Comprehension quiz

How Astronomers Detect Exoplanets

Listen to the lesson carefully, then answer 10 comprehension questions. Pick one option per question.

Question 1What is the principal subject of this lecture?

The composition of planets inside our solar system The main methods used to detect distant exoplanets The history of telescope construction worldwide The future of human travel to other stars

Question 2How long did the mission actually collect data?

Nine years, far longer than planned Three and a half years, as planned Six months, before funding ended Two decades, without interruption

Question 3What was unusual about the first confirmed exoplanets?

They were larger than any known planet They were found by direct imaging first They orbited extremely close to Earth They orbited a pulsar rather than a normal star

Question 4How are almost all exoplanets found, according to the speaker?

Indirectly, through their effects on the host star Directly, by photographing them with telescopes Accidentally, during missions to the outer planets Quickly, by detecting their radio signals

Question 5What exactly does the transit method measure in order to find planets?

The slight dimming as a planet passes in front of its star The tiny wobble caused by the gravity of a planet The heat emitted by a very young distant planet The changing colour of the reflected starlight

Question 6What determines how strong a transit signal will be?

The planet's distance from the Earth The planet's size relative to its star The planet's speed around the galaxy The planet's surface temperature alone

Question 7What does the radial velocity technique actually detect?

The dimming of starlight during a transit The tiny wobble a planet's gravity imparts to its star The chemical composition of a planet's atmosphere The brightness of the youngest nearby stars

Question 8Why did early surveys suggest that hot Jupiters were common?

Because telescopes were pointed at young stars Because most stars host such giant planets Because of a selection effect in the surveys Because of errors in the transit measurements

Question 9What makes direct imaging of exoplanets so extremely challenging?

The planets move far too quickly to photograph Most planets are smaller than our Moon Starlight overwhelms the faint reflected light Cameras cannot operate for long in deep space

Question 10What did the first directly imaged planetary system contain?

A single planet orbiting a dying star Two small planets made mostly of rock A pulsar accompanied by three planets Four enormous planets around a young star