Question 1

A solar system with a planet's orbit edge-on to the earth may show ____________________ of the light of the star at certain points in the planet's orbit.

Accepted Answer

eclipses

Question 2

If a star is found with five planets orbiting it,which of the planets would be expected to have the greatest uncompressed density if the system was formed by a process like that described in the solar nebula theory?

Accepted Answer

A)  the one farthest from the star 
B)  the one with the greatest mass 
C)  the one with the greatest radius 
D)  the one closest to the star 
E)  the one that has liquid water on its surface 
A)  the one farthest from the star 
B)  the one with the greatest mass 
C)  the one with the greatest radius 
D)  the one closest to the star 
E)  the one that has liquid water on its surface D

Question 3

One main objection to "passing star" tidal encounter theories of the origin of the solar system is ...

Accepted Answer

A)  such close encounters of stars should be very rare. 
B)  such close encounters of stars should be very frequent. 
C)  there would be no gravitational force between the sun and another star. 
D)  the sun is not moving through space. 
A)  such close encounters of stars should be very rare. 
B)  such close encounters of stars should be very frequent. 
C)  there would be no gravitational force between the sun and another star. 
D)  the sun is not moving through space. A

Question 4

The oldest objects found so far in our solar system are earth rocks that are 3.9 billion years old.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

A planet is much brighter than the star it orbits.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Which one of the following present-day objects is most like the planetesimals that formed in the solar nebula?

Accepted Answer

A)  asteroids 
B)  Earth 
C)  Saturn 
D)  Venus 
E)  the sun 
A)  asteroids 
B)  Earth 
C)  Saturn 
D)  Venus 
E)  the sun

Question 7

Part pf the current atmosphere of Earth is believed to be

Accepted Answer

A)  the remnants of the original gas from the solar nebula attracted by the protoplanet. 
B)  the result of the melting and vaporizing of the glaciers during the last ice age. 
C)  composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. 
D)  composed of gases that were baked from the rocks sometime after the planet formed. 
E)  the result of a collision between the sun and another star. 
A)  the remnants of the original gas from the solar nebula attracted by the protoplanet. 
B)  the result of the melting and vaporizing of the glaciers during the last ice age. 
C)  composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. 
D)  composed of gases that were baked from the rocks sometime after the planet formed. 
E)  the result of a collision between the sun and another star.

Question 8

The passing star mechanism of the origin of the solar system was proposed by

Accepted Answer

A)  Descartes. 
B)  Laplace. 
C)  Buffon. 
D)  none of the above 
A)  Descartes. 
B)  Laplace. 
C)  Buffon. 
D)  none of the above

Question 9

An important mechanism in clearing the solar nebula of gas and dust was

Accepted Answer

A)  impacts by planetesimals. 
B)  Earth's Moon 
C)  the planets. 
D)  the asteroid belt. 
E)  radiation pressure from the young Sun. 
A)  impacts by planetesimals. 
B)  Earth's Moon 
C)  the planets. 
D)  the asteroid belt. 
E)  radiation pressure from the young Sun.

Question 10

One common technique used to discover the presence of an extrasolar planet around a star is to detect how they tug their stars about,creating small Doppler shifts in the stars' spectra.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Why do astronomers believe that the angular momentum problem is no longer an objection to the solar nebula problem?

Accepted Answer

A)  The current theory assumes that the solar nebula originally rotated slower than previously thought. 
B)  Most of the angular momentum has been found to be contained in the planet's orbits. 
C)  The sun's magnetic field interacted with gas leaving the nebula and slowed the sun's rotation. 
D)  The solar nebula theory has been proven false,so the angular momentum problem doesn't apply. 
E)  The extra angular momentum is accounted for by the orbits of the comets. 
A)  The current theory assumes that the solar nebula originally rotated slower than previously thought. 
B)  Most of the angular momentum has been found to be contained in the planet's orbits. 
C)  The sun's magnetic field interacted with gas leaving the nebula and slowed the sun's rotation. 
D)  The solar nebula theory has been proven false,so the angular momentum problem doesn't apply. 
E)  The extra angular momentum is accounted for by the orbits of the comets.

