Galaxies - Crash Course

When first viewed through a telescope, galaxies appeared fuzzy or smoky.  This led astronomers to believe they were what object?

• supernovae

• binary stars

• nebulae

• Cepheid variable stars

Who determined that the object M31 was outside of the Milky Way, and therefore must be its own galaxy?

• Edwin Hubble

• Annie Jump Cannon

• Haber Curtis

• Harold Shapley

What object(s) in M31 were used to determine the distance of M31?

• Type Ia supernova

• binary stars

• Cepheid variable stars

• pulsars

Which of the following is NOT a type of galaxy?

• spiral

• peculiar

• elliptical

• elongated

• irregular

Why do the star-forming nebulae in spiral galaxies appear pink in color?

• they spiral arms are spinning quickly and changing the color of the arms

• the stars are dying inside the nebulae and giving off a reddish hue

• this is the color that warm hydrogen gas give off

The way a spiral galaxy appears in the sky depends on the angle with which we view the galaxy

• FALSE

• TRUE

Elliptical galaxies (check all that apply):

• have many nebulae, forming new stars all of the time

• are full of mostly old stars

• contain little gas or dust

• are likely the result of galaxies colliding

When galaxies collide, the stars inside them collide as well

• FALSE

• TRUE

Which of the following is a likely result when two spiral galaxies collide?

• material being sucked into the black holes at the center of the galaxies

• supernovae of stars due to the force of the collisions

• massive amounts of star formation

• the formation of a new, larger, spiral galaxy

Which of the following IS NOT a galaxy that the Milky Way is currently "eating"?

• Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy

• Terzan 5 Galaxy

• Andromeda Galaxy

• Canis Majoris Dwarf Galaxy