Exam 19: Origin of the Solar System and Extrasolar Planets

The inner planets are composed of rock and metal, and the outer planets are rich in low-density gases such as hydrogen and helium.

A collection of small, icy bodies are found in the _______________ orbiting in the outer fringes of our Solar System

The outer planets are composed of ____.

Comets are composed of ____.

According to the solar nebula theory, Earth and the other planets of the Solar System formed billions of years ago as the Sun _______________ from a cloud of interstellar gas and dust.

A large _______________ makes it easier for a planet to hold onto orbiting ring particles.

Jupiter and Saturn are so massive they were able to grow by drawing in cool gas by _______________ from the solar nebula.

The Jovian planets formed beyond the _______________, where water vapor, methane, and ammonia could freeze to form ice particles.

As a radioactive substance gradually decays, the abundance of daughter ____ gradually increases.

In the inner solar nebula, only metals and silicates could form solids, so the _______________ planets grew slowly.

All the planets in the Solar System revolve in a clockwise motion.

Explain the Jovian problem and some possible answers to why there are so many Jovian planets found around stars.

Which element represented most of the atoms in the early Universe?

Who was the first to propose solar system formation with gravity as a key component of the hypothesis?

Explain the four internal processes that gradually destroy a solar nebula.

Asteroids are the last of the icy planetesimals from the formation of the Solar System.

All the planets revolve around the Sun in a(n) _______________ direction.

Which best describes the appearance of an asteroid?

The Kepler space telescope is searching for extrasolar planets by the transit method.

Which method does the Kepler space telescope use to detect extrasolar planets?