

• Sun, Star B, Star A, Star C

• Sun, Star C, Star A, Star B

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

In comparison to other stars in the sky, the Sun appears brighter than all of the rest because it is--.

• hotter

• larger

• older

• closer

Data from four different stars is provided in the table. Based on the information provided, which of the stars will appear the brightest to observers on Earth?

• Star A

• Star B

• Star C

• Star D

One of the closest stars to Earth is Alpha Centauri A. It is larger than the Sun, yet it appears much less bright. Which of the following is the best explanation for this?

• The smaller a star is, the more concentrated its energy is, so it appears brighter.

• The difference in brightness is due to the difference in relative distance.

• Dust in the Earth's atmosphere absorbs the light of all the stars we see.

• As stars get older, the amount of light they give off decreases.

Star C is 25.3 light years from the Earth and Star D is 36.7 light years away. Which star would most likely appear to be the brightest based solely on this information?

• both

• neither

• Star C

• Star D

What is one thing that determines a star's apparent brightness?

• A star's apparent brightness depends on nothing.

• A star's apparent brightness depends on how far it is from the viewer.

• A star's apparent brightness depends on how it is shaped.

• A star's apparent brightness depends on how it moves.

Which of the following observations would provide evidence to support the explanation for why some stars that are larger than the Sun appear to be less bright?

• A small candle that is far away from you looks brighter than a large candle that is close to you.

• A cloud will reflect light making a rainbow.

• A small candle held closer to you looks brighter than a larger candle in the distance.

• A flashlight appears dimmer if it is covered with different colored lenses.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

How many of the stars, visible in the night sky, are closer to Earth than the Sun?

• all of them

• none of them

• about half of them

• only one

This diagram represents the Earth, five stars, and the distance each star is from the Earth.

Each star is measured according to how bright it appears to someone on Earth. The brightness is measured on the scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is the least bright and 5 is the brightest. the data is shown in the table.

What is the relationship between the star's brightness as viewed from the Earth and a star's distance from the Earth?

• As the distance from Earth increases, the star appears less bright.

• As the distance from the earth decreases, the star appears less bright.

• As the distance from the earth increases, the star is brighter.

• As the distance from the Earth decreases, the star is twinkling.