Astronomy Test 2 (Chapters 7-12)
Put the following stages of planet formation in order of occurrence. Planets of various sizes form Larger dust grains grow into clumps Gas pushes smaller dust grains into larger grains Km sized planetesimals attract other objects by gravity Clumps of dust collide and stick, forming planetesimals Planets of various sizes form An interstellar cloud collapses into a disk of gas, dust
1. An interstellar cloud collapses into a disk of gas, dust 2. Gas pushes smaller dust grains into larger grains 3. Larger dust grains grow into clumps 4. Clumps of dust collide and stick, forming planetesimals 5. Km sized planetesimals attract other objects by gravity 6. Planets of various sizes form
Rank these four Solar System bodies in order of their periods, from shortest to longest. jupiter, hale-bopp, encke, saturn
1. Encke 2. Jupiter 3. Saturn 4. Hale-Bopp
Rank the following events in the order that corresponds to the formation of a planetary system (Earliest to latest) A stellar wind "turns on" and sweeps away gas and dust, removing primary atmospheres from planets Small bodies collide from larger bodies Primary atmospheres form Gravity collapses a cloud of interstellar gas A rotating disk forms and dust grains stick together by static electricity Secondary atmospheres form
1. Gravity collapses a cloud of interstellar gas 2. A rotating disk forms and dust grains stick together by static electricity 3. Small bodies collide from larger bodies 4. Primary atmospheres form 5. A stellar wind "turns on" and sweeps away gas and dust, removing primary atmospheres from planets 6. Secondary atmospheres form
Place in chronological order the following steps in the formation and evolution of Earth's atmosphere: Hydrogen and helium are captured from the protoplanetary disk Volcanoes, comets, and asteroids increase the inventory of volatile matter Hydrogen and helium are lost from the atmosphere Plant life converts CO2 into Oxygen Life releases CO2 from the subsurface into the atmosphere
1. Hydrogen and helium are captured from the protoplanetary disk 2. Hydrogen and helium are lost from the atmosphere 3. Volcanoes, comets, and asteroids increase the inventory of volatile matter 4. Life releases CO2 from the subsurface into the atmosphere 5. Plant life converts CO2 into Oxygen
Place in order of diameter the following types of extrasolar planets. Super- jupiter, super-earth, mini-neptune, puffy Jupiter
1. Puffy jupiter 2. super-jupiter 3. mini-neptunes 4. super-earth
rank the following cloud types in order of decreasing temperature. Ammonium hydrosulfide ice methane ice hydrogen sulfide ice ammonia ice water ice
1. Water ice 2. Ammonium hydrosulfide ice 3. Ammonia ice 4. Hydrogen Sulfide ice 5. Methane ice
Rank these hypothetical moons from oldest to youngest based on their cratering. You can assume the moons have never been volcanically active. a moon partially covered with craters, a moon with very few craters, a moon completely covered with craters, old and new
1. a moon completely covered in craters, old and new 2. a moon partially covered with craters 3. a moon with very few craters
Rank the parts of a comet by size, from smallest to largest. coma, tail, nucleus
1. nucleus 2. coma 3. tail
A cubic centimeter of the air you breathe contains about 1019 molecules. A comet's tail may typically contain 10 molecules per cubic centimeter. Calculate how large a cube of comet tail material must be on each side in order to contain 1019 molecules.
10 km
Using the equation for kinetic energy, EK=12mv2 , arrange these hypothetical meteoroids, with their corresponding masses and velocities, in order of their destructive capacity, if they were to impact Earth. (smallest to largest) 45 million kg, 8 km/s 10 million kg, 12 m/s 10 million kg, 30 km/s 1 million kg, 50 km/s
10 million kg, 12 m/s 1 million kg, 50 km/s 45 million kg, 8 km/s 10 million kg, 30 km/s
the total mass of Earth 's atmosphere is 5.27×1018 kg and nitrogen makes up about 75.5 percent of its atmospheric mass. What is the mass of nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere?
3.98x10^18 kg
A bar is a measure of atmospheric pressure, where one bar is equivalent to Earth's atmospheric pressure at sea level. Venus's atmosphere has a pressure of 92 bars. Water pressure in Earth's oceans increases by one bar for every 10 m of depth. How deep would you have to go to experience pressure equal to the atmospheric surface pressure on Venus?
920m deep
A new star is forming inside this glowing cloud of gas. The dark band in the middle is made of a disk of thick dust, which obscures the light within it and hides the forming star from view. Newly forming stars are surrounded by gas and dust. Based on this observation--and your previous observations about the relative orbits, positions, and sizes of the planets--what is the most likely scenario for the formation of the Solar System? A. A cloud of gas and dust collapsed into a flattened disk, within which the Sun and planets formed. B. The Sun formed by itself from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust, then later gravitationally captured the planets as they happened to pass by. C. Two stars collided and broke apart to form the Sun and the planets. D. A cloud of gas and dust collapsed into a spherical shape, within which the Sun and planets formed.
A
Aside from their periods, short- and long-period comets differ because short-period comets Choose one: A. mostly orbit prograde, while long-period comets have either prograde or retrograde orbits. B. contain less ice, while long-period comets contain more. C. come closer to the Sun at closest approach than long-period comets do. D. do not develop ion tails, while long-period comets do.
A
Asteroids are Choose one: A. small rock and metal objects orbiting the Sun. B. small icy bodies found only in the outer Solar System. C. small rock and metal objects found only between Mars and Jupiter. D. small icy objects orbiting the Sun.
