Astronomy current events question: Makemake atmosphere

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!)

José Luis Ortiz, Bruno Sicardy, Noemi Pinilla-Alonso, Emmanuel Jehin, and Richard Hook, "Dwarf Planet Makemake Lacks Atmosphere," November 21, 2012
http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1246/

Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory in Chile have determined that dwarf planet Makemake does not have an atmosphere by:
(A) counting impact craters.
(B) how it eclipsed a star.
(C) using adaptive optics.
(D) detecting no polar ice caps.
(E) tracking its five moons.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 7 students
(B) : 23 students
(C) : 9 students
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 1 student