Astro
Is there anything beyond the Kuiper belt? A. No, the Kuiper Belt defines the edge of the solar system B. Yes, there is another asteroid belt beyond the Kuiper Belt C. Yes, there is an enormous, diffuse cloud of about a trillion comets D. Yes, there are additional planets E. Yes, there is a place where rainbow colored unicorns fly free.
C
The Sun is at one focus of the elliptical orbit of the Earth around the Sun. What is at the other focus? A. The Earth. B. The Moon. C. Nothing. D. Mars. E. Jupiter.
C
The density of water is 1 gram per cubic cm. What about the density of most gases? A. 1 gram per cubic cm B. several grams per cubic cm C. much less than 1 gram per cubic cm D. about 8-10 grams per cubic cm E. much more than 50 grams per cubic cm
C
The material in a meteorite is : A. mostly gases and vapors from the Sun. B. unknown since scientists have never been able to collect one. C. a few thousand years old. D. roughly as old as the Solar System. E. a few decades old
C
When would an observer on Mars see a gibbous phase of Venus? A. when Venus is behind the Sun B. when Venus is directly in front of the Sun C. when Venus is close to passing behind the Sun or has just emerged from behind the Sun D.when Venus is approaching the point in front of the Sun or has just passed in front of the Sun E. never
C
How did Kepler himself originally state this second law? A. The speed of a planet in its orbit is directly proportional to its distance from the Sun. B. The speed of a planet in its orbit is inversely proportional to its distance from the Sun. C. All planets move at a constant speed in their orbit around the Sun. D. A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal intervals of time. E. None of the above.
D
Tidal heating on Io causes: A. a subsurface water ocean. B. geysers of water at its south pole. C. tectonic surface features. D. sulfur volcanoes. E. Jupiter to get considerably warmer
D
What are the rings of Saturn made of? A. The rings are solid sheets of metal-rock B. The rings are solid sheets of ice C. The rings are made of billions particles of dust D. The rings are made of billions of icy particles that range in size from tiny grains to mountains. E. The rings are made of pure diamonds
D
What is NOT true about Earth's atmosphere? A.It contains 78% nitrogen B. It shields us from harmful ultra-violet radiation coming from the Sun. C. It protects us from meteors (chunks of rock falling to Earth, known as shooting stars) since they burn up in the atmosphere before reaching Earth. D. It has more Carbon Dioxide than Venus, so is heated more than Venus by the Greenhouse effect.
D
What is ozone? A. A mixture of many chemical elements, including nitrogen (N), magnesium (Mg), carbon (C), and silicon (Si), that block ultraviolet light. B. Single oxygen atoms in the atmosphere (O). C. Two oxygen atoms bonded together into a single molecule (O2). D. Three oxygen atoms bonded together into a single molecule (O3). E. Carbon monoxide molecules (CO).
D
Which of the following is NOT a feature on Mars' surface? A. the largest volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons B. the large canyon system of Valles Marineris C. polar ice caps that change with the seasons D. salty oceans with red sand beaches around them E. iron-rich soild that give it a red/rusty color
D
Which of the following is TRUE? A. The average surface temperature of Venus is about 30 degrees Fahrenheit. B. Mercury has a very thick atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide. C. The runaway greenhouse effect causes the present temperatures on Mars to exceed those on Earth. D. Mercury rotates exactly one and a half times for every one revolution around the Sun. E. Venus has no volcanoes on its surface
D
A planet is in orbit around the Sun. The semimajor axis of the orbit is 5 Astronomical Units (AU). Use P2 = a3 to calculate the period of the orbit in years. A. 5 years B. 0.2 years C. 135 years D. 125 years E. 11.2 years
E
Which is largest? A. Saturn's moon Mimas B. Mercury C. Saturn's moon Iapetus D. Pluto E. Jupiter's moon Ganymede
E
Which of the following is TRUE? A. Travelling at 3 times the speed of light (if we could) it would take only 2 days to travel from Earth to Mars. B. Mars is about five times further away from Earth than Earth's Moon is. C. The Moon is about a thousand times further away from Earth than the diameter of the Earth. D. The Earth's Moon is about half the distance between Earth and Mars. E. Compared to the distance from Earth to Mars, the distance from Earth to the Moon is very small.