Question 12

If the catastrophic theory of the formation of the solar system is correct then we should expect

Accepted Answer

A)  to find many planetary systems like our own. 
B)  to find a very few number of planetary systems like our own. 
C)  to find no other planetary system anywhere in the universe. 
D)  Misleading; the catastrophic theory is not a theory of planetary formation. 
A)  to find many planetary systems like our own. 
B)  to find a very few number of planetary systems like our own. 
C)  to find no other planetary system anywhere in the universe. 
D)  Misleading; the catastrophic theory is not a theory of planetary formation.

Question 13

The nebular theory of the origin of the solar system was proposed by

Accepted Answer

A)  Laplace. 
B)  Buffon. 
C)  neither of these 
A)  Laplace. 
B)  Buffon. 
C)  neither of these

Question 14

Condensation in the solar nebula probably led to the formation of

Accepted Answer

A)  icy grains beyond the present orbit of Jupiter. 
B)  metallic grains near the present orbit of Mercury. 
C)  silicate grains near the present orbit of Earth. 
D)  all of the above 
E)  none of the above 
A)  icy grains beyond the present orbit of Jupiter. 
B)  metallic grains near the present orbit of Mercury. 
C)  silicate grains near the present orbit of Earth. 
D)  all of the above 
E)  none of the above

Question 15

Most planets thus far discovered around other stars were found by

Accepted Answer

A)  seeing the planet next to the star. 
B)  traveling to the star. 
C)  varying Doppler shifts of the stars. 
D)  The planet blotting out the light of the star. 
A)  seeing the planet next to the star. 
B)  traveling to the star. 
C)  varying Doppler shifts of the stars. 
D)  The planet blotting out the light of the star.

Question 16

A planet is much more massive than the star it orbits.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

The passing star hypothesis has been used successful to explain the origin of roughly half the extrasolar planets discovered thus far.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The dirty snowball model is used as a model for the physical structure of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The dirty snowball model is used as...

Question 19

Massive planets create ____________________ doppler shifts of their stars than lower mass planets.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Massive planets create ____________________ doppler shifts of...

Question 20

The Jovian planets have lower average densities than the terrestrial planets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 19: The Origin of the Solar System

A solar system with a planet's orbit edge-on to the earth may show ____________________ of the light of the star at certain points in the planet's orbit.

If a star is found with five planets orbiting it,which of the planets would be expected to have the greatest uncompressed density if the system was formed by a process like that described in the solar nebula theory?

One main objection to "passing star" tidal encounter theories of the origin of the solar system is ...

The oldest objects found so far in our solar system are earth rocks that are 3.9 billion years old.

A planet is much brighter than the star it orbits.

Which one of the following present-day objects is most like the planetesimals that formed in the solar nebula?

Part pf the current atmosphere of Earth is believed to be

The passing star mechanism of the origin of the solar system was proposed by

An important mechanism in clearing the solar nebula of gas and dust was

One common technique used to discover the presence of an extrasolar planet around a star is to detect how they tug their stars about,creating small Doppler shifts in the stars' spectra.

Why do astronomers believe that the angular momentum problem is no longer an objection to the solar nebula problem?

If the catastrophic theory of the formation of the solar system is correct then we should expect

The nebular theory of the origin of the solar system was proposed by

Condensation in the solar nebula probably led to the formation of

Most planets thus far discovered around other stars were found by

A planet is much more massive than the star it orbits.

The passing star hypothesis has been used successful to explain the origin of roughly half the extrasolar planets discovered thus far.

The dirty snowball model is used as a model for the physical structure of ____________________.

Massive planets create ____________________ doppler shifts of their stars than lower mass planets.

The Jovian planets have lower average densities than the terrestrial planets.

Here and Now

A Users Guide to the Sky

Cycles of the Moon

The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Gravity

Light and Telescopes

Atoms and Spectra

The Sun

The Family of Stars

The Interstellar Medium

The Formation and Structure of Stars

Stellar Evolution

The Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Active Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes

Modern Cosmology

Earth: the Standard of Comparative Planetology

The Moon and Mercury: Comparing Airless Worlds

Venus and Mars

Jupiter and Saturn

Uranus,neptune,and the Kuiper Belt

Meteorites,asteroids,and Comets

Astrobiology: Life on Other Worlds

Filters