The Universe and Stars

A light-year is used to measure

The table below shows the abbreviated life cycles for three stars. Which statement is best supported by the data?

Use the table to answer the question that follows. Which of the following is a characteristic shared by both Jupiter and Earth?

The life cycle of a star includes formation, life, and death. In the universe, where do new stars originate?

• from fusion in red giants

• in molecular clouds of gas

• in radiation from black holes

• from large fragments of antimatter

Astronomers have found evidence for the existence of a super-massive black hole in the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87. What is thought to cause black holes to form?

• the death of a low mass star

• the gravity of a large nebula

• the collapse of a high mass star

• the combining of material from planets

Which is the Sun most likely to become toward the end of its lifetime?

• a protostar

• a black hole

• a neutron star

• a white dwarf star

Stars appear to be blue, white, yellow, and red, even without the aid of a telescope. What causes the different colors of the stars?

• the surface temperature

• the distance from Earth

• the distance from the Sun

• the gases that compose the star

Which accurately describes the process stars use to convert matter into energy?

• Atoms split, decreasing the average size of atomic nuclei.

• Atoms fuse, increasing the average size of atomic nuclei.

• Atoms release electrons to form positive ions.

• Atoms acquire electrons to form negative ions.

What may form as a direct result of a star collapsing?

• constellation

• galaxy

• protostar

• supernova

In 1987, a supernova was detected in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, which is approximately 169,000 light-years from Earth. Which event produces a supernova?

• the explosion of a massive star

• the birth of a main sequence star

• the collapse of a medium-sized star

• the collision of one star with another