A
Deep in the interiors of the giant planets, water is still a liquid even though the temperatures are tens of thousands of degrees above the boiling point of water. This can happen because Choose one: A. the pressure inside the giant planet is so high. B. the density inside the giant planet is so high. C. the outer Solar System is so cold. D. space has very low pressure.
A
Earth's interior is heated by Choose one: A. radioactive decay and tidal effects. B. angular momentum and tidal effects. C. angular momentum and gravity. D. radioactive decay and gravity. E. gravity and tidal effects.
A
If Saturn's rings are made of individual small particles at varying distances from the planet, and given what you know of the laws of physics as governed by gravity, how would you expect these particles to behave? Choose one: A. The particles closer to Saturn will orbit faster around the planet than those farther away. B. All of the particles will hover motionlessly within the rings with respect to the stars. C. The particles closer to Saturn will orbit more slowly around the planet than those farther away. D. The particles will all have completely random orbital speeds and directions around the planet. E. All of the particles will orbit around Saturn in lockstep with the planet's rotation, so that each particle makes one full revolution around the planet each time the planet rotates once around its axis.
A
If a quantity is conserved, it means that it A. it doesn't change. B. changes only if an internal force acts. C. can be saved for a later time. D. changes only if an external force acts.
A
If we experience a year that is much hotter than the previous year, this means that Earth is going through a global warming trend, where the temperature will now continually increase each year. Choose one: A. It is impossible to tell with one year of data. B. true C. false
A
Imagine that a star-forming cloud collapses but retains all of its mass in a single blob. In order to conserve angular momentum, the cloud must A. spin faster. B. come to a complete stop. C. spin at the same rate. D. spin slower.
A
Io has the most volcanic activity in the Solar System because Choose one: A. its interior is tidally heated as it orbits Jupiter. B. of gravitational friction caused by the moon Enceladus. C. it is continually being bombarded by material from Saturn's E Ring. D. it is one of the largest moons and its interior is heated by radioactive decay. E. the ice on the surface creates tremendous pressure on the water below.
A
Of the four large Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter, Io is the closest to the planet. Considering Io's size and location in the Solar System, what is the most likely reason for Io's high level of geological activity? Choose one: A. Io's proximity to Jupiter provides a current source of internal heat. B. Io must have more radioactive elements inside of it that provide a current source of internal heat. C. Io's proximity to the Sun provides a current source of internal heat. D. Io must be made of a substance that traps heat better, so it has still retained all of its initial internal heat from its formation.
A
Scientists determine the geological history of the moons of the outer planets from Choose one: A. surface features. B. radioactive dating. C. time-lapse photography. D. seismic probing.
A
The Voyager spacecraft made close-up observations of Saturn's rings that seemed to have no explanation. In particular, Saturn's F Ring appeared twisted, which apparently did not follow Newton's law of gravity and the expected orderly orbits of particles through collisions and gravitational interactions. Given this observation, what is the most logical step in the scientific process? Choose one: A. In keeping with the laws of physics, further observations must be made to search for previously undiscovered objects that might gravitationally influence the rings. B. The laws of physics used to describe orbits have been falsified by this evidence, and new hypotheses must be made to replace them. C. The laws of physics used to describe orbits need to be modified to explain these new observations. D. These apparent deviations from the laws of physics can be explained by the complexity and chaotic nature of the universe.
A
The oxygen molecules in Earth's atmosphere Choose one: A. are the result of life. B. arose when the secondary atmosphere formed. C. are being rapidly depleted by the burning of fossil fuels. D. were part of the primary atmosphere.
A
The terrestrial planets and the giant planets have different compositions because A. the terrestrial planets are closer to the Sun. B. the giant planets are mostly made of solids. C. the giant planets are much larger. D. the terrestrial planets have few moons.
A
What is the most likely reason for the different levels of geological activity between the Galilean moons? Choose one: A. Moons farther away from Jupiter experience weaker tidal heating. B. Each moon is randomly unique in its properties. C. Larger moons will have more geological activity than smaller ones. D. The composition of the moons is different.
A
What is the name of the brown disk rotating around the protostar in the following image? A. protoplanetary disk B. protostellar disk C. planetary disk D. stellar disk
A
Which of the giant planets has the most extreme seasons? Choose one: A. Uranus B. Saturn C. Neptune D. Jupiter
A
Why are Ganymede and Callisto geologically dead while the other two Galilean moons of Jupiter are active? Choose one: A. They are farther from Jupiter. B. They have retrograde orbits. C. They are larger. D. They are more massive.
A
Why do Jupiter and Saturn have no blue methane cloud tops? Choose one: A. They are too warm for methane to condense. B. Methane can only condense deeper inside the planets, but the upper layers obstruct our view of it. C. There was no methane in the solar nebula at the location where Jupiter and Saturn formed. D. They are too cold for methane to condense.
A
Zonal winds on the giant planets are stronger than those on the terrestrial planets because Choose one: A. the giant planets rotate faster. B. the moons of a giant planet feed energy to their planet through the magnetosphere. C. the giant planets have more thermal energy. D. the moons of the giant planets provide additional pull.
