PHYS 1305 Exam 1, 2, 3, and 4.
About the four giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), which one of following statements is NOT correct?
The rotation period is shorter for Earth than for the gas giant planets (Jupiter and Saturn).
Among the following seismic waves, which one has the fastest speed?
primary wave
Which one of the following statements is NOT correct for the surface of Venus?
Atmospheric processes do not affect the surface of Venus.
About the seasonal variations of Uranus and Neptune, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Brightness of Neptune never changes with time.
Which one of the following gases is the dominant composition of the atmospheres of Venus and Mars?
CO2
Among the following space missions, which one is the recent mission exploring Saturn's system, which one is the ongoing mission exploring Jupiter, and which one is the future mission to explore Titan?
Cassini, Juno, and Dragonfly
Scientists are very interested in Earth-like exoplanets in habitable zones. Which one of the following statements is NOT correct for the Earth-like exoplanets in habitable zones?
Currently, most of discovered exoplanets have masses smaller than Earth's mass.
About the magnetic field of Earth, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Currently, the axis of Earth's magnetic field is consistent with the rotational axis of Earth's solid body.
Which one of the following statements is NOT correct for the surface of Mercury?
Currently, there are active volcanoes on Mercury.
Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Currently, there is no water vapor in the atmosphere of Mars.
Currently, which one of the four terrestrial planets has the strongest magnetic field?
Earth
About atomic structure and light spectra, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
It is possible that different molecules have the same spectral lines (e.g., emission/absorption lines).
For the four giant planets, what is the order of size (radius) from largest to smallest?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The multiple instruments on the spacecraft-Cassini observed a giant storm erupted in December 2010 on Saturn. Which one of the following descriptions is NOT correct for the giant storm?
Lightning was not detected in the giant storm
Wein's law (sometimes call Wein's displacement law) tells us that the relationship between the temperature (T) of an object and the wavelength with the maximal radiance in the object's light spectra (Lmax). Let us assume that there are two objects with different temperatures: one with 3000 K and the other with 5000 K. Which one of the following statements is correct for Lmax?
Lmax is longer in 3000 K object than in 5000 K object.
Among the four terrestrial planets in our solar system, which one has the smallest global-average density?
Mars
Among the four terrestrial planets, which one has the largest discovered volcano mountain in our solar system?
Mars
Among the four terrestrial planets, which one does not have clouds?
Mercury
Among the four terrestrial planets, what is the order of surface pressure from lowest to highest?
Mercury, Mars, Earth, and Venus
Among the four giant planets, which one has the global-average density smaller than the density of liquid water and which one has the strongest magnetic field?
Saturn and Jupiter
About the polar vortex on Saturn, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Saturn's polar vortex has a cold core.
About the interior structure of our Sun, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Solar energy is transported from the convective zone to the radiative zone.
Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Solar winds do not affect the magnetic field of Earth.
About the sunspots and faculae, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
The number of faculae does not change with time.
Based on the obliquity, which two of the four giant planets have the strongest and weakest seasonal changes respectively?
Uranus and Jupiter
About the rings and satellites of the four giant planets, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Uranus and Neptune do not have rings.
About Uranus and Neptune, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Uranus is much colder than Neptune.
Among the four terrestrial planets in our solar system, which one does not have the polar ice?
Venus
About the clouds on the four giant planets, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Water vapor is the only gas, which can condensate into clouds on Uranus and Neptune.
Which one of the following surface features does not exist on the current surface of Moon (Earth's satellite)?
active volcano
About the mechanism of the jet plumes on Enceladus, which one of the following factors does NOT contribute to the development of the jet plumes on Enceladus?
advection of liquid water under surface
Besides the planets and satellites, there are many other objects concentrated in three regions of our solar system. From inside to outside, the three regions are
asteroid belt, Kuiper belt, and Oort cloud
Caloris Basin is one of the most dominant geologic features on Mercury. Which one of the following activities explains the generating mechanism of the basin?
asteroid impact
Which one of the following activities does not belong to the main sources for planetary atmosphere?
asteroid impact
Which one of the following layers does not belong to the interior structure of Earth?
global sub-surface ice shell
There are two parameters mainly affecting seasonal changes of planets. What are the two parameters?
obliquity and eccentricity
About the atmospheres of planets, which one of the following statements is NOT Correct?