E
Which of the following is the cause of aurora? A. collisions of plates on Earth that float on the surface of denser fluid below B. Greenhouse gases that trap infrared radiation inside an atmosphere C. The ozone layer that prevents UV radiation from entering an atmosphere D. Rapid spinning of a planet that mixes up its magnetic field lines E. Solar wind particles that hit the atmosphere of a planet
E
The densities of the four Terrestrial planets are similar to each other. This means A. they are approximately the same temperature B. they have the same surface gravities C. they have approximately the same radii D. they have approximately the same masses E. they are made of similar substances
E.
Which of the following is NOT required in order to classify a Solar System object as a planet (instead of a dwarf planet)? A. It must not be a moon around another object. B. It must be massive enough to be nearly round. C. It must orbit the Sun. D.It must clear the region around its orbit. E. It must be larger than all of the moons in the Solar System?
E.
What is an Astronomical Unit? A. the distance between the Earth and the Sun B. the distance between Earth and Mars C. the distance between Jupiter and Io D. the unit of period E. the number of days it takes Earth to orbit the Sun
A
What is the most distant planet from the Sun? Correct! A. Neptune B. Uranus C. Mercury D. Mars E. Saturn
A
What object is shown in this image? A. Jupiter B. Venus C. Mars D. Uranus E. Saturn
A
What object is shown in this image? A. Mercury B. Venus C. Mars D. Uranus E. Jupiter
A
What object is shown in this image? A. Titan B. Io C. Callisto D. Miranda E. Europa
A
Which feature of Neptune is most responsible for its blue color? A .methane in its atmosphere B. auroral activity due to its strong magnetic field C. excess energy emitted by the interior D. winds blowing at speeds almost that of sound E. large oceans covering most of the surface
A
Which of the following is FALSE? A. Uranus has exactly two moons. B. The spin axis of Saturn is tilted at about the same angle as the Earth's spin axis. C. Uranus has faint, dark rings made of carbon. D. Triton is the largest moon of Neptune. E. Saturn has a density less than the density of water.
A
Which of the following is true? A. Pluto has 5 moons, the largest of which is over half the diameter of Pluto. B. The Kuiper belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. C. Pluto is ten times more massive than Earth's Moon. D. Pluto is a gas giant. E. Pluto is in the Oort cloud.
A
Which planet has a solid surface? A. Venus B. Jupiter C. Saturn D. Uranus E. Neptune
A
Which planet looks the most like the Moon? A. Mercury B. Venus C. Neptune D. Uranus E. Mars
A
Among the following planets, which rotates most rapidly? A. Jupiter B. Mercury C. Venus D. Earth E. Mars
A.
Where in the Solar System might be the best for extreme ice sports? A. moons of Uranus and Neptune B. moons of Mars C. poles of Venus D. shadowed craters of Mercury E. the Moon
A.
Which objects come into the Solar System from the Oort cloud? A. long period comets B. short period comets C. asteroids D. dwarf planets E. Jovian planets
A.
Compared to the density of the Earth, the Moon's density is: A. a bit more B. a bit less C. exactly the same D. almost ten times less E. almost ten times more
B
The planets in our solar system are thought to have come from: A. clumps of rocky material that exist between the stars B. the same cloud of gas and dust in which the Sun formed C. a cloud of gas in the Orion nebula D. the Sun (they were flung out of the fast-spinning young sun) E. emissions from alien spacecraft
B
Uranus and its rings are tipped over on its side, almost at a right angle. What could have caused something like that? A. It formed that way B. A large collision early in its formation could have tipped it over C. Its rotation follows its magnetic field. D. Uranus migrated to its current position and orientation early in its formation. E. All of the planets are tilted that much. This is not unusual.
