Final Exam 🔥

When it comes to our place in the solar system today, which model do we accept?

a) heliocentric

b) geocentric

c) Aristotelean

d) self-centered

e) Ptolemaic

a) heliocentric

When a planet temporarily moves westward in the sky over the course of several weeks or months (instead of eastward, as it typically does), we call it:

a) circumpolar motion

b) westeros

c) precession

d) retrograde motion

e) ecliptic motion

d) retrograde motion

How did Eratosthenes measure the size of the Earth?

a) by asking Aristotle who knew everything

b) by determining the parallax of the Moon and finding the size of its orbit

c) by measuring the height of the Sun in the sky on the same day in two cities at different latitudes

d) by walking about one-quarter of the way around its circumference

e) by measuring the times of sunrise in each of the four seasons

c) by measuring the height of the Sun in the sky on the same day in two cities at different latitudes

Where on Earth do stars always circle the zenith (and never rise and set)?

a) nowhere

b) everywhere

c) at the north pole

d) at the latitude of Washington D.C.

e) at the equator

c) at the north pole

According to the geocentric view, everything in the heavens had to go around the Earth, which was the center of the universe. What objects did Galileo discover with his telescope that clearly didn't go around the Earth?

a) a ring around the Sun

b) Pluto

c) the Earth's Moon

d) moons around the planet Jupiter

e) stars in the Milky Way that just kept going in a straight line

d) moons around the planet Jupiter

The celestial sphere turns once around each day because

a) the planet on which we live is rotating

b) everything in the universe turns around the Earth

c) the phases of the Moon

d) the Earth is going around the Sun

e) precession

a) the planet on which we live is rotating

In Ptolemy's system the planets orbit the Earth and not the Sun. How did the system explain the retrograde motion of planets like Mars?

a) Ptolemy's system did not include ANY explanation of retrograde motion

b) the planets moved on a small circle whose center, in turn, circled a point near the Earth

c) the planets moved in very elongated ellipses, and their speed in orbit changed radically over the course of a year

d) the Sun moved among the planets, and pulled them out of their circular orbits

e) the planets were not moving along the ecliptic but all over the celestial sphere

b) the planets moved on a small circle whose center, in turn, circled a point near the Earth

In what fundamental way did the work of Galileo differ from his predecessors who had thought about the sky?

a) Galileo relied on the revelations of religious texts to tell him what was happening in the sky

b) Galileo used instruments and experiments to show him what nature was doing, instead of relying on pure logic

c) Galileo believed that the Earth was the center of the solar system, and everything revolved around it

d) Galileo consulted many authorities before coming to scientific conclusions, instead of working on his own

e) Galileo translated the works of the ancient Greek astronomers, and relied on their wonderful abilities to think through difficult problems

b) Galileo used instruments and experiments to show him what nature was doing, instead of relying on pure logic

From a city in the U.S., where in the sky would you look to see a star that is not turning with the motion of the sky in the course of a night?

a) on your horizon

b) on the celestial equator

c) you can't fool me, all stars appear to turn around the sky from locations in the U.S.

d) at your zenith

e) at the north celestial pole

e) at the north celestial pole

Let's say we find a star that is located on the points or circles in the sky listed in the answer choices below. Then, on the same night, we move to a location on Earth that is some significant distance from our first location. There will now be a different star at or on:

a) the celestial equator

b) all of these

c) the celestial north pole

d) the zenith

e) the celestial south pole

d) the zenith

According to Kepler's third law, there is a relationship between the time a planet takes to revolve around the Sun and its

a) eccentricity

b) size

c) period of rotation

d) astrological sign

e) distance from the Sun

e) distance from the Sun

The orbit of a stable planet around a star like the Sun is always in the shape of:

a) a parabola

b) none of these

c) an ellipse

d) a circle

e) a hyperbola

c) an ellipse

The planet in our solar system with the shortest period of revolution is:

a) Pluto

b) all the planets have the same period of revolution

c) Jupiter

d) Mercury

e) Venus

d) Mercury

Newton showed that to change the direction in which an object is moving, one needs to apply:

a) parallax

b) inertia

c) an orbit

d) pedigree

e) a force

e) a force

The asteroid belt is

a) a region of icy chunks of material beyond the orbit of Pluto

b) a region around the Earth from which meteors (shooting stars) are observed to drop

c) a zone where rocky chunks orbit between Mars and Jupiter

d) a series of orbital zones around the Moon, from which fragments drop down to form craters

c) a zone where rocky chunks orbit between Mars and Jupiter

Why do astronauts float around in the Shuttle instead of falling?

