Astronomy and Astronomical Distances

Which of the following is the best estimate for the diameter of the sun?

• 0.5 million km

• 1.0 million km

• 1.5 million km

• 2.0 million km

Which of the following categories of solar system body is likely to have the most highly elliptical orbit?

• Dwarf Planet

• Comet

• Asteroid

• TNO

Which of the following units of measurement represents the greatest distance?

• Parsec

• Astronomical Unit

• Light Year

• Arcsecond

Which of the following is the correct value of the astronomical unit, AU?

• 150 million metres

• 1.5 x 10¹¹ m

• 1.5 x 10⁸ m

• 1.5 x 10⁶ km

Which of the following is the correct value for the light-year, ly?

• 9.5 x 10¹⁰ km

• 9.5 x 10¹² m

• 9.5 x 10¹² km

• 9.5 x 10¹⁵ km

Which of the following does NOT correctly express the distance to the sun?

• 150 million km

• 1.0 x 10¹ AU

• 500 light-seconds

• 1.0 x 10⁰ AU

How many arcseconds are there in 1 degree of angle?

• 3.26

• 360

• 3600

• 3.6 x 10⁶

How many light-years are there in one Parsec?

• 2.54

• 9.5

• 6.23

• 3.26

A star exhibits a parallax shift of 2.0 arcseconds when viewed from two positions 1 AU apart. What is its distance from us?

• 0.1 parsec

• 0.5 parsec

• 1.0 parsec

• 2.0 parsec

Two photographs are taken of a star that is 5.0 parsecs distant - one on 1st May and one on 1st November. What is the star's likely parallax shift?

• 0.1 arseconds

• 0.2 arseconds

• 0.25 arcseconds

• 0.4 arseconds