A
which factor most likely plays a role in the composition of each planet's cloud tops. Choose one: A. temperature B. altitude C. diameter of the planet D. density
A
Io's noncircular orbit causes it to bulge toward Jupiter in different ways throughout its orbit, creating friction in its interior that heats it to melting. Earth's Moon also has a noncircular orbit and experiences differential gravitational tidal forces from the Earth. Considering what you know of the formation of objects in the inner versus outer Solar System, and given the information in the figure, which of these statements are factors in the Moon's lack of geological activity compared to Io? Choose one or more: A. Jupiter is much more massive than the Earth. B. Io has experienced fewer meteor impacts than the Moon. C. The Moon is made of material that has a higher melting point. D. The Moon receives more intense radiation from the Sun. E. The Moon is considerably smaller than Mercury.
A, C
This image shows the path of a star as it moves through its orbit. From the point of view of an observer at the telescope, determine how the light from the star will be affected by the Doppler shift, and label each point accordingly. You may assume that the center of the star's orbit is not moving with respect to the observer. A Blue shifted B Red shifted C no doppler shift
A, C, B
Comparing objects in a related group can reveal patterns among them. These patterns in turn can help us learn more about those objects than we could by studying each individually. Select all of the following choices that describe the patterns that you've observed. As you do so, think about the implications of how the Solar System may have formed. A. All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction. B. Planets orbit the Sun in random directions. C. The orbits of the planets are evenly distributed in distance from the Sun. D. The size of all planets increases with distance from the Sun. E. All planets orbit the Sun in a spherical distribution. F. All planets orbit the Sun in a roughly flat plane. G. The orbits of the outer planets (those most distant from the Sun) are spaced farther apart from one another than the orbits of the inner planets.
A, F, G
Select the ways in which Titan resembles early Earth. Choose one or more: A. Its atmosphere is mostly nitrogen. B. It has a thick atmosphere. C. It has terrain similar to Earth's. D. It has liquid water on the surface. E. It is rich in organic compounds.
A, b, c, e
Place these volatiles in order of the temperatures at which each will condense to form a cloud layer on one of the four Jovian planets. (low to high) water ice, ammonium hydrosulfide ice, ammonia ice, ammonia droplets, methane ice
Ammonia droplets, water ice, ammonium hydrosulfide ice, ammonia ice, and methane ice.
Based on the law of conservation of angular momentum, what would happen to a collapsing cloud of gas and dust--isolated in space with no external forces--as its size decreases? A. The cloud will gain mass. B. The cloud will spin faster. C. The cloud will lose mass. D. The cloud will spin more slowly. E. The cloud will not be able to collapse at all.
B
Consider the case of a single particle within the rings that has a highly elliptical and/or highly inclined orbit, such that its orbital shape is different from the other particles in the ring. What will likely happen to that particle? Choose one: A. Nothing. It will continue to orbit around Saturn with its original orbit. B. Collisions with other particles and the gravitational force of the rings will gradually nudge it into a more circular orbit within the flat plane of the rings. C. Its orbit is unstable, so it will crash into the planet. D. It will bounce off another particle in the rings and gain enough energy to escape from Saturn. 1st attempt
B
Observations show that, in general, larger planets and moons have had geological activity more recently than smaller bodies have. All of the planets show past signs of volcanism, tectonics, and/or erosion, but only the larger ones are still geologically active today. Why is this? One reason has to do with the planet's interior. Most of the heat inside of Earth is left over from the accretion process during Earth's formation. What would you expect to have happened as the Earth (or any other planet) cooled after its formation? A. The planet spun more slowly, decreasing the winds and weakening the erosion. B. The hard crust thickened, closing off volcanic vents, and the mantle began to solidify, slowing the motion that causes volcanism and tectonics. C. The energy loss caused the planet to drift closer to the Sun, heating it and therefore increasing the level of volcanism/tectonics. D. The hard crust became thinner, cracking more easily, and the mantle moved more freely, increasing the motion that causes volcanism and tectonics.
B
When viewed through a telescope, Uranus and Neptune are distinctly bluish green in color. What gas is responsible for this striking appearance? Choose one: A. helium B. methane C. hydrogen D. water
B
Which is not a reason for the large size of volcanoes on Mars compared to Earth's smaller volcanoes? Choose one: A. lower surface gravity on Mars than Earth B. distance from the Sun C. absence of plate tectonics on Mars D. many repeated eruptions on Mars
B
Which of the following worlds does not show evidence of the current presence of liquid or frozen water? Choose one: A. Mars B. Venus C. Mercury D. Earth E. the Moon
B
Geologists can find the actual age of features on a world by Choose one or more: A. assuming that all features on a planetary surface are the same age. B. radioactive dating of rocks retrieved from the world. C. comparing cratering counts on one world to those on another.
B, C
the change in the brightness of a star during an occultation by a planet. Label the points on the curve with the correct description of what is happening at each point. A Star is totally covered B Star is fully visible C Star is beginning to be covered D Star is emerging
B, C, A , D
Comparing objects in our Solar System can give us important clues toward understanding their properties that we wouldn't obtain through just studying each object independently. Comparing Earth's Moon to those of the other planets may also help us understand more about it. Examine this table and choose the statements below it that match your observations. A. The Earth's moon is typical in all ways when compared to the moons of the other inner planets. B. The Earth's moon is unique in that it is much larger than the moons of the other inner planets. C. The Earth's moon is unique in that it is less dense than the moons of the other inner planets. D. Only half of the inner planets have moons.
B, D
Label the different layers of Earth's interior from the inside out A Mantle B Inner Core C Outer Core D Crust
B, D, A, C
Astronomers have determined that the gas giants are made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Given what you have learned about planetesimal formation through accretion, and the types of materials that condensed at certain distances from the Sun, which of the following is the most likely way that the gas giants formed? A Hydrogen and helium condensed into a solid and accreted to form the gas giants. B Because hydrogen and helium could not condense into a solid at the temperature of the Solar Nebula, the gas giants must have formed elsewhere and been captured by the Sun's gravity. C Rock, metal, and ices made of materials such as water, ammonia, and methane, condensed into a solid and grew large enough to gravitationally attract hydrogen and helium gas from the Solar Nebula.
