Question 1

Using the Doppler effect data shown in the figure below, what is the approximate orbital period of the extrasolar planet?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 year 
B)  3 years 
C)  6 years 
D)  8 years 
E)  12 years 
A)  1 year 
B)  3 years 
C)  6 years 
D)  8 years 
E)  12 years

Question 2

Compare the orbital angular momentum of Earth and Jupiter.Which is larger and by how much? (Note that Jupiter's mass is 318 times that of Earth, the semimajor axis of Jupiter's orbit is 5.2 AU, and Jupiter's orbital period is 12 years.)

Accepted Answer

The orbital angular momentum is equal to

Question 3

In addition to the percentage reduction in light, is anything else needed to determine the size of a transiting planet?

Accepted Answer

The radius of the st

Question 4

The icy planetesimals that remain in the Solar System today are called

Accepted Answer

A)  asteroids. 
B)  moons. 
C)  meteorites. 
D)  comet nuclei. 
E)  dwarf planets. 
A)  asteroids. 
B)  moons. 
C)  meteorites. 
D)  comet nuclei. 
E)  dwarf planets.

Question 5

Explain why an accretion disk forms around a protostar when an interstellar cloud collapses.

Accepted Answer

As the cloud collapses,the rate of rotat

Question 6

What is the habitable zone?

Accepted Answer

A)  the distance from a star where liquid water can exist 
B)  the location on the sky where planets can be found 
C)  the distance from a star where liquid can exist 
D)  the distance from a star where planets have oxygen in the atmosphere 
E)  1 AU from any star 
A)  the distance from a star where liquid water can exist 
B)  the location on the sky where planets can be found 
C)  the distance from a star where liquid can exist 
D)  the distance from a star where planets have oxygen in the atmosphere 
E)  1 AU from any star

Question 7

Explain how astronomers use the Doppler effect to detect the presence of extrasolar planets.

Accepted Answer

As a planet orbits a star,the gravitatio

Question 8

An observer located outside our Solar System, who monitors the velocity of our Sun over time, will find that the Sun's velocity varies by $\pm$ 12 m/s over a period of 12 years, due mainly to

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter's gravitational pull. 
B)  Earth's gravitational pull. 
C)  variations in its brightness. 
D)  convection on the Sun's surface. 
E)  the sunspot cycle. 
A)  Jupiter's gravitational pull. 
B)  Earth's gravitational pull. 
C)  variations in its brightness. 
D)  convection on the Sun's surface. 
E)  the sunspot cycle.

Question 9

From the data shown in the figure below, which property of an extrasolar planet can be determined?

Accepted Answer

A)  atmosphere thickness 
B)  orbital distance 
C)  mass relative to central star. 
D)  axial tilt 
E)  None of these properties can be determined from the graph. 
A)  atmosphere thickness 
B)  orbital distance 
C)  mass relative to central star. 
D)  axial tilt 
E)  None of these properties can be determined from the graph.

Question 10

Which of the following would be considered to have a secondary atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter 
B)  Mars 
C)  Saturn 
D)  Uranus 
E)  Neptune 
A)  Jupiter 
B)  Mars 
C)  Saturn 
D)  Uranus 
E)  Neptune

Question 11

If you detect an exoplanet that is orbiting a star that is 8 times as massive as the Sun with an orbital period of 1 (Earth) year, you would expect the semimajor axis of its orbit to be

Accepted Answer

A)  8 AU. 
B)  6 AU. 
C)  4 AU. 
D)  2 AU. 
E)  1 AU. 
A)  8 AU. 
B)  6 AU. 
C)  4 AU. 
D)  2 AU. 
E)  1 AU.

Question 12

Detecting a planet around another star using the transit method is difficult because the

Accepted Answer

A)  planet must pass directly in front of the star. 
B)  planet must have a rocky composition. 
C)  star must be very dim. 
D)  star must be moving with respect to us. 
E)  planet's orbital period is usually longer than 1 month. 
A)  planet must pass directly in front of the star. 
B)  planet must have a rocky composition. 
C)  star must be very dim. 
D)  star must be moving with respect to us. 
E)  planet's orbital period is usually longer than 1 month.

Question 13

What is a primary atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  the atmospheres that all planets have today 
B)  the gas captured during the planet's formation 
C)  the gas captured after the planet's formation 
D)  the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere 
E)  the gas closest to the planet's surface 
A)  the atmospheres that all planets have today 
B)  the gas captured during the planet's formation 
C)  the gas captured after the planet's formation 
D)  the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere 
E)  the gas closest to the planet's surface

Question 14

How do meteorites tell us about how the solar system formed?

Accepted Answer

Studying meteorites can tell us about th

Question 15

If you want to find naturally occurring volatile materials that formed with the Solar System, you should look

Accepted Answer

A)  near the Sun. 
B)  in the asteroid belt. 
C)  near Earth's orbit. 
D)  around other stars. 
E)  on the outer parts of the Solar System. 
A)  near the Sun. 
B)  in the asteroid belt. 
C)  near Earth's orbit. 
D)  around other stars. 
E)  on the outer parts of the Solar System.

