Question 1

What is a planetary nebula?

Accepted Answer

A)  a nebula of gas and dust around a giant planet 
B)  a nebula of gas and dust around any planet 
C)  the result of a relatively gentle stellar outburst in which matter is ejected into space 
D)  the result of a violent stellar outburst in which the entire star is blown apart 
A)  a nebula of gas and dust around a giant planet 
B)  a nebula of gas and dust around any planet 
C)  the result of a relatively gentle stellar outburst in which matter is ejected into space 
D)  the result of a violent stellar outburst in which the entire star is blown apart

Question 2

Most of the elements beyond hydrogen and helium in the periodic table in the Sun and the solar system most probably originated in:

Accepted Answer

A)  the center of our own Sun, through fusion and later ejection as solar wind. 
B)  chemical reactions in planetary atmospheres. 
C)  the original Big Bang of the universe. 
D)  fusion reactions in the centers of earlier stars. 
A)  the center of our own Sun, through fusion and later ejection as solar wind. 
B)  chemical reactions in planetary atmospheres. 
C)  the original Big Bang of the universe. 
D)  fusion reactions in the centers of earlier stars.

Question 3

Compared with the orbital distance of Earth from the Sun,the equivalent orbital distances for the outer planets are _____ times greater.

Accepted Answer

A)  between 2 and 20 
B)  more than 10 
C)  between 2 and 5 
D)  more than 5 
A)  between 2 and 20 
B)  more than 10 
C)  between 2 and 5 
D)  more than 5

Question 4

Which planet in our solar system has the LARGEST mass?

Accepted Answer

A)  Saturn 
B)  Earth 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Jupiter 
A)  Saturn 
B)  Earth 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Jupiter

Question 5

Where are the asteroids located?

Accepted Answer

A)  Their orbits are distributed more or less uniformly throughout the solar system. 
B)  All asteroids have orbits between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 
C)  Most asteroids have orbits between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, but there are gaps caused by resonances with Jupiter. 
D)  Most asteroids have orbits between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, but there are gaps caused the motions of the largest asteroids moving through the asteroid belt and sweeping out regions much like the shepherd satellites in the rings of Saturn. 
A)  Their orbits are distributed more or less uniformly throughout the solar system. 
B)  All asteroids have orbits between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 
C)  Most asteroids have orbits between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, but there are gaps caused by resonances with Jupiter. 
D)  Most asteroids have orbits between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, but there are gaps caused the motions of the largest asteroids moving through the asteroid belt and sweeping out regions much like the shepherd satellites in the rings of Saturn.

Question 6

One particularly important collision in the early inner solar system about 100 million years after Earth's formation resulted in the:

Accepted Answer

A)  extinction of 70% of the species then in existence on Earth, including the dinosaurs. 
B)  formation of a secondary asteroid belt between the orbits of Earth and Venus. 
C)  destruction of the planet Vulcan, which had an orbit inside the orbit of Mercury.. 
D)  formation of our Moon. 
A)  extinction of 70% of the species then in existence on Earth, including the dinosaurs. 
B)  formation of a secondary asteroid belt between the orbits of Earth and Venus. 
C)  destruction of the planet Vulcan, which had an orbit inside the orbit of Mercury.. 
D)  formation of our Moon.

Question 7

Suppose the Hubble Space Telescope discovers a series of planets with the following characteristics moving around a star that resembles our Sun: spherical,solid surfaces; mean densities about four times that of water; radii about 4000 km; low-density atmospheres.How would these planets be classified in comparison with our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)  terrestrial planets 
B)  Jovian planets 
C)  cometary nuclei 
D)  asteroids 
A)  terrestrial planets 
B)  Jovian planets 
C)  cometary nuclei 
D)  asteroids

Question 8

What is a plutino?

Accepted Answer

A)  any object in a 2:3 orbital resonance with Pluto 
B)  any object in the same orbit as Pluto 
C)  any object in an orbit outside that of Pluto 
D)  any object beyond the orbit of Neptune that has enough mass to assume a spherical shape 
A)  any object in a 2:3 orbital resonance with Pluto 
B)  any object in the same orbit as Pluto 
C)  any object in an orbit outside that of Pluto 
D)  any object beyond the orbit of Neptune that has enough mass to assume a spherical shape

Question 9

The planetary orbit with the GREATEST inclination to the plane of the ecliptic is the orbit of:

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth. 
B)  Mercury. 
C)  Uranus. 
D)  Saturn. 
A)  Earth. 
B)  Mercury. 
C)  Uranus. 
D)  Saturn.