a) the Shuttle is so far from the Earth, gravity is negligible

b) the Shuttle's gravity balances the Earth's, so that the net gravity is zero

c) the Shuttle has an antigravity device on board, developed by NASA

d) the rules Newton developed for gravity only hold on Earth, not once you get into space

e) the Shuttle is falling around the Earth (and everything aboard is in free fall)

e) the Shuttle is falling around the Earth (and everything aboard is in free fall)

When a planet, in its orbit, is closer to the Sun, it:

a) moves slower than average

b) spins faster on its axis

c) moves faster than average

d) reflects less sunlight than average

e) feels less gravitational pull than average

c) moves faster than average

When a comet comes closest to the Sun in its orbit, we say that it is at:

a) the tail end of its journey

b) apogee

c) perihelion

d) circular satellite velocity

e) the minimum angular momentum point

c) perihelion

According to Kepler's 2nd Law, comets (which have eccentric orbits) should spend a lot more of their time:

a) increasing the rate at which they spin

b) close to the Sun

c) losing angular momentum

d) close to the planets

e) far from the Sun

e) far from the Sun

The idea that objects (in the absence of an outside force) tend to continue doing what they are already doing is called the law of

a) parallax

b) eccentricity

c) inertia

d) action-reaction

e) angular momentum

c) inertia

If you could see the new moon, at what time of day (roughly) would it rise?

a) at sunrise

b) at about noon

c) at sunset

d) a new moon can rise at any time of day, depending on what part of the year we are in

e) at midnight

a) at sunrise

The latitude of the Earth's equator is

a) 180 degrees

b) 90 degrees

c) undefined (by international agreement)

d) 12 hours

e) 0 degrees

e) 0 degrees

A very rich, very shady international banker (with residences all over the globe, including Newark, New Jersey) mysteriously disappears. Someone later mails a wide-angle photo of his body to a London newspaper, taken on June 22, showing the Sun exactly overhead at noon. What can the police deduce from this photograph about where on Earth the body is located?

a) at the North Pole

b) on the Tropic of Cancer (230N)

c) at the South pole

d) at the equator

e) on the Antarctic circle (670S)

b) on the Tropic of Cancer (230N)

From a particular location on Earth, why can we see many more total eclipses of the Moon than total eclipses of the Sun?

a) a total lunar eclipse is visible over a much larger part of the Earth's surface than a total solar eclipse

b) the Moon is always in the same place in our sky, while the Sun moves around the sky

c) the Moon is much bigger in the sky than the Sun

d) the line-up of the Earth, Moon, and Sun needed for a lunar eclipse happens many, many times more often than the line-up needed for a solar eclipse

e) you can't fool me, we always see exactly the same number of total lunar and total solar eclipses from any one location on Earth

a) a total lunar eclipse is visible over a much larger part of the Earth's surface than a total solar eclipse

A "New Age" bride and groom, who are enchanted by the Sun, want to get married on the day when it gets to be highest in the sky. If they live in the United States, around what day of the year will the wedding take place?

a) summer solstice

b) Sun's maximum height in the sky is roughly the same throughout the year

c) winter solstice

d) spring equinox

e) autumnal equinox

a) summer solstice

The "prime meridian" (where longitude equals zero) passes through:

a) Paris

b) New York

c) Greenwich, England

d) the Pacific Ocean, away from all land

e) Beijing

c) Greenwich, England

What phase of the Moon must it be to have a lunar eclipse?

a) third quarter

b) full moon

c) first quarter

d) it can be any phase as long as the orbits are lined up

e) new moon

b) full moon

Why is there a 4-minute difference between the solar day and the sidereal day?

a) because the Earth is going around the Sun in the course of a year

b) no one knows the reason; we just have to accept the difference as an unsolved mystery

c) because the Earth's axis is tilted by about 23 degrees

d) because the Earth's rotation is variable, due to the pull of the Moon

e) because the stars slowly change their orientations in the Galaxy

a) because the Earth is going around the Sun in the course of a year

What would you have to change about the Earth to stop our planet from having significantly different seasons?

a) the orbit of the Moon around it

b) its diameter

c) the amount of water on its surface

d) the tilt of its axis

e) its distance from the Sun

d) the tilt of its axis

Why does the Moon show phases in the course of a month?

