Deck 5: The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Question 1

Cometary dust tails lag behind the bluish ion tails as the comet rounds the Sun.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

All the planet's orbits are evenly spaced.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Comets are not actually members of the solar system, but have been captured by the Sun.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Pluto is more similar to the jovian planet's icy moons than to any of the other planets.

Question 5

Earth is nearly twice as large as Venus.

Question 6

All four jovian planets are thought to have cores larger than Earth.

Question 7

Pluto's orbit has a lower inclination to the ecliptic than any planet.

Question 8

Meteor showers are the result of collisions between asteroids.

Question 9

All the terrestrial planets lie inside the asteroid belt.

Question 10

Carbonaceous asteroids contain fragile organic molecules.

Question 11

All the planets revolve around the Sun in the same direction, except for Venus and Uranus.

Question 12

Barringer Crater in Arizona is an example of a meteorite impact.

Question 13

The two smallest planets, Mercury and Pluto, have no moons.

Question 14

All the planets orbit the Sun in exactly the same plane as the Earth.

Question 15

One characteristic of the terrestrial planets is their extensive moon systems.

Question 16

All jovian planets have rings around their equators and at least eight moons.

Question 17

A Kuiper Belt object was discovered that may be larger than Pluto.

Question 18

Many astronomers now regard Pluto as just one of the largest of the thousands of Kuiper Belt bodies found beyond Neptune.

Question 19

Most astronomers now believe the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was caused by a large asteroid impacting the Yucatan peninsula area.

Question 20

Due to their great masses, all four jovian worlds are much denser than the Earth.

Question 21

Some meteorites are believed to have come from Mars and the Moon.

Question 22

Planetary orbits

A) are highly inclined to the ecliptic.
B) are evenly spaced throughout the solar system.
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 23

Which planet by itself contains the majority of mass of all the planets?

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

Question 24

Astronomers have not yet been able to detect planets outside our solar system.

Question 25

No stars have yet been observed that have more than one exoplanet.

Question 26

The jovian planets

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

Question 27

In addition to revolving around the Sun counter clockwise, most planets also rotate on their axis counter clockwise.

Question 28

The fact that we don't see very many Earthlike planets in orbit around other stars is an indication that Earthlike planets are rare.

Question 29

Which of the following are the jovian planets?

A) everything past Mars and the asteroid belt
B) only Jupiter and Saturn
C) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune only
D) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
E) only Jupiter

Question 30

Any successful model for the formation of the solar system must explain why the orbits of the planets have low eccentricities.

Question 31

The Kepler spacecraft has identified more than eight hundred confirmed exoplanets.

Question 32

We would expect other planets beyond our own solar system to orbit the equators of their home stars, as our own planets orbit the Sun.

Question 33

As a rotating gas cloud contracts, it spins faster.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT icy in composition?

A) comet nuclei
B) asteroids
C) the polar cap of Mars
D) Kuiper Belt Objects
E) most jovian satellites

Question 35

What is true about solar system densities?

A) Saturn has the same density as water.
B) In differentiated bodies, the denser materials lie near their surfaces.
C) The asteroids all have about the same density.
D) The denser planets lie closer to the Sun.
E) Planetary density increases with increasing distance from the Sun.

Question 36

Density is defined as

A) weight divided by the planet's radius.
B) size divided by weight.
C) mass per unit volume.
D) mass times weight.
E) weight per square inch.

Question 37

In some cases, we have seen extrasolar planets pass in front of their stars.

Question 38

In the solar nebular theory, the dusty disk condensing around the Sun's equator became the ecliptic plane in which the planets then formed.

Question 39

Researchers estimate that there is more total mass in the Kuiper Belt than in the asteroid belt.

Question 40

The Oort Cloud lies closer to the Sun than the Kuiper Belt.

Question 41

Meteorites are important because

A) they contain pristine material from the solar nebula.
B) some come from the Moon and Mars, as well as the asteroid belt.
C) large ones may cause mass extinctions.
D) All of the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 42

Long- period comets are believed to originally come from

A) the Kuiper belt.
B) the asteroid belt.
C) the interstellar medium.
D) the satellite system of Jupiter.
E) the Oort cloud.

Question 43

The first spacecraft to land on the surface of an asteroid was named

A) Hayabusa.
B) Dawn.
C) Giotto.
D) Stardust.
E) NEAR.

Question 44

Which of the following have an icy composition?

