Question 1

The Kepler mission is designed to search for extrasolar planets using the _________ method.

Accepted Answer

A) Doppler shift 
B) transit 
C) microlensing 
D) direct imaging 
A) Doppler shift 
B) transit 
C) microlensing 
D) direct imaging

Question 2

Explain why most of the extrasolar planets that astronomers first detected were so-called "hot Jupiters."

Accepted Answer

Originally technology did not allow us t

Question 3

What sets the temperature of the pocket of gas in a protoplanetary disk?

Accepted Answer

A) its distance from the forming star 
B) how much kinetic energy was converted to heat 
C) how much radiation from the forming star shines on the gas 
D) a combination of all three of the above 
A) its distance from the forming star 
B) how much kinetic energy was converted to heat 
C) how much radiation from the forming star shines on the gas 
D) a combination of all three of the above

Question 4

Inside a solar nebula,as smaller particles collide and stick together,forming larger particles,their self-gravity prevents them from breaking apart,regardless of the strength of the collision.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

What is the ratio of the orbital angular momentum of the Earth compared to its spin angular momentum? Note that the Earth has a radius of 6 × 106 m,and 1 AU is 1.5 × 1011 m.

Accepted Answer

A) 1 
B) 70 
C) 640 
D) 25,000 
E) 4.3 × 106 
A) 1 
B) 70 
C) 640 
D) 25,000 
E) 4.3 × 106

Question 6

The borderline between the most massive planet and the least massive brown dwarf occurs at:

Accepted Answer

A) 4 Jupiter masses 
B) 13 Jupiter masses 
C) 120 Jupiter masses 
D) 80 Jupiter masses 
E) 45 Jupiter masses 
A) 4 Jupiter masses 
B) 13 Jupiter masses 
C) 120 Jupiter masses 
D) 80 Jupiter masses 
E) 45 Jupiter masses

Question 7

Was it ever possible (or is it currently possible)for Jupiter to become a star?

Accepted Answer

A) Yes,it is in the process of becoming a star in the near future. 
B) Yes,but it cooled off before it could become a star. 
C) No,it would have to be at least 13 times more massive. 
D) No,its composition is too different from stars for it to become one. 
E) No,it used to be massive enough,but the solar wind has blown off too much of its mass. 
A) Yes,it is in the process of becoming a star in the near future. 
B) Yes,but it cooled off before it could become a star. 
C) No,it would have to be at least 13 times more massive. 
D) No,its composition is too different from stars for it to become one. 
E) No,it used to be massive enough,but the solar wind has blown off too much of its mass.

Question 8

The primordial atmosphere of the Earth consisted of what type of chemical elements and from where did it originate? What chemical elements did the secondary atmosphere of the Earth consist of and from where did it originate?

Accepted Answer

The primary atmosphere consisted mostly

Question 9

An observer located outside our Solar System,who monitors the velocity of our Sun over time,will find that its velocity varies by ±12 m/s over a period of 12 years,because of:

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 10

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 11

What is the age of our Solar System?

Accepted Answer

A) 4.6 billion years 
B) 4.6 million years 
C) 13.7 trillion years 
D) 13.7 billion years 
E) 13.7 million years 
A) 4.6 billion years 
B) 4.6 million years 
C) 13.7 trillion years 
D) 13.7 billion years 
E) 13.7 million years

Question 12

What does conservation of angular momentum mean?

Accepted Answer

It means the angular momentum

Question 13

Explain why there is a significant amount of methane and ammonia in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune but not nearly as much in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn.

Accepted Answer

Ammonia and methane are volatile materia

Question 14

Which is NOT a scientific goal of NASA's Kepler mission?

Accepted Answer

A) Finding Earth-sized planets is not a goal. 
B) Finding rocky planets is not a goal. 
C) Finding Earth-sized planets that could have liquid water is not a goal. 
D) Finding intelligent life on other planets is not a goal. 
E) All the above are goals of the Kepler mission. 
A) Finding Earth-sized planets is not a goal. 
B) Finding rocky planets is not a goal. 
C) Finding Earth-sized planets that could have liquid water is not a goal. 
D) Finding intelligent life on other planets is not a goal. 
E) All the above are goals of the Kepler mission.

Question 15

Which property of an extrasolar planet CANNOT be determined using the Doppler effect?