C
How would you explain the difference in cratering between these two pictures? A. The surface on the right had fewer impacts by random coincidence. B. The surface on the left has experienced more recent volcanism or erosion than the surface to the right. C. The surface on the right has experienced more recent volcanism or erosion than the surface to the left.
C
It is unlikely that the Moon formed elsewhere and was captured by Earth's gravity, since it may be impossible for the Earth to capture an object as large as the Moon. It is also of note that the Moon contains an unusually low quantity of volatiles, which are materials like water that are easily vaporized at high enough temperatures. Based on this, and given the moon's density, which of the following formation scenarios of the Moon most closely matches our observations? Choose one: A. The Moon formed from the outer part of Earth's atmosphere. B. The Moon formed at the same time as, but separately from, the Earth from the same Solar Nebula material. C. The Moon accreted from the debris of the impact of a large object with the surface of the Earth. D. The Moon was formed from the material of an enormous volcanic eruption on Earth.
C
Study this picture of a meteorite that has been sliced open to show its interior, and use your observations to determine the most likely formation scenario for a planet. A) A single isolated clump inside the nebula gravitationally collapses into a planet. B) All of the gas in the nebula collapses to the center to form the Sun, which then expels a piece of itself in a violent solar flare that is blown outward and becomes a planet. C) Individual particles in the nebula stick together to form larger pieces which later collide with and stick to other pieces to gradually form larger objects, which eventually grow to the size of a planet.
C
The level of each of the surface-shaping processes that occur on a planet throughout its history will determine how its surface appears. The terrestrial planets were formed in basically the same environment, so we can assume that the average frequency of impacts for all of the terrestrial planets has been about the same. In a hypothetical scenario where impacts are the only process that ever shape planetary surfaces, how would the surfaces of the terrestrial planets compare? A. The larger planets would have more craters per area than the smaller planets. B. The smaller planets would have more craters per area than the larger planets. C. All of the planets would have roughly the same number of craters per area. D. The planets closer to the Sun would have significantly more craters per area than the more distant planets.
C
Uranus's orbit did not appear to behave according to Newton's laws of motion and gravity. The most likely culprit for Uranus's misbehaving orbit was the gravitational influence of another planet. Using Newton's laws, astronomers were able to calculate exactly where they would expect this still-undiscovered planet to be. When telescopes were pointed at this position, Neptune was seen. What does this imply? Choose one: A. Newton's laws have been falsified. B. Newton's laws have been verified by yet another test, but there is still not enough evidence for them, so they should be treated with cautious skepticism. C. Newton's laws have been verified by yet another test, so we should use them with high confidence until and unless they are falsified by future tests. D. Newton's laws have been verified as absolute truth.
C
Venus is hot and Mars is cold primarily because Choose one: A. Venus is closer to the Sun. B. Venus has stronger winds. C. Venus has a much thicker atmosphere. D. the atmosphere of Venus is dominated by CO2, but the atmosphere of Mars is not.
C
Why do Jupiter and Saturn appear red/white and brownish orange, while Uranus and Neptune are blue? From the following figures displaying the composition of the Jovian planets with depth, choose the most likely reason for this difference. Note that we are looking at/through the upper cloud layers of each planet, which gives us the perception of a visible surface. Labels of "ice" in the figure refer to clouds made of tiny ice crystals, not a solid layer of ice. Choose one: A. Uranus and Neptune are much smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, so we are seeing closer to their icy blue cores. B. Uranus and Neptune are much colder than Jupiter and Saturn, so their blackbody spectrums will peak in the blue. C. The cloud tops of Jupiter and Saturn have a different composition from the cloud tops of Uranus and Neptune.
C
Why is Jupiter reddish in color? Choose one: A. because it is very hot B. because it is rusty, like Mars C. because of the composition of its atmosphere D. because it is moving away from Earth very quickly
C
what would you expect Earth's temperature to do over the next few thousand years? Choose one: A. It is impossible to tell because the temperature of the Earth is highly unpredictable. B. level out and stay at the current temperature C. decrease toward the next ice age D. increase toward the next warm period
C
which of the following statements is correct? A. Due to similarities between Mercury and the Moon, they both likely formed in the same way from the same material. B. The three moons are all very similar and thus were likely formed by the same processes. C. Phobos and Deimos have properties that suggest that they are the same type of object as c-type asteroids.
C
Drag each type of material to the bar indicating where each could be found in the forming Solar System. A Water Ice B Highly volatile materials C Refractory materials
C, A, B
features of the greenhouse effect on Earth (in order) A Infrared radiation reradiated back to ground B Infrared radiation radiated from ground into atmosphere C Radiation from the sun heating the ground D infrared radiation escaping into space
C, B, A, D
What is an accretion disk, and what are its characteristics? Select the true statements regarding accretion disks. A. An accretion disk forms because there is nothing to stop the collapse of an interstellar cloud toward its axis of rotation. B. Most of the material in an accretion disk that does not end up in the protostar is available to form its planets. C. The shape and motion of the accretion disk are the reason that the subsequently formed planets all orbit in or near the equatorial plane of the star. D. Conservation of angular momentum leads a cloud to form a disk rather than collapse entirely. E. An accretion disk's radius is typically hundreds of AU.
