Question 1

What was the key physical property in determining the two categories of planets during solar system formation?

Accepted Answer

A)  pressure 
B)  gravity 
C)  density 
D)  momentum 
E)  temperature 
A)  pressure 
B)  gravity 
C)  density 
D)  momentum 
E)  temperature

Question 2

What do scientists believe created the asteroid belt during Solar System formation?

Accepted Answer

A glance at the Solar System suggests th

Question 3

The radioactive age of a rock is actually the length of time since the material in that rock was last ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  formed 
B)  erupted 
C)  concentrated 
D)  melted 
E)  condensed 
A)  formed 
B)  erupted 
C)  concentrated 
D)  melted 
E)  condensed

Question 4

Georges-Louis de Buffon was the first to propose that the Sun and planets formed when a large vortex contracted and condensed.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Explain why the passing star hypothesis was problematic.

Accepted Answer

First, stars are very far apart in relat

Question 6

Which statement best describes an extrasolar planet?

Accepted Answer

A)  A planet that orbits closely to the Sun in our Solar System. 
B)  A new planet not previously accounted for within our Solar System. 
C)  A planet smaller and icier than the other planets in our Solar System. 
D)  A planet discovered orbiting another star outside of our Solar System. 
E)  A planetary body that orbits just beyond Neptune. 
A)  A planet that orbits closely to the Sun in our Solar System. 
B)  A new planet not previously accounted for within our Solar System. 
C)  A planet smaller and icier than the other planets in our Solar System. 
D)  A planet discovered orbiting another star outside of our Solar System. 
E)  A planetary body that orbits just beyond Neptune.

Question 7

Almost every solid surface in the Solar System is covered with _______________, most of which formed during a period of heavy bombardment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Almost every solid surface in the Solar...

Question 8

Water vapor, methane, and ammonia were abundant in the solar nebula.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Which best describes the transit method?

Accepted Answer

A)  observing changes in the brightness of the star when the orbiting planet crosses in front of the star 
B)  observing the magnification of a distant star's brightness by gravitational lensing when an extrasolar planet passes precisely between Earth and a background star 
C)  observing the back-and-forth motion that can be measured from Doppler shifts in a star's spectrum 
D)  observing the intensity of brightness from a newborn distant star 
E)  observing the magnification of a distant planet when it passes closely to our Solar System 
A)  observing changes in the brightness of the star when the orbiting planet crosses in front of the star 
B)  observing the magnification of a distant star's brightness by gravitational lensing when an extrasolar planet passes precisely between Earth and a background star 
C)  observing the back-and-forth motion that can be measured from Doppler shifts in a star's spectrum 
D)  observing the intensity of brightness from a newborn distant star 
E)  observing the magnification of a distant planet when it passes closely to our Solar System

Question 10

The dense disks of gas and dust such as those seen around the stars in Orion are sites where planets could be forming right now.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Outline the three steps to the solar nebular theory.

Accepted Answer

The solar nebula theory implies that the

Question 12

The process of _______________ depends partly on the presence of short-lived radioactive elements whose rapid decay would have released enough heat to melt the interior of planets.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The process of _______________ depends partly on...

Question 13

Laplace's nebular hypothesis was problematic in that he could not explain ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the different types of planets 
B)  the rotational direction of the planets 
C)  how the Sun had 
D)  how one star could come within a close encounter of another star 
E)  how gravity was the dominant force of planet formation 
A)  the different types of planets 
B)  the rotational direction of the planets 
C)  how the Sun had 
D)  how one star could come within a close encounter of another star 
E)  how gravity was the dominant force of planet formation

Question 14

The inner planets are composed of ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  rock and ice 
B)  ice and gas 
C)  rock and gas 
D)  metal and ice 
E)  rock and metal 
A)  rock and ice 
B)  ice and gas 
C)  rock and gas 
D)  metal and ice 
E)  rock and metal

Question 15

Which physical property in Laplace's nebular hypothesis could not explain the Sun's slow rotation?

