Astronomy Exam 3 MTSU

Replication of questions and answers from test

Why is Mars red?

A. Mars has iron-rich (rust) soil that makes it all red
B. Mars has polar ice caps that trap the red color
C. Mars has a red atmosphere
D. Mars is red because it is small in size

A. Mars has iron-rich (rust) soil that makes it red

Which planet is shown in Image 4, one with many horizontal atmosphere bands?

A. Saturn
B. Mars
C. Mercury
D. Jupiter

D. Jupiter

Why does Venus appear so bright to the naked eye?

A. Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth
B. Venus has thick clouds that reflect the sunlight
C Venus has a surface covered with bright white rocks
D. Venus rotates slowly

B. Venus has thick clouds that reflect the sunlight

Compared with Earth, Mars has a level of volcanic activity this is

A. Much more rapid
B. About the same
C. Virtually nonexistent

C Virtually nonexistent

What is an unusual characteristic of Venus?

A. it has the highest density (pressure)
B. It has the highest wind speeds
C. It is gaseous
D. It is virtually nonexistent

A. It has the highest density (pressure)

WHat two (2) reasons explain why Mercury undergoes extremes in temperature?

A. Small size; slow rotation period
B. Slow rotation period; changing distance from the sun
C. No atmosphere; slow rotation period
D. Lunar soil content; lunar atmosphere

C. No atmosphere; slow rotation period

Why is it hotter on Venus than on Mercury?

A. Mercury has no atmosphere
B. Venus rotates more slowly
C. Venus has a greenhouse effect
D. Venus is still gravitationally contracting

C. Venus has a greenhouse effect

Why is Saturn's moon Enceladus in Image 5 very unique?

A. It has volcanic geysers
B. It has liquid hydrocarbon lakes
C. It has an atmosphere
D. It has craters on it

A. It has volcanic geysers

Saturn's low overall density suggests that the planet

A. Has a dense metal core
B. Has a gaseous composition
C. Is younger than the earth
D. Has a weaker magnetic field than Jupiter

B. Has a gaseous composition

The solar nebula hypothesis explains why

A. All the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction
B. The orbits of all the planets lie roughly in the same plane
C. The Jovian planets are farther from the Sun than the terrestrial planets
D All of these

D. All of these

Why can't liquid water exist on the surface of Mars today? (Hint: remember the class demonstration)

A. The pressure is too low
B. The mass of Mars is too high
C. The temperature is too high
D. The pressure is too high

A. The pressure is too low

Moving outward which is the correct inner structure of the Earth?

A. Solid core, liquid mantle, solid crust
B. Solid inner core, liquid outer core, mantle, crust
C. Liquid inner core, solid outer core, liquid mantle, solid crust
D. Solid core, solid mantle, solid crust

B. Solid inner core, liquid outer core, mantle, crust

Choose the property that is typical of most outer planets but NOT inner planets:

A. Lower density
B. Warm atmospheres
C. Slower rotation
D. Rocky surface

A. Lower density

The most likely theory of the formation of the Moon is that it...

A. was formed by the gravitational capture of a large asteroid
B. formed simultaneously with Earth's formation
C. formed from a collision of Earth with a large-sized object (the size of Mars)
D. was created from an asteroid collision scooping out the Pacific Ocean

C. formed from a collision of Earth with a large-sized object (the size of Mars)

Sunlight absorbed by Earth's surface is reemitted in the form of ______ radiation.

A. visible
B. microwave
C. infrared (heat)
D. ultraviolet

C. infrared (heat)

Which Saturn moon in Image 1 is very interesting to NASA because it has a reasonably thick atmosphere and has hydrocarbon lakes on the surface?

A. Titan
B. Phobos
C. Miranda
D. Europa
E. Charon

A. Titan

The planet that has the fewest satellites is

A. Mercury
B. Jupiter
C. Saturn
D. Pluto

A. Mercury

Earth's atmosphere is dominated by which gas?

A. Nitrogen
B. Oxygen
C. Carbon DIoxide
D. Argon

A. Nitrogen

What is the special name given the moons seen in Image 2 because of effect on the rings?

A. Galilean moons
B. Saturnian moons
C. Tidal moons
D. Shepherd moons

D. Shepherd moons

Which object formed first on Mercury's surface in Image 3, the long scarp or the crater pictured?

