Science Jumpstart

In November 2013 an object orbiting the sun seemed to disappear behind the sun. When a satellite did not detect the object, astronomers thought that the object had been destroyed when it passed close to the sun. However, when another satellite detected a small, bright object with a fan-shaped tail, astronomers proposed that the object was not destroyed.

What type of object were astronomers most likely observing?

• A comet

• An asteroid

• A meteor

• A nebula

The universe has many different components. Which list places four components of the universe in the most likely order from smallest to largest?

• Planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae

• Nebulae, stars, planets, galaxies

• Galaxies, stars, planets, nebulae

• Planets, stars, nebulae, galaxies

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram shows how the sun is classified among the stars.

A star that is several thousand times brighter than the sun with a temperature lower than 4,000 K would be classified as

• a main-sequence star in spectral class B

• a supergiant in spectral class K

• a main-sequence star in spectral class K or M

• a white dwarf in spectral class B

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

Which of these correctly compares the masses of different objects in the universe?

• A moon has less mass than a star and more mass than the planet it orbits.

• A planet has less mass than a galaxy and more mass than the star it orbits.

• A galaxy has less mass than a moon and more mass than a planet.

• A star has less mass than a galaxy and more mass than a planet.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Most of the volume of the universe is found in the space between galaxies. Objects found in the regions between galaxies are most likely to be closest in size to which of these?

• a dust particle

• an asteroid

• a planet

• a star

The M87 galaxy is oval in shape with no spiral structure and has a hot, dense center. Also, it is much bigger than average and has very little gas and dust. Which factor indicates that the M87 galaxy is mainly made up of old stars?

• It is much bigger in size.

• It has very little gas and dust.

• It is oval in shape with no arms.

• It has a very hot and dense center.

Ashley is studying the Eagle Nebula. Scientists have identified several stars forming in the Eagle Nebula.

Which force is most responsible for the formation of these stars?

• magnetic forces

• gravitational forces

• static electrical forces

• thermal radiation forces

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-4

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

The stages of evolution of a star are determined by the mass of the star at the beginning of its life cycle. Which stage of evolution is the oldest form of a massive star?

• red giant

• supernova

• neutron star

• white dwarf

The Sun is a medium-sized star and is expected to continue to perform nuclear fusion for five billion years. What is most likely to be the final stage of the Sun?

• supernova

• supergiant

• neutron star

• white dwarf

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1