Accepted Answer

A) orbital period 
B) orbital distance 
C) orbital speed 
D) mass 
E) radius 
A) orbital period 
B) orbital distance 
C) orbital speed 
D) mass 
E) radius

Question 16

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 17

Which of the following is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A) Hundreds of extrasolar planets have been discovered to date from radial velocity surveys. 
B) The most common types of extrasolar planets found to date have masses 10 times the mass of Jupiter and lie within 5 AU from their parent star. 
C) Some planetary systems have been found that contain multiple planets. 
D) A star can brighten significantly due to gravitational lensing when a planet that orbits it passes directly in front of the star. 
E) The Kepler mission has begun to find terrestrial planets similar in size to Earth. 
A) Hundreds of extrasolar planets have been discovered to date from radial velocity surveys. 
B) The most common types of extrasolar planets found to date have masses 10 times the mass of Jupiter and lie within 5 AU from their parent star. 
C) Some planetary systems have been found that contain multiple planets. 
D) A star can brighten significantly due to gravitational lensing when a planet that orbits it passes directly in front of the star. 
E) The Kepler mission has begun to find terrestrial planets similar in size to Earth.

Question 18

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 19

What happens to the kinetic energy of gas as it falls toward and eventually hits the accretion disk surrounding a protostar?

Accepted Answer

A) It is immediately converted into photons,giving off a flash of light upon impact. 
B) It is converted into thermal energy,heating the disk. 
C) It is converted into potential energy as the gas plows through the disk and comes out the other side. 
D) It becomes the kinetic energy of the orbit of the gas in the accretion disk around the protostar. 
E) It disappears into interstellar space. 
A) It is immediately converted into photons,giving off a flash of light upon impact. 
B) It is converted into thermal energy,heating the disk. 
C) It is converted into potential energy as the gas plows through the disk and comes out the other side. 
D) It becomes the kinetic energy of the orbit of the gas in the accretion disk around the protostar. 
E) It disappears into interstellar space.

Question 20

Why have astronomers using the radial velocity method found more Jupiter-sized planets at a distance of 1 AU around other stars than Earth-sized planets?

Accepted Answer

A) A Jupiter-sized planet occults a larger area than an Earth-sized planet. 
B) A Jupiter-sized planet exerts a larger gravitational force on the star than an Earth-sized planet,and the Doppler shift of the star is larger. 
C) A Jupiter-sized planet shines brighter than an Earth-sized planet. 
D) Earth-sized planets are much rarer than Jupiter-sized planets. 
E) Actually,the planets found at these distances have all been Earth sized. 
A) A Jupiter-sized planet occults a larger area than an Earth-sized planet. 
B) A Jupiter-sized planet exerts a larger gravitational force on the star than an Earth-sized planet,and the Doppler shift of the star is larger. 
C) A Jupiter-sized planet shines brighter than an Earth-sized planet. 
D) Earth-sized planets are much rarer than Jupiter-sized planets. 
E) Actually,the planets found at these distances have all been Earth sized.

Exam 7: The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Kepler mission is designed to search for extrasolar planets using the _________ method.

Explain why most of the extrasolar planets that astronomers first detected were so-called "hot Jupiters."

What sets the temperature of the pocket of gas in a protoplanetary disk?

Inside a solar nebula,as smaller particles collide and stick together,forming larger particles,their self-gravity prevents them from breaking apart,regardless of the strength of the collision.

What is the ratio of the orbital angular momentum of the Earth compared to its spin angular momentum? Note that the Earth has a radius of 6 × 106 m,and 1 AU is 1.5 × 1011 m.

The borderline between the most massive planet and the least massive brown dwarf occurs at:

Was it ever possible (or is it currently possible)for Jupiter to become a star?

The primordial atmosphere of the Earth consisted of what type of chemical elements and from where did it originate? What chemical elements did the secondary atmosphere of the Earth consist of and from where did it originate?

An observer located outside our Solar System,who monitors the velocity of our Sun over time,will find that its velocity varies by ±12 m/s over a period of 12 years,because of:

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 age of our Solar System?

What does conservation of angular momentum mean?

Explain why there is a significant amount of methane and ammonia in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune but not nearly as much in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn.

Which is NOT a scientific goal of NASA's Kepler mission?

Which property of an extrasolar planet CANNOT be determined using the Doppler effect?

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

Which of the following is FALSE?

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

What happens to the kinetic energy of gas as it falls toward and eventually hits the accretion disk surrounding a protostar?

Why have astronomers using the radial velocity method found more Jupiter-sized planets at a distance of 1 AU around other stars than Earth-sized planets?

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

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 Liquid the Giant Planets

Planetary Adornments Moons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

The Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters

What is the ratio of the orbital angular momentum of the Earth compared to its spin angular momentum? Note that the Earth has a radius of 6 × 10⁶ m,and 1 AU is 1.5 × 10¹¹ m.