Question 1

As a rotating gas cloud contracts, it spins:

Accepted Answer

A) faster due to an increase in angular momentum. 
B) slower due to a decrease in angular momentum. 
C) at a constant rate. 
D) faster due to conservation of angular momentum. 
E) slower due to conservation of angular momentum. 
A) faster due to an increase in angular momentum. 
B) slower due to a decrease in angular momentum. 
C) at a constant rate. 
D) faster due to conservation of angular momentum. 
E) slower due to conservation of angular momentum.

Question 2

Objects in the Kuiper belt:

Accepted Answer

A) are in random orbits at all inclinations to the ecliptic. 
B) lie beyond the orbit of Neptune, and close to the ecliptic. 
C) are the sources of long-period comets. 
D) are dense, like the iron meteorites. 
E) lie beyond the orbit of Neptune and perpendicular to the ecliptic. 
A) are in random orbits at all inclinations to the ecliptic. 
B) lie beyond the orbit of Neptune, and close to the ecliptic. 
C) are the sources of long-period comets. 
D) are dense, like the iron meteorites. 
E) lie beyond the orbit of Neptune and perpendicular to the ecliptic.

Question 3

What were the first celestial bodies added to our solar system inventory by Galileo and histelescope? Why were they important?

Accepted Answer

The four moons of Jupiter show

Question 4

What support for the solar nebula theory has come from observations of nearby young stars?

Accepted Answer

Many show dusty disks, with large infrar

Question 5

How do the densities of the jovian and terrestrial planets compare?

Accepted Answer

A) Made from the same solar nebula, they are all similar. 
B) More massive jovians all have high densities, compared to the tiny terrestrials. 
C) All terrestrials are denser than any of the jovians. 
D) The closer a planet lies to the Sun, the less its density. 
E) No real pattern here; densities vary greatly and are very individual to each world. 
A) Made from the same solar nebula, they are all similar. 
B) More massive jovians all have high densities, compared to the tiny terrestrials. 
C) All terrestrials are denser than any of the jovians. 
D) The closer a planet lies to the Sun, the less its density. 
E) No real pattern here; densities vary greatly and are very individual to each world.

Question 6

In the currently accepted theory for the formation of the solar system, the planets and otherminor bodies and the ________ formed at about the same time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the currently accepted theory for the...

Question 7

Planetary orbits:

Accepted Answer

A) are evenly spaced throughout the solar system. 
B) are highly inclined to the ecliptic. 
C) are almost circular, with low eccentricities. 
D) have the Sun at their exact center. 
E) are spaced more closely together as they get further from the Sun. 
A) are evenly spaced throughout the solar system. 
B) are highly inclined to the ecliptic. 
C) are almost circular, with low eccentricities. 
D) have the Sun at their exact center. 
E) are spaced more closely together as they get further from the Sun.

Question 8

In general, the surfaces of the planets will be ________ than the age of the solar system.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In general, the surfaces of the planets...

Question 9

The Kuiper Belt is a collection of asteroid-sized icy bodies orbiting the Sun beyond the orbitof Neptune.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The Oort Cloud is believed to have been formed by:

Accepted Answer

A) planetesimals that were flung far from the Sun in gravitational encounters with the jovianplanets. 
B) icy bodies formed between stars that have been captured by our solar system's gravity. 
C) moons that escaped from the jovian planets. 
D) debris from an icy planet that broke apart early in the solar system's history. 
E) debris from impacts of planetesimals, asteroids and comets with the jovian planets. 
A) planetesimals that were flung far from the Sun in gravitational encounters with the jovianplanets. 
B) icy bodies formed between stars that have been captured by our solar system's gravity. 
C) moons that escaped from the jovian planets. 
D) debris from an icy planet that broke apart early in the solar system's history. 
E) debris from impacts of planetesimals, asteroids and comets with the jovian planets.