Question 16

Two competing models of the formation of giant gaseous planets suggest they form either from gas accreting onto a rocky core or from

Accepted Answer

A)  fragmentation of the accretion disk that surrounds the protostar. 
B)  the merger of two large planetesimals. 
C)  planets stolen from another nearby protostar. 
D)  materials condensing out of the solar wind. 
E)  an eruption of material from the protostar. 
A)  fragmentation of the accretion disk that surrounds the protostar. 
B)  the merger of two large planetesimals. 
C)  planets stolen from another nearby protostar. 
D)  materials condensing out of the solar wind. 
E)  an eruption of material from the protostar.

Question 17

What is the most important factor in determining whether or not a planet will be rocky like terrestrial planets or gaseous like giant planets?

Accepted Answer

A)  the time at which the planet forms 
B)  the planet's radius 
C)  the planet's distance from the Sun 
D)  whether the planet has moons 
E)  the planet's internal temperature 
A)  the time at which the planet forms 
B)  the planet's radius 
C)  the planet's distance from the Sun 
D)  whether the planet has moons 
E)  the planet's internal temperature

Question 18

Briefly explain the five different observational methods we use to detect extrasolar planets.How many extrasolar planets have been discovered to date?

Accepted Answer

The five different observational methods

Question 19

When astronomers began searching for extrasolar planets, they were surprised to discover Jupiter-sized planets much closer than 1 AU from their parent stars.Why is this surprising?

Accepted Answer

A)  These planets must have formed at larger radii where temperatures were cooler and then migrated inward, which is thought to be a rare phenomenon. 
B)  Jupiter-sized, rocky planets were thought to be uncommon in other solar systems. 
C)  These planets must be the remnants of failed stars. 
D)  Earth-like planets must be rarer than Jupiter-sized planets in other solar systems. 
E)  Jupiter-sized planets so close to the star are common and difficult to explain in our Solar System. 
A)  These planets must have formed at larger radii where temperatures were cooler and then migrated inward, which is thought to be a rare phenomenon. 
B)  Jupiter-sized, rocky planets were thought to be uncommon in other solar systems. 
C)  These planets must be the remnants of failed stars. 
D)  Earth-like planets must be rarer than Jupiter-sized planets in other solar systems. 
E)  Jupiter-sized planets so close to the star are common and difficult to explain in our Solar System.

Question 20

Comets and asteroids are

Accepted Answer

A)  other names for moons of the planets. 
B)  primarily located within 1 AU of the Sun. 
C)  all more massive than Earth's Moon. 
D)  material left over from the formation of the planets. 
E)  other names for meteors. 
A)  other names for moons of the planets. 
B)  primarily located within 1 AU of the Sun. 
C)  all more massive than Earth's Moon. 
D)  material left over from the formation of the planets. 
E)  other names for meteors.

Exam 7: The Formation of Planetary Systems

Using the Doppler effect data shown in the figure below, what is the approximate orbital period of the extrasolar planet?

Compare the orbital angular momentum of Earth and Jupiter.Which is larger and by how much? (Note that Jupiter's mass is 318 times that of Earth, the semimajor axis of Jupiter's orbit is 5.2 AU, and Jupiter's orbital period is 12 years.)

In addition to the percentage reduction in light, is anything else needed to determine the size of a transiting planet?

The icy planetesimals that remain in the Solar System today are called

Explain why an accretion disk forms around a protostar when an interstellar cloud collapses.

What is the habitable zone?

Explain how astronomers use the Doppler effect to detect the presence of extrasolar planets.

An observer located outside our Solar System, who monitors the velocity of our Sun over time, will find that the Sun's velocity varies by ±\pm± 12 m/s over a period of 12 years, due mainly to

From the data shown in the figure below, which property of an extrasolar planet can be determined?

Which of the following would be considered to have a secondary atmosphere?

If you detect an exoplanet that is orbiting a star that is 8 times as massive as the Sun with an orbital period of 1 (Earth) year, you would expect the semimajor axis of its orbit to be

Detecting a planet around another star using the transit method is difficult because the

What is a primary atmosphere?

How do meteorites tell us about how the solar system formed?

If you want to find naturally occurring volatile materials that formed with the Solar System, you should look

Two competing models of the formation of giant gaseous planets suggest they form either from gas accreting onto a rocky core or from

What is the most important factor in determining whether or not a planet will be rocky like terrestrial planets or gaseous like giant planets?

Briefly explain the five different observational methods we use to detect extrasolar planets.How many extrasolar planets have been discovered to date?

When astronomers began searching for extrasolar planets, they were surprised to discover Jupiter-sized planets much closer than 1 AU from their parent stars.Why is this surprising?

Comets and asteroids are

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

Planetary Moons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

The Interstellar Medium and Star Formation

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

The Expanding Universe

Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters

An observer located outside our Solar System, who monitors the velocity of our Sun over time, will find that the Sun's velocity varies by $\pm$ 12 m/s over a period of 12 years, due mainly to