Science Olympiad 2008 Reach for the Stars Division B February 23, 2008 Team Number
0) Label an HR diagram With this test, you have been given a blank HR diagram. Provided is a list of objects and labels to put in the appropriate locations. After you have labeled it to the best of your ability, raise your hand and we will exchange it for a fully labeled one, and collect your version. Label the following: (1) units on top scale (1) units on left scale (1) right scale ticks (1) right scale units (1) bottom scale ticks (1) bottom scale units (1) Main Sequence (1) Position of Sun (1) Red Giant branch (1) Red Supergiant branch (1) white dwarf stars
I) Constellation and DSO ID section For each constellation, answer the following questions, referring to the following separately attached pages (Constellation sheet, Deep Sky Object sheet, HR diagram) HINT: Each DSO is used exactly ONCE. Also use this list of objects for your replies: A) Open Cluster B) Globular Cluster C) Planetary Nebula D) Protoplanetary Nebula E) Supernova Remnant F) Molecular Cloud G) HI Region H) HII Region I) Messier Object J) Galaxy K) Dwarf Galaxy L) Red Supergiant Star O) White Dwarf P) Neutron Star M) Red Giant Star N) Variable Star Q) Black Hole Constellation A: 1. Give the name of this constellation: 2. Give the name of the brightest star in this constellation: 3. Give this star's position on the HR diagram (a letter): 4. Identify the single DSO by number in this constellation 5,6. What is the name and Messier number of this DSO: 7. What type of Object is this DSO (refer to the above table of letters): 8. What type of object formed this DSO, and how? i.e. what has its evolution been like? (short answer) Constellation B: 9. Give the name of this constellation: 10. Identify the single DSO by number in this constellation 11. What is the name of this DSO: 12. What type of Object is this DSO (refer to the above table of letters): 13. What is its relationship to our galaxy? (short answer)
Constellation C: 14. Name: 15. Identify the single DSO by number in this constellation 16,17. What is the name and Messier Number of this DSO: 18. What type of Object is this DSO (refer to the above table of letters): 19. Where would the stars in this DSO be found on the HR diagram, generally? A) With red giant stars B) With other main sequence stars C) With white dwarf stars D) With brown dwarf stars E) Spread across the HR diagram Constellation D: 20. Name: 21. Name of the brightest star in this constellation: 22. This star's position on the HR diagram (a letter): 23 25. Identify the three DSOs by number in this constellation 26 28. What are each of their names and Messier numbers (if applicable) 29 31. For each of the three DSOs, what type of Object are they (refer to the above table of letters): 32 34. For each of the three DSOs, indicate where would they be found on the HR diagram, when appropriate Constellation E: 36. Name: 37. Identify the single DSO by number in this constellation 38,39. What is the name and Messier Number of this DSO: 40. What type of Object is this DSO (refer to the above table of letters): 41. What is the approximate age of the stars in this DSO? A) 1 million years B) 10 million years C) 100 million years D) 1 billion years E) 10 billion years
Constellation F: 42. Name: 43,44. Give the name of the two brightest stars in this constellation: 45,46. Give these stars' position on the HR diagram: 47. Identify the single DSO by number in this constellation 48,49. What is the name and Messier Number of this DSO: 50. What type of Object is this DSO (refer to the above table of letters): Constellation G: 51. Name: 52. Give the name of the brightest star in this constellation: 53. Give this star's position on the HR diagram: 54. This star also has a binary companion. What is its name? 55. What type of object is it (refer to the above table of letters): 56. Where does this companion star fall on the HR diagram: Constellation H: 57. Name: 58 Give the name of the indicated star in this constellation 59. What type of Object is it (refer to the above table of letters): 60. Where does it fall on the HR: Constellation I: 61. Name: 62. Identify the single DSO by number in this constellation 63. What is the name of this DSO: 64. What type of Object is this DSO (refer to the above table of letters): Constellation J: 65. Name: 66. Identify the single DSO by number in this constellation 67,68. What is the name and Messier number of this DSO: 69. What type of Object is this DSO (refer to the above table of letters): 70, 71. Of the planets visible today and tonight, are any of them in any of these 8 constellations? If so, list the planet and the constellation it is in.
II) The Milky Way and Our Sun For this section, refer also to the attached rendering of the Milky Way as viewed face on, when necessary. Also use the following large constellation map: 72. Given the large map of a few Zodiacal constellations, identify the galactic center 's position, by the letter nearest to it. 73. Does the galactic center have to lie within a Zodiacal constellation? (Yes/No) 74. What does the galactic center's position tell us about the relative alignment between the galaxy's plane and the solar system's plane? (short answer) For the following questions, use the provided artist's illustration of our Milky Way Galaxy as viewed face on: 75. Choose the Number that is closest to the Galactic Center 76. Choose the Number that is closest to Earth's position 77. Identify the feature marked A (a word/phrase) 78. Identify the feature marked B (a word/phrase) 79. What role does feature "B" play in the galaxy?
80. What is the approximate distance from the Sun to the center of the galaxy: A) 28 light years (8.58 parsecs) B) 280 light years (85.8 parsecs) C) 2,800 light years (858 parsecs) D) 28,000 light years (8.58kiloparsecs) E) 280,000 light years (85.8 kiloparsecs) F) 2,800,000 light years (858 kiloparsecs) 81. Where will the sun be in 10 billion years? (refer to the HR diagram letters) 82. Briefly describe the path it will take as it continues to evolve (short answer refer to letters on the HR diagram) 83. How many times more massive is the Sun than the Earth? A) 30,000,000x B) 300,000x C) 3,000x D) 30x 84. What is the Sun's average photosphere temperature? A) 3,000 K B) 4,600 K C) 5,800 K D) 7,400 K 85. Over the next few billion years, the Sun's luminosity will: A) increase dramatically B) increase slightly C) remain constant D) decrease slightly E) decrease dramatically 86. (True/False) Our Sun will end its life in a planetary nebula and become a white dwarf. 87. (True/False) Our Sun will likely undergo a nova event in about 5 billion years.
