Deck 16: The Solar System

Question 1

The motion of a Foucault pendulum proves that Earth is

A) rotating.
B) revolving.
C) precessing.
D) an oblate spheroid.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Stellar paralax proves that Earth is

A) rotating.
B) revolving.
C) precessing.
D) an oblate spheroid.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Retrograde motion of a planet refers to ______________ motion.

A) west-to-east
B) east-to-west
C) circular
D) elliptical

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which planet moves the fastest?

A) Earth
B) Mars
C) Venus
D) Mercury

Question 5

That a planet moves with different speeds in its orbit is given by which of Kepler's laws?

A) First
B) Second
C) Third
D) Fourth

Question 6

Earth's axis is tilted ______________ degrees from the normal to the ecliptic plane.

A) zero
B) 90
C) 45
D) 23.5

Question 7

Which of the following planets moves the slowest in its orbit around the Sun?

A) Earth
B) Mars
C) Venus
D) Mercury

Question 8

The name given to the point of a planet's orbit that is farthest from the Sun is

A) aphelion.
B) focus.
C) perihelion.
D) solstice.

Question 9

The name given to the point of a planet's orbit that is closest to the Sun is

A) aphelion.
B) focus.
C) perihelion.
D) solstice.

Question 10

The geocentric model of the solar system is attributed to

A) Kepler.
B) Brahe.
C) Copernicus.
D) Aristotle.

Question 11

The planet Earth

A) has retrograde motion.
B) is the closest planet to Venus.
C) is the smallest of the terrestrial planets.
D) has a unique circular orbit.

Question 12

Kepler's second law of planetary motion is known as the law of

A) ellipses.
B) equal areas.
C) harmonic periods.
D) gravitation.

Question 13

The planet Mercury

A) has retrograde motion.
B) is the closest planet to Venus.
C) is the smallest of the terrestrial planets.
D) has a uniquely circular orbit.

Question 14

The terrestrial planets have

A) relatively high densities.
B) solid surfaces.
C) weak magnetic fields.
D) all of these.

Question 15

The closest planet to Earth is

A) Mars.
B) Venus.
C) Mercury.
D) Saturn.

Question 16

The aberration of starlight gives proof that Earth is

A) rotating.
B) revolving.
C) precessing.
D) none of these.

Question 17

Kepler's third law of planetary motion is also known as the ______________ law.

A) periodic
B) elliptical path
C) harmonic
D) heliocentric

Question 18

The heliocentric model of the solar system was developed by

A) Brahe.
B) Kepler.
C) Copernicus.
D) Newton.

Question 19

Kepler's first law states that the orbits of the planets around the Sun are

A) circles.
B) ellipses.
C) all lying in the same plane.
D) none of these.

Question 20

The study of astronomy involves

A) space.
B) energy.
C) matter.
D) all of these.

Question 21

The brightest object in the sky is

A) the Sun.
B) the Moon.
C) Venus.
D) Mars.

Question 22

Which of the following is not a terrestrial planet?

A) Earth
B) Mars
C) Saturn
D) Venus

Question 23

The third brightest object in the sky is

A) the Sun.
B) the Moon.
C) Venus.
D) Mars.

Question 24

Which of the following planets cannot be in opposition?

A) Mercury
B) Jupiter
C) Saturn
D) Mars

Question 25

Which of the following planets cannot be in opposition?

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

Question 26

A terrestrial planet that has seasonal changes is

A) Venus.
B) Mars.
C) Mercury.
D) Saturn.

Question 27

Which of the following planets can be in opposition?

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Earth
D) Uranus

Question 28

How many minor planets are known to exist in the solar system, using today's classification system?

A) 1
B) 3
C) 2
D) 4

Question 29

The Jovian planets

A) are composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.
B) have no solid surface.
C) have rings.
D) all of these.

Question 30

The terrestrial planets and the Jovian planets are distinguished from each other in terms of

A) density only.
B) size only.
C) temperature only.
D) all of these.

Question 31

Which of the following planets can be in opposition?

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Earth
D) Saturn

Question 32

The most distant planet that can be seen with the unaided eye is

A) Jupiter.
B) Saturn.
C) Uranus.
D) Neptune.

Question 33

Which of the following planets can be in opposition?

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Earth
D) Neptune

Question 34

The planet whose axis of rotation lies almost in its orbital plane is

A) Neptune.
B) Uranus.
C) Saturn.
D) Jupiter.

Question 35

The second brightest object in the sky is

A) the Sun.
B) the Moon.
C) Venus.
D) Mars.

Question 36

Which of the terrestrial planets has rings?

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Mars
D) None of the terrestrial planets has rings.

Question 37

Which of the following is not a terrestrial planet?