A) comets
B) meteoroids
C) the surface of Mars
D) most asteroids
E) meteorites and most asteroids

Question 45

The most distant objects in our solar system are

A) in the Kuiper Belt.
B) short period comets.
C) the Trojan asteroids.
D) the jovians.
E) in the Oort Cloud.

Question 46

Relative to the comet, the direction of the ion tail tells us

A) the direction the comet is traveling.
B) the velocity of the comet.
C) the direction of the Sun.
D) where the ecliptic is.
E) where the comet came from.

Question 47

The tail of a comet always points

A) in the direction of the comet's motion.
B) toward the Sun and disappears at perihelion.
C) away from the Sun and becomes longest and brightest at perihelion.
D) toward Earth and never varies.
E) away from the Sun and disappears at perihelion.

Question 48

Before it arrived in orbit about Eros, the NEAR spacecraft visited

A) Mars.
B) the Moon.
C) the asteroid Gaspra.
D) Venus.
E) the asteroid Mathilde.

Question 49

The Oort Cloud is believed to be

A) the circular disk of gas around the Sun's equator from which the planets formed.
B) a spherical cloud of cometary nuclei far beyond the Kuiper Belt.
C) the great nebula found just below the belt stars of Orion.
D) a grouping of asteroids and meteoroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
E) a flattened belt of cometary nuclei just beyond the orbit of Neptune.

Question 50

Which of the following does NOT fall into the category of interplanetary debris?

A) comets
B) Trojan asteroids
C) meteoroids
D) Kuiper Belt bodies
E) rings around the jovian planets

Question 51

The largest asteroid, and probably the only one to be a spherical "world," is

A) Ida.
B) Gaspra.
C) Eros.
D) Vesta.
E) Ceres.

Question 52

In July 2011, the Dawn probe entered orbit around

A) the asteroid Vesta.
B) the asteroid Ida.
C) the asteroid Gaspra.
D) the asteroid Ceres.
E) the comet Wild.

Question 53

A meteor is

A) a streak of light in the atmosphere.
B) a chunk of space debris that has struck the ground.
C) an icy body with a long tail extending from it.
D) a chunk of space debris orbiting the Earth.
E) an irregularly shaped body, mostly found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.

Question 54

The Trojan asteroids are found

A) closer on average to the Sun than is the Earth.
B) sixty degrees ahead or behind Jupiter, sharing its orbit about the Sun.
C) beyond Neptune, with orbits similar to Pluto's.
D) orbiting around the Kuiper Belt body Hector.
E) with the others, between Mars and Jupiter; their red color gives them their name.

Question 55

Which statement about asteroids is NOT true?

A) Their images become blurry due to outgassing as the Sun heats them up.
B) Most stay between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
C) Earthgrazers can cross not only our orbit, but even those of Venus and Mercury.
D) Some have satellites of their own.
E) They vary considerably in composition, reflectivity, and size.

Question 56

The Kuiper Belt is found where in the solar system?

A) between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
B) sixty degrees ahead or behind Jupiter
C) beyond the orbit of Neptune
D) among the orbits of the terrestrial planets
E) between the orbits of Jupiter and Uranus

Question 57

The most detailed look we've had of an asteroid comes from

A) ground- based radar images.
B) Earth orbital X- ray images.
C) spacecraft sent to an asteroid.
D) high- altitude UV spectroscopy.
E) ground- based optical images.

Question 58

Iron meteorites are believed to come from

A) interstellar space.
B) debris from the Kuiper Belt.
C) a broken up cometary nucleus.
D) the core of a differentiated asteroid, now broken up.
E) the crust of a differentiated asteroid, now broken up.

Question 59

A meteorite is

A) an irregularly shaped body, mostly found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.
B) a streak of light in the atmosphere.
C) a chunk of space debris that has struck the ground.
D) an icy body with a long tail extending from it.
E) a chunk of space debris orbiting the Earth.

Question 60

Meteor showers are

A) usually annual events, as the orbits again intersect.
B) caused by the Earth passing near the orbit of an Earthgrazing asteroid.
C) caused by the Earth passing near the orbit of an old short- period comet.
D) Both A and B are correct.
E) Both A and C are correct.

Question 61

The nucleus of a comet is typically

A) located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
B) a few hundred kilometers across, and bright, shiny white from its ices.
C) very durable, made of iron.
D) a few meters in diameter.
E) a few kilometers in size, and very low in density.

