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Whether or not a galaxy has a bar is apparently determined by:


A) how fast it is rotating.
B) whether or not it has satellite galaxies with which it is interacting.
C) how much dark matter it has.
D) where it is in its evolutionary journey.

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Which spectral feature originating in a galaxy is used in the Tully-Fisher relation, by measuring its width, to determine the intrinsic luminosity of the galaxy?


A) the 2.3-mm microwave emission line from the molecule CO, which is closely associated with molecular hydrogen
B) the Lyman L α\alpha ultraviolet line from atomic hydrogen
C) the 21-cm radio emission line from atomic hydrogen gas
D) the Balmer H α\alpha red line from atomic hydrogen

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The Cepheid variables that Hubble observed in M31 had an apparent magnitude of about 18, and thus an apparent brightness relative to the Sun (b/bŸ) of about 1.3 × 10-18. What approximate periods would these Cepheids need in order to yield a distance to M31 of about 750 kpc?


A) less than 1 day
B) 3 days
C) 10 days
D) 70 days

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Type Ia supernovae are frequently used as standard candles for the measurement of distances to galaxies, but they are not all equally luminous. What additional relationship between properties of supernovae is used to determine specific luminosities for individual supernovae?


A) the more blue the spectrum of the supernova, the more luminous the supernova
B) the faster the rise of light intensity during the explosion, the more luminous the supernova
C) the slower the decay of intensity after the explosion, the more luminous the supernova
D) the faster the decay of intensity after the explosion, the more luminous the supernova

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Gravity is a long-range force, and its effect can be seen in each of the following cases EXCEPT ONE. Which is the EXCEPTION?


A) Globular clusters move in orbits about the center of the Milky Way.
B) A recently discovered member of the Local Group, Canis Major Dwarf, a close companion of the Milky Way Galaxy, is being disrupted by tidal forces from the Milky Way.
C) Clusters of galaxies are bound systems.
D) Superclusters of galaxy clusters are bound systems.

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Scattering by interstellar dust can affect the results of some standard measuring techniques. Which one of the following is NOT affected by the presence of dust?


A) Cepheid variables
B) Type Ia supernovae
C) parallax
D) Tully-Fisher relation

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According to the Hubble classification scheme, an E6 galaxy:


A) has a shorter central bar in its disk than an E2 galaxy.
B) has more tightly wound spiral arms than an E2 galaxy.
C) is flatter looking than an E2 galaxy.
D) is rounder looking than an E2 galaxy.

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What is the galaxy content of a rich, irregular cluster of galaxies, like the Hercules Cluster?


A) entirely elliptical galaxies
B) more or less equal numbers of spirals and ellipticals
C) many more ellipticals than spirals
D) many more spirals than ellipticals

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Which of the following sequences shows the correct order of galaxy type in terms of the extent of rotational motion, from the least to the most rotation?


A) Sb spiral, S0 lenticular, E7 elliptical, and E0 elliptical
B) S0 lenticular, E0 elliptical, E7 elliptical, and Sb spiral
C) E7 elliptical, E0 elliptical, S0 lenticular, and Sb spiral
D) E0 elliptical, E7 elliptical, S0 lenticular, and Sb spiral

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Even though the Hubble law for galactic motions indicates that the spectra of all galaxies should show redshift as a consequence of the general expansion of the universe, the Andromeda Galaxy M31 appears to show a blueshift in its spectrum. Why is this?


A) M31 has an abnormally powerful black hole at its center that gravitationally blueshifts its entire spectrum.
B) The mutual attraction between M31 and the Milky Way Galaxy has overcome the general Hubble flow.
C) Young giant spiral galaxies such as M31 do not follow the normal Hubble flow because they have formed relatively recently.
D) One side of M31 is heavily obscured by dust and gas and the blueshift simply shows the Doppler shift of the other side of the galaxy, produced by galactic rotation.

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The Hubble law, representing observations of distant galaxies in the universe, relates which two parameters?