Question 10

The solar system formed about how long after the Big Bang?

Accepted Answer

A)  immediately 
B)  a few hundred million years 
C)  nine billion years 
D)  13.8 billion years 
A)  immediately 
B)  a few hundred million years 
C)  nine billion years 
D)  13.8 billion years

Question 11

What was the material from which the solar system formed?

Accepted Answer

A)  a nebula made mostly of heavy elements but enriched in hydrogen and helium from supernova explosions 
B)  debris from the explosion of a massive star 
C)  a nebula made entirely of hydrogen and helium gas 
D)  a nebula made mostly of hydrogen and helium gas but enriched in heavier elements from supernova explosions 
A)  a nebula made mostly of heavy elements but enriched in hydrogen and helium from supernova explosions 
B)  debris from the explosion of a massive star 
C)  a nebula made entirely of hydrogen and helium gas 
D)  a nebula made mostly of hydrogen and helium gas but enriched in heavier elements from supernova explosions

Question 12

The MOST noticeably elliptical planetary orbit is the orbit of:

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars. 
B)  Uranus. 
C)  Mercury. 
D)  Earth. 
A)  Mars. 
B)  Uranus. 
C)  Mercury. 
D)  Earth.

Question 13

The manner in which the terrestrial planets formed was the:

Accepted Answer

A)  gravitational condensation of hydrogen, helium, and dust in eddies or vortices in the solar nebula. 
B)  gravitational condensation of gas, followed by the capture of solid planetesimals. 
C)  accretion of solid planetesimals containing mostly rocky material. 
D)  accretion of planetesimals to form a core, followed by the gravitational capture of gas from the solar nebula. 
A)  gravitational condensation of hydrogen, helium, and dust in eddies or vortices in the solar nebula. 
B)  gravitational condensation of gas, followed by the capture of solid planetesimals. 
C)  accretion of solid planetesimals containing mostly rocky material. 
D)  accretion of planetesimals to form a core, followed by the gravitational capture of gas from the solar nebula.

Question 14

According to our present theory of solar system formation,where were the four inner planets formed?

Accepted Answer

A)  All were formed farther out in the solar system and migrated inward. 
B)  All were formed near their present locations in the inner solar system. 
C)  Mercury was formed near the Sun, but the others were formed farther out and migrated inward. 
D)  Our present theory has no clear answer to this question. 
A)  All were formed farther out in the solar system and migrated inward. 
B)  All were formed near their present locations in the inner solar system. 
C)  Mercury was formed near the Sun, but the others were formed farther out and migrated inward. 
D)  Our present theory has no clear answer to this question.

Question 15

The relatively large amount of water found on Earth is believed to have come from:

Accepted Answer

A)  the impact that produced the Moon. 
B)  water-rich comets. 
C)  Earth's brief migration outside the snow line. 
D)  the combination of primordial hydrogen with oxygen produced by green plants. 
A)  the impact that produced the Moon. 
B)  water-rich comets. 
C)  Earth's brief migration outside the snow line. 
D)  the combination of primordial hydrogen with oxygen produced by green plants.

Question 16

The large gravitational influences of the gas planets forced some planetisimals in their neighborhood to move inward toward the Sun.As a consequence of these gravitational forces:

Accepted Answer

A)  these planetisimals became moons around the inner planets. 
B)  the gas planets themselves were forced outward farther from the Sun. 
C)  the gas planets also fell inward toward the Sun. 
D)  these planetesimals fell into the Sun, causing the Sun to flare up and expel the remaining hydrogen and helium from the inner solar system. 
A)  these planetisimals became moons around the inner planets. 
B)  the gas planets themselves were forced outward farther from the Sun. 
C)  the gas planets also fell inward toward the Sun. 
D)  these planetesimals fell into the Sun, causing the Sun to flare up and expel the remaining hydrogen and helium from the inner solar system.

