Infrared Astronomy — MCQs August 20, 2025 by u930973931_answers 50 Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. Infrared astronomy studies which part of the electromagnetic spectrum? (A) Radio waves (B) Infrared radiation (C) X-rays (D) Gamma rays 2. Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than: (A) Visible light (B) Radio waves (C) X-rays (D) Gamma rays 3. Infrared astronomy is most useful for studying: (A) Hot stars (B) Cool stars, dust, and gas clouds (C) Gamma-ray bursts (D) The Sun’s corona 4. The Earth’s atmosphere strongly absorbs: (A) Visible light (B) Infrared radiation (C) Radio waves (D) Microwaves 5. Most infrared observatories are located: (A) On mountaintops or in space (B) Inside cities (C) Deep underground (D) On ocean floors 6. Which infrared telescope was launched in 2003 by NASA? (A) Spitzer Space Telescope (B) Hubble Space Telescope (C) James Webb Space Telescope (D) IRAS 7. Which telescope was the first space-based infrared observatory? (A) IRAS (B) Herschel (C) Spitzer (D) ISO 8. The James Webb Space Telescope specializes in: (A) X-rays and Gamma rays (B) Visible and Infrared (C) Only radio waves (D) Only ultraviolet light 9. Infrared radiation is commonly associated with: (A) Heat (B) Coldness (C) Magnetism (D) Electricity 10. The wavelength range of infrared radiation is approximately: (A) 700 nm – 1 mm (B) 1 mm – 10 km (C) 1 nm – 100 nm (D) 0.01 nm – 10 nm 11. Infrared astronomy helps detect: (A) Cold interstellar dust (B) Newly forming stars (C) Exoplanets (D) All of the above 12. Which infrared telescope operated between 2009–2013? (A) Herschel Space Observatory (B) Spitzer (C) IRAS (D) ISO 13. Herschel Space Observatory was launched by: (A) NASA (B) ESA (C) ISRO (D) JAXA 14. Which country launched the AKARI infrared telescope? (A) USA (B) Japan (C) China (D) Russia 15. Infrared observations are difficult on Earth due to: (A) Clouds only (B) Water vapor absorption (C) Dust storms (D) Magnetic fields 16. Which infrared telescope was placed in Earth orbit in 1983? (A) IRAS (B) Spitzer (C) Herschel (D) AKARI 17. Infrared detectors must be kept: (A) Very hot (B) At room temperature (C) Extremely cold (D) Slightly warm 18. Cooling of infrared telescopes is usually achieved using: (A) Helium cryogenics (B) Solar panels (C) Magnetic fields (D) High-voltage batteries 19. Infrared astronomy is especially important for studying: (A) Star formation regions (B) Black hole accretion disks (C) Exoplanets (D) All of the above 20. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) used: (A) A balloon telescope (B) An aircraft telescope (C) A submarine telescope (D) A satellite telescope 21. The aircraft used for SOFIA was a modified: (A) Boeing 747 (B) Airbus A380 (C) Lockheed C-130 (D) Boeing 737 22. Which of the following objects emits strong infrared radiation? (A) Warm dust clouds (B) Planets (C) Brown dwarfs (D) All of the above 23. Brown dwarfs are best studied in: (A) X-rays (B) Infrared (C) Gamma rays (D) Radio 24. Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum lies just beyond infrared? (A) Radio waves (B) Microwaves (C) Ultraviolet (D) Gamma rays 25. A major advantage of infrared astronomy is the ability to: (A) See through dust clouds (B) Magnify stars (C) Block X-rays (D) Observe black holes directly 26. Which space telescope contributed to infrared surveys of galaxies? (A) IRAS (B) Spitzer (C) Herschel (D) All of the above 27. What does “thermal infrared” primarily detect? (A) Gamma rays (B) Heat radiation from objects (C) Magnetic fields (D) Ultraviolet rays 28. Which telescope is often called the “successor of Spitzer”? (A) Hubble (B) James Webb (C) ALMA (D) SOFIA 29. In astronomy, the near-infrared range is closest to: (A) Ultraviolet (B) Visible light (C) Radio (D) X-rays 30. Infrared space telescopes must often be placed: (A) In polar regions (B) In deserts (C) Above Earth’s atmosphere (D) Underground 31. Which of the following cannot be studied effectively with infrared astronomy? (A) Hidden star-forming regions (B) Exoplanets (C) Gamma-ray bursts (D) Interstellar dust 32. Which space mission discovered thousands of asteroids in infrared? (A) WISE (B) IRAS (C) Herschel (D) Spitzer 33. WISE stands for: (A) Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (B) World Infrared Space Experiment (C) Wide Infrared Star Explorer (D) World Interstellar Survey Equipment 34. Infrared astronomy allows the study of: (A) Protostars (B) Galactic centers (C) Planetary disks (D) All of the above 35. The Milky Way center is best observed in: (A) Optical light (B) Infrared (C) Ultraviolet (D) X-rays 36. The “infrared window” in Earth’s atmosphere corresponds to: (A) Specific ranges where water vapor absorption is low (B) A telescope lens opening (C) Solar reflections (D) None of the above 37. Near-infrared is typically between: (A) 0.7 – 5 micrometers (B) 5 – 30 micrometers (C) 30 – 300 micrometers (D) 300 – 1000 micrometers 38. Mid-infrared is in the range of: (A) 5 – 30 micrometers (B) 30 – 300 micrometers (C) 0.7 – 5 micrometers (D) 300 – 1000 micrometers 39. Far-infrared covers: (A) 30 – 300 micrometers (B) 0.7 – 5 micrometers (C) 5 – 30 micrometers (D) 1 – 10 mm 40. Which space telescope mapped the sky in infrared in 2010? (A) WISE (B) IRAS (C) Spitzer (D) Herschel 41. Infrared detectors are often made of: (A) Silicon (B) Gallium arsenide (C) Mercury cadmium telluride (D) Graphite 42. Infrared astronomy helps in studying exoplanets by: (A) Measuring reflected sunlight (B) Measuring heat signatures (C) Observing X-rays (D) Blocking ultraviolet 43. Which type of telescope can observe both optical and infrared wavelengths? (A) James Webb Space Telescope (B) SOFIA (C) Hubble Space Telescope (D) All of the above 44. Herschel telescope was named after: (A) William Herschel (B) Caroline Herschel (C) John Herschel (D) All of them collectively 45. William Herschel is credited with discovering: (A) Radio waves (B) Infrared radiation (C) X-rays (D) Microwaves 46. Which year did William Herschel discover infrared radiation? (A) 1780 (B) 1800 (C) 1825 (D) 1850 47. Infrared astronomy is crucial for: (A) Studying cold universe components (B) Detecting hot plasma (C) Observing gamma-ray bursts (D) Measuring solar flares 48. Which telescope retired in 2022 after 13 years of operation? (A) SOFIA (B) Herschel (C) IRAS (D) AKARI 49. The far-infrared spectrum is often used to study: (A) Cosmic microwave background (B) Star formation regions (C) Black holes directly (D) High-energy gamma rays 50. Which type of celestial object is nearly invisible in optical but bright in infrared? (A) Protostars (B) Brown dwarfs (C) Dust-obscured galaxies (D) All of the above