Astronomy

Where are most asteroids located?It is between _______ and _______. a. Jupiter and Saturn b. Mars and Venus c. Earth and Mars d. Mars and Jupiter

D. Mars and Jupiter

Besides Jupiter, which planet has storms as revealed by dark spots? a. Pluto b. Uranus c. Saturn d. Neptune

D. Neptune

How many known satellites does Jupiter have? a. 4 b. 15 c. 63 d. 77

A. 4

What does heliocentric mean? a. Around the sun b. Around the earth c. Around the moon d. Around the galaxy

A. Around the sun

The apparent daily path of the Sun changes with the seasons because . . . a. Earth's axis is tilted b. Earth's distance from the Sun changes c. the Sun revolves d. the Sun rotates

A. Earth's axis is tilted

Which is no longer considered a planet by most astronomers? a. Pluto b. Neptune c. Uranus d. Mercury

A: Pluto

How many named moons does Uranus have? a. 12 b. 27 c. 33 d. 45

B. 27

What is the collection of small rocky bodies, otherwise known as minor planets, 99.8% of whose orbits lie between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter? a. Comets b. Asteroids c. Stars d. Planetoids.

B. Asteroids

Which of the following first hypothesized that the Earth orbited the sun? a. Alexander the Great b. Copernicus c. Socrates d. Tycho Brahe

B. Copernicus

What caused dust and condensing material to accrete into planetesimals? a. Heating of gases b. Gravitational attraction and collisions c. Nuclear fusion d. Rotation of the proto-sun

B. Gravitational attraction and collisions

What is the least dense planet in our solar system? a. Jupiter b. Pluto c. Earth d. Saturn

D. Saturn

In Roman mythology, who was the goddess of Earth? a. Eros b. Aphrodite c. Gaia d. Tellus

D. Tellus

The planet most like the earth is______. a. Mars b. Saturn c. Venus d. Neptune

C. Venus

On which of the following planets would the sun rise in the west? a. Saturn b. Pluto c. Mercury d. Venus

D. Venus

What is the Roman name for the sun? a. Helios b. Sol c. Eros d. Neptune

B. Sol

Besides the earth, the Romans knew of how many other planets? a. 2 b. 4 c. 5 d. 7

C: 5

Which planet or planetoid is named for the king of the gods? a. Mercury b. Uranus c. Jupiter d. Pluto

C: Jupiter

A small, stone-like body which survives passage through the earth's atmosphere is a/an ____. a. comet b. meteor c. meteorite d. asteroid

C: Meteorite

The age of the Earth is currently thought to be about __________________ years old. a. 6,000 b. 6,000,000,000 c. 4,500,000 d. 4,500,000,000

D. 4,500,000,000

How many Galilean moons does Jupiter have? a. 4 b. 15 c. 63 d. 77

D. 77

Which of the following is a characteristic of Jupiter? a. Huge rotating storms b. Dense atmosphere c. Thin ring system d. All of the above

D. All of the above

The study of the origin and evolution of the universe is known as ____________. a. tomography b. cystoscopy c. cryology d. cosmology

D. Cosmology

One of the largest volcanoes in our solar system is named Olympus Mons. Which planet is this volcano located on? a. Jupiter's moon Callisto b. Venus c. Saturn's moon Titan d. Mars

D. Mars

The inner planets are mostly made up of which materials? a. Iron and rock b. Iron and water c. Helium and nitrogen d. Oxygen and rock

A. Iron and Rock

The largest circular storm in our solar system is on the surface of which planet? a. Jupiter b. Venus c. Uranus d. Earth

A. Jupiter

Which is the largest planet in our solar system? a. Jupiter b. Saturn c. Mars d. Neptune

A. Jupiter

Which of the following is not an 'Inner Planet'? a. Jupiter b. Mars c. Venus d. Mercury

A. Jupiter

Which planet beesides the earth has evidence of erosion by running water? a. Mars b. Mercury c. Neptune d. Uranus

A. Mars

The planet with the shortest day is ______. a. Mercury b. Venus c. Mars d. Jupiter

A. Mercury

Which planet has the greatest temperature extremes? a. Mercury b. Venus c. Earth d. Mars

A. Mercury

Which two planets have overlapping orbits? a. Neptune and Pluto b. Mars and Saturn c. Neptune and Venus d. Jupiter and Saturn

A. Neptune and Pluto

Why does Uranus appear greenish in color? a. The presence of methane gas b. The presence of carbon dioxide gas c. The presence of glaciers d. A lack of oxygen

A. The presence of methane gas

Why are the inner planets called terrestrial planets? a. They are very dense and rocky. b. They have massive gas atmospheres. c. They can support life. d. They are very hot.

