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ASTRONOMY
Maj-Sci 100 (TERM 3: SEd-1-1-13)
Summer 2022

Module 2
LIGHT AND TELESCOPE
Name: Haina Boniene M. Napuli Year & Section: BSED Science 301 Score:

Testing Your Understanding

I. Multiple Choice. Direction: Write the letter which you think is the best answer.

1. Radio telescopes are important in astronomy because

a. they can detect cool hydrogen.

b. they have high magnification.
c. the can detect interstellar dust clouds.
d. they don’t need to be as large as optical telescopes to achieve the same resolving
power.

2. Interferometry

a. is used to improve the resolving power.

b. decreases the chromatic aberration of a telescope.
c. requires that radio telescopes be within a few hundred feet of each other.
d. none of the above

3. Photons of blue light

a. have a greater energy than photons of red light.

b. have a greater energy than photons of ultraviolet light.
c. have a lower frequency than photons of red light.
d. have a longer wavelength than photons of red light.

4. Observations of radio waves from astronomical objects suffer from poorer resolution
than visible observations because

a. the signals are so weak in the radio region

b. the wavelength of radio waves is much longer than wavelengths of visible light
c. radio telescopes are generally much smaller in diameter than optical telescopes
d. radio telescopes don’t use mirrors
5. A ground-based telescope to observe X rays would

a. be a powerful tool for studying abnormally cold stars or distant planets.

b. give astronomers the chance to study the insides of stars and planets.
c. be worthless because no astronomical objects emit X rays.
d. be worthless because X rays cannot get through the Earth’s atmosphere.

II-Essay. Direction: Answer the question briefly.

1. Why does the wavelength response of the human eye match so well the visual
window of Earth’s atmosphere?

 Because a major amount of the electromagnetic spectrum waves that pass through
the atmosphere are visible, the wavelength response of the human eye matches
the visual window of the Earth's atmosphere quite well. The most prevalent type
of wave is radio, which is invisible to the human eye. The visible spectrum has a
noticeably longer wavelength. As a result, it penetrates the atmosphere's opaque
outermost layer. Light intensity and color are both visible to our eyes. Our eye's
reaction depends on the wave frequency. Our eyes are therefore sensitive to
wavelengths between 780 and 390 nm. The human eye developed in response to
and as an adaptation to its environment. The retina of the human eye is stimulated
by particular wavelengths. It matches nicely because that wavelength is in the
visible spectrum.

2. Why is refracting telescopes suffer from a serious optical distortion that limits their
usefulness?

 Refracting telescopes' usefulness is constrained by their severe optical distortion.

Blue light focuses closer to the lens than red light because shorter wavelength light
bends more when refracted through glass; if you concentrate the eyepiece on the
blue image, the other colors are out of focus, and you see a colored blur
surrounding the image. All other colors except red blur when you focus on the red
portion of the image, and so forth. This color separation is referred to as chromatic
aberration.

3. What is the advantage of using radio telescope over an optical telescope?

 A radio telescope can locate other atoms and molecules in addition to cool
hydrogen clouds. Some gas atoms and molecules release radio photons even
though cool clouds of gas are completely invisible to typical telescopes because
they emit no visible light and reflect too little to be seen in photos. For instance,
cool hydrogen generates radio waves at a particular wavelength of 21 cm.
Different wavelengths of radio waves are emitted by other gas molecules. Only
scientists using a radio telescope can find these clouds. The ability of radio
telescopes to see through space dust clouds is another benefit of their use. Using
visible wavelengths, astronomers are unable to see through the space's dusty
clouds. Short light waves are dispersed by microscopic dust particles and never
reach optical instruments on Earth. Radio astronomers can see well because radio
waves from far across the galaxy pass through unhindered since their wavelengths
are far longer than the diameters of dust grains. Objects that are brighter at radio
wavelengths than at visible wavelengths can also be seen with radio telescopes.
For instance, highly hot gas surrounding black holes falls under this category.
Radio waves can detect some of the most violent occurrences in the universe.