Question 11

The jovian planets:

Accepted Answer

A) all are less than 5 A.U. from the Sun. 
B) all have rings around their equators. 
C) all spin slower than the Earth. 
D) have satellite systems with less than 4 moons. 
E) are all much denser than any of the terrestrials planets. 
A) all are less than 5 A.U. from the Sun. 
B) all have rings around their equators. 
C) all spin slower than the Earth. 
D) have satellite systems with less than 4 moons. 
E) are all much denser than any of the terrestrials planets.

Question 12

The meteorites that strike Earth are:

Accepted Answer

A) pieces of comets that fall to Earth. 
B) mostly made of iron. 
C) the oldest rocks known. 
D) the remains of the planet between Mars and Jupiter. 
E) material from outside our solar system. 
A) pieces of comets that fall to Earth. 
B) mostly made of iron. 
C) the oldest rocks known. 
D) the remains of the planet between Mars and Jupiter. 
E) material from outside our solar system.

Question 13

All the jovian planets lie beyond the asteroid belt.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Which spacecraft gave or is giving us our best information about Mercury?

Accepted Answer

A) Pioneer 10 
B) Mariner 10 
C) Voyager 1 
D) Viking 2 
E) Messenger 
A) Pioneer 10 
B) Mariner 10 
C) Voyager 1 
D) Viking 2 
E) Messenger

Question 15

Which statement about the motion of the planets is incorrect?

Accepted Answer

A) Most orbit above the Sun's equator. 
B) All revolutions of major planets are counterclockwise. 
C) The orbits of most planets are almost circular, with low eccentricities. 
D) Most planets move in the Earth's equatorial plane. 
E) Most planets rotate in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the North. 
A) Most orbit above the Sun's equator. 
B) All revolutions of major planets are counterclockwise. 
C) The orbits of most planets are almost circular, with low eccentricities. 
D) Most planets move in the Earth's equatorial plane. 
E) Most planets rotate in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the North.

Question 16

While most large moons orbit counterclockwise above their planets' equators, the smallermoons often show eccentric or even retrograde orbits, suggesting capture.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

How is density determined, and how do the densities of the terrestrial and jovian worlds relateto their distances from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

Density is mass per unit volume; all ter

Question 18

The ________ theory describes the origin of the planets as having been formed by accretionof small particles into progressively larger and larger bodies.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ________ theory describes the origin of...

Question 19

Which object did New Horizons observe more closely than any other spacecraft in 2015?

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury 
B) Venus 
C) Ceres 
D) Neptune 
E) Pluto 
A) Mercury 
B) Venus 
C) Ceres 
D) Neptune 
E) Pluto

Question 20

Any model of solar system formation must explain why comets come from the Oort Cloud,with orbits very different from the planets, asteroids, and Kuiper Belt Objects.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 6: The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

As a rotating gas cloud contracts, it spins:

Objects in the Kuiper belt:

What were the first celestial bodies added to our solar system inventory by Galileo and histelescope? Why were they important?

What support for the solar nebula theory has come from observations of nearby young stars?

How do the densities of the jovian and terrestrial planets compare?

In the currently accepted theory for the formation of the solar system, the planets and otherminor bodies and the ________ formed at about the same time.

Planetary orbits:

In general, the surfaces of the planets will be ________ than the age of the solar system.

The Kuiper Belt is a collection of asteroid-sized icy bodies orbiting the Sun beyond the orbitof Neptune.

The Oort Cloud is believed to have been formed by:

The jovian planets:

The meteorites that strike Earth are:

All the jovian planets lie beyond the asteroid belt.

Which spacecraft gave or is giving us our best information about Mercury?

Which statement about the motion of the planets is incorrect?

While most large moons orbit counterclockwise above their planets' equators, the smallermoons often show eccentric or even retrograde orbits, suggesting capture.

How is density determined, and how do the densities of the terrestrial and jovian worlds relateto their distances from the Sun?

The ________ theory describes the origin of the planets as having been formed by accretionof small particles into progressively larger and larger bodies.

Which object did New Horizons observe more closely than any other spacecraft in 2015?

Any model of solar system formation must explain why comets come from the Oort Cloud,with orbits very different from the planets, asteroids, and Kuiper Belt Objects.

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

Filters