Question 17

MOST of the mass of the universe-98%-is in the form of:

Accepted Answer

A)  hydrogen and helium. 
B)  nitrogen and oxygen. 
C)  iron and silicon. 
D)  hydrogen. 
A)  hydrogen and helium. 
B)  nitrogen and oxygen. 
C)  iron and silicon. 
D)  hydrogen.

Question 18

Fusion is the process by which:

Accepted Answer

A)  dust grains and ice crystals coalesce to form planetesimals. 
B)  massive protoplanetary cores pull gas onto themselves to create giant planets. 
C)  clouds of interstellar gas and dust contract to form protostars. 
D)  elements are transformed into heavier elements by nuclear reactions. 
A)  dust grains and ice crystals coalesce to form planetesimals. 
B)  massive protoplanetary cores pull gas onto themselves to create giant planets. 
C)  clouds of interstellar gas and dust contract to form protostars. 
D)  elements are transformed into heavier elements by nuclear reactions.

Question 19

What process heated the early solar nebula as it slowly condensed toward a central protosun?

Accepted Answer

A)  the radioactive decay of heavy elements originally formed in the Big Bang 
B)  the release of heat as molecules formed and gases condensed into ices 
C)  thermonuclear fusion in the protosun, followed by radiative heating of the nebula 
D)  the release of heat by collisions of particles as they gained kinetic energy in falling toward the center of the nebula 
A)  the radioactive decay of heavy elements originally formed in the Big Bang 
B)  the release of heat as molecules formed and gases condensed into ices 
C)  thermonuclear fusion in the protosun, followed by radiative heating of the nebula 
D)  the release of heat by collisions of particles as they gained kinetic energy in falling toward the center of the nebula

Question 20

The MOST abundant material in the universe is:

Accepted Answer

A)  nitrogen. 
B)  carbon dioxide. 
C)  water. 
D)  hydrogen. 
A)  nitrogen. 
B)  carbon dioxide. 
C)  water. 
D)  hydrogen.

What is a planetary nebula?

Most of the elements beyond hydrogen and helium in the periodic table in the Sun and the solar system most probably originated in:

Compared with the orbital distance of Earth from the Sun,the equivalent orbital distances for the outer planets are _____ times greater.

Which planet in our solar system has the LARGEST mass?

Where are the asteroids located?

One particularly important collision in the early inner solar system about 100 million years after Earth's formation resulted in the:

What is a plutino?

The planetary orbit with the GREATEST inclination to the plane of the ecliptic is the orbit of:

The solar system formed about how long after the Big Bang?

What was the material from which the solar system formed?

The MOST noticeably elliptical planetary orbit is the orbit of:

The manner in which the terrestrial planets formed was the:

According to our present theory of solar system formation,where were the four inner planets formed?

The relatively large amount of water found on Earth is believed to have come from:

The large gravitational influences of the gas planets forced some planetisimals in their neighborhood to move inward toward the Sun.As a consequence of these gravitational forces:

MOST of the mass of the universe-98%-is in the form of:

Fusion is the process by which:

What process heated the early solar nebula as it slowly condensed toward a central protosun?

The MOST abundant material in the universe is:

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters

Exam 4: Formation of the Solar System and Other Planetary Systems

What is a planetary nebula?

Most of the elements beyond hydrogen and helium in the periodic table in the Sun and the solar system most probably originated in:

Compared with the orbital distance of Earth from the Sun,the equivalent orbital distances for the outer planets are _____ times greater.

Which planet in our solar system has the LARGEST mass?

Where are the asteroids located?

One particularly important collision in the early inner solar system about 100 million years after Earth's formation resulted in the:

What is a plutino?

The planetary orbit with the GREATEST inclination to the plane of the ecliptic is the orbit of:

The solar system formed about how long after the Big Bang?

What was the material from which the solar system formed?

The MOST noticeably elliptical planetary orbit is the orbit of:

The manner in which the terrestrial planets formed was the:

According to our present theory of solar system formation,where were the four inner planets formed?

The relatively large amount of water found on Earth is believed to have come from:

The large gravitational influences of the gas planets forced some planetisimals in their neighborhood to move inward toward the Sun.As a consequence of these gravitational forces:

MOST of the mass of the universe-98%-is in the form of:

Fusion is the process by which:

What process heated the early solar nebula as it slowly condensed toward a central protosun?

The MOST abundant material in the universe is:

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters