Exam 6: Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Suppose you find a rock that contains some potassium-40 (half-life of 1.3 billion years). You measure the amount and determine that there are 5 grams of potassium-40 in the rock. By measuring the amount of its decay product (argon-40) present in the rock, you realize that there must have been 40 grams of potassium-40 when the rock solidified. How old is the rock?

Why is it so difficult to make a direct image of a planet around another star?

According to our present theory of solar system formation, which of the following best explains why the solar nebula ended up with a disk shape as it collapsed?

Where does nuclear fusion occur in the Sun?

Astronomers now classify Pluto as really just a large member of

Which planet has the highest average surface temperature, and why?

The depth of the dip in a star's brightness due to the transit of a planet depends most directly on

Describe the ways in which Pluto is different from the terrestrial and jovian planets in the solar system.

Which of the following is the origin of almost all the large moons around the jovian planets?

Where did the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium come from?

Which of the following is not an exception to the general patterns of motion in the solar system?

Where are most of the known asteroids found?

Which of the following lists the ingredients of the solar nebula from highest to lowest percentage of mass of the nebula?

How do scientists estimate how old the solar system is?

Imagine a planet like Earth orbiting the Sun, at an average distance of 1 AU but with a highly eccentric orbit. Which of the following statements about this orbit is NOT true?

About 2% of our solar nebula consisted of elements besides hydrogen and helium. However, the very first generation of star systems in the universe probably consisted only of hydrogen and helium. Which of the following statements is most likely to have been true about these first-generation star systems?

Suppose you find a rock that contains 10 micrograms of radioactive potassium-40, which has a half-life of 1.25 billion years. By measuring the amount of its decay product (argon-40) present in the rock, you conclude that there must have been 80 micrograms of potassium-40 when the rock solidified. How old is the rock?

Suppose you view the solar system from high above Earth's North Pole. Which of the following statements about planetary orbits will be true?

Compared to the distance between Earth and Mars, the distance between Jupiter and Saturn is ________.

In essence, the nebular theory holds that ________.