Question 1

What observation made of other stars seems to suggest the solar nebula hypothesis is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)  Stars are found to exist more often in binaries than by themselves. 
B)  Protostars are seen to radiate much of their light at infrared wavelengths. 
C)  Nearby stars tend to be low mass red dwarfs. 
D)  Young stars are found to have hot disks that surround them. 
A)  Stars are found to exist more often in binaries than by themselves. 
B)  Protostars are seen to radiate much of their light at infrared wavelengths. 
C)  Nearby stars tend to be low mass red dwarfs. 
D)  Young stars are found to have hot disks that surround them.

Question 2

In observations,____ has a heavy element core,and a deep atmosphere made mostly of hydrogen.

Accepted Answer

A)  Uranus 
B)  Mars 
C)  Venus 
D)  an asteroid 
E)  a meteor 
A)  Uranus 
B)  Mars 
C)  Venus 
D)  an asteroid 
E)  a meteor

Question 3

A planet found orbiting a star other than the sun is called a(n)____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A planet found orbiting a star other...

Question 4

If the terrestrial planets formed by homogeneous accretion,then

Accepted Answer

A)  they formed an iron core first and a silicate crust later. 
B)  the solar nebula changed during their fragmentation. 
C)  Earth's original atmosphere was rich in hydrogen. 
D)  the terrestrial planets should now have the same composition as the Jovian planets. 
E)  the terrestrials should have had several satellites each. 
A)  they formed an iron core first and a silicate crust later. 
B)  the solar nebula changed during their fragmentation. 
C)  Earth's original atmosphere was rich in hydrogen. 
D)  the terrestrial planets should now have the same composition as the Jovian planets. 
E)  the terrestrials should have had several satellites each.

Question 5

The original cloud from which the sun and planets formed had a composition rich in hydrogen and helium.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the terrestrial planets?

Accepted Answer

A)  low average density 
B)  orbits inside the asteroids 
C)  craters in old surfaces 
D)  small diameters 
E)  very few satellites 
A)  low average density 
B)  orbits inside the asteroids 
C)  craters in old surfaces 
D)  small diameters 
E)  very few satellites

Question 7

The pressure of sunlight was one of the forces that cleared the solar nebula.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Protoplanets of the Jovian planets could have grown very hot from

Accepted Answer

A)  heat from the sun. 
B)  radioactivity of light elements such as hydrogen and helium. 
C)  the infall of material at high velocity. 
D)  tidal forces due to the sun. 
E)  collisions with large planetesimals. 
A)  heat from the sun. 
B)  radioactivity of light elements such as hydrogen and helium. 
C)  the infall of material at high velocity. 
D)  tidal forces due to the sun. 
E)  collisions with large planetesimals.

Question 9

Outgassing refers to the formation of an atmosphere by the attraction of gases from the surrounding nebula.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The planets all lie in nearly the same plane resulting in a disk-like structure for the solar system.This disk-like structure is believed to exist because

Accepted Answer

A)  the original solar nebulae had a disk-like structure. 
B)  in a rotating disk the gas atoms will quickly fall to the central disk of the spherical cloud. 
C)  Jupiter's gravity was great enough to pull all of the other planets to the plane of its orbit. 
D)  planetesimals settled into the plane. 
E)  the sun's magnetic field slowed down the rotation of the solar nebula. 
A)  the original solar nebulae had a disk-like structure. 
B)  in a rotating disk the gas atoms will quickly fall to the central disk of the spherical cloud. 
C)  Jupiter's gravity was great enough to pull all of the other planets to the plane of its orbit. 
D)  planetesimals settled into the plane. 
E)  the sun's magnetic field slowed down the rotation of the solar nebula.

Question 11

The oldest rock crystals found on Earth are about ____ years old.

Accepted Answer

A)  10 billion 
B)  15.3 billion 
C)  4.4 billion 
D)  0.9 billion 
E)  66.2 million 
A)  10 billion 
B)  15.3 billion 
C)  4.4 billion 
D)  0.9 billion 
E)  66.2 million

Question 12

Hubble Space Telescope images of disk shaped clouds of gas and dust around newly formed stars in the Orion Nebula are shown.Different ones are edge-on or tilted toward face-on.Astronomers think___________ are probably forming in these disks.

Accepted Answer

A)  our solar system 
B)  other planets 
C)  galaxies 
D)  quasars 
A)  our solar system 
B)  other planets 
C)  galaxies 
D)  quasars

Question 13

By the "solar nebula" astronomers mean ...