C, D, E
Sort the given bodies by the direction of their orbital motion. comet halley, Jupiter, comet encke, saturn
Counterclockwise: saturn, Jupiter, comet encke Clockwise: Comet halley
How do astronomers measure the size of the Great Red Spot? Choose one: A. They send spacecraft to the top of the spot to physically measure the size of it. B. They time the spot as it makes a rotation around the planet. C. They use the Doppler shift in reflected light from the cloud tops. D. They compare its dimensions to the known diameter of Jupiter.
D
If a moon revolves opposite to a planet's rotation, it probably Choose one: A. has a different composition than other moons. B. had its orbit altered by a collision. C. formed very recently in the Solar System's history. D. was captured after the planet formed.
D
On which of the following does plate tectonics occur? Choose one or more: A. Mercury B. Mars C. Venus D. Earth E. Moon
D
Stellar occultations are the most accurate way to measure the _________ of a Solar System object. Choose one: A. mass B. density C. temperature D. diameter
D
Study the sizes of the gas giants shown in the image above (the distance from the Sun increases from left to right), and choose the best explanation that accounts for their differences in size. A. Gas giants decrease in size with increased distance from the Sun because fewer types of materials could condense farther out. B. Gas giants increase in size with increased distance from the Sun because the Solar Nebula was denser farther out. C. Gas giants increase in size with increased distance from the Sun because more types of materials could condense farther out. D. Gas giants decrease in size with increased distance from the Sun because the Solar Nebula was less dense farther out.
D
What causes the auroras of the giant planets? Choose one or more: A. charged particles B. tilted magnetic fields C. strong electrical currents D. strong magnetic fields
D
What was the evidence that indicated volcanic activity ended a billion years ago? Choose one: A. Astronomers analyzed some ice buried deep in a crater and detected microbes billions of years old, but nothing more recent. B. Astronomers counted the number of mare for a given region on the surface. C. Astronomers analyzed the depth of the regolith (the layer of dust) on the surface of the Moon. D. Astronomers counted the number of craters for a given region on the surface.
D
Why did scientists suspect that the Moon cooled quickly? Choose one: A. It has no significant amounts of water on the surface. B. It has no atmosphere. C. It moves fast as it orbits the Earth and the Sun. D. It is small.
D
Why has the Great Red Spot been seen for only 400 years? Choose one: A. Prior to 400 years ago, that side of Jupiter faced away from Earth. B. The planet Jupiter was discovered 400 years ago. C. The spot began 400 years ago. D. It was 400 years ago that Jupiter was first examined through a telescope.
D
Why would bringing a sample back to Earth for analysis yield a more accurate age estimate for more recent volcanic activity? Choose one: A. Astronomers could melt the rocks again to properly date the resulting lava. B. Astronomers could look for fossilized remains of life forms in the rocks to get an age. C. Astronomers could accurately measure the reflectivity of the rocks to get an age. D. Astronomers could use radiometric dating on the rocks.
D
angular momentum is only approximately conserved. This is because A. the measurement of angular momentum depends on your reference frame. B. the person on the platform is exerting a force when she pulls her arms in and pushes them out. C. no quantities are ever really conserved. D. there are small external forces acting—friction and air resistance, for example.
D
what is the most likely reason Venus has a stronger greenhouse effect than Earth? Choose one: A. Venus is covered in clouds that reflect most of the sunlight away. B. Venus has a higher percentage of nitrogen than the Earth. C. Venus had more carbon dioxide added to the air through volcanic outgassing. D. Venus is closer to the Sun, so any liquid water that might have existed on the surface in the distant past would have evaporated away faster than on the Earth.
D
Correctly position these four planets within the accretion disk of our early Solar System based on the materials that were present where they formed. A Uranus B Jupiter C Saturn D Earth
D, B, C, A
Examine the figure to the right, which shows the approximate density of the Earth's layers in g/cm3. If the density of the Moon is 3.34 g/cm3, which layer of the Earth is it most similar to? A. inner core B. It has the same density as the average density of the entire Earth. C. outer core D. mantle E. crust
E
Impacts on the terrestrial worlds A. are more common than they used to be. B. periodically become more common and then are less common for a while. C. have occurred at approximately the same rate since the formation of the Solar System. D. never occur any more. E. are less common than they used to be.
E
which of the following properties of a planet is most important in determining its level of recent geological activity? Choose one: A. distance from the Sun B. amount of water on the surface C. albedo (percentage of sunlight that is reflected from the surface) D. rotation rate E. size
E
What are the major moons of Jupiter?
Europa, Ganymede, lo, Callisto
Put the following into categories of gaseous, rocky, rock/ice mixture Jupiter, venus, mercury, uranus, earth, Pluto, eris, mars, Neptune, Saturn
Gaseous: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune Rocky: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars Rock/Ice mixture: Pluto, Eris
The search for extrasolar planets has uncovered a phenomenon astronomers call a "hot Jupiter." If our Solar System had one, where would it orbit, relative to the other planets? (closest-farthest from sun) Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Hot Jupiter, Earth, Mars,
Hot Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter
The composition of the protoplanetary disk varies with distance from the protostar due to temperature. Starting with those closest to the protostar, place these materials in order based on where they can be found predominantly in their solid states (Closest to farthest) Water Iron, silicates, carbon Methane, ammonia, CO
Iron, silicates, carbon water methane, ammonia, CO
Based on the figure in the Introduction, and the fact that an object with an increasing moment of inertia will spin more slowly to conserve angular momentum, choose the figure that best depicts how a cloud of gas will collapse to form a star system.
