Packet 5: Bonus 11
An optical technique described by this term allowed Andrea Ghez’s group to conduct visual-light observations of stars near the galactic center, confirming that Sagittarius A* (“A-star”) is a black hole. For 10 points each:
[10m] Identify this adjective that names an optical technique where lasers are used to create a guide star, which involves rapidly deforming mirrors to undo distortion.
ANSWER: adaptive [accept adaptive optics; reject “active”]
[10h] Rayleigh scattering in the atmosphere limits the effectiveness of these devices that block out unwanted starlight. These devices were invented to observe the Sun and will be used by the Roman telescope to directly image exoplanets.
ANSWER: coronagraphs
[10e] This longest-wavelength region of the electromagnetic spectrum is basically unaffected by the atmosphere, which is why telescopes like Arecibo are ground-based.
ANSWER: radio [or radio waves]
<Editors, Other Science> | N. Playoffs 5 (Editors 5)
| Heard | PPB | E % | M % | H % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 12.08 | 100% | 21% | 0% |
Conversion
| Team | Opponent | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Total | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruin | Georgia Tech B | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Chicago A | Indiana | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 | ME |
| Chicago B | Maryland B | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Columbia A | Virginia Tech | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Columbia B | Georgia Tech A | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Cornell | Illinois B | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Georgia Tech C | Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Illinois A | Cambridge | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 | ME |
| Johns Hopkins | Virginia | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 | ME |
| MIT | WashU | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 | ME |
| Maryland A | Northwestern A | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Michigan | NYU B | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Minnesota | Toronto B | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| NYU A | UC Berkeley A | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| North Carolina | Brown | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Northwestern B | Swarthmore | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Ohio State | Stanford B | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Purdue | UCF | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Rutgers | Penn State | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Stanford A | Toronto A | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| UC Berkeley B | Harvard | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| UCLA | British Columbia | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 | ME |
| Vanderbilt | Texas | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
| Waterloo | Georgetown | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | E |
Summary
| Tournament | Edition | Match | Heard | PPB | E % | M % | H % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Site | 2026-04-17 | ✓ | 24 | 12.08 | 100% | 21% | 0% |