a) clouds get in the way of the Moon's light and cover up parts of it

b) the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon to different degrees as the Moon goes around

c) the angle the Moon makes with the Sun changes and we see differing amounts of reflected sunlight

d) more or less light from the Earth is reflected as the Moon turns around it

e) the Moon glows from the inside, and its various continents glow different amounts

c) the angle the Moon makes with the Sun changes and we see differing amounts of reflected sunlight

If you were to scale up an atom until it were the size of a sports arena, the space filled by the positive charges inside the atom (according to the work of Ernest Rutherford early in this century) would be:

a) an extremely thin layer spread completely around the outer walls of the stadium

b) as big as the entire stadium (and very thinly spread out)

c) as big as the space filled by all the negative charges (that's why the atom is neutral)

d) very small (perhaps the size of a soccer ball) and in the middle

e) this question cannot be answered (even roughly) without knowing how many electrons the atom has

d) very small (perhaps the size of a soccer ball) and in the middle

We have two waves of light, A and B. Wave A has a higher frequency than wave B. Then wave B must have:

a) higher speed

b) shorter wavelength

c) lower speed

d) longer wavelength

e) this can't be determined from the information given

d) longer wavelength

Which of the following has the longest wavelength?

a) visible light waves

b) ultraviolet waves

c) x-rays

d) all these have the same wavelength

e) radio waves

e) radio waves

Why do different types of atoms (elements) give off or absorb different spectral lines?

a) in heavier elements, diffraction spreads out the lines that the atom produces, making the colors different

b) all elements have the same lines, but they are Doppler shifted by different amounts

c) because some atoms do not have a ground state, while others have three or four

d) in some elements, electrons can only move to odd numbered levels, in others only to even numbered ones

e) because the spacing of the energy levels is different in different atoms

e) because the spacing of the energy levels is different in different atoms

Why is an absorption spectrum especially useful for astronomers?

a) It shows that the stars are transparent; we can see right through them

b) It has bright lines in it which allow astronomers to determine how bright the star is

c) An absorption spectrum is not useful to astronomers at all. When they see one, it means they cannot learn anything about the stars that produced the annoying absorption.

d) It has dark lines in it that allow astronomers to determine what elements are in the star

e) It helped astronomers to understand the rainbows we see on Earth after storms

d) It has dark lines in it that allow astronomers to determine what elements are in the star

Two versions of an element with different numbers of neutrons are called:

a) bipoles

b) electron pairs

c) ions

d) isotopes

e) molecules

d) isotopes

This chapter discusses that light sometimes acts like a photon. What is a photon?

a) a charged particle in the nucleus of every atom

b) a kind of sound that is too high frequency for the human ear to hear

c) a kind of magnetic substance found in reflective minerals

d) a self-contained "packet" of electro-magnetic energy

e) Einstein showed that photons were a mistake - they don't exist.

d) a self-contained "packet" of electro-magnetic energy

You are alone in a large, completely dark auditorium on Earth. What kind of telescope should I use from the other side of the auditorium to detect the electromagnetic radiation emitted by your body?

a) infra-red

b) X-ray

c) visible light

d) ultra-violet

e) no telescope will be effective if I am in a dark room

a) infra-red

We observe a glowing cloud of gas in space with a spectroscope. We note that many of the familiar lines of hydrogen that we know on Earth seem to be in a different place. They are shifted toward the blue or violet end of the spectrum compared to their positions in the spectrum of glowing hydrogen gas on Earth.

a) the cloud is much cooler than hydrogen on Earth

b) the cloud is much hotter than hydrogen on Earth

c) the cloud is moving away from us

d) none of these things can be concluded from this observation.

e) the cloud is moving toward us

e) the cloud is moving toward us

One of the great triumphs of spectroscopy was when astronomers identified a new element in the Sun (one that was only later found on Earth). Today, this element is called:

a) Solarium

b) Surprisium

c) Hydrogen

d) Helium

e) Einsteinium

d) Helium

Why do astronomers prefer to put infrared telescopes on high-flying airplanes or on satellites in space?

a) because that way they are significantly closer to the objects they observe

b) because the water vapor in the lower atmosphere is very good at absorbing infrared

c) all infrared telescopes are located on the Earth's surface

d) because high up the Sun's energy can be used to heat the infrared telescope

e) because no infrared radiation can exist anywhere near the Earth's surface

b) because the water vapor in the lower atmosphere is very good at absorbing infrared