It goes from a cloud, to a wider and skinnier cloud, and then forms a disk
Whether a planet has an atmosphere or not depends on a number of factors: mass, temperature, composition of the crust, volcanic activity, and complex evolutionary processes. Rank the planets according to how well they retain their atmospheres, using the following criteria: • The planet that still maintains its primary atmosphere, ranks first. • The planet that lost its primary atmosphere but retains a dense secondary atmosphere, ranks second. • The planet that lost its primary atmosphere and retains a tenuous secondary atmosphere, ranks third. • The planet that retained neither its primary nor secondary atmospheres, ranks last. Mars, venus, Jupiter, mercury
Jupiter, venus, mars, mercury
Choose the statement that corresponds to the biggest factor that resulted in Mars having a thinner atmosphere than Earth and Venus. Choose one: Mars had fewer comet impacts than Earth and Venus. Mars has a longer year than Earth and Venus. Mars is less massive than Earth and Venus. Mars is farther away from the Sun than Earth and Venus.
Mars is less massive than Earth and Venus
A planet's temperature depends on its distance from the Sun as well as the strength of its greenhouse effect. Let's remove the effect of distance from the Sun by just considering how the temperature of a planet changes due to the presence of its atmosphere. From the numbers given in the animation, calculate the difference in temperature for each planet with and without its atmosphere, and then rank the planets in order of increasing greenhouse effect. Venus, Mars, Earth
Mars, Earth, Venus
Place the planets in order based on the discrepancy between their surface temperatures with and without their atmospheres. Earth, Venus, mars
Mars, Earth, Venus
Rank, from greatest (at top) to smallest (at bottom), the seasonal variations of the terrestrial planets. Earth, Venus, Mercury, Mars
Mars, Earth, Venus, Mercury
The distinct layers of Earth's atmosphere vary in temperature in a somewhat surprising way. Arrange these four layers in ascending order, based on the temperature at the upper boundary of each. troposphere, thermosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere
Mesosphere, troposphere, stratosphere, thermosphere
A chunk of iron weighing a few kilograms flies into the inner Solar System, is captured by Earth's gravity, enters the atmosphere burning brightly, and lands on solid ground. Three different names apply to the different stages of its journey. Place them in order from first to last. meteor, meteoroid, meteorite
Meteoroid, meteor, meteorite A meteoroid is a piece of an asteroid in space, often of small size (less than a centimeter across) and typically traveling at tens of kilometers per second. A meteor is an atmospheric phenomenon, the trail of heated atmospheric gas glowing from the friction caused by the meteoroid entering the atmosphere. A meteorite is a meteoroid that was large enough to survive all the way to the ground.
The following graph shows multiple transit events recorded while observing a star. The colored arrows indicate transits caused by three different planets. Rank the orbital periods of these planets, from shortest to longest. Purple planet Blue planet Red planet
Red Blue Purple
we must start with an understanding of the processes that cause planetary surfaces to change: volcanism, tectonics, erosion, and impacts. Put the following in categories of Volcanism/tectonics, erosion, impacts: Wind, ice; meteorites; rising mantle material
Volcanism/tectonics: Rising mantle material Erosion: wind, ice Impacts: meteorites
Comets that visit the inner Solar System were kicked there from the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud by gravitational close encounters with other objects. Pluto travels through the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt. As Ceres is just a large asteroid, could Pluto be just a large Kuiper Belt comet nucleus? Which of the following properties of Pluto would best help answer this question? Choose one: A. composition B. apparent brightness C. orbital period D. surface temperature E. color
a
Compare the atmospheric properties of the planets in the table to the right. The surface temperature is the average for the entire planet in units of Kelvin (subtract 273 from that number to convert it into units of Celsius). The surface pressure is related to how thick the atmosphere is (thicker atmospheres have more air molecules packed into the same volume, and thus higher pressure). Given the information in this table, how would you explain the difference in greenhouse effect strength for each of the planets? Choose one or more: A. Venus has a very strong greenhouse effect because it has a high percentage of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere and also a high surface pressure. B. Mars has a weak greenhouse effect because it has very low surface pressure. C. Venus and Mars both have a very high percentage of carbon dioxide in their atmospheres, creating a stronger greenhouse effect than Earth's atmosphere, which has very little. D. Planets that are closer to the Sun will have a stronger greenhouse effect than those farther away from the Sun. E. Earth has a much higher percentage of nitrogen in its atmosphere, causing it to have a stronger greenhouse effect than Venus and Mars.
a, b
The words weather and climate Choose one or more: A. refer to very different size scales. B. refer to very different time scales. C. mean essentially the same thing.
a, b
Only larger objects have strong enough self-gravity to force themselves into a spherical shape. The first asteroid discovered, Ceres, is round and was originally classified as a planet. However, it is no longer considered a planet because many other smaller objects were found to exist within its orbit in the asteroid belt. Pluto was discovered later and was classified as a planet. It's larger than Ceres, is made of ice and rock, and is significantly farther from the Sun than the asteroids. Is it scientifically justifiable to classify Pluto as a planet, but not Ceres? Comparing Pluto to the other planets may answer this. select all of the observed planetary properties that do not describe Pluto. Choose one or more: A. Planets all have elliptical orbits that are nearly circular and lie close to the same plane. B. Planets are all large enough to be round. C. Planets in the inner Solar System are small and rocky, while planets in the outer Solar System are giants made mostly of hydrogen and helium. D. Planets all orbit around the Sun.
