20110214

Astronomy current events question: Kepler-11 planetary system

Astronomy 210L, Spring Semester 2011
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!)
Michael Mewhinney, Rachel Hoover, and Trent J. Perrotto, "NASA's Kepler Spacecraft Discovers Extraordinary New Planetary System," February 2, 2011
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/news/new_planetary_system.html
NASA's Kepler Spacecraft recently made the remarkable discovery that the sun-like star Kepler-11:
(A) is about to undergo a supernova explosion.
(B) can be considered an identical twin star to our sun.
(C) will be on a collision course with our sun.
(D) is actually a binary star system.
(E) has as many as six planets orbiting very close to it.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 1 student
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 6 students
(E) : 45 students

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