Accepted Answer

A)  the nearest galaxy to our sun. 
B)  the nearest star to our sun. 
C)  the disk of dust and gas from which our sun and planets were formed. 
D)  the disk of dust and gas from which our whole galaxy was formed. 
E)  a cloud of particles mostly found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 
A)  the nearest galaxy to our sun. 
B)  the nearest star to our sun. 
C)  the disk of dust and gas from which our sun and planets were formed. 
D)  the disk of dust and gas from which our whole galaxy was formed. 
E)  a cloud of particles mostly found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Question 14

The condensation sequence cannot explain the composition of the terrestrial and Jovian planets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

The condensation sequence suggests that ____ should condense closest to the sun.

Accepted Answer

A)  Jovian planets 
B)  metals and metal oxides 
C)  silicates 
D)  ices of water,methane,and ammonia 
E)  low density materials 
A)  Jovian planets 
B)  metals and metal oxides 
C)  silicates 
D)  ices of water,methane,and ammonia 
E)  low density materials

Question 16

When particles in the solar nebula grew large enough,they stopped growing by accretion and began growing by condensation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Heterogeneous accretion means that all of the particles that formed a planet had the same composition.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The speed of the solar wind is approximately 400 km/s and the distance from the sun to Saturn is 9.5 AU (1 AU = 1.5*108 km).How long does it take a particle in the solar wind to reach Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A)  about 4.1 hours 
B)  about 4.1 days 
C)  about 41 days 
D)  about 4.1 years 
E)  about 41 years 
A)  about 4.1 hours 
B)  about 4.1 days 
C)  about 41 days 
D)  about 4.1 years 
E)  about 41 years

Question 19

Which of the following observations would support the solar nebula theory over the passing star hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  proving that most of the solar like stars near the sun also have planets orbiting them. 
B)  proving that none of the stars near the sun has planets orbiting them 
C)  finding a planet located beyond the orbit of Pluto 
D)  finding a meteorite whose age proved to be greater than 4.6 billion years 
E)  proving that Mercury has the same uncompressed density as Earth 
A)  proving that most of the solar like stars near the sun also have planets orbiting them. 
B)  proving that none of the stars near the sun has planets orbiting them 
C)  finding a planet located beyond the orbit of Pluto 
D)  finding a meteorite whose age proved to be greater than 4.6 billion years 
E)  proving that Mercury has the same uncompressed density as Earth

Question 20

Once a terrestrial planet had formed from a large number of planetesimals,heat from ____ could have melted it and allowed it to differentiate into a dense metallic core and a lower density crust.

Accepted Answer

A)  radioactive decay 
B)  the sun 
C)  volcanic eruptions 
D)  tidal forces 
E)  impacts of small meteorites 
A)  radioactive decay 
B)  the sun 
C)  volcanic eruptions 
D)  tidal forces 
E)  impacts of small meteorites

Exam 19: The Origin of the Solar System

What observation made of other stars seems to suggest the solar nebula hypothesis is correct?

In observations,____ has a heavy element core,and a deep atmosphere made mostly of hydrogen.

A planet found orbiting a star other than the sun is called a(n)____________________.

If the terrestrial planets formed by homogeneous accretion,then

The original cloud from which the sun and planets formed had a composition rich in hydrogen and helium.

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the terrestrial planets?

The pressure of sunlight was one of the forces that cleared the solar nebula.

Protoplanets of the Jovian planets could have grown very hot from

Outgassing refers to the formation of an atmosphere by the attraction of gases from the surrounding nebula.

The planets all lie in nearly the same plane resulting in a disk-like structure for the solar system.This disk-like structure is believed to exist because

The oldest rock crystals found on Earth are about ____ years old.

Hubble Space Telescope images of disk shaped clouds of gas and dust around newly formed stars in the Orion Nebula are shown.Different ones are edge-on or tilted toward face-on.Astronomers think___________ are probably forming in these disks.

By the "solar nebula" astronomers mean ...

The condensation sequence cannot explain the composition of the terrestrial and Jovian planets.

The condensation sequence suggests that ____ should condense closest to the sun.

When particles in the solar nebula grew large enough,they stopped growing by accretion and began growing by condensation.

Heterogeneous accretion means that all of the particles that formed a planet had the same composition.

The speed of the solar wind is approximately 400 km/s and the distance from the sun to Saturn is 9.5 AU (1 AU = 1.5*108 km).How long does it take a particle in the solar wind to reach Saturn?

Which of the following observations would support the solar nebula theory over the passing star hypothesis?

Once a terrestrial planet had formed from a large number of planetesimals,heat from ____ could have melted it and allowed it to differentiate into a dense metallic core and a lower density crust.

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

The speed of the solar wind is approximately 400 km/s and the distance from the sun to Saturn is 9.5 AU (1 AU = 1.5*10⁸ km).How long does it take a particle in the solar wind to reach Saturn?