a, c
Which of the following are characteristics of regular moons? Choose one or more: A. They have orbits that lie nearly in the equatorial planes of their planets. B. They are much smaller than all of the known planets. C. They revolve around their planets in the same direction as the planets rotate. D. They are usually tidally locked to their parent planets.
a, c, d
Indicate the correct motion of a comet as it orbits the Sun. a. moving toward the sun, less fast b. moving away from the sun, less fast c. moving toward the sun, faster d. moving away from the sun, faster e. moving fastest
a, c, e, d, b
During the formation of the Solar System, smaller particles in the solar nebula combined to form planetesimals, some of which provided the building blocks for planets. The majority of planetesimals did not become planets, however, and some of them remain in the Solar System today as debris left over from the time of planet formation. Asteroids are a special class of planetesimals that orbit around the Sun. Study the distribution of known asteroids shown in this figure, and choose all of the statements below that match your observations. Choose one or more: A. Some asteroids cross Earth's orbit as they orbit around the Sun. B. All of the asteroids exist in a region between Jupiter and Mars. C. The majority of asteroids exist in a region between Jupiter and Mars. D. The majority of asteroids exist inside of Mars' orbit. E. Asteroids are randomly distributed throughout the Solar System. F. There are clumps of asteroids that exist at particular spots in Jupiter's orbit. G. Asteroids have been discovered as far out as Pluto.
a, c, f
Auroras are the result of Choose one: A. upper-atmosphere lightning strikes. B. the interaction of particles from the Sun and Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field. C. the interaction of Earth's magnetic field with Earth's atmosphere. D. destruction of stratospheric ozone, which leaves a hole.
b
Due to the mutual synchronous rotation of Pluto and Charon, choose the statement below that best describes what an observer on Pluto would see when looking toward Charon. Choose one: A. The observer would see different sides of Charon as it rotates on its axis and would see it rise and set as it orbits Pluto. B. The observer would always see the same side of Charon, which would appear to hang motionlessly in the same spot in the sky all the time. C. The observer would always see the same side of Charon, which would make circles around a point in the sky but never rise or set below the horizon. D. The observer would always see the same side of Charon, which would rise and set as it orbits Pluto.
b
If rings are observed around a planet, this indicates that Choose one: A. the rings formed with the planet. B. there is a recent source of ring material. C. the planet is newly formed. D. the rings are made of fine dust.
b
In 1910, Earth passed through the tail of Comet Halley. Among the various gases in the tail was hydrogen cyanide (HCN), which is deadly to humans. Yet nobody became ill from this event. Why not? Choose one: A. HCN reacts with oxygen in Earth's atmosphere to produce harmless compounds. B. The mass of poisonous gases is tiny compared to the mass of Earth's atmosphere. C. Earth's magnetic field deflects all harmful gases away from the planet. D. The density of the HCN in the tail is so low that Earth does not absorb any of it.
b
Individual cloud layers in the giant planets have different compositions. This happens because Choose one: A. the Coriolis effect only occurs close to the "surface" of the inner core. B. different volatiles freeze out at different temperatures. C. the winds are all in the outermost layer. D. there is no convection on the giant planets.
b
Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) are actually comet nuclei. Why do they not display comas and tails? Choose one: A. They are too close to the Sun. B. They are too far from the Sun. C. Most of the material has already been stripped from the objects. D. The comas and tails are pointing away from Earth.
b
Remnants of volcanic activity on the asteroid Vesta indicate that members of the asteroid belt Choose one: A. have all undergone significant chemical evolution since formation. B. occasionally grow large enough to become differentiated and geologically active. C. were once part of a single protoplanet that was shattered by collisions. D. used to be volcanic moons orbiting other planets.
b
The following statements compare and contrast cryovolcanism with regular volcanism. Which are true? Choose one or more: A. Cryovolcanism always ejects water ice crystals while regular volcanism always ejects rock. B. Both eject material from the interior of a planetary body. C. Regular volcanism is driven by a molten rock interior, while cryovolcanism is driven by a cold liquid interior. D. Both can be used to help determine the age of the surface of a body. E. Only regular volcanism has ever been observed. Cryovolcanism refers to ancient volcanism. F. Cryovolcanism operates at a higher temperature.
b, c, d
The greenhouse effect plays a major role in the climate of a planet. choose all the statements below that are correct. Note that 273 K = 0°C = 32°F. Choose one or more: A. The Earth absorbs sunlight and reemits it in the ultraviolet. B. If there were no greenhouse effect, liquid water would not exist on the surface of the Earth. C. The more carbon dioxide there is in an atmosphere, the stronger the greenhouse effect will be. D. It would be beneficial to humanity to develop technology that would eliminate the greenhouse effect on Earth. E. The Earth has reached thermal equilibrium, emitting the same amount of energy into space as it absorbs from the Sun.
b, c, e
What are other possible sources of Earth's water? Choose one or more: A. When our Sun turned on, it caused melted ice to rain on Earth from the outer Solar System. B. The water was bound together with minerals as Earth formed, and it was released during collisions. C. Early on, our Solar System passed through a fog-like cloud of water as it orbited the galaxy. D. The water was brought to Earth by collisions with icy planetesimals that formed near Jupiter.