A. They are very dense and rocky.

The largest moon in our solar system has an atmosphere that is denser than the atmosphere of Mars. The name of this moon is _____. a. Titan b. Ganymede c. Triton d. Io

A. Titan

Which planet seems to be turned on its axis tilt of 98 degrees? a. Uranus b. Pluto c. Neptune d. Saturn

A. Uranus

Which planet is regarded as Earth's sister planet? a. Venus b. Mercury c. Mars d. Jupiter

A. Venus

Which planet's orbit is farthest from the sun? a. Neptune b. Uranus c. Jupiter d. Saturn

A: Neptune

The planet with the longest day is ________. a. Venus b. Earth c. Jupiter d. Mercury

A: Venus

Which planet or planetoid is named for the goddess of love? a. Venus b. Uranus c. Pluto d. Neptune

A: Venus

What two elements are the universe made primarily of? a. Carbon and nitrogen b. Hydrogen and helium c. Iron and nickel d. Silicon and oxygen

B. Hydrogen and Helium

Which of the following is known as the Red Planet? a. Mercury b. Mars c. Earth d. Jupiter

B. Mars

What is the second densest planet in our solar system? a. Venus b. Mercury c. Earth d. Jupiter

B. Mercury

Which of the planets is not geologically active? a. Mars b. Mercury c. Venus d. Earth

B. Mercury

Which planet has virtually no atmosphere? a. Mars b. Mercury c. Neptune d. Uranus

B. Mercury

Which planet was named for the Roman messenger of the gods? a. Jupiter b. Mercury c. Venus d. Mars

B. Mercury

What are small bodies that orbit planets called? a. Comets b. Moons c. Planetismals d. Protoplanets

B. Moons

Which planet is considered the twin of Uranus? a. Saturn b. Neptune c. Pluto d. Jupiter

B. Neptune

Which of the following statements about Neptune is false? a. Pluto sometimes crosses the orbit of Neptune, making it the most distant planet from the Sun for a few years. b. Neptune is mostly made of ice, rock, hydrogen, and helium. c. The winds on Neptune are very slow moving. d. Neptune's most prominent feature is the Great Dark Spot.

B. Neptune is mostly made of ice, rock, hydrogen, and helium.

Triton, Neptune's moon, has an ocean made of a liquid. What is this liquid? a. Water b. Nitrogen c. Helium d. Mercury

B. Nitrogen

Which planet has the greatest number of known moons? a. Earth b. Saturn c. Jupiter d. Mars

B. Saturn

Which planet was named for the Roman god of farming and agriculture? a. Jupiter b. Saturn c. Mars d. Neptune

B. Saturn

Galileo discovered something about Venus with his telescope that shook the old theories. Which of the following was Galileo's discovery? a. Venus was covered in clouds b. Venus had phases like the moon c. Venus's surface was similar to the earth's d. Venus had retrograde motion

B. Venus had phases like the moon

The atmosphere of Venus contains mostly a. oxygen b. carbon dioxide c. nitrogen d. water

B. carbon dioxide

The asteroid belt is located between ______________. a. Earth and Mars b. Mars and Jupiter c. Mercury and Venus d. Jupiter and Saturn

B: Mars and Jupiter

Which planet is considered a gaseous giant? a. Mars b. Neptune c. Mercury d. Venus

B: Neptune

Which planet is named for the Roman god of the sea? a. Jupiter b. Neptune c. Venus d. Mars

B: Neptune

Which planet or planetoid is named for the god of death? A. Venus b. Pluto c. Uranus d. Neptune

B: Pluto

The planet or planetoid with the most pronounced rings is? a. Mars b. Saturn c. Venus d. Jupiter

B: Saturn

Which of these planets would not show evidence of volcanic activity? a. Mars b. Saturn c. Venus d. Mercury

B: Saturn

Which planet or planetoid is named for the parent of Saturn? a. Mercury b. Uranus c. Venus d. Pluto

B: Uranus

The planet that shown the brightest in Roman times was _________. a. Mars b. Venus c. Jupiter d. Saturn

B: Venus

A typical galaxy, such as our Milky Way galaxy, contains how many billion stars? a. 10 billion b. 4o billion c. 2oo billion d. 800 billion

C. 2oo Billion

Why is the planet uranus considered a gas gaint? a. Because it has a rocky surface b. Because it is similar to Earth c. Because it has a deep, massive atmosphere d. Becasue it is larger than Mercury and Venus

C. Because it has a deep, massive atmosphere

What gas is the main component of the atmosphere of Mars? a. Nitogen b. Helium c. Carbon Dioxide d. Oxygen

C. Carbon Dioxide

What is the name of the largest known asteroid? a. Vesta b. Icarus c. Ceres d. Eros

C. Ceres

Which planet has the highest density? a. Jupiter b. Saturn c. Earth d. Pluto

C. Earth

Summer days in New York State are likely to be hotter than winter days because in summer . . . a. Earth is closer to the Sun b. the number of sunspots increases c. Earth's northern axis is tilted toward the Sun d. the Sun gives off more energy

C. Earth's northern axis is tilted toward the Sun

The outer planets are mostly made out of ______________ and ________________. a. nitrogen and oxygen b. oxygen and helium c. hydrogen and helium d. nitrogen and neon

