Questions From 9th Edition Astronomy Today – Directly from the etext – for your utilization if you have purchased or access to earlier editions.

Chapter 5 –

Discussion Questions –

How does Earth’s atmosphere affect what is seen through an optical telescope?

What advantages does the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have over ground-based telescopes? List some disadvantages.

12. Are there any ground-based ultraviolet observatories?

14. What are the main advantages of studying objects at many different wavelengths of radiation?

15. How are telescopes like time machines? Why can larger telescopes see further back in time?

Multiple Choice Questions –

The main reason that most professional research telescopes are reflectors is that

mirrors produce sharper images than lenses do;

their images are inverted;

they do not suffer from the effects of seeing;

large mirrors are easier to build than large lenses.

The primary reason professional observatories are built on the highest mountaintops is to

get away from city lights;

be above the rain clouds;

reduce atmospheric blurring;

improve chromatic aberration.

The Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) is stationed far from Earth because

this increases the telescope’s field of view;

the telescope is sensitive to electromagnetic interference from terrestrial radio stations;

doing so avoids the obscuring effects of Earth’s atmosphere;

Earth is a heat source and the telescope must be kept very cool.

Problems –

A 2-m telescope can collect a given amount of light in 1 hour. Under the same observing conditions, how much time would be required for a 6-m telescope to perform the same task? A 12-m telescope?