Asteroid impact can be a source for the atmospheres of planets.
Among the four terrestrial planets, which one has the largest day-night difference of surface temperature and which one has the hottest global-average temperature?
Mercury and Venus
For the planets in our solar system, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Mercury has the hottest global-average temperature among all planets in our solar system
About the craters on planets and satellites, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Some terrestrial planets in our solar system do not have craters.
There is a unique geological feature ⎯ Corona on Venus. Which one of the following processes is related to the Corona?
volcano activity
The total mass of a star is ~ 3× 10(^33) kilogram (kg). About 2% of the star's total mass will be used to make the nuclear reaction to provide the energy for the star. The total energy corresponding to the mass of nuclear reaction can be computed by Einstein mass-energy relationship E = mc(^2) , where E is energy, which has a unit of Joule (J). The unit of Joule (J) can be expressed as Joule (J) = Watt (W) × second (s). The symbol m in Einstein relationship represents mass, which has a unit of kilogram (kg). The symbol c in Einstein relationship represents light speed in space, which has a value of ~ 3 × 10(^8) meter/second (m/s). Assuming the solar power (luminosity) of the star is 9.0 × 10(^28) W, which does not change during the lifetime of the star. Please estimate the total lifetime of the star (i.e., the time running out the total energy by the luminosity).
~ 6× 10(^19) seconds
About the troposphere of Earth, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Atmospheric pressure increases with height.
When a planet moves in front of a star, it will block part of the radiance from the star. Therefore, the star's radiance observed by Earth-based telescopes or spacecrafts will decrease when a planet moves in front of a star. In other words, the existence of an exoplanet orbiting a star will be confirmed if we observe the decrease in the radiance from the star. Such a method of detecting exoplanets is called "Transit Technique". Let us assume there is an extra-solar system, in which a planet orbits a star. The star has a radius of 1.0× 106 km and the orbiting planet has a radius of 1.5 × 105 km. Due to the parent star is much hotter than the orbiting planet, so the radiance from the planet can be neglected when we observe the radiance from the star. In class, we introduced that the decrease of radiance power, which is due to the blocking by the planet when it moves in front of the star, can be estimated by the ratio between the disc area of the planet and the disc area of the star. When the planet does not block the star, an Earth-based telescope observed the star's radiance power over unit area as 20 W/m2 . What is the observed radiance power from the star when the planet moves in front of the star?
19.55 W/m2
Impacting craters on terrestrial bodies (planets and satellites). We introduced an empirical equation D = C×E1/5 for the relationship between the kinetic energy (E) of an impacting object (e.g., meteoroid or asteroid) and the diameter (D) of impacting crater on the surface of a planet/satellite, where C is a parameter determined by a few variables (e.g., densities of the impacting object and the planet/satellite, surface gravity of the planet/satellite, the size of the impacting object, and impacting angle to the surface of the planet/satellite). Let us assume that an asteroid with mass ~ 5 × 108 kilograms and diameter ~ 50 meters impacts a planet with a velocity of 2000 meters per second. Assuming the parameter C in the empirical equation has a value ~ 0.35. Let us use the empirical equation D = C×E1/5 to estimate the diameter of crater (D) on the surface of the planet and answer the following question. Note: The empirical equation D = C×E1/5 is used with units of meter, kilogram, and second (MKS). All variables/parameters in this question are given in MKS units, so you do not need consider unit conversion in the empirical equation when estimating the diameter of the crater on the planet (i.e., only use numbers in the question). What is the ratio between the diameter of the asteroid (~ 50 meters) and the diameter of crater (D) on the surface of the planet?
