Exam 10: Origin of the Solar System and Extrasolar Planets

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

Once a protoplanet reached a large mass, what is the next step for it to formally grow into a planet?

Planetesimals beyond the orbit of _____ failed to accumulate into a protoplanet because the gravitational field of _____ continuously disturbed their motion.

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

The majority of known extrasolar planets are either hot Jupiters or hot __________.

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

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

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

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

Astronomers consider the Solar System's Kuiper belt extending beyond the orbit of Neptune as an example of an old debris disk.

Asteroids are believed to be debris left over from the failure of a planet to form at a distance of about 3 AU from the Sun.

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

Which term is described as small, icy bodies that orbit the Sun just beyond Neptune?

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