About this Study Set
This study set covers Astrophysics through
25 practice questions.
A challenging quiz covering key discoveries, historical instruments, and seminal breakthroughs in astrophysics. Every question includes the correct answer so you can learn as you go — pick any format above to get started.
Questions & Answers
Browse all 25 questions from the
Milestones in Astrophysics study set below.
Each question shows the correct answer — select a study format above to practice interactively.
1
Who published the first theoretical evidence that a black hole could be formed by the gravitational collapse of a massive star, specifically in 1939?
-
A
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
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B
Robert Oppenheimer and Hartland Snyder
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C
Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose
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D
Karl Schwarzschild
2
What was the first detected binary pulsar system, which provided the first indirect evidence for the existence of gravitational waves?
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A
PSR B1919+21
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B
PSR B1257+12
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C
PSR B1913+16
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D
PSR J0737-3039
3
In 1967, which instrument was used by Jocelyn Bell Burnell to detect the first radio pulsar?
-
A
Arecibo Observatory
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B
Interplanetary Scintillation Array
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C
Green Bank Telescope
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D
Parkes Observatory
4
The 1930s theory of the 'Chandrasekhar Limit' identified that white dwarfs above this mass would inevitably collapse. What is that mass?
-
A
1.4 solar masses
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B
2.2 solar masses
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C
0.7 solar masses
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D
3.0 solar masses
5
Which space telescope was the first to provide direct evidence of dark energy by observing distant Type Ia supernovae?
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A
James Webb Space Telescope
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B
Hubble Space Telescope
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C
Chandra X-ray Observatory
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D
Spitzer Space Telescope
6
What was the first molecule discovered in interstellar space via radio astronomy in 1963?
-
A
Water
-
B
Carbon Monoxide
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C
Hydroxyl radical (OH)
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D
Formaldehyde
7
Who proposed the first solution to Einstein's field equations that describes the geometry of spacetime outside a spherical, non-rotating mass?
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A
Arthur Eddington
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B
Karl Schwarzschild
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C
Hendrik Lorentz
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D
Georges Lemaître
8
What was the first X-ray source discovered outside our solar system in 1962?
-
A
Cygnus X-1
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B
Scorpius X-1
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C
Crab Nebula
-
D
Centaurus A
9
The COBE satellite, launched in 1989, provided the first measurement of what phenomenon, confirming the Big Bang's thermal history?
-
A
Cosmic microwave background anisotropy
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B
The expansion rate of the universe
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C
Intergalactic dust density
-
D
Dark matter halo distribution
10
What was the first exoplanet discovered orbiting a main-sequence star, found by Mayor and Queloz in 1995?
-
A
HD 209458 b
-
B
51 Pegasi b
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C
Proxima Centauri b
-
D
Kepler-186f
11
Which observatory was the first to detect neutrinos from a supernova (SN 1987A)?
-
A
Super-Kamiokande
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B
Kamiokande-II
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C
SNO (Sudbury Neutrino Observatory)
-
D
IceCube
12
What is the name of the first gravitational wave event ever detected by LIGO, occurring on September 14, 2015?
-
A
GW170817
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B
GW150914
-
C
GW190412
-
D
GW200105
13
In 1929, Edwin Hubble published the first observation suggesting the universe is expanding. What was the core of this discovery?
-
A
Redshift-distance relation of galaxies
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B
The existence of dark matter
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C
The rotation curve of spiral galaxies
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D
The luminosity of Cepheid variables
14
Which mission was the first to successfully land a probe on the surface of a comet (67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko)?
-
A
Deep Impact
-
B
Stardust
-
C
Rosetta/Philae
-
D
Hayabusa
15
What was the first object to be definitively identified as a black hole candidate via X-ray observations in 1971?
-
A
Sagittarius A*
-
B
Cygnus X-1
-
C
M87*
-
D
V404 Cygni
16
The first direct image of a black hole's event horizon, released in 2019, was of a black hole in which galaxy?
-
A
Andromeda
-
B
Milky Way
-
C
M87
-
D
Sombrero
17
Who was the first person to propose the 'Big Bang' theory, originally calling it the 'hypothesis of the primeval atom'?
-
A
Edwin Hubble
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B
Georges Lemaître
-
C
Fred Hoyle
-
D
George Gamow
18
What was the first successful space-based ultraviolet telescope, launched in 1968?
-
A
OAO-2
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B
IUE
-
C
FUSE
-
D
GALEX
19
The first evidence of cosmic ray particles was discovered by Victor Hess in 1912 using what method?
-
A
Deep-sea submersible
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B
High-altitude balloon flights
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C
Mountain top observatories
-
D
Satellite sensors
20
Which telescope was the first to use the technique of 'adaptive optics' to correct for atmospheric turbulence in ground-based astronomy?
-
A
Keck Observatory
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B
VLT (Very Large Telescope)
-
C
Hale Telescope
-
D
Subaru Telescope
21
What was the first galaxy confirmed to have a supermassive black hole at its center?
-
A
M31
-
B
M87
-
C
NGC 4151
-
D
Milky Way
22
In 1933, Fritz Zwicky used the virial theorem on the Coma Cluster to provide the first evidence for what?
-
A
Black holes
-
B
Dark matter
-
C
The accelerating expansion of the universe
-
D
Neutron stars
23
What was the first spacecraft to leave the heliosphere and enter interstellar space?
-
A
Voyager 2
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B
Pioneer 10
-
C
Voyager 1
-
D
New Horizons
24
Which astronomical instrument was the first to utilize the principle of interferometry to measure the angular diameter of a star (Betelgeuse)?
-
A
Mount Wilson Interferometer
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B
VLA
-
C
VLTI
-
D
ALMA
25
What was the first supernova observed with modern telescopes for which a progenitor star was identified in pre-explosion archival images?
-
A
SN 1987A
-
B
SN 1993J
-
C
SN 2014J
-
D
SN 1054