A. Long scarp
B. Crater

B. Crater

Compared with the Earth, the planet Mars

A. has a larger orbit
B. rotates faster
C. rotates in the opposite direction
D. is larger in size

A. has a larger orbit

Radioactive dating techniques have revealed that our Earth and Moon are approximately how old?

A. About 20,000 years
B. About 4.5 billion years
C. About 65 million
D. About 10-15 billion years

B. About 4.5 billion years old

The highest tides (Spring tides) occur during what two phases of the Moon?

A. New and full
B. 1st and 3rd Quarter
C. Full and gibbous phases
D. New and 1st quarter

A. New and full

What is the main constituent of Saturn's atmosphere?

A. Ammonia
B. Carbon dioxide
C. Helium
D. Hydrogen

D. Hydrogen

Compared to the terrestrial planets the Jovian (giant) planets are:

A. Less massive, spin slower, and are farther from the Sun
B. More massive, have ring systems, and have very few moons
C. More massive, spin faster, and have very few moons
D. More massive, spin faster, and farther from the sun

D. More massive, spin faster, and farther from the sun

Image 6 shows the icy, rocky surface of this moon of Saturn

A. Io
B. Titan
C. Enceladus
D. Europa

B. Titan

Considering only the planets, what is the approximate diameter of the solar systemm?

A. 1 AU
B. 10 AU
C. 100 AU
D. 1000 AU

C. 100 AU

The average atmospheric temperature on Mars is

A. About the same as the Earth
B. Colder than Earth
C. Hotter than Earth

B. Colder than Earth

The planet that has the shortest year (orbit period) is

A. Mercury
B. Mars
C. Neptune
D. Jupiter

A. Mercury

If we were to construct an accurate scale model of the solar system on a football field with the Sun at one end and Pluto (40 AU) at the other, the plane closest to the center of the field would be

A. Earth
B. Mars
C. Jupiter
D. Uranus

D. Uranus

The smallest planets also have the lowest densities.

A. True
B. False

B. False

Mars has active lava-flowing volcanoes on its surface.

A. True
B. False

B. False

The composition of Saturn's ring particles is predominantly icy-rock material.

A. True
B. False

A. True

The solid surface of Saturn lies just below the cloud layers that are visible from the Earth.

A. True
B. False

B. False

Scientists speculate that Mars' moon Phobos may have liquid water below its frozen surface.

A. True
B. False

B. False

Evidence suggests that MArs had a much denser atmosphere in its history.

A. True
B. False

A. True

Volcanic activity continues today on the surface of the Moon.

A. True
B. False

B. False

The lunar mare (lowlands) are younger than any craters that sit in them.

A. True
B. False

B. False

Saturn's moons are mostly metals in composition.

A. True
B. False

B. False

Mercury is heavily cratered, but also has a large dark maria like the Moon.

A. True
B. False

B. False

Which terrestrial planet in Image 7 has a thick atmosphere with upper-level winds?

A. Mars
B. Jupiter
C. Venus
D. Earth

C. Venus

Earth is unique among the planets in that it has

A. Polar Ice Caps
B. Water
C. Craters
D. Rocky Crust

B. Water

Which giant planet has the largest ring system?

A. Jupiter
B. Saturn
C. Uranus
D. Neptune

B. Saturn

The interior of Mercury is composed mostly of

A. Iron
B. Methane
C. Water
D. Sulfurs
E. Ice

A. Iron

Comparing Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Earth, which of these has active plate tectonics?

A. Earth only
B. Mercury and Earth
C. Mars and Venus
D. Earth and Venus

A. Earth only

The average rate of erosion on the Moon is far less than here, because

A. The crust of the Moon is much denser than Earth's crust
B. The moon is younger than Earth
C. The Moon lacks wind and water and an atmosphere
D. The Moon's magnetic field protects it from the solar wind better than ours does

C. The Moon lacks wind and water and an atmosphere

Which planet shows the largest variation of surface temperatures between day and night?

A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Saturn

A. Mercury

Image 8 shows which Jupiter satellite known to be extremely volcanic

A. Ganymede
B. Titan
C. Dione
D. Io
E. Europa

D. Io

The main constituent of the Martian atmosphere is

A. Ammonia
B. Carbon dioxide
C. Hydrogen
D. Nitrogen

B. Carbon dioxide

Image 9 shows the greenhouse effect of three terrestrial planets. Which picture best represents Venus?

A. Image A
B. Image B
C. Image C

B. Image B