Question 62

The number of confirmed extrasolar planets

A) was about 800 at the time of publication but is rising rapidly due to new observations by the Kepler spacecraft.
B) is about 600, and is not expected to rise very much.
C) is about 800, and is rising slowly, as observations are quite difficult.
D) has been decreasing as some observations thought to be planets have been disproven.
E) is zero; there are observations thought to be of extrasolar planets but none has yet been confirmed.

Question 63

Most of the extrasolar planets found so far were detected by

A) noting the drop in the star's light as the planet transits its disk.
B) detecting the oxygen in their atmospheres spectroscopically.
C) noting the Doppler shifts of the star as the planet orbits it from side to side.
D) receiving radio transmissions from them, much like Jupiter emits.
E) imaging them with the HST in the infrared, where they are easier to stop.

Question 64

According to the Solar Nebula theory, planets

A) should be randomly oriented to their star's equator.
B) should orbit perpendicular to their star's equator.
C) will revolve opposite the star's rotation.
D) should be a common result of star formation.
E) should be extremely rare.

Question 65

The larger terrestrial planets have surface features that tend to be

A) more rocky.
B) older.
C) more icy.
D) more cratered.
E) younger.

Question 66

As a rotating gas cloud contracts, it spins

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

Question 67

The only planet with no atmosphere of consequence is

A) Mars.
B) Venus.
C) Mercury.
D) Earth.
E) Pluto.

Question 68

Objects in the Kuiper belt

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

Question 69

So far, beyond the solar system, the extrasolar planets found have been mostly

A) terrestrials with very elongated, distant orbits like comets.
B) large jovians orbiting solar- type stars about where our jovians are found.
C) large jovians very close to their star.
D) brown dwarfs much more massive than Jupiter.
E) terrestrials very close to their star, and transiting its disk.

Question 70

Before it arrived in orbit about Jupiter, the Galileo spacecraft flew past

A) Saturn.
B) Comet Halley.
C) the asteroid Ceres.
D) Mars.
E) the asteroid Gaspra.

Question 71

Which of these bodies are most likely to break up over time?

A) jovian satellites
B) asteroids in the main belt
C) comet nuclei
D) Trojan asteroids
E) Kuiper Belt bodies

Question 72

Exoplanets known as super- Earths

A) have masses comparable to that of Neptune.
B) orbit extremely massive stars.
C) have masses comparable to that of Jupiter.
D) have masses 2- 10 times that of Earth.
E) have yet to be observed.

Question 73

As the solar nebula contracts, it

A) loses angular momentum.
B) cools due to condensation.
C) flattens out into the ecliptic plane around the Sun's poles.
D) reverses its direction of rotation.
E) spins faster due to conservation of angular momentum.

Question 74

Planetary transits of exoplanets are rare because

A) most extrasolar systems are not seen edge- on.
B) our telescopes are not powerful enough to detect them.
C) most stars are too bright for us to detect a planetary transit.
D) the Earth's atmosphere interferes with our observations of transits.
E) most exoplanets are smaller than Pluto.

Question 75

A rocky body between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter is a(n)

A) asteroid.
B) meteor.
C) comet.
D) meteoroid.
E) meteorite.

Question 76

Which statement about extrasolar planets found to date is true?

A) All lie more than 2 AU from their star.
B) Some are so close to their stars that their periods are just a few days.
C) Few are found by Doppler shifts of their stars, due to their gravity.
D) Most have orbital periods of more than a year.
E) All are terrestrials, comparable in size to Earth.

Question 77

The Manicouagan reservoir near Quebec is an example of

A) cometary debris.
B) Earth's interaction with a comet's dust tail.
C) a volcanic event.
D) a large meteorite impact.
E) a micrometeorite impact.

Question 78

The orbits of most comets

A) are like the planets, fairly circular and in the ecliptic plane.
B) have perihelions within the orbits of Mercury.
C) lie almost entirely beyond the orbit of Neptune.
D) go no farther out than Pluto, then return to the sun again.
E) are shorter than the 76- year period for Comet Halley.

Question 79

In terms of composition,

A) all planets are condensed from the same nebula and have similar compositions.
B) the Sun is unique, made of nothing but hydrogen and helium.
C) the jovian planets are more like the Sun than are the terrestrials.
D) the jovian planets are made only of ice, and the terrestrials only of rock.
E) the terrestrials are more like the Sun, since they formed close to it.

Question 80

If a comet's ion tail is pointing perpendicular to its direction of travel, the comet is

A) moving closer to the Sun.
B) close to or at perihelion.
C) close to or at aphelion.
D) moving away from the Sun.
E) A comet's tail never points perpendicular to its motion.