1:7
The third Kepler law: relationship between the distance from the Sun and the orbital period for a planet. We discussed the third Kepler law in class. Scientists are still using telescopes to observe the space beyond Neptune in our solar system. In principle, it is possible that scientists will find astronomical bodies larger than Eris/Pluto in the future. Let us assume that a new planet with an orbital period ~ 6548 years is discovered in our solar system. Please take Earth as a reference and calculate the average distance from the Sun for the newly-discovered planet in our solar system.
350 AU
Let us assume that a star is ~ 5.67×108 AU away from Earth. What are the light years for the distance between the star and Earth? (1 AU ~ 1.5 × 108 kilometers, light speed ~ 3 × 105 kilometer/second, and 1 year ~ 3.15× 107 seconds).
9000 light years
Which one of the following statements is NOT correct for Kuiper Belt and Trans-Neptunian objects?
All Trans-Neptunian objects have diameters smaller than 1000 km.
About the stars in our universe, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
All discovered stars have surface temperatures warmer than 5000 K.
About the climate of Earth, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Earth's global warming is defined as the temperature increase of the whole atmosphere.
Which one of the following factors has the LEAST influence on the climate change on Earth?
Earth's rotation
About the discovered exoplanets, which one of the following statements is correct?
Exoplanets have already been discovered in the binary-star systems.
Among the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto), which one is the biggest satellite in our solar system and which one does not have core?
Ganymede and Callisto
About the extra-solar systems and exoplanets, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Giant planets have not been discovered in other solar systems yet.
Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Greenhouse gases are transparent to the thermal radiation from Earth's surface.
The main compositions of the atmospheres of four giant planets are
H(2) and He
About the weather of Earth, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Hurricanes increase their magnitudes when they move over lands
Let us assume that an asteroid impacts a terrestrial planet, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
If the mass of the asteroid increases 30%, the size of the crater on the planet will increase 30%.
About the detecting methods of exoplanets, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Imaging exoplanets is better in visible wavelengths than in infrared wavelengths.
Among the four Galilean satellites, which one has active volcanoes on the surface and which one has moving surface?
Io and Europa
Compared to the surface of Earth, the surface of Moon has much more craters. What is the main reason?
Moon does not have atmosphere to protect itself from impacting objects.
About the only satellite of Earth - Moon, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Moon's orbital period around Earth is roughly two times of its rotational period.
About the craters on Venus, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Most craters on Venus have diameters larger than 1000 kilometers.
Which one of the following gases is NOT the greenhouse gas?
N2
For the four giant planets, what is the order of orbital period from longest to shortest?
Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter.
Which one of the following missions is for Pluto and Kuiper Belt?
New Horizons
About the energy budgets of planets and satellites, which one of following statements is NOT correct?
On Jupiter, the emitted thermal energy is less than the absorbed solar energy.
Let us assume that there are four planets A, B, C, and D in an extra-solar system. The eccentricities of the orbits of Planets A, B, C, and D are 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.06, respectively. Which planet has the most circular orbit?
Planet A
Let us assume that there are four planets A, B, C, and D in an extra-solar system. The obliquities of Planets A, B, C, and D are 11°, 31°, 51°, and 61°, respectively. Based on the obliquity only, which planet has the weakest seasonal variation?
Planet A
Let us assume that we found three solar systems in our galaxy. Each solar system has a star and an Earth-size planet in the habitable zone. The temperatures are 12000 K, 8000 K, and 6000 K for the three stars in the three solar systems, respectively. The three habitable planets for the 12000 K star, 8000 K star, and 6000 K stars are named as Planet A, Planet B, and Planet C, respectively. For the three planets, what is the order of the distance between the parent star and the habitable planet from shortest to longest?
Planet C, Planet B, and Planet A.
Let us assume that there are four planets A, B, C, and D in an extra-solar system. The distances of Planet A, B, C, and D from their parent star are 30 AU, 35 AU, 40 AU, and 50 AU, respectively. Which planet has the longest orbital period?
Planet D
Based on the new definition of planets from the 2006 International Astronomical Union (IAU), which one of the following astronomical bodies is classified as a dwarf planet?
