Exoplanet Missions

Description: Test your knowledge about the fascinating world of exoplanet missions, the spacecraft, telescopes, and techniques used to explore these distant worlds.
Number of Questions: 14
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Which space telescope is known for its groundbreaking discoveries of exoplanets, including the first Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star?

  1. Hubble Space Telescope

  2. James Webb Space Telescope

  3. Kepler Space Telescope

  4. Spitzer Space Telescope


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The Kepler Space Telescope was specifically designed to search for exoplanets using the transit method. It discovered thousands of exoplanets, including Kepler-452b, the first Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star.

What is the primary method used by the Kepler Space Telescope to detect exoplanets?

  1. Radial Velocity Method

  2. Transit Method

  3. Microlensing Method

  4. Astrometry Method


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The Kepler Space Telescope uses the transit method to detect exoplanets. It monitors the brightness of stars and looks for periodic dips in brightness caused by a planet passing in front of the star, blocking some of its light.

Which space mission was the first to successfully land on an exoplanet?

  1. Voyager 1

  2. Cassini-Huygens

  3. New Horizons

  4. None of the above


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

As of yet, no space mission has successfully landed on an exoplanet. However, there are ongoing missions and proposals to explore exoplanets in more detail, including potential future missions to land on or send probes to exoplanets.

What is the name of the exoplanet that was the first to be confirmed to have a rocky surface?

  1. Kepler-10b

  2. 55 Cancri e

  3. Gliese 581g

  4. HD 209458b


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

55 Cancri e is the first exoplanet confirmed to have a rocky surface. It is located about 40 light-years away from Earth and is slightly larger than Earth.

Which space mission is designed to study exoplanets using the microlensing method?

  1. Kepler Space Telescope

  2. Hubble Space Telescope

  3. Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  4. Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, formerly known as the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), is designed to study exoplanets using the microlensing method. It will also investigate dark energy and dark matter.

What is the name of the exoplanet that was the first to be discovered using the radial velocity method?

  1. 51 Pegasi b

  2. HD 209458b

  3. Gliese 876b

  4. Tau Ceti e


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

51 Pegasi b was the first exoplanet discovered using the radial velocity method. It is a hot Jupiter located about 50 light-years away from Earth.

Which space mission is designed to study exoplanets using the astrometry method?

  1. Gaia Spacecraft

  2. Hubble Space Telescope

  3. Kepler Space Telescope

  4. Spitzer Space Telescope


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Gaia Spacecraft is designed to study exoplanets using the astrometry method. It measures the positions and motions of stars with high precision, which can reveal the presence of exoplanets.

What is the name of the exoplanet that was the first to be discovered orbiting a Sun-like star?

  1. 51 Pegasi b

  2. HD 209458b

  3. Gliese 876b

  4. Tau Ceti e


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

51 Pegasi b was the first exoplanet discovered orbiting a Sun-like star. It is a hot Jupiter located about 50 light-years away from Earth.

Which space mission is designed to study exoplanets using the direct imaging method?

  1. Hubble Space Telescope

  2. James Webb Space Telescope

  3. Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  4. Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The James Webb Space Telescope is designed to study exoplanets using the direct imaging method. It will also investigate the early universe, galaxies, and star formation.

What is the name of the exoplanet that was the first to be discovered using the microlensing method?

  1. OGLE-2003-BLG-235Lb

  2. OGLE-2005-BLG-071Lb

  3. OGLE-2005-BLG-169Lb

  4. OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

OGLE-2003-BLG-235Lb was the first exoplanet discovered using the microlensing method. It is located about 20,000 light-years away from Earth.

Which space mission is designed to study exoplanets using the transit timing variation method?

  1. Kepler Space Telescope

  2. Hubble Space Telescope

  3. TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite)

  4. CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite)


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) is designed to study exoplanets using the transit timing variation method. It will search for exoplanets around bright stars, including nearby stars.

What is the name of the exoplanet that was the first to be discovered using the astrometry method?

  1. HD 70642 b

  2. HD 82943 c

  3. HD 128311 b

  4. HD 170469 b


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

HD 70642 b was the first exoplanet discovered using the astrometry method. It is located about 94 light-years away from Earth.

Which space mission is designed to study exoplanets using the radial velocity method?

  1. Kepler Space Telescope

  2. Hubble Space Telescope

  3. HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher)

  4. ESPRESSO (Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations)


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher) is designed to study exoplanets using the radial velocity method. It is mounted on the 3.6-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile.

What is the name of the exoplanet that was the first to be discovered using the direct imaging method?

  1. 2M1207b

  2. HR 8799 c

  3. GJ 504 b

  4. Fomalhaut b


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

2M1207b was the first exoplanet discovered using the direct imaging method. It is located about 170 light-years away from Earth.

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