A) mass of a distant galaxy and its luminosity
B) luminosity of a distant galaxy and the width of the 21-cm radio line of hydrogen
C) distance to a distant galaxy and its recession velocity
D) mass of a distant galaxy and its recession velocity

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Why is the Tully-Fisher relation NOT used for elliptical galaxies?


A) Ellipticals do not emit 21-cm radiation.
B) The luminosity of an elliptical is not related to its mass.
C) The luminosity of an elliptical is not related to its age.
D) Ellipticals do not rotate.

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The fundamental plane technique for ellipticals can be used to determine galaxies at greater distances than the Tully-Fisher relation that is applied to spirals. Why?


A) The fundamental plane technique is not affected by interstellar reddening while the Tully-Fisher relation is.
B) Ellipticals rotate faster than spirals.
C) The brightest ellipticals are brighter than the brightest spirals.
D) Ellipticals exist in the farthest galaxy clusters. Spirals exist only in relatively nearby clusters.

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Do the shapes of elliptical galaxies really reflect their true shape?


A) No. The shapes of most of them have been severely distorted by gravitational lensing around the supermassive black hole at their centers.
B) No. They may all be the same shape but viewed either edge on, face on, or in between these two cases.
C) No, because we cannot see the outlying spherical shells of material detected by radio telescopes around elliptical galaxies.
D) Yes. The shapes we see have been shown to be their true three-dimensional shape.

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How does the maser technique work in providing a direct distance measurement to galaxies at intermediate distances (5-10 Mpc range) ?


A) Velocity measurements of maser sources on either edge of the galaxy from Doppler shift of the very narrow maser spectral lines are combined with very precise angular motions of equivalent sources across the front of the galaxy, measured with radio interferometry, to calculate distances.
B) Velocity measurements of maser sources on either side of the galaxy from Doppler shift of the very narrow maser spectral lines are combined with observations of rates of intensity flickering of these small sources to calculate distances.
C) Velocity measurements of maser sources on either side of the galaxy from Doppler shift of the very narrow maser spectral lines are combined with very precise angular separation between the sources and the centers of the galaxies by radio interferometry to calculate distances.
D) Very precise angular motions of sources in front of the galaxy, measured with radio interferometry, are combined with observations of the rates of flickering of intensity of these small sources to calculate distances.

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Scattering by interstellar dust can affect the results of some standard measuring techniques. Which one of the following is NOT affected by the presence of dust?


A) RR Lyrae stars
B) masers
C) spectroscopic parallax (use of H-R diagram)
D) fundamental plane

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In the galaxy cluster 1E0657-56, the dark matter seems to have been displaced from the luminous matter during a collision with another cluster. Our understanding of how this might have occurred depends on the premise that:


A) the second cluster contains no dark matter.
B) the second cluster contains only dark matter.
C) dark matter is influenced only by gravitational force.
D) dark matter consists mostly of dim red and brown dwarfs.

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The Hercules Cluster of galaxies shown in Figure 23-18 (Universe, 11th ed.) is at a distance of 650 million ly from our galaxy. Using a Hubble constant of 23 (km/s) /Mly, at what wavelength will the Balmer H α\alpha spectral line, with rest wavelength = 656.3 nm, be seen in the spectrum of a galaxy in this cluster?


A) 623.6 nm
B) 689.0 nm
C) 656.7 nm
D) 32.7 nm

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Why are RR Lyrae variables NOT used to find distances to distant galaxies?


A) RR Lyrae variables are found in globular clusters. They are not found in other galaxies.
B) The periods of RR Lyrae variables are irregular and thus not reliable for distance measurements.
C) They are not bright enough to be seen at large distances.
D) By their nature, RR Lyrae variables are surrounded by clouds of gas and dust. The resulting extinction makes their luminosities difficult to determine.

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Which one of the following formulas is not valid when the speed of the object under consideration becomes large-say, 10% of the speed of light?


A) v = H0 d
B) z = v/c
C) z = Δλ / λ0
D) All the equations above are generally valid at all speeds.

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