Astronomy Chapters 9&10

The spacecraft that sent back the most detailed radar images of Venus and showed us features as small as a football field is: a. Viking b. Pioneer c. Venera d. Magellan e. Mariner

d. Magellan

The first human being to step out onto the surface of another world was: a. Luke Skywalker b. Jack Schmitt c. James Van Allen d. Neil Armstrong e. Yuri Gagarin

d. Neil Armstrong

The mountains on the Moon a. have been formed in the same way as the mountains on the Earth b. were formed through the eruption of volcanoes early in the Moon's history c. were formed by the collision of continental plates early in the Moon's history d. are the result of giant impacts during the Moon's long history of being hit e. are a complete mystery, which astronomers have not been able to explain

d. are the result of giant impacts during the Moon's long history of being hit

What planet can come closest to the Earth in its orbit and look brightest in our skies? a. Venus b. Mars c. Mercury d. Jupiter e. none of the above

a. Venus

Of the people who landed on the Moon, how many were trained scientists? a. exactly one b. about half of the astronauts were trained scientists c. all except one (the first one) d. all the astronauts were trained scientists e. none

a. exactly one

Which of the following is NOT a way that Venus resembles the Earth? a. its size (diameter) b. its overall density c. the surface gravity (which tells us how much we would weigh there) d. the thickness and pressure of its atmosphere e. you can't fool me; Venus resembles Earth in all of the above ways

a. its size (diameter)

I want to examine the surface of a planet which is completely covered by a thick layer of clouds all the time. What wavelength of electromagnetic radiation would I be smartest to use: a. visible light b. x-rays c. radio waves (like radar) d. any of the above would work e. none would work

a. visible light

The planet that most resembles the Earth in size and internal composition is a. Mars b. Venus c. Mercury d. Jupiter e. the Moon

b. Venus

We believe the maria on the Earth's Moon are: a. giant volcanoes produced when the Moon tried to get plate tectonics going b. ancient impact craters in which lava beds welled up from inside the Moon c. large rifts filled with colder material made when the Moon's surface was cooling d. large, flat, ancient plateaus on the Moon's highland areas e. advertisements for the musical "West Side Story"

b. ancient impact craters in which lava beds welled up from inside the Moon

The large, roughly circular, dark, and somewhat younger regions on the Moon are called: a. highlands b. maria c. rilles d. tectonic blobs e. anti-cyclones

b. maria

Why does Mars have an overall reddish color when we see its surface from afar? a. This is an optical illusion caused by the Earth's atmosphere scattering the colors of light differently b. Mars is completely cloudy, and its clouds are made of red materials c. The material of Mars' surface contains a lot of iron oxide, the same chemistry that makes rusting metals look reddish d. the giant volcanoes on Mars are constantly spewing out reddish lava e. The martians are constantly at war, and spilling a lot of red blood

c. The material of Mars' surface contains a lot of iron oxide, the same chemistry that makes rusting metals look reddish

What is the source of the fine, powdery dust found on the Moon's surface? a. it is sand, produced in exactly the same way sand is produced on the Earth's beaches b. it is the result of volcanic activity on the Moon over billions of years c. it is the result of many impacts, breaking surface rocks apart over billions of years d. it is the result of gas bubbling up from inside the Moon, which chemically changes the surface soil e. even though the astronauts brought home lots of samples of Moon dust, we have no idea why there is such a layer on the Moon's surface

c. it is the result of many impacts, breaking surface rocks apart over billions of years

Which of the following statements about our Moon is FALSE? a. its average density is less than that of the Earth (it seems to have fewer heavy materials) b. most of what we know about its geology is the result of the Apollo landings c. on Earth, we can see all its sides in the course of a month as it goes around us d. its mass is less than that of the Earth e. it has no real atmosphere to speak of

c. on Earth, we can see all its sides in the course of a month as it goes around us

The lunar highlands are made mostly of rocks that a. fell on to the Moon from space b. were recently expelled by volcanoes from the deep interior of the Moon c. rose to the top as the Moon cooled from a molten state early in its history d. that were pushed upwards due to active plate tectonics on the Moon e. don't have a good scientific explanation yet

c. rose to the top as the Moon cooled from a molten state early in its history

Which of the following is NOT one of the key reasons that so many spacecraft from Earth have visited Venus and Mars? a. they are the two planets closest to the Earth b. they resemble the Earth in a number of significant ways c. their atmospheres are very similar to the Earth in terms of their chemical make-up d. both have tantalized us when seen through a telescope -- one because it is perpetually covered by clouds, the other because it shows seasonal changes e. they each have a solid surface on which we can trace their geological history

c. their atmospheres are very similar to the Earth in terms of their chemical make-up

What is one important way in which both the Moon and Mercury are different from Earth? a. they are made mostly of frozen gases, not rock b. they are both much further from the Sun's heat than Earth is c. they do not have an atmosphere d. they are both significantly larger than the Earth e. they both turn on their axes much faster than the Earth

c. they do not have an atmosphere

Which of the following is NOT a correct statement about the rotation of Venus? a. Venus rotates in roughly the same time period as Earth. b. Venus rotates in a retrograde way (east to west) c. the two definitions of a day (how long it takes for a star to return to the same position in the sky and how long it takes the Sun to return to the same position) do not agree on Venus d. the rotation rate of Venus had to be determined from radar measurements e. Venus has the longest rotation period of any planet in the solar system

d. the rotation rate of Venus had to be determined from radar measurements

The same gas makes up most of the atmosphere of Mars and Venus. This gas is: a. water vapor b. nitrogen c. ozone d. ammonia gas e. carbon dioxide

e. carbon dioxide

In what way is the Moon similar to the Earth? a. roughly the same size b. similar atmosphere c. same gravity on the surface d. takes the same time to rotate on its axis e. none of the above

e. none of the above