b, d
which asteroid types would be more common if they were the result of a shattered planet? Choose one or more: A. C-type B. S-type C. All types would be equally common. D. M-type
b, d
At least 75% of asteroids are primordial C-type. What does this imply about how the asteroid belt was formed? Choose one: A. It was formed entirely of pieces of planetesimals that were prevented from getting large enough to differentiate, and thus were never part of a planet. B. It was formed entirely of the pieces of a shattered planet. C. It was formed mostly from pieces of planetesimals that were prevented from getting large enough to differentiate, but it also contains some pieces of objects that were large enough to differentiate and were later shattered. D. It was formed mostly from pieces of objects that were large enough to differentiate and were later shattered, but it also contains some planetesimals that were prevented from getting large enough to differentiate.
c
Gravitational interactions with moons produce Choose one: A. smoothed-out rings. B. rings with spokes. C. fine structure within rings. D. short-lived rings.
c
On rare occasions, comets have been seen orbiting the Sun. These are planetesimals made of rock and ice that become visible to us when their ice sublimates at the closest approach to the Sun, making them glow brightly and grow tails. Where do they come from? We can answer that question by studying the orbits of the comets that pass close enough to us that we can observe them. We see two distinct types of orbits: short-period and long-period comets. choose the answer below that most likely follows from your observations. Choose one: A. Both comet types come from some location near the ecliptic plane of the Solar System, but the long-period comets come from farther away. B. Both comet types come from random directions in a spherical distribution around the Sun, but the long-period comets come from farther away. C. Short-period comets come from some location near the ecliptic plane of the Solar System, and long-period comets come from farther away, with random directions in a spherical distribution around the Sun. D. Short-period comets come from a random direction in a spherical distribution around the Sun, and long-period comets come from farther away, in some location near the ecliptic plane of the Solar System.
c
Volcanoes on Enceladus affect the E Ring of Saturn by Choose one: A. pushing the ring around. B. dissipating the ring. C. supplying ring particles. D. stirring the ring particles.
c
What determines an asteroid's shape? Choose one: A. All of the asteroids have irregular shapes but come in a range of sizes. B. Asteroids have a range of sizes, with the smallest being spherical and the larger ones irregular in shape. C. Asteroids have a range of sizes, with the largest being spherical and the smaller ones irregular in shape. D. All of the asteroids have irregular shapes and are similar in size.
c
Jupiter and Saturn, despite being considerably farther from us than the inner terrestrial planets, are very bright in our sky. Which of the following choices are possible explanations for this? Choose one or more: A. They are so hot that they emit blackbody radiation that peaks in the visible. B. Since they are closer to stars, more starlight is reflected off of them than the inner planets. C. They are more reflective (higher albedo) than most of the terrestrial planets. D. They are larger than the terrestrial planets. E. Dust obscures our view of the inner planets more than the outer ones.
c, d
select all the statements below that are correct. Choose one or more: A. There is no correlation between the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere and temperature. B. There are cyclical temperature variations seen on this graph (a periodic increase, then decrease) each year due to the passage of the seasons. C. The temperature is directly related to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere—an increase in one coincides with an increase in the other. D. The temperature is inversely related to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere—a decrease in one results in an increase in the other. E. There are cyclical temperature variations seen on this graph (a periodic increase, then decrease) every few 10,000 to 100,000 years or so.
c, e
perihelion and aphelion describe the points in an orbit that are ________ from the sun (respectively)
closest to and farthest from
After it was discovered, astronomers predicted Uranus's orbit using Newton's laws of motion and gravity, which had worked extremely well for all of the other planets. To their surprise, they found that their observations of Uranus's motion through the sky did not match their predictions. Which of the following would be the most logical next step? Choose one: A. Newton's laws of motion and gravity have been falsified, so they should be scrapped in favor of a completely new hypothesis. B. If the data doesn't match Newton's laws of motion and gravity, then the data must be bad, so this finding should be disregarded. C. Newton's laws of motion and gravity must be modified to match the data. D. Check for other previously undiscovered factors that might alter Uranus's orbit while still allowing it to obey Newton's laws of motion and gravity.
d
As a comet leaves the inner Solar System, its ion tail points Choose one: A. toward the Sun. B. back along the orbit. C. forward along the orbit. D. away from the Sun.
d
Sort the meteorites by their likely origin in either a differentiated or undifferentiated body. Chondrites, achondrites, irons, stony-irons
differentiated: achondrites, irons, stony-irons undifferentiated: chondrites
If you wanted to search for faint rings around a giant planet by sending a spacecraft on a flyby, it would be best to make your observations Choose one: A. as the spacecraft approached the planet. B. while orbiting one of its moons. C. while orbiting the planet. D. during the closest flyby. E. after the spacecraft passed the planet.
e
All of Jupiter's moons experience tidal heating from Jupiter, and they show signs of recent geological activity because of it. Based on their appearance, rank the four Galilean moons in order from the most recently geologically active to the least.
lo, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
Ganymede, Europa, and Io share a 4:2:1 resonance in their orbits around Jupiter. If Io's orbital period is 1.77 days, what are the orbital periods of Europa and Ganymede? Note that Io is the innermost of the three moons, and Ganymede is the outermost.
orbital period of europa: 3.54 days orbital period of Ganymede: 7.08 days
The diagram shown indicates the location of exoplanets orbiting their star. The light green ring represents the habitable zone for that star. Determine whether each of the planets in this system is located in a region that is too hot, too cold, or just right for liquid water to potentially exist on the surface. Planets b, c, d, e, f
too hot for liquid water: b, c, d, e too cold for liquid water: just right for liquid water: f
Asteroid ida has a small moon called dactyl- true or false
true
