ST.

JOSEPH ASTRONOMY OLYMPIAD

Total Marks: 50 Short Questions

2013

1. Phobos and Deimos are moons that orbit which planet? A: Mars. 2. In what year did Neil Armstrong make his historic walk on the moon? A: 1969. 3. On what planet does a year last only 88 days? A: Mercury. 4. The Asteroids Belt is between the orbits of which two planets? A: Mars and Jupiter. 5. Which planets are never visible at midnight? A: Mercury and Venus. 6. What is the star nearest to the sun? A: Alpha Centauri (Proxima Centauri). 7. Which planet seems to be turned on its side with an axis tilt of 98 degrees? A: Uranus. 8. Name of the brightest star in the sky? A: Sirius. 9. Name the Astronomer who discovered that Mars orbits the sun in an Elliptical Orbit? A: KEPLER. 10. What are Schmidt, Cassegrainian and Galilean examples of? A: TELESCOPES. 11. Who discovered that Universe is expanding? A: Edwin Hubble. 12. The full form of NASA? A: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 13. The Comet known as Halleys Comet has an average period of how many years? A: 76 years. 14. 95% of the Martian Atmosphere is composed of which chemical substance? A: Carbon Dioxide. 15. Callisto and Ganymede are moons that orbit which planet? A: Jupiter. 16. One of the largest volcanoes in our Solar System is named Olympus Mons. Name the planet which has the volcano? A: Mars. 17. Which unlucky Apollo Lunar Landing was cancelled after an Oxygen Tank exploded? A: Apollo 13. 18. Which Planet is usually the Brightest in the sky? A: Venus. 19. The study of the Origin and Evolution of the Universe is known as? A: Cosmology. 20. He completed his graduation from Cambridge University and was a Professor of Chittagong University. Name of the famous Bangladeshi Cosmologist who recently died? A: J N Islam (Jamal Nazrul Islam)

ST. JOSEPH ASTRONOMY OLYMPIAD

Observational Astronomy Name of the Constellations these starts belong to: 1. Vega Answer: LYRA 2. Rigel Answer: Orion 3. Aldebaran Answer: Taurus 4. Sirius Answer: Canis Major 5. Polaris Answer: Ursa Minor General Astrophysics Astronomical Data

2013

Radius of Earth, = 6.37 106 . Mass of Earth, = 5.98 1024 . Wiens Constant = 0.00289mK

1 pc = 3.26 ly Gravitational Constant, G = 6.67 1011 2 2

1. Using the fact that the Gravitational acceleration, g = 9.8 2 at the Earths surface, find the average density of the Earth. (Mark: 5) Solution: As Earth is Spherical, the volume of the Earth is

4 3 3
4 3

Or, =

(6.37 106 )

Or, = 1.083 1021 m3

Density of Earth,

5.9810 24 1.08310 21 3

5522 3 (Answer)

ST. JOSEPH ASTRONOMY OLYMPIAD

2013

2. Given the strongest emitted wavelength, = 5 107 . Find the surface temperature of the Sun. (Hint: Use Wiens Displacement Law) (Mark: 5) Solution: Wiens Displacement Law, T = 0.00289 Or, T = Or, T =
0.00289

0.00289 510 7

Or, T = 5780 K 5800 () 3. Calculate the Escape Velocity ( ) from the Earth for a 5000-kg spacecraft, and determine the kinetic energy it must have at the Earths surface in order to escape the Earths Gravitational Field. (Mark: 10) Solution: The escape velocity from the surface of Earth, = 2
2 6.6710 11 2 2 (5.9810 24 ) 6.3710 6

= 1.12 104 1
The kinetic energy of the spacecraft is, 1 = 2 2 = 2 5000 (1.12 104 1 )2 = 3.14 1011 J (Answer) 4. The suns nearest-neighbor is Proxima Centauri, 4.2 ly distant. How far is this in Parsecs? (Mark: 5) Solution: We Know, 3.26 = 1
1

1 =

1 3.26

4.2 =

14.2 3.26

= 1.29 1.3 ()