Exam 15: The Nature of the Solar System

Which planet has roving NASA robots on its surface?

The Cassini gap is associated with the planet ________.

Three laws of planetary motion were discovered by ________.

Of the terrestrial planets, Mercury exhibits the greatest variation in surface temperatures.

The first modern astronomer to propose a Sun-centered universe was ________.

In the Ptolemaic (Greek)model of the universe, ________.

Eruptive plumes and lava flows rich in sulfur have been photographed on Jupiter's moon, Io.

Jupiter is the largest and most massive planet in the solar system.

Galileo discovered that the Sun has "blemishes" which we call sunspots.

Galileo made numerous contributions to the science of astronomy. Discuss two of them in detail.

The planets have circular orbits around the Sun.

Most of the time, the planets appear to move eastward. However, the occasional apparent westward "drift" of the planets compared to the background stars is called ________.

________ is the only planet in the solar system whose axis of rotation lies close to the plane of the solar system.

Lunar regolith contains crystalline rock fragments, glassy fragments, and a moderate amount of organic matter.

Examine the figure and identify which of the two tails, "A" or "B," is the ion tail and which is the dust tail. How does this relate to the composition of the comet? Explain the different characteristic(s)that allowed you to distinguish between the two tails, and how that relates to the way they form.

Vast, circular to elliptical dark-colored smooth areas of the Moon are known as ________.

The "celestial sphere" is a feature of the Ptolemaic model of a geocentric universe.

The largest known volcano in the solar system is ________.

Briefly outline the formation of Earth's Moon, referring to the figure where appropriate.

The Martian polar caps are thought to be mainly frozen methane and ammonia.