Question 1

When is Venus at opposition?

Accepted Answer

A) once each year, 365 days 
B) once each Venus year, 225 days 
C) once each synodic Venus year, 584 days 
D) never 
A) once each year, 365 days 
B) once each Venus year, 225 days 
C) once each synodic Venus year, 584 days 
D) never

Question 2

Copernicus's nationality was:

Accepted Answer

A) Greek. 
B) Italian. 
C) Egyptian. 
D) Polish. 
A) Greek. 
B) Italian. 
C) Egyptian. 
D) Polish.

Question 3

Newton's law of universal gravitation is so named because it:

Accepted Answer

A) defines the forces between all the planets and the Sun and no other objects. 
B) was first printed by Universal Press Ltd. of Cambridge, England. 
C) holds for all objects on Earth, and nowhere else. 
D) holds for all objects in the universe. 
A) defines the forces between all the planets and the Sun and no other objects. 
B) was first printed by Universal Press Ltd. of Cambridge, England. 
C) holds for all objects on Earth, and nowhere else. 
D) holds for all objects in the universe.

Question 4

Imagine a 10-kg rock speeding through empty space at 200 m/s, so far away from other objects that there is no gravitational force (or any other outside forces) exerted on the rock. What is the rock's subsequent motion?

Accepted Answer

A) The rock will continue to move in a straight line at 200 m/s. 
B) The rock will slow down and eventually stop. 
C) The rock will go into an elliptical orbit. 
D) The rock will go into a circular orbit. 
A) The rock will continue to move in a straight line at 200 m/s. 
B) The rock will slow down and eventually stop. 
C) The rock will go into an elliptical orbit. 
D) The rock will go into a circular orbit.

Question 5

At which configuration is a planet whose angle of elongation is 0°?

Accepted Answer

A) conjunction 
B) retrograde 
C) opposition 
D) It is not possible for a planet to have an elongation of 0°. 
A) conjunction 
B) retrograde 
C) opposition 
D) It is not possible for a planet to have an elongation of 0°.

Question 6

Approximately how many of its sidereal periods has Neptune completed since its discovery in 1846? (See Table of Orbital Data in Appendix 1, Universe, 11th ed.)
​
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Accepted Answer

A) about 15 
B) 212 
C) slightly more than 1 
D) 147 
A) about 15 
B) 212 
C) slightly more than 1 
D) 147

Question 7

A certain object at rest on the surface of Earth has a weight of 49 newtons. Its mass is, therefore:

Accepted Answer

A) 49 kg. 
B) 49 newtons. 
C) 5.0 kg. 
D) 0.20 newtons. 
A) 49 kg. 
B) 49 newtons. 
C) 5.0 kg. 
D) 0.20 newtons.

Question 8

Kepler's third law states that:

Accepted Answer

A) the orbital period of a planet is inversely proportional to the square of its mean distance from the Sun. 
B) the cube of the orbital period is directly proportional to the square of its mean distance from the Sun. 
C) the square of the orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of its mean distance from the Sun. 
D) the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to its mean distance from the Sun. 
A) the orbital period of a planet is inversely proportional to the square of its mean distance from the Sun. 
B) the cube of the orbital period is directly proportional to the square of its mean distance from the Sun. 
C) the square of the orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of its mean distance from the Sun. 
D) the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to its mean distance from the Sun.

Question 9

The planet whose discovery was initially made by using measured deviations of other planets from regular orbits and the application of Newton's laws of mechanics to predict its existence was:

Accepted Answer

A) Venus. 
B) Mercury. 
C) Uranus. 
D) Neptune. 
A) Venus. 
B) Mercury. 
C) Uranus. 
D) Neptune.

Question 10

A superior planet is farthest from Earth when it is near:

Accepted Answer

A) the vernal equinox. 
B) opposition. 
C) maximum eastern elongation. 
D) conjunction. 
A) the vernal equinox. 
B) opposition. 
C) maximum eastern elongation. 
D) conjunction.

