P-dog's blog: boring but important

20091115

Astronomy current events question: Indonesian atmospheric blast

Astronomy 210L, Fall Semester 2009
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, "Cosmic Blast Rattles Indonesia," October 25, 2009
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/65960457.html

What have scientists determined to be most likely cause of an atmospheric blast over Indonesia in early October?
(A) Asteroid fragment.
(B) Stray antimatter particles.
(C) Gamma ray burst.
(D) The Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.
(E) Reentering rocket booster.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Section 70200
(A) : 20 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 0 students

20091106

Astronomy current events question: accused spy/planetary science researcher

Richard A. Kerr, "Accused Spy Was Hot on Trail of Lunar Ice," October 20, 2009
http://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2009/10/accused-spy-was.html

A U.S. planetary scientist charged with attempting to sell classified information was previously involved with investigating what feature of the moon?
(A) Subsurface ice in shadowed craters.
(B) Detection of stranglets in Apollo mission lunar soil samples.
(C) Supposed nuclear blast tests on the far side.
(D) Falsification of Apollo mission moon landings.
(E) Disputed theories of the origin of the moon.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 22 students
(B) : 2 students
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 2 students

20091105

Astronomy current events question: latest exoplanet discoveries

Alan MacRobert, "And Then There Were 400," October 21, 2009
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/65056162.html

How did the European Space Observatory in La Silla, Chile detect the 30 newest exoplanets, bringing the known total to over 400?
(A) Reflected radio signals from Voyager 1/2 probes.
(B) Observing these planets passing in front of their stars.
(C) Wobbles these planets exert on their stars.
(D) Laser light reflected off these planets.
(E) Radio signals from planetary magnetic storms.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 8 students
(B) : 14 students
(C) : 41 students
(D) : 4 students
(E) : 1 student

20091031

Astronomy current events question: Europa subsurface ocean oxygen?

Astronomy.com editors, "Europa Ocean May Contain Enough
Oxygen to Support Life," October 9, 2009
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=8706

According to a University of Arizona researcher, what is the proposed source for oxygen that may be found in the subsurface oceans of Jupiter's moon, Europa?
(A) Charged particles impacting its icy surface.
(B) Water- and oxygen-rich asteroids.
(C) Open vents in the ice.
(D) Exotic chemical processes on the warm ocean floor.
(E) Photosynthesis.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 16 students
(B) : 7 students
(C) : 13 students
(D) : 18 students
(E) : 2 students

Astronomy current events question: solar system edge discovery

Clara Moskowitz, "Mystery Emissions Found at Solar System Edge," October 15, 2009
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33332042/ns/technology_and_science-space/

What did the NASA Interstellar Boundary Explorer probe recently find at the edge of the solar system?
(A) Rapidly deteriorating heliosphere.
(B) Large planetoid that will pass close by in late 2012.
(C) Ion trails left by the Pioneer 10/11 and Voyager 1/2 probes.
(D) Ribbon of energetic neutral particles.
(E) Diffuse shell of dark matter.

Correct answer: (D)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 3 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 6 students
(D) : 43 students
(E) : 0 students

Astronomy current events question: James Webb Space Telescope

Astronomy.com editors, "Test Model of James Webb Space Telescope Instrument Ready," October 14, 2009
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=8714

What mission is the joint NASA/European Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope planned to replace?
(A) Cancelled Mars sample return mission.
(B) Repaired Hubble Space Telescope.
(C) Failed Indian Space Agency Chandrayaan moon probe.
(D) Recently crashed LCROSS probe.
(E) Spitzer Space Telescope, out of coolant.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 0 students
(B) : 28 students
(C) : 5 students
(D) : 8 students
(E) : 14 students

20091025

Astronomy current events question: LCROSS mission outcome

Alan MacRobert, "The LCROSS Impact, Continued," October 11, 2009
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/63766222.html

What was the somewhat unexpected result of the NASA LCROSS mission lunar impact?
(A) No collision was observed.
(B) The impact was smaller than expected.
(C) Evidence of liquid water waves.
(D) A new faint, tilted ring surrounding the Moon.
(E) Brief disruption in satellite TV communications.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 4 students
(B) : 20 students
(C) : 5 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 0 students

Astronomy current events question: First Family star party

Kelly Beatty, "Stargazing with the Obamas," October 8, 2009
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/63749172.html

What was the special occasion commemorated by the White House Star Party, which was attended by the President and the First Lady?
(A) Washington D.C. Light Pollution Darkout 2009.
(B) 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
(C) NASA LCROSS mission lunar impact.
(D) Renovation of the White House Observatory.
(E) International Year of Astronomy 2009.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 17 students
(B) : 4 students
(C) : 8 students
(D) : 4 students
(E) : 22 students

Astronomy current events question: Saturn's new ring system

Kelly Beatty, "Saturn's New King of the Rings," October 7, 2009
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/63685982.html

According to University of Virginia researchers, what is the source of Saturn's newly discovered tilted ring system?
(A) Captured asteroids.
(B) Material from one of its moons.
(C) A disintegrated comet.
(D) Magnetic storm eruptions.
(E) Solar winds.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 6 students
(B) : 39 students
(C) : 4 students
(D) : 4 students
(E) : 3 students

Astronomy current events question: MESSENGER final destination

Kelly Beatty, "Messenger's Third "Taste" of Mercury," September 29, 2009
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/62766047.html

The NASA MESSENGER spacecraft recently made a third and final flyby past Mercury. What is its final destination in 2011?
(A) Orbiting around Mercury.
(B) Flying through a solar flare.
(C) Crashing into a shadowed crater on Mercury.
(D) Polar orbit around the Sun.
(E) Asteroid 7861 Messenger.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 16 students
(B) : 2 students
(C) : 4 students
(D) : 4 students
(E) : 0 students