Pluto
About the atmosphere on the four giant planets, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Pressure increases with height in the troposphere on the four giant planets.
Which one of the following descriptions is NOT correct for the Great Red Spot (GRS) on Jupiter?
The GRS is in the northern hemisphere of Jupiter
About Earth, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
The boundaries of plates are always consistent with the boundaries of oceans and continents on Earth.
Which one of the following descriptions is NOT correct for Uranus and Neptune?
The diameters of all satellites of Neptune are smaller than 2000 km.
Light photons have energy. The energy of a photon can be calculated by E=h×c/λ, where E is energy of light photon, h is a constant (i.e., Plank's constant), c is also a constant (i.e., light speed), and λ is light wavelength. There are two light photons: one photon from red light and the other photon from blue light. Which one of the following statements is correct?
The energy of photon from red light is smaller than the energy of photon from blue light
About the four terrestrial planets (i.e., Earth, Mars, Mercury, and Venus) in our solar system, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
The four planets all have mantle, core, and stable atmospheric layer.
Which one of the following descriptions is NOT correct for the hexagon pattern on Saturn?
The hexagon pattern has a lifetime shorter than 10 Earth years.
Observations from the spacecraft-Cassini revealed that there are jet plumes on Enceladus - one of Saturn's satellites. Which one of the following descriptions is NOT correct for the jet plumes on Enceladus?
The jet plumes are mainly composed by liquid ammonia.
Which one of the following descriptions is NOT correct for Neptune's Great Dark Spot (GDS) discovered by Voyager?
The lifetime is longer for the GDS on Neptune than for the Great Red Spot on Jupiter.
About the measurements of atmospheric winds on Jupiter, which one is NOT correct?
The measurements from the Galileo Probe suggest that winds never change in the vertical direction on Jupiter
Titan is the only satellite with significant atmosphere in our solar system. Which one of the following descriptions is NOT correct for Titan?
The most abundant atmospheric gas is H2.
Eris is one important Trans-Neptunian object. Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
The new measurements suggest that Eris is a little bit lager than Pluto.
There are two points (point A and point B) in a planet's orbit around its parent star. The distances from the two points to the star are 10.2 AU and 11.2 AU for point A and point B, respectively. Based on the second Kepler law, which one of following statements is correct?
The planet moves faster in point A than in point B
About the polar ices on Mars, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
The polar ices on Mars do not have inter-annual variations.
About the rotation periods of Uranus and Neptune, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
The rotation period is longer for Uranus than for Earth.
Pluto is the Trans-Neptunian object with the most observations. Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
The surface atmospheric pressure is higher on Pluto than on Earth.
Triton is one satellite of Neptune. Which one of the following statements is NOT correct for Triton?
The surface atmospheric pressure is larger on Triton than on Earth.
About sunspots of our Sun, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
The temperature of sunspots is warmer than the global-average surface temperature of our Sun.
About the atmospheric winds on Uranus and Neptune, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
The winds in the equatorial region are stronger on Uranus than on Neptune.
About the surface of Mars, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
There are more craters on Earth than on Mars.
About the nature of light, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
There is a no relationship between frequency and wavelength for light.
About the atmospheric waves, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Thermal maps are the only way to detect atmospheric waves on Jupiter and Saturn
Which technique does the Kepler mission use to detect exoplanets and what is the technique for detecting the first exoplanet?
Transit technique and Doppler-shift effect.
Which one does NOT belong to the three types of plate movement on Earth?
convection
Let us assume that a supper Earth is discovered in the other solar system. The supper Earth has a steady rotation period and time-varying clouds. In addition, craters and oceans are discovered on the surface of the supper Earth. Finally, the supper Earth has a strong magnetic field with an unknown period. Which one is the best reference for the wind measurements on the supper Earth?
craters
Which gas is the largest constituent of Earth's atmosphere?
nitrogen gas (N2)
Venus has very warm surface temperature. What is the main reason?
strong greenhouse effect of atmosphere
The two lowest atmospheric layers of Earth are
troposphere and stratosphere