Question 11

What will be the synodic period of a (hypothetical) planet that orbits the Sun at exactly the same distance as does Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) 2 years 
B) 0 years 
C) 1 year 
D) infinitely long 
A) 2 years 
B) 0 years 
C) 1 year 
D) infinitely long

Question 12

The eccentricity of Venus's orbit is e = 0.007, while the eccentricity of Mars's orbit is e = 0.093. Thus, the:

Accepted Answer

A) orbit of Mars is closer to being circular than is the orbit of Venus. 
B) orbit of Venus is closer to being circular than is the orbit of Mars. 
C) orbits of all the planets are perfectular circular, so these values say nothing about the circularity of the orbits. 
D) semimajor axis of Mars's orbit is smaller than that of Venus's orbit. 
A) orbit of Mars is closer to being circular than is the orbit of Venus. 
B) orbit of Venus is closer to being circular than is the orbit of Mars. 
C) orbits of all the planets are perfectular circular, so these values say nothing about the circularity of the orbits. 
D) semimajor axis of Mars's orbit is smaller than that of Venus's orbit.

Question 13

Which of the following planets passes between Earth and the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A) Neptune 
B) Mars 
C) Jupiter 
D) Venus 
A) Neptune 
B) Mars 
C) Jupiter 
D) Venus

Question 14

How many times is Mars at inferior conjunction during one orbit around the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A) zero 
B) one 
C) two 
D) three 
A) zero 
B) one 
C) two 
D) three

Question 15

The synodic period of a planet is the time between:

Accepted Answer

A) successive alignments of the Sun, the planet, and Earth (e.g., time between successive oppositions). 
B) successive alignments of the Sun, the planet, and a particular point on the sky (e.g., a star). 
C) its passage from conjunction to opposition in its orbit. 
D) successive passages of the planet across the celestial equator. 
A) successive alignments of the Sun, the planet, and Earth (e.g., time between successive oppositions). 
B) successive alignments of the Sun, the planet, and a particular point on the sky (e.g., a star). 
C) its passage from conjunction to opposition in its orbit. 
D) successive passages of the planet across the celestial equator.

Question 16

The geocentric model for the solar system became unsatisfactory to astronomers compared with the heliocentric model early in the sixteenth century. Each of the following is part of the explanation for this except one. Which is the exception?

Accepted Answer

A) Isaac Newton was able to derive all planetary motion from one universal law of gravity. 
B) The heliocentric model was conceptually simpler. 
C) The invention of the telescope provided observations that were in better agreement with a heliocentric model. 
D) Observations by spacecraft proved that all planets orbited the Sun. 
A) Isaac Newton was able to derive all planetary motion from one universal law of gravity. 
B) The heliocentric model was conceptually simpler. 
C) The invention of the telescope provided observations that were in better agreement with a heliocentric model. 
D) Observations by spacecraft proved that all planets orbited the Sun.

Question 17

The astronomer who used parallax to show that the supernova of 1572 occurred at a large distance from Earth was:

Accepted Answer

A) Nicolaus Copernicus. 
B) Galileo Galilei. 
C) Johannes Kepler. 
D) Tycho Brahe. 
A) Nicolaus Copernicus. 
B) Galileo Galilei. 
C) Johannes Kepler. 
D) Tycho Brahe.

Question 18

Why do you think the planets were chosen as key indicators of a person's destiny by early astrologers?

Accepted Answer

A) They stayed in the same places with respect to the stars but were very bright. 
B) They moved in complicated (but predictable) patterns with respect to the stars. 
C) They twinkled and their colors varied randomly. 
D) They moved very uniformly across the sky, night by night. 
A) They stayed in the same places with respect to the stars but were very bright. 
B) They moved in complicated (but predictable) patterns with respect to the stars. 
C) They twinkled and their colors varied randomly. 
D) They moved very uniformly across the sky, night by night.

