ASTR Q7

Of the people who landed on the Moon, how many were trained scientists? 1) exactly one 2) about half of the astronauts were trained scientists 3) all except one 4) all the astronauts were trained scientists 5) none

1) exactly one

Sometimes, when the Moon is a thin crescent, you can still dimly make out the full disk of our satellite. What is the reason for this? 1) light reflecting from the Earth onto the Moon 2) light seeping through the mountains and valleys of the Moon 3) light from phosphorescent minerals on the Moon's surface, that store up sunlight and slowly emit it when it is dark 4) the Moon produces its own light the same way the Sun does 5) the Moon reflects light from either Mars or Venus, which are the planets closest to Earth

1) light reflecting from the Earth onto the Moon

The largest impact basin on Mercury (located on that part of the planet which is closest to the Sun at noon) is called: 1) Sunstroke 2) Caloris 3) Shakespeare 4) Mariner 5) Columbo

2) Caloris

The spacecraft that gave scientists a good close-up look of the planet Mercury was 1) Voyager 1 2) Mariner 10 3) Galileo 4) the series of Mercury capsules 5) Columbo 1

2) Mariner 10

Which of the following statements about Mercury's orbit is TRUE? 1) Mercury is the most distant planet from the Sun 2) Mercury has the highest speed in its orbit of any planet 3) Mercury's orbit is the closest to a perfect circle of any planet 4) Mercury takes 88 Earth years to orbit the Sun 5) Mercury always remains exactly the same distance from the Sun as it orbits

2) Mercury has the highest speed in its orbit of any planet

We believe the maria on the Earth's Moon are: 1) giant volcanoes produced when the Moon tried to get plate tectonics going 2) ancient impact craters in which lava beds welled up from inside the Moon 3) large rifts with colder material made when the Moon's surface was cooling 4) large, flat, ancient plateaus on the Moon's highland areas 5) advertisements for the musical "West Side Story"

2) ancient impact craters in which lava beds welled up from inside the Moon

Why are the largest craters we find on the Moon and Mercury so much larger than the largest craters we find on the Earth? 1) because the Moon and Mercury have larger gravity, which can attract larger pieces 2) because the Moon and Mercury do not have atmospheres to protect them from the largest pieces that can hit 3) because the Earth's magnetic field protects us from larger impacts 4) because the Moon and Mercury have much larger volcanic eruptions 5) because the largest craters were made early in each world's history, and geologic activity has erased all traces of this early period on the Earth's surface

2) because the Moon and Mercury do not have atmospheres to protect them from the largest pieces that can hit

What theory of Mercury's origin can best explain the fact that its core is made of such dense materials? 1) Mercury was formed in the outer solar system and later wound up in its present orbit 2) giant impacts in its early history may have torn away much of its original crust and mantle 3) giant impacts early in its history added a tremendous amount of material to the original planet 4) a large satellite (made of the same material as the Earth's Moon) crashed into Mercury early in its history 5) Mercury was briefly inside the Sun, and thus lost much of its earliest material

2) giant impacts in its early history may have torn away much of its original crust and mantle

The large, roughly circular, dark, and younger regions on the Moon are called 1) highlands 2) maria 3) rilles 4) tectonic blobs 5) anti-cyclones

2) maria

The most likely models of the planet Mercury indicate that more than half the planet may be composed of: 1) water 2) metals 3) ammonia and methane ice 4) very light and porous rocks 5) mercury

2) metals

In its overall composition, the Moon resembles: 1) the Earth's core 2) the Earth's crust and mantle 3) comets 4) Jupiter and Saturn 5) no other body in the solar system

2) the Earth's crust and mantle

What is the source of the fine, powdery dust found on the Moon's surface? 1) it is sand, produced in exactly the same way sand is produced on the Earth's beaches 2) it is the result of volcanic activity on the Moon over billions of years 3) it is the result of many impacts, breaking surface rocks apart over billions of years 4) it is the result of gas bubbling up from inside the Moon, which chemically changes the surface soil 5) even though the astronauts brought home lots of samples of Moon dust, we have no theory about why there is such a layer on the Moon's surface

3) it is the result of many impacts, breaking surface rocks apart over billions of years

Which of the following has the greatest average density? 1) Mercury 2) the Moon 3) the Earth 4) all of the above have the same density 5) we have not measured the density of any other planet except the Earth

3) the Earth

Which of the following is NOT a way that the planet Mercury is similar to the Moon? 1) its surface is heavily cratered 2) it has no significant atmosphere 3) the highest temperature on its surface is the same 4) its origin probably involved a giant impact 5) you can't fool me, Mercury and the Moon are pretty similar in all ways