C. Hydrogen and helium

Which layer is between the Earth's crust and its core? a. Magma layer b. Lithosphere c. Mantle d. Continent

C. Mantle

Which planet is named for the Roman god of war? a. Jupiter b. Saturn c. Mars d. Neptune

C. Mars

On what planet does a "year" last only 88 days? a. Saturn b. Venus c. Mercury d. Jupiter

C. Mercury

The smallest planet is _______. a. Uranus b. Venus c. Mercury d. Mars

C. Mercury

Which planet appears greenish in color and spins clockwise? a. Pluto b. Saturn c. Neptune d. Uranus

C. Neptune

Which planet has the most extensive ring structure? a. Jupiter b. Neptune c. Pluto d. Saturn

C. Pluto

What are comets mostly made of? a. Ammonia b. Hydrogen c. Ice d. Rock

C. Rock

Which is the second largest planet in the solar system? a. Jupiter b. Neptune c. Saturn d. Uranus

C. Saturn

A day on Saturn takes about 10 Earth hours. Which fact would best explain this short day? a. Saturn is less dense than Earth. b. Saturn is much farther from the Sun than the Earth. c. Saturn rotates more rapidly than Earth. d. Saturn's orbit has greater eccentricity than Earth's.

C. Saturn rotates more rapidly than Earth

What is thought to be the age of the nine planets relative to each other? a. The inner planets formed together first and then the outer planets formed together later b. The outer planets formed together first and then the inner planets formed together later c. They all formed at roughly the same time d. They formed sequentially from Pluto inward with the one nearest the sun formed last

C. They all formed roughly at the same time

Why are Jupiter's rings dark? a. They are made of methane. b. They are made of hydrogen and helium. c. They are made of ice. d. They are made of small particles of rock.

C. They are made of ice.

Which planet has a complex ring system made of dust and icy debris? a. Saturn b. Jupiter c. Uranus d. Mars

C. Uranus

Which planet has an atmosphere that might contain a large amount of methane? a. Saturn b. Jupiter c. Uranus d. Mars

C. Uranus

Which of the following is the brightest planet as viewed from Earth? a. Jupiter b. Mercury c. Venus d. Mars

C. Venus

Which one of the following planets has no moons? a. Mars b. Neptune c. Venus d. Jupiter

C. Venus

Because Jupiter's interior is very hot, a. it has few thunderstorms. b. its atmosphere is visible. c. it radiates more energy than it receives. d. itss atmosphere scatters light.

C. it radiates more energy than it receives.

What is the correct order of the planets in the Solar System, starting closest to the Sun? a. Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto b. Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto c. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Pluto d. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto

D. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto

Which planet is named for the Roman god of the sea? a. Jupiter b. Saturn c. Mars d. Neptune

D. Neptune

What process gives the sun its energy? a. Waxing b. Annular eclipses c. Asteroid collisions. d. Nuclear fusion

D. Nuclear fusion

In our solar system, which planet or planetoid has a moon with a mass closest to its own? a. Earth b. Mars c. Jupiter d. Pluto

D. Pluto

What causes a high surface temperature on Venus? a. The acid content of its atmosphere b. Its fast period of rotation c. Its retrograde spin on its axis d. The density of its atmosphere

D. The density of its atmosphere

Why are Mercury and Venus said to be inferior planets? a. They are smaller than the other planets that circle the Sun. b. Their orbits are slower than the Earth's orbit. c. Their orbits are faster than the Earth's orbit. d. Their orbits are inside of the Earth's orbit.

D. Their orbits are inside of Earth's orbit.

Which of the following statements about Mars is false? a. Mars has permanent ice caps at both poles. b. Mars has a thick atmosphere made of carbon dioxide. c. Mars lacks plate tectonics. d. There is evidence of floods and river systems on Mars.

D. There is evidence of floods and river systems on Mars.

Which of the following statements best describes how the planets of the solar system formed? a. They are condensed rings of matter thrown off by the young Sun. b. They are the remains of an exploded star once paired with the Sun. c. The Sun captured them from smaller, older nearby stars. d. They formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas.

D. They formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas

The planet with the hottest surface is _______. a. Mercury b. Mars c. Jupiter d. Venus

D. Venus

A comet's tail points in which direction? a. toward the sun b. toward the earth c. behind the comet in its orbit d. away from the sun

D. away from the sun

The planet Jupiter has a mass that is: a. equal to the combined masses of the earth and Mars b. equal to combined masses of Saturn and Pluto c. equal to the combined masses of Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus d. greater than the combined masses of all of the planets

D. greater than the combined masses of all of the planets

The planet in this list that orbits farthest away from the sun is ___________. a. Venus b. Mercury c. Mars d. Jupiter

D: Jupiter

Which planet or planetoid was not known to the Romans? a. Mercury b. Mars c. Jupiter d. Pluto

D: Pluto

Which planet's orbit is farthest from the sun? a. Earth b. Mars c. Jupiter d. Uranus

D: Uranus

Which of these planets has a solid surface? a. Uranus b. Jupiter c. Saturn d. Venus

D: Venus