5. During the collapse and explosion of a giant star, an event called a type II supernova, heavy elements are made in large quantities. And when I say “large,” I mean the heaps of nickel and uranium
and bismuth and gold that could most easily be measured with a measuring cup ten thousand Earths
could fit into. Real Paul Bunyan-sized heaps of heavy elements, is what I’m trying to convey in words.
Sprayed into space by the universe-illuminating explosion, these heavy elements—along with a lot of
lighter elements as well—part of which one of these cosmic objects?
a. dark matter
b. a sonar
c. a galaxy
d. a nebula
6. Nebulas are big (really, really big); and they are not of uniform density. Dense parts of a nebula
will eventually begin to collapse inward around the collective gravitational center of that particular blob
that resides within the light-years wide cloud of gas and dust. The Eagle Nebula’s “Pillars of Creation”
are a classic example of a dense region within a nebula.
What do you call the cosmic phenomenon that results from the inward collapse of a dense region of a
nebula? The motion involved is a lot like a mosh pit. And are you old enough to know what “mosh pit”
means? It’s slam dancing with the addition of angular momentum. Now I’m really showing my age,
bringing up slam dancing. History and definition here: https://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Moshing
a. spiral galaxy
b. protoplanetary disk
c. supernova
d. elliptical galaxy
7. What kind of rock is fine-grained enough to preserve fossils of bacteria?
a. flint or chert (amorphous silica)
b. olivine websterite
c. stishovite
d. madreporite