B
What distinguishes a dwarf planet like Pluto from a regular planet? A. It must be a certain size or smaller B. It has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. C. It must have at least one moon. D. It is an arbitrary distinction. E. It must be much less dense than a regular planet.
B
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of jovian planets? A. They all have many moons. B. They have a higher density than terrestrial planets. C. They are larger than terrestrial planets. D. They are farther from the Sun and farther apart from each other than the terrestrial planets. E. They have deep atmospheres made of hydrogen, helium, and hydrogen compounds.
B
Which of the following statements is TRUE? A. Neither Uranus or Neptune have ring systems. B. The planet Uranus is blue-green and virtually featureless. C. There is no evidence to suggest that either Jupiter or Saturn has a liquid metallic or rocky core beneath its gas layers. D. The Great Red Spot is a dust storm near the South polar cap of Mars. E. Jupiter's solid surface lies just below the cloud layers visible from Earth.
B
Why is the day on Mercury so long? A. Mercury rotates rapidly B. Mercury rotates slowly C. Mercury orbits the Sun slowly D. Mercury orbits the Sun rapidly E. The day on Mercury is actually very short as compared to Earth
B
A comet's nucleus is composed of: A. dust, dry ice, and water ice. B. iron and silicates. C. just iron D. gases, including mostly hydrogen and helium. E. gases, including mostly methane and ammonia
A
A planet in orbit around the Sun has an orbital period of 7 years. What is the semi-major axis of its orbit? Use P2=a3. A. 3.6 AU B. 0.36 AU C. 49 AU D. 21 AU E. 14 AU
A
A planet is in orbit around the Sun with a semi major axis of 4 AU. What is its orbital period? Use P2=a3. A. 8 years B. 64 years C. 0.4 years D. 12 years E. 0.2 years
A
Could there be a place where it would never be day on Mercury? A. There could be a crater that is always in shadow since there is water ice that survives. B. There definitely could not be such a place since everywhere would receive direct sunlight in its own daytime. C. The dark side of Mercury never faces the Sun, so it would never have day. D. It is always daytime everywhere on Mercury since it is so close to the Sun. E. It is never daytime anywhere on Mercury.
A
How does Saturn's mass compare to Earth's mass? A. Saturn is 100 times more massive than Earth B. Earth is 100 times more massive than Saturn C. Saturn is 3 times more massive than Earth D. Earth is 3 times more massive than Saturn E. Saturn and Earth have about the same mass
A
Jupiter is primarily composed of: A. Hydrogen and Helium B. Nitrogen and Oxygen C. Nickel and Iron D. Water and Ammonia ices E. Chicken Noodle Soup
A
Of the following objects, which is the largest? A. Neptune B. Earth C. Pluto D. Mars E. Venus
A
Of the four Galilean moons which is the closest to Jupiter? A. Io B. Europa C. Callisto D. Ganymede E. Titan
A
The Moon has a surface covered with: A. powdery dust and rocky debris B. fractured bedrock C. liquid water D. water ice E. maple syrup
A
Traveling at the same speed, which would be the shortest trip? A. a trip from Earth to Venus B. a trip from Jupiter to Saturn C. a trip from Uranus to Neptune D. a trip from Saturn to Uranus E. a trip from Mars to Jupiter
A
Volcanos on Venus: A. produce very large lava flows that cover at least 85% of the planet's surface. B. were never important in the planet's geological history. C. are not common, with only two apparent on its whole surface. D. are much less active than volcanos on Earth and Mars. E. produce melted cheese instead of lava
A
What caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? A. he dust and smoke thrown up from an asteroid impact B. a big comet came and smashed the dinosaurs C. the same collision in which the Moon formed D. humans destroyed them E. volcanic eruptions
A