3) the highest temperature on its surface is the same

What formation or formations are evidence that the planet Mercury may have shrunk (gotten a bit smaller) as it cooled? 1) the Caloris basin 2) the large basins 3) the long scarps or cliffs 4) the thin atmosphere emerging from inside the planet 5) the big ticket with size 8 crossed out and size 6 written in

3) the long scarps or cliffs

Which of the following statements about our Moon is FALSE? 1) its average density is less than that of the Earth (it seems to have fewer heavy materials) 2) most of what we know about its geology is the result of the Apollo landings 3) we can see all of its sides in the course of a month as it goes around the Earth 4) its mass is less than that of the Earth 5) it has no real atmosphere to speak of

3) we can see all of its sides in the course of a month as it goes around the Earth

The first human being to step out onto the surface of another world was: 1) Luke Skywalker 2) Jack Schmitt 3) James Van Allen 4) Neil Armstrong 5) Yuri Gagarin

4) Neil Armstrong

Which of the following statements about the rocks brought back from the Earth's Moon by the astronauts is TRUE? 1) The Moon rocks resemble Earth rocks in every detail 2) The Moon rocks are fundamentally different from Earth rocks, with materials never seen on Earth 3) The Moon rocks did not survive long enough in the Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere for us to analyze them 4) The Moon rocks were puzzling, because they resemble rocks from the Earth's crust in many ways, but also have subtle differences 5) The Moon rocks resemble many of the main dishes in our college cafeteria

4) The Moon rocks were puzzling, because they resemble rocks from the Earth's crust in many ways, but also have subtle differences

Why are almost all the craters we see on the Moon circular? 1) because the rocks and icebergs that fell from space to make them were all spherical 2) because the volcanoes that make them erupt in a symmetrical way, making circular openings for the lava to emerge 3) because the active surface of the Moon converts the craters into circular basins, no matter what shape they start out being 4) because the rocks and icebergs that hit the Moon move so fast, they explode on impact, making a circular hole 5) this is an unsolved mystery; one of the most puzzling things about the Moon

4) because the rocks and icebergs that hit the Moon move so fast, they explode on impact, making a circular hole

Which of the following statements about temperature changes on Mercury is correct? 1) it is always hot anywhere on Mercury, because the planet is so close to the Sun 2) it is always cold all over Mercury, because the planet has no significant atmosphere 3) one side of Mercury is always extremely hot, while the other side is about the same temperature as the surface of the Earth 4) the difference in temperature between Mercury's daylight side and its night side is the greatest difference of any planet in the solar system 5) we suspect Mercury must be warm, but we have not been able to measure any temperatures on the planet with our instruments

4) the difference in temperature between Mercury's daylight side and its night side is the greatest difference of any planet in the solar system

Which theory of the Moon's origin is the one that current thinking among astronomers (and the evidence) favor: 1) the fission theory 2) the sister theory 3) the capture theory 4) the giant impact theory 5) the green cheese theory

4) the giant impact theory

What makes astronomers think that impact rates for the Moon must have been higher earlier than 3.8 billion years ago? 1) all the radioactive rocks found so far have ages much younger than that, so the Moon must have formed less than 3.8 billion years ago; before that it was still coming together. 2) we see many more very old, eroded craters all over the Moon than young, less eroded ones 3) all the large craters on the Moon come in pairs, while all recent craters are single 4) there are ten times more craters on the older highlands than the younger maria 5) the ancient sea basins on the Moon, which have since evaporated, show a lot more cratering

4) there are ten times more craters on the older highlands than the younger maria

The only planet with a smaller mass than Mercury and a more eccentric orbit than Mercury is: 1) Earth 2) Venus 3) Jupiter 4) Neptune 5) Pluto

5) Pluto

When a projectile (a rock from space, say) hits the surface of the Moon, which of the following do we NOT get? 1) a crater 2) an ejecta blanket 3) secondary craters 4) a rough hilly apron (or slope) of ejected material 5) a gushing out of floodwater that had been frozen inside the ground on the cold Moon, but is briefly heated by the impact

5) a gushing out of floodwater that had been frozen inside the ground on the cold Moon, but is briefly heated by the impact

In what way is the Moon similar to the Earth? 1) roughly the same size 2) similar atmosphere 3) same gravity on the surface 4) takes the same time to rotate on its axis 5) none of the above

5) none of the above