Accepted Answer

A)  angular momentum 
B)  angular diameter 
C)  gravitational pull 
D)  radiation pressure 
E)  electromagnetic energy 
A)  angular momentum 
B)  angular diameter 
C)  gravitational pull 
D)  radiation pressure 
E)  electromagnetic energy

Question 16

From meteorite and lunar rock samples, astronomers have determined the age of the Solar System to be ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  4.6 million years 
B)  10 million years 
C)  2.4 billion years 
D)  4.6 billion years 
E)  8.4 billion years 
A)  4.6 million years 
B)  10 million years 
C)  2.4 billion years 
D)  4.6 billion years 
E)  8.4 billion years

Question 17

Which theory best describes today's current thinking about the birth of a solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)  Big Bang theory 
B)  Solar Nebular theory 
C)  Condensation theory 
D)  Theory of Relativity 
E)  Passing star theory 
A)  Big Bang theory 
B)  Solar Nebular theory 
C)  Condensation theory 
D)  Theory of Relativity 
E)  Passing star theory

Question 18

The Kepler mission has found a lot more of ______________ than Earth-like extrasolar planets.

Accepted Answer

hot Jupiters,Jovian

Question 19

Numerous meteorites found on Earth originated from which planet?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

What combination of forces releases the gas and dust of a comet when it approaches the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  radiation pressure and electromagnetic energy 
B)  electromagnetic energy and solar wind 
C)  solar flares and nuclear fission 
D)  gravitational energy and solar wind 
E)  solar wind and radiation pressure 
A)  radiation pressure and electromagnetic energy 
B)  electromagnetic energy and solar wind 
C)  solar flares and nuclear fission 
D)  gravitational energy and solar wind 
E)  solar wind and radiation pressure

Exam 19: Origin of the Solar System and Extrasolar Planets

What was the key physical property in determining the two categories of planets during solar system formation?

What do scientists believe created the asteroid belt during Solar System formation?

The radioactive age of a rock is actually the length of time since the material in that rock was last ____.

Georges-Louis de Buffon was the first to propose that the Sun and planets formed when a large vortex contracted and condensed.

Explain why the passing star hypothesis was problematic.

Which statement best describes an extrasolar planet?

Almost every solid surface in the Solar System is covered with _______________, most of which formed during a period of heavy bombardment.

Water vapor, methane, and ammonia were abundant in the solar nebula.

Which best describes the transit method?

The dense disks of gas and dust such as those seen around the stars in Orion are sites where planets could be forming right now.

Outline the three steps to the solar nebular theory.

The process of _______________ depends partly on the presence of short-lived radioactive elements whose rapid decay would have released enough heat to melt the interior of planets.

Laplace's nebular hypothesis was problematic in that he could not explain ____.

The inner planets are composed of ____.

Which physical property in Laplace's nebular hypothesis could not explain the Sun's slow rotation?

From meteorite and lunar rock samples, astronomers have determined the age of the Solar System to be ____.

Which theory best describes today's current thinking about the birth of a solar system?

The Kepler mission has found a lot more of ______________ than Earth-like extrasolar planets.

Numerous meteorites found on Earth originated from which planet?

What combination of forces releases the gas and dust of a comet when it approaches the Sun?

Here and Now

A Users Guide to the Sky

Moon Phases and Eclipses

Origins of Modern Astronomy

Gravity

Light and Telescopes

Atoms and Spectra

The Sun

The Family of Stars

The Interstellar Medium

Formation and Structure of Stars

Stellar Evolution

Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Supermassive Black Holes and Active Galaxies

Modern Cosmology

Earth the Active Planet

The Moon and Mercury

Venus and Mars

Jupiter and Saturn

Uranus Neptune Pluto and the Kuiper Belt

Meteorites Asteroids and Comets

Astrobiology

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