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Amateur Astronomy
Test Your Astronomy Knowledge
So you think you know a lot about astronomy? Take this little test and find out. Do not scroll down to the answers until you have answered all five questions.
Question #1: One of the following is NOT a type of telescope. Which one?
A. Herschelian
B. Copernican
C. Gregorian
D. Newtonian
Question #2: What would be the magnification of a refractor telescope if the main objective lens had a focal length of 1200mm and the eyepiece had a focal length of 30mm?
A. 36x
B. 400x
C. 360x
D. 40x
Question #3: Only one of the following is a type of eye piece design. Which one?
A. Monocentric
B. Planocentric
C. Egocentric
D. Orthocentric
Question #4: You cannot see the Aurora Borealis in the Southern Hemisphere. True or False?
Question #5: If you are going to take extended exposure photographs of the sky, which mount is the best one to use?
A. Transit
B. Altazimuth
C. Equatorial
D. Dobsonian
Test Answers:
Question #1: The correct answer is B, Copernican. Nicolaus Copernicus was an astronomer, but no telescope was named after him.
Question #2: The correct answer is D, 40x. You calculate the magnification of a telescope by dividing the focal length of the lens or mirror by the focal length of the eye piece.
Question #3: The correct answer is A, Monocentric. Three glass elements are cemented together to make a monocentric eye piece.
Question #4: The correct answer is true. The word "Borealis" means northern. In the southern hemisphere, Aurora Australis is visible.
Question #5: The correct answer is C, Equatorial. An equatorial has to be driven by only one axis to track stars as the earth rotates.
So how did you do on this little test? If you answered three of the five questions correctly, you beat the average. If you answered fewer than three questions correctly, perhaps you should either study or take up another hobby.
See Also:
NGC 4676: Colliding Galaxies
The Planet Neptune
The Planet Venus
Back in 1686, a French scholar by the name of Bernard de Fontenelle, wrote, "I can tell from here...what the inhabitants of Venus are like; they resemble the Moors of Granada; a small black people, burned by the sun, full of wit and fire, always in love, writing verse, fond of music, arranging festivals, dances, and tournaments every day."
Nice try, Bernard, but you had it all wrong. Back in those days, it was generally accepted that Venus was much like Earth. Venus is about the size of Earth, but that's pretty much where all resemblance ends.
Almost all of the planets in our solar system travel around the sun in a counterclockwise direction…all of them except Venus and Uranus, that is. Venus (as well as Uranus) travels clockwise. All of the planets except Venus and Uranus rotate on their axis in a counterclockwise direction. Venus and Uranus rotate clockwise.
Venus also rotates really slowly, too. A "day" on Venus would equal about 243 Earth days. Venus is covered by a thick layer of clouds that make studying the surface very difficult. In the last 30 years, however, astronomers have learned how to "see" through the thick cloud cover.
In 1962, Mariner 2 was the first spacecraft to go by Venus. Since then, there have been 20 more missions. The first hard landing on Venus was done by Venera 4 in 1967. The first soft landing was done by Venera 7 in 1970.
In 1989, the Magellan spacecraft probe was launched. Magellan rotated around Venus from 1990 to 1995. It then burned up in the atmosphere of Venus. Magellan bounced radar signals off the surface of Venus and transmitted the data back to Earth. |
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Inspired by Maria Mitchell
Generations of women scientists in all of the scientific disciplines have been inspired by Maria Mitchell. Ms. Mitchell was a woman ahead of her time who left an indelible mark on science and the role that women play in scientific research and discovery.
Maria Mitchell was born in 1818. A Quaker couple, William and Lydia Mitchell, had 10 children; Maria was the third child. She attended Cyrus Peirce's School for Young Ladies in her early years, then was taught mostly by her father. After that she was mostly self-educated, but she was the first woman to ever have an advanced degree awarded. It was awarded by Indiana Hanover College in 1853 after she had already discovered a comet, which is named after her. She was also the first woman ever appointed to the Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Maria Mitchell was the most famous American scientist of either sex in the nineteenth century. She was a most remarkable woman who left her mark on astronomy long before women gained the right to vote. In 1847, Maria discovered what we know today as the Comet Mitchell 1847VI, and that was just the first in a long list of accomplishments.
Maria Mitchell is still inspiring young astronomers today. The Maria Mitchell Observatory was established next to her home in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 1908, and it is still very much operational. There is an extensive public education program, and the observatory sponsors research by undergraduate students. The Maria Mitchell Observatory is funded by the National Science Foundation.
The Maria Mitchell Observatory is also home to over 8,000 historic photographic glass plates. The plates were taken by observatory astronomers and students between 1910 and 1995 and span nearly a century of the Nantucket night skies.
Related Topics: Inspired by Maria Mitchell,
Galaxies, Astronomy for Kids
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