20121204

Astronomy current events question: super-Jupiter Kappa Andromedae b

Astronomy 210L, fall semester 2012
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!)
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Subaru Telescope press release, "Direct Imaging of a Super-Jupiter Around a Massive Star," November 19, 2012
http://www.naoj.org/Pressrelease/2012/11/19/index.html
The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan's Subaru Telescope in Hawaii directly imaged a "super-Jupiter" planet orbiting the star Kappa Andromedae by:
(A) illuminating it with laser beams.
(B) observing during a total solar eclipse.
(C) subtracting out light from the star.
(D) borrowing Hubble Space Telescope observing time.
(E) using gravitational lensing.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 3 students
(B) : 6 students
(C) : 28 students
(D) : 3 students
(E) : 12 students

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