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Nebulae

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What are nebulae?

a)

groups of exploding stars

b)

clouds of gas and dust in space

c)

a collection of stars

d)

groups of stars forming a pattern

2.

"Nebula" is Latin for ___

a)

glow

b)

emmission

c)

gas

d)

cloud

3.

A cloud of gas that has been excited by light from a nearby star is called ___

a)

a reflection nebula

b)

an emission nebula

c)

a lit nebula

d)

a glowing nebula

4.

In an emission nebula, what is the predominant color of the glow from oxygen?

a)

red

b)

yellow

c)

blue

d)

green

5.

A nebula is...

a)

diffuse clouds of gas and dust loosely held together by gravity.  Some types of nebula make new stars, others are remnants of old stars that have exploded

b)

diffuse clouds of gas and dust loosely held together by gravity. 

c)

diffuse clouds of gas and dust loosely held together by gravity.  Some types of nebula make new planets others are remnants of old stars that have exploded

6.

Dust clouds that reflect the light of nearby bright massive stars are called ___

a)

mirror nebulae

b)

emission nebulae

c)

reflection nebulae

d)

excited nebulae

7.

Reflection nebulae are composed mainly of ___

a)

dust

b)

metallic gases

c)

hydrogen and helium

d)

ice crystals

8.

When visible light hits interstellar dust, what happens to blue and red light?

a)

blue light is scattered, red light is transmitted

b)

blue light is absorbed, red light is transmitted

c)

blue light is transmitted, red light is scattered

d)

blue light is scattered, red light is absorbed

9.

The dust surrounding the Pleiades star cluster is a ___

a)

emmision nebula

b)

absorption nebula

c)

transmission nebula

d)

reflection nebula

10.

The Orion Nebula is lit by four stars located in its heart, collectively called ___

a)

the Trifid Nebula

b)

the Wild Duck Cluster

c)

the Triangulum

d)

the Trapezium

11.

Newly formed stars emit UV light that erodes the surrounding nebula in a process called ___

a)

fluorescent erosion

b)

photoevaporation

c)

lustrous corrosion

d)

photon decay

12.

Three giant towers of gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula have been called ___

a)

the Elephant Salute

b)

the Pillars of Creation

c)

the Fingers of Cronus

d)

the Eagle's Wing

13.

The dark nebula in the constellation Orion that is shaped like a gigantic chess piece is called ___

a)

the Rook's Reprise

b)

the Queen's Gambit

c)

the Horsehead Nebula

d)

the Bishop Nebula

14.

Stars, like our Sun, form from nebulae. How long ago did our Sun form?

a)

4.6 million years ago

b)

46 million years ago

c)

4.6 billion years ago

d)

46 billion years ago

15.

In an emission nebula, what is the predominant color of the glow from hydrogen?

a)

red

b)

yellow

c)

blue

d)

green

16.

Compared to a typical nebula, how much more dense is the air we breathe?

a)

ten times more dense

b)

a thousand times denser

c)

a trillion times denser

d)

a thousand trillion times denser

17.

When astronomers talk about dust, they mean tiny grains with a width of about ___

a)

an angstrom

b)

a micrometer

c)

a millimeter

d)

a centimeter

18.

Small dust clouds that look like "fuzzy red-edged holes in space" are sometimes called ___

a)

atomic fog

b)

elemental attenuators

c)

molecular clouds

d)

red holes

19.

A flattened disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a young newly forming star is called ___

a)

a protoplanetary disk

b)

a nursery nebula

c)

a glowing stratum

d)

a laminar slice

20.

When viewed in the infrared, what is revealed at the center of protoplanetary disks?

a)

supernova

b)

white dwarfs

c)

protostars

d)

black holes

21.

Clouds of dust that look dark to the human eye are actually glowing if you observe them in ___

a)

x-ray wavelengths

b)

the extreme ultraviolet

c)

the near ultraviolet

d)

the far infrared

22.

What is a nebula?

a)

A cloud of gas and dust in space, often a region where new stars are born

b)

A solid mass of rock orbiting a star

c)

A type of galaxy

d)

A black hole

23.

Which of the following is a well-known nebula?

a)

Orion Nebula

b)

Milky Way

c)

Andromeda Galaxy

d)

Alpha Centauri

24.

What role do nebulae play in the lifecycle of stars?

a)

They are regions where new stars are formed

b)

They are the final stage of a star's life

c)

They are regions where stars explode

d)

They have no role in the lifecycle of stars

25.

How are nebulae observed by astronomers?

a)

Using telescopes that detect visible light, infrared, and radio waves

b)

By sending spacecraft to collect samples

c)

By measuring gravitational waves

d)

By observing their effects on nearby planets