Question 19

When observed at greatest eastern elongation (see Figure 4-6 of Universe, 11th ed.), Venus is about 45° from the Sun. How long after sunset does Venus set on the western horizon?
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  ​

Accepted Answer

A) about 3 hours 
B) It does not set at this specific time in its orbit. 
C) 1 hour 
D) about 10 minutes 
A) about 3 hours 
B) It does not set at this specific time in its orbit. 
C) 1 hour 
D) about 10 minutes

Question 20

Kepler's laws describe the:

Accepted Answer

A) motions of the planets around the Sun. 
B) motion of the spin axis of Earth over long time periods. 
C) motions of the planets around Earth. 
D) motion of the Moon around the Sun. 
A) motions of the planets around the Sun. 
B) motion of the spin axis of Earth over long time periods. 
C) motions of the planets around Earth. 
D) motion of the Moon around the Sun.

Exam 4: Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

When is Venus at opposition?

Copernicus's nationality was:

Newton's law of universal gravitation is so named because it:

Imagine a 10-kg rock speeding through empty space at 200 m/s, so far away from other objects that there is no gravitational force (or any other outside forces) exerted on the rock. What is the rock's subsequent motion?

At which configuration is a planet whose angle of elongation is 0°?

Approximately how many of its sidereal periods has Neptune completed since its discovery in 1846? (See Table of Orbital Data in Appendix 1, Universe, 11th ed.) ​ ​

A certain object at rest on the surface of Earth has a weight of 49 newtons. Its mass is, therefore:

Kepler's third law states that:

The planet whose discovery was initially made by using measured deviations of other planets from regular orbits and the application of Newton's laws of mechanics to predict its existence was:

A superior planet is farthest from Earth when it is near:

What will be the synodic period of a (hypothetical) planet that orbits the Sun at exactly the same distance as does Earth?

The eccentricity of Venus's orbit is e = 0.007, while the eccentricity of Mars's orbit is e = 0.093. Thus, the:

Which of the following planets passes between Earth and the Sun?

How many times is Mars at inferior conjunction during one orbit around the Sun?

The synodic period of a planet is the time between:

The geocentric model for the solar system became unsatisfactory to astronomers compared with the heliocentric model early in the sixteenth century. Each of the following is part of the explanation for this except one. Which is the exception?

The astronomer who used parallax to show that the supernova of 1572 occurred at a large distance from Earth was:

Why do you think the planets were chosen as key indicators of a person's destiny by early astrologers?

When observed at greatest eastern elongation (see Figure 4-6 of Universe, 11th ed.), Venus is about 45° from the Sun. How long after sunset does Venus set on the western horizon? ​ ​

Kepler's laws describe the:

Astronomy and the Universe

Knowing the Heavens

Eclipses and the Motion of the Moon

The Nature of Light

Optics and Telescopes

Comparative Planetology I: Our Solar System

Comparative Planetology II: the Origin of Our Solar System

The Living Earth

Our Barren Moon

Mercury, Venus, and Mars: Terrestrial, yet Unique

Jupiter and Saturn: Lords of the Planets

Jupiter and Saturns Satellites of Fire and Ice

Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and the Kuiper Belt: Remote Worlds

Asteroids, Comets, and Impacts

Our Star, the Sun

The Nature of the Stars

The Birth of Stars

Stellar Evolution: on and After the Main Sequence

Stellar Evolution: The Death of Stars

Stellar Remnants: Neutron Stars and Black Holes

Our Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Active Galaxies

Cosmology: The Origin and Evolution of the Universe

Exploring the Early Universe

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life

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Approximately how many of its sidereal periods has Neptune completed since its discovery in 1846? (See Table of Orbital Data in Appendix 1, Universe, 11th ed.)

When observed at greatest eastern elongation (see Figure 4-6 of Universe, 11th ed.), Venus is about 45° from the Sun. How long after sunset does Venus set on the western horizon?