Example Chapter 6 Questions PDF

Preview

Summary

Professor Tumakov...

Description

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

The solar system contains eight major bodies called planets and thousands of smaller bodies True

False

Our solar system contains more than 100 Kuiper Belt objects larger than 300 km in diameter. True

False A planet's sidereal orbital period can be measured from repeated observations of its location in the sky (so long as Earth's own motion around the Sun is properly taken into account. True

False

Earth is nearly twice as large as Venus True

False

The masses of all the planets combined is about 1% of that of the Sun.

True

False

All the jovian planets are beyond the asteroid belt. True

False

Of all the terrestrial planets, Mercury's orbit is most eccentric and tilted most above the ecliptic. True

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

False

All terrestrial planets have moons. True

False

One characteristic of the Terrestrial planets is their extensive moon systems. True

False

All the terrestrial planets lie inside the asteroid belt. True

False

All of the jovian planets rotate more rapidly than any of the terrestrial planets. True

False

Due to their great masses, all four Jovian worlds are much denser than the earth. True

False

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

False

All jovians have at least eight moons and equatorial rings. True False

Comets are easier to identify than asteroids when they are close to the Sun.

True

False

Asteroids are the densest form of interplanetary debris. True

False

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

False Different temperatures within the solar nebula ultimately determined the compositions of the planets and their moons. True

False

All planets revolve around the Sun counterclockwise, and most also rotate on their axis counterclockwise. True

False The asteroids are very young and appear to made from the same material. True

False

While most large moons orbit counterclockwise above their planets' equators, the smaller moons often show eccentric or even retrograde orbits, suggesting capture. True

False

The Kuiper Belt is a collection of asteroid-sized icy bodies orbiting the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune. True

False

Interstellar dust grains start the process of condensation in the early solar nebula. True

False

The largest asteroid, and probably the only one to be a spherical Eros.

Ida.

Vesta. Ceres.

Gaspra.

The planet's orbital period is the time it takes it to rotate and have the same face toward us again. the time it takes to return to the same location in the sky, relative to the Sun.

the time it takes for a satellite to orbit it.

the time it takes for it to retrograde back to the same position as we pass it.

the time its magnetic field takes to spin once.

Masses of the planets are easiest to determine if: they are terrestrial and the extra size of the planet's disk can be measured.

they are jovian and their oblateness can be found.

they have natural satellites whose motions can be precisely measured.

they are dense and easily deflect the path of passing spacecraft.

they move rapidly and their periods are easily measured.

The average density of each planet in the solar system is determined by taking its mass and dividing that by its radius diameter

surface area

radius squared volume

In order to determine the mass of a planet by applying Newton's laws of motion and gravity, the planet must have rings.

moons.

a solid surface.

a known size and distance from Earth. planets further from the Sun than itself.

The plane in which almost all planets orbit the sun is called the: equator of the solar system.

ecliptic.

equant.

node.

galactic plane. How do the densities of the jovian and terrestrial planets compare?

Made from the same solar nebula, they are all similar.

More massive jovians all have high densities, compared to the tiny terrestrials.

All terrestrials are more dense than any of the jovians.

The closer a planet lies to the Sun, the less its density.

No real pattern here; densities vary greatly and are very individual to each world.

Which of the following are the Jovian planets? Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto

only Jupiter only Jupiter and Saturn

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune only

everything past Mars and the asteroid belt

In composition and mass and density, Jupiter is most like: a huge comet.

a gigantic asteroid. the Sun.

a huge Kuiper belt Object.

a large terrestrial planet. The jovian planets all lie less than 5 AU from the Sun.

all have rings around their equators.

all spin slower than the earth.

have satellite systems with less than 4 moons.

are all much more dense than any of the terrestrials planets.

The Kuiper Belt is found where in the solar system? beyond the orbit of Neptune

among the orbits of the terrestrial planets

between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter

between the orbits of Jupiter and Uranus

sixty degrees ahead or behind Jupiter

In composition and density, the asteroids most resemble: comets. the Sun.

jovian moons. pieces of terrestrial planets.

Kuiper Belt objects like Pluto.

The difference between a meteoroid and an asteroid is the object's size.

shape.

composition.

orbital period. location in the solar system.

Which of the following is not icy in composition? comet nuclei

Kuiper Belt Objects

the polar cap of Mars

asteroids most Jovian satellites

A meteorite is

a chunk of space debris that has struck the ground.

a streak of light in the atmosphere. an icy body with a long tail extending from it.

a chunk of space debris orbiting the Earth.

an irregularly shaped body, mostly found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.

The tail of a comet always points toward the Sun and disappears at perihelion.

toward Earth and never varies away from the Sun and disappears at perihelion.

away from the Sun and becomes longest and brightest at perihelion.

in the direction of the comet's motion.

As the solar nebula contracts due to gravitation, the cloud spins faster.

expands.

becomes more spherical in shape. changes direction of motion

begins to cool.

What is the process of accretion? the separation of materials in a protoplanet by density, with dense material in core

growth of an object by the accumulation of matter

the breakup of large objects by violent collisions with other similar-sized objects

the period of time during which the Sun swept away all the excess material in the solar nebula

the process by which the solar nebula became heated during its collapse

Conservation of angular momentum means that a spinning body tends to fly apart.

slow down.

wobble into an eccentric orbit.

gravitationally collapse.

keep spinning....