88. If/when our Sun becomes a white dwarf, it will be mostly made of: A) hydrogen B) helium C) carbon D) neutrons 89. A teaspoonful of white dwarf material at Earth's surface would weigh: A) the same as a teaspoonful of Earth like material B) about the same as Mt. Everest C) about the same as the Earth D) a few tons E) a few million tons 90. Which of the following is closest in mass to a white dwarf? A) the Moon B) Earth C) Jupiter D) the Sun 91. Which of the following is closest in size (radius) to a white dwarf? A) the earth B) a small city C) a football stadium D) a basketball E) the Sun 92. What is the upper limit to the mass of a white dwarf? A) 5 solar masses B) 4.1 solar masses C) 1.9 solar masses D) 1.4 solar masses E) 1.2 solar masses 93. If you have two white dwarf stars, one of 1.2 solar masses and one of 1.0 solar masses, how do they compare in size A) The more massive white dwarf has a larger radius than the less massive B) The less massive white dwarf has a larger radius than the more massive C) Exactly the same size (all white dwarf stars are, by definition, the same size)
III) Other Stars and the HR diagram Use the included HR diagram to answer the following questions, when necessary 94. What is the mass range for stars that will become supernovae: A) 0.1 to 1 solar masses B) Less than one solar mass C) around 1 solar mass D) 1 to 3 solar masses E) More than 3 solar masses 95. Suppose that Betelgeuse were to become a supernova and be observed from Earth. What would it look like to the naked eye? A) Because the supernova event destroys the star, Betelgeuse would suddenly disappear from view B) We'd see a cloud of gas expanding away from the position where Betelgeuse used to be. Over a period of a few weeks, this cloud would fill our entire sky. C) Betelgeuse would remain a dot of light but would suddenly become so bright that, for a few weeks, we'd be able to see this dot in the daytime. D) Betelgeuse would suddenly appear to grow larger in size, soon reaching the size of the full moon. It would also be about as bright as the full moon. 96. What event marks the beginning of a supernova? A) the onset of helium burning after a helium flash in a star with mass comparable to that of the Sun B) the sudden outpouring of X rays from a newly formed accretion disk C) the sudden collapse of an iron core into a compact ball of neutrons D) the beginning of neon burning in an extremely massive star E) the expansion of a low mass star into a red giant 97. After a supernova event, what is left behind? A) always a white dwarf B) always a neutron star C) always a black hole D) either a white dwarf or a neutron star E) either a neutron star or a black hole
98. What is the upper limit to the mass of a neutron star, roughly? A) none B) 3 solar masses C) 2 solar masses D) 1.4 solar masses E) 0.9 solar masses 99. If you were to make a cake out of neutron star material, roughly how much would it weigh? A) about the same as a cake made of Earth like material (flour, sugar, and water) B) a few tons C) more than Mt. Everest D) more than the Moon E) more than the Earth 100. Which of the following is closest in radius to a neutron star: A) the Earth B) a city C) a football stadium D) a basketball E) the Sun Where will the following stars be found on the HR diagram: 101: Red giant 102: Red super giant 103: White dwarf 104: Brown or Red dwarf 105: A Main Sequence Star of 50 solar masses 106: A Main Sequence Star of 1 solar mass 107: A Main Sequence Star of 10 solar masses 108: A Main Sequence Star of 1/2 solar mass 109. When a star is born, what is its basic composition, roughly: A) 49% Hydrogen 49% Helium 2% Heavier elements B) 74% Hydrogen 49% Helium 2% Heavier elements C) 89% Hydrogen 10% Helium 1% Heavier elements D) 25% Hydrogen 74% Helium 1% Heavier elements E) 98% Hydrogen 2% Helium
110. Since all stars begin their lives with the same basic composition, what characteristic most determines how they will differ? A) location where they are formed B) time they are formed C) luminosity they are formed with D) mass they are formed with E) color they are formed with 111. The spectral sequence sorts stars according to: (choose as many as apply) A) mass B) surface temperature C) luminosity D) core temperature E) radius F) age 112. Give the spectral sequence in order of increasing temperature: 113. A star of spectral type G lives approximately how long on the main sequence? A) 1,000 years B) 10,000 years C) 1,000,000 years D) 100 million years E) 10 billion years 114. (True/False) The apparent brightness of a star depends only on its luminosity. 115. (True/False) A 10 solar mass star is about 10 times more luminous than a 1 solar mass star. 116. (True/False) If the distance between us and a star is doubled, the apparent brightness is decreased by a factor of four.
Using these HR diagrams from 4 clusters, answer the following questions: 117. Rank these 4 clusters by age, from youngest to oldest A) ABCD B) DCBA C) DBAC D) CBAD E) BACD 118. (True/False) In any star cluster, stars with lower masses greatly outnumber those with higher masses. 119. (True/False) Stars with higher masses live longer than stars with lower masses. 120. (True/False) There is no limit to the mass with which a star can be born it depends only on the amount of material nearby able to collapse and form the star.
Constellation Images: (may be arbitrarily resized or rotated relative to each other) A B C D E F
G H I J
Deep Sky Object Images: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Milky Way, Face on (artist's rendering)