Astronomy Quiz 8

Which of the following planets has the most oxygen in its atmosphere? Question options: A) Earth B) Mercury C) Venus D) Mars

A) Earth

Which planet has a large moon that orbits in the opposite direction of the planet's rotation? Question options: A) Neptune B) Saturn C) Jupiter D) Uranus E) Earth

A) Neptune

How does the size of the Sun compare with the size of Earth? Question options: A) The Sun Is about 100 times larger than Earth. B) The Sun is about 1000 times larger than Earth. C) The Sun Is about 10 times larger than Earth. D) The Sun is about 3 times larger than Earth. E) The Sun is about 300,000 times larger than Earth.

A) The Sun Is about 100 times larger than Earth.

Which planet has the most moons? Question options: A) Mercury B) Mars C) Venus D) Earth E) B & D

B) Mars

Which of the following planets has the most dense atmosphere? Question options: A) Mercury B) Venus C) Earth D) Mars

B) Venus

Which of the following is a characteristic of a dwarf planet? Question options: A) A dwarf planet must be in the Kuiper belt. B) A dwarf planet cannot have any moons. C) A dwarf planet must be round. D) all of the above

C) A dwarf planet must be round.

Which of the following planets has the coldest nighttime temperature? Question options: A) Mars B) Venus C) Mercury D) Earth

C) Mercury

Which lists the planets in order of increasing size (radius)? Question options: A) Mercury, Earth, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune B) Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn C) Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter D) Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus

C) Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter

Which of the following is not a clue to the formation of the solar system? Question options: A) There are a large number of small rocky and icy objects in different regions of the solar system. B) The earth has an unusually large moon. C) The number of small rocky planets is equal to the number of large gas-rich planets. D) The planets and moons generally orbit in the same plane. E) Uranus has a large tilt to its rotation axis.

C) The number of small rocky planets is equal to the number of large gas-rich planets.

Why do orbiters typically cost more than flyby missions? Question options: A) They typically carry more scientific instruments. B) They need expensive protection from charged particles in a planet's magnetosphere. C) They must carry extra fuel so that they can go into orbit. D) They require more powerful radio systems to transmit data to Earth. E) all of the above

C) They must carry extra fuel so that they can go into orbit.

What would we see if we could look at our solar system without a telescope, from a spaceship beyond Neptune's orbit? Question options: A) We would see the Sun, all the planets and moons, and the largest asteroids and comets. B) We would see the Sun, all the planets and their moons, but nothing else. C) We would see the Sun and the largest planets as pinpoints of light, but nothing else. D) We would see the Sun, but nothing else.

C) We would see the Sun and the largest planets as pinpoints of light, but nothing else.

What characteristic of the planets is nearly the same for all planets? Question options: A) rotation period (length of day) B) composition C) orbit shape and orientation D) size E) temperature

C) orbit shape and orientation

Which planet has a volcanically active moon? Question options: A) Earth B) Uranus C) Saturn D) Jupiter E) Neptune

D) Jupiter

Which of the following is not a characteristic of Jovian planets? Question options: A) They all have many moons. B) They have deep atmospheres made of hydrogen, helium, and hydrogen compounds. C) They are farther from the Sun and farther apart from each other than the terrestrial planets. D) They have a higher density than terrestrial planets. E) They are larger than terrestrial planets.

D) They have a higher density than terrestrial planets.

Which planet has the largest tilt to its rotation axis? Question options: A) Jupiter B) Neptune C) They all have similar tilts. D) Uranus E) Saturn

D) Uranus

What spacecraft flew by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune? Question options: A) Galileo B) Cassini C) Voyager 1 D) Voyager 2 E) none of the above

D) Voyager 2

What is the value of comparative planetology? Question options: A) It helps us learn about a planet by studying processes that affect all planets. B) It helps us understand planets around other stars that cannot be studied individually in great detail. C) It helps us develop a theory for the formation of the solar system. D) all of the above

D) all of the above

Which of the following planets has polar ice caps? Question options: A) Earth B) Mars C) Mercury D) none of the above E) A & B

E) A & B

Which of the following planets has rings? Question options: A) Jupiter B) Saturn C) Uranus D) Neptune E) all of the above

E) all of the above