Cuesta College North County campus star party

100415-1150373
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/4620396177/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Waxing crescent moon, April 15, 2010, photographed with a handheld Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8 camera through a Orion 10" reflector at Cuesta College North County campus, Paso Robles, CA. Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instructor Dr. Patrick M. Len.


100415-1150381
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/4621009196/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Venus and waxing crescent moon, April 15, 2010, photographed with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8 camera set on long-exposure mode at Cuesta College North County campus, Paso Robles, CA. Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instructor Dr. Patrick M. Len.

Sights seen:
Waxing crescent moon
Venus
Saturn

Astronomy current events question: M81 halo

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Kelly Beatty, "A New Take on M81's Halo," May 3, 2010
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/92734814.html

Researchers using data from Japan's Subaru telescope have determined that the halo of spiral galaxy M81 __________ than the halo of the Milky Way.
(A) is mainly composed of antimatter.
(B) contains much more dark matter.
(C) is more abundant in heavy elements.
(D) is much smaller.
(E) has a greater redshift.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Section 30682
(A) : 0 students
(B) : 4 students
(C) : 5 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 1 student

Astronomy current events question: galactic bubble RCW 120

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "Herschel Reveals the Hidden Side of Star Birth," May 6, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9829

The European Space Agency's Herschel infrared space observatory has revealed __________ in the galactic bubble RCW 120.
(A) the formation of a black hole.
(B) a star that may become one of the Milky Way's biggest.
(C) a wormhole candidate.
(D) the source of dark energy.
(E) carbon-based organic compounds.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Section 30682
(A) : 1 student
(B) : 6 students
(C) : 1 student
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 1 student

Astronomy current events question: Mars rover 3D camera

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Tim Hornyak, "James Cameron Building 3D Cam for Mars Rover," April 29, 2010
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20003827-1.html

James Cameron, Academy Award winning director of Avatar, is working with NASA to develop:
(A) remote controlled robots for dangerous spacewalk missions.
(B) a documentary on living aboard the International Space Station.
(C) virtual reality technology to train astronauts.
(D) a 3D camera for the next Mars rover.
(E) computer animations of lifeforms that may exist on exoplanets.

Correct answer: (D)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 0 students
(B) : 5 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 45 students
(E) : 3 students

Astronomy current events question: Lunkhod 1 retroreflector

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "Lunokhod 1 Retroreflector Found," April 27, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9804

NASA has rediscovered the positions of the Russian Lunakhod 1 retroreflector on the surface of the moon. This retroreflector will be used to study:
(A) how slowly the moon is moving away from Earth.
(B) secrets of early Russian space technology.
(C) prolonged effects of solar wind on metal alloys.
(D) the very sparse atmosphere of the moon.
(E) the slow formation of ice on lunar surfaces.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 32 students
(B) : 0 students
(C) : 13 students
(D) : 4 students
(E) : 6 students

Astronomy current events question: asteroid 24 Themis

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "Ice Lurks in Asteroid's Cold Heart," April 29, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9811

Observations from the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility have revealed the presence of __________ on asteroid 24 Themis.
(A) radioactive elements.
(B) dark matter.
(C) water ice and carbon-based organic compounds.
(D) fragments of the large impact that created Earth's moon.
(E) solar neutrinos.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 4 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 45 students
(D) : 3 students
(E) : 0 students

Astronomy current events question: return of Neptune

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Kelly Beatty, "The Return of Neptune," April 16, 2010
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/91136009.html

Next year, Neptune is expected to:
(A) eclipse Jupiter and Uranus.
(B) be visible to the naked eye.
(C) cross orbits with, and be closer than Uranus to the sun.
(D) be renamed after its original discoverers.
(E) complete its first orbit since its discovery.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 2 students
(B) : 5 students
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 44 students

Astronomy current events question: planet GJ 436B

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "Distant Planet Missing Common Ingredient," April 22, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9791

The NASA Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered that the planet GJ 436B, about the size of Neptune, is missing __________, an ingredient common to many solar system planets.
(A) oxygen.
(B) water vapor.
(C) nitrogen.
(D) carbon dioxide.
(E) methane.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 1 student
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 6 students
(D) : 4 students
(E) : 41 students

Astronomy current events question: LUCIFER camera/spectrograph

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "LUCIFER Allows Astronomers to Watch Stars Being Born," April 23, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9796

The new LUCIFER 1 camera/spectrograph for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) uses near-infrared light instead of visible light to observe star and planet formation, because near-infrared light is:
(A) more flexible than visible light.
(B) a particle, not a wave.
(C) slower than visible light.
(D) not affected by lookback time.
(E) not blocked by interstellar dust clouds.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 7 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 1 student
(E) : 17 students

Astronomy current events question: VISTA camera/spectrograph

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "VISTA Captures Celestial Cat's Hidden Secrets," April 21, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9781

The new VISTA camera/spectrograph for the European Southern Observatory uses near-infrared light instead of visible light to observe star and planet formation, because near-infrared light is:
(A) more flexible than visible light.
(B) slower than visible light.
(C) not affected by lookback time.
(D) a particle, not a wave.
(E) not blocked by interstellar dust clouds.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 6 students
(B) : 0 students
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 19 students

Astronomy current events question: lightning on Saturn

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "NASA's Cassini Spacecraft Sees Lightning on Saturn," April 15, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9757

The NASA Cassini spacecraft has recently imaged the first movies of __________ on Saturn.
(A) methane cyclones.
(B) falling dry ice snow.
(C) new ring formation.
(D) a "Great White Spot."
(E) visible lightning flashes.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 0 students
(B) : 0 students
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 1 student
(E) : 26 students

Astronomy current events question: seasons on Triton

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "Triton's Summer Sky of Methane and Carbon Monoxide," April 7, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9731

What is the evidence from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope that the atmosphere of Neptune's largest moon, Triton, changes with the seasons?
(A) Increasing amounts of gases.
(B) Shrinking polar caps.
(C) Changes in surface roughness.
(D) Shifting tectonic plates.
(E) Rising methane ocean levels.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 41 students
(B) : 2 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 3 students
(E) : 1 student

Astronomy current events question: Epsilon Aurigae eclipse

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "Astronomers Capture Rare Stellar Eclipse in Opening Scene of Yearlong Show," April 8, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9734

Recent images of the star Epsilon Aurigae indicate that it is being eclipsed by an opaque disk surrounding a nearby:
(A) star.
(B) asteroid.
(C) black hole.
(D) planet.
(E) comet.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 41 students
(B) : 2 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 3 students
(E) : 1 student

Astronomy current events question: Venus alive?

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Astronomy.com editors, "Venus Is Alive, Geologically Speaking," April 9, 2010
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9736

What is the evidence from the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft that Venus may still be geologically active?
(A) Newly discovered impact craters.
(B) Rising volcanic peaks.
(C) Different compositions of certain lava flows.
(D) Gases released from fissures.
(E) Impact craters missing from earlier photos.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 1 student
(B) : 10 students
(C) : 28 students
(D) : 1 students
(E) : 21 students