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

Question 38

The planet with the Great Red Spot is

A) Jupiter.
B) Neptune.
C) Uranus.
D) Saturn.
E) Mars.

Question 39

Which of the following planets can be in opposition?

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Earth
D) Mars

Question 40

According to today's classification system, how many major planets are there in the solar system?

A) 10
B) 9
C) 8
D) 11

Question 41

The solar system is a complex system of moving masses held together by ______________ forces.

Question 42

The planet with the largest volcano in the solar system is

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

Question 43

The planet with a hexagonally shaped storm at its pole is

A) Jupiter.
B) Neptune.
C) Uranus.
D) Saturn.
E) Mars.

Question 44

Which of the following is not a dwarf planet?

A) Ceres
B) Mercury
C) Pluto
D) Eris

Question 45

The planet with the largest number of moons is

A) Jupiter.
B) Saturn.
C) Uranus.
D) Neptune.

Question 46

Which of the following is believed to have played a major role in the condensation process predicted by the condensation theory?

A) Dust
B) Temperature
C) Retrograde motion
D) Protosuns

Question 47

The smallest major planet in the solar system lacks

A) a surface.
B) a solid surface.
C) a moon.
D) a gravitational field.

Question 48

Planets in a planetary system other than the solar system

A) have never been detected.
B) have been detected.
C) are an impossibility.
D) are universally present.

Question 49

The largest planet in the solar system is

A) Jupiter.
B) Neptune.
C) Uranus.
D) Saturn.
E) Mars.

Question 50

The Venus lacks

A) an atmosphere.
B) a solid surface.
C) a moon.
D) a gravitational field.

Question 51

Which of the following is the largest dwarf planet?

A) Ceres
B) Mercury
C) Pluto
D) Eris

Question 52

The dominant mass of the solar system is the ______________.

Question 53

The planet with the most prominent rings is

A) Jupiter.
B) Saturn.
C) Uranus.
D) Neptune.

Question 54

At present, the formation of the solar system is believed by most astronomers to have begun with a large, swirling volume of cold gas and dust called the ______________ nebula.

A) condensation
B) primordial
C) accretion
D) celestial

Question 55

Which of the following is a technique used by astronomers in their search for other planetary systems?

A) Observation of the star's rotation only
B) Observation of the Doppler shifts in the star's spectrum only
C) Both (A) and (B)
D) The search for alien signals

Question 56

Other planetary systems are best detected by the Doppler shifts that change the pattern of the star's

A) spectrum.
B) brightness.
C) rotational period.
D) twinkling.

Question 57

The planet with the Great Dark Spot is

A) Jupiter.
B) Saturn.
C) Uranus.
D) Neptune.

Question 58

The flattened, rotating disk of gas and dust around the protosun, from which planets were believed to have formed, is called the

A) solar nebula.
B) planetary nebula.
C) condensation nebula.
D) primordial nebula.

Question 59

The planet with Red Spot Junior is

A) Jupiter.
B) Neptune.
C) Uranus.
D) Saturn.
E) Mars.

Question 60

Which of the following is the smallest dwarf planet?

A) Ceres
B) Mercury
C) Pluto
D) Eris

Question 61

The apparent displacement in the direction of light coming from a star because of Earth's orbital motion is called the ______________.

Question 62

Kepler's first law states that Earth's orbit around the Sun takes the shape of a(n) ______________.

Question 63

The fourth planet from the Sun is ______________.

Question 64

The surface of the terrestrial planet ______________ cannot be seen from Earth.

Question 65

Earth's albedo is ______________.

Question 66

In 1851, Earth's rotation was demonstrated using a(n) ______________.

Question 67

The solar system model of Copernicus is known as the ______________ model.

Question 68

The point of a planet's orbit farthest from the Sun is called the ______________.

Question 69

The Moon's albedo is ______________.

Question 70

The distance between Earth and the Sun is 93,000, 000 miles, or one ______________.

Question 71

Kepler's first law of planetary motion is known as the law of ______________ paths.

Question 72

The planet that most resembles Earth is ______________.

Question 73

Kepler's second law of planetary motion gives a relationship concerning equal ______________ in equal periods of time.

Question 74

Proof that Earth revolves around the Sun is obtained by the use of ______________ and the ______________.

Question 75

"Canals" are a feature once associated with the planet ______________.

Question 76

The Earth-centered model of the solar system is called the ______________ model.

Question 77

The fraction of incident sunlight reflected by a celestial body is called its ______________.

Question 78

______________ is the apparent motion that occurs between two fixed objects when the observer changes position.

Question 79

When a planet has the same meridian as a star, the planet is said to be in ______________.

Question 80

T² = kR³ is known as ______________.