A new technique called adaptive optics allows astronomers to:

a) change the eyepieces of their telescopes much more quickly than ever before

b) change the region of the electro-magnetic spectrum in which their telescope is able to detect radiation

c) compensate for changes in the Earth's atmosphere and achieve better resolution

d) use the observatory shop to make better eye-glasses for their students

e) increase the aperture of their telescopes by connecting several telescopes

c) compensate for changes in the Earth's atmosphere and achieve better resolution

Which of the following is not an advantage that a reflector telescope has over a refractor telescope?

a) a reflector doesn't have to deal with the twinkling of the stars, as a refractor does

b) flaws and bubbles in the material inside a thick mirror are not a problem, while flaws and bubbles in the material inside a thick lens are

c) reflectors can be built with much bigger apertures

d) the device that collects the light is more easily supported in a reflector

e) reflectors avoid the problem of chromatic aberration in the lens

a) a reflector doesn't have to deal with the twinkling of the stars, as a refractor does

The U.S. has plans to build a 30-meter telescope, while the Europeans are thinking about 39-meter telescope. What technological innovation allows astronomers to be thinking about telescopes with that large an aperture?

a) they can put telescopes on tall mountains now, which we could not ever do before

b) adaptive optics technology allows them to design a huge mirror which hardly weighs anything

c) those big telescopes are just a dream right now; no one can think of a technology for building them.

d) the mirror in these telescopes will be constructed from many smaller mirrors which will work together

e) they can build much larger lenses for their telescopes with new kinds of plastics

d) the mirror in these telescopes will be constructed from many smaller mirrors which will work together

Why do telescopes have to have a good motorized drive system to move them smoothly?

a) telescopes never move; they stay in one position all night

b) because the Earth is rotating, with the telescope attached to it

c) because all objects in the sky vary in brightness very quickly

d) because astronomers typically have to look at many objects in the sky in a few minutes

e) because the telescope can then be moved out from under the clouds to where it is clear

b) because the Earth is rotating, with the telescope attached to it

Astronomical observatories have been available since ancient times, and many cultures set aside special sites for astronomical observations. The thing modern observatories have that was missing from these older observatories until about 1610 was:

a) a method of keeping good records

b) a dark site, where lights did not get in the way

c) telescopes

d) students or other assistants for sharing the astronomer's work

e) a way of measuring from what general direction in the sky a beam of light was coming

c) telescopes

Which of the following types of telescopes can be used ONLY above the Earth's atmosphere?

a) none of these

b) radio telescope

c) x-ray telescope

d) visible-light telescope

e) reflector

c) x-ray telescope

What type of telescope can be used routinely on the surface of the Earth during the DAY?

a) you can't fool me, there is no telescope that can be used during the DAY

b) an x-ray telescope

c) a radio telescope

d) a visible-light telescope

e) a gamma-ray telescope

c) a radio telescope

Now that the James Webb Space Telescope is finally launched, what is its distinguishing characteristic (what about it will really help astronomers)?

a) it is the same size and design as the Hubble Space Telescope, which is wearing out

b) it allows us to take pictures with the same resolution as a radio dish

c) it can observe gamma-rays from the most energetic events in the universe

d) it has the largest mirror ever put into space for observing faint objects

e) it is in low Earth orbit, and thus easy for astronauts to repair

d) it has the largest mirror ever put into space for observing faint objects

You are an astronomer who wants to study a faint star in the process of being born, which gives off most of its faint radiation in the infra-red. Which of the following would NOT be a step you would want to take?

a) try to have your telescope as high above the layers of water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere as possible

b) make sure your telescope optics are kept as free of dust as possible

c) shield your telescope from the radiation given off by your graduate students

d) isolate your telescope in very cold surroundings

e) heat your telescope, so its delicate optics are not cold

e) heat your telescope, so its delicate optics are not cold

In a bad late-night science fiction film, a villain is using a large collection of rare radioactive atoms as energy for a weapon to threaten the good guys. The atoms have a half-life of 1 hour. The villain has 4 kilograms of the radioactive material now, and he needs a minimum of 1 kg. for his weapon to work. After how much time will the weapon no longer be a threat?

a) just a little after 2 hrs

b) just a little after 4 hours

c) just a little after 1 hr

d) can't be determined from the information given

e) just a little after 16 hours

a) just a little after 2 hrs

In the four terrestrial planets, the densest, heaviest materials are at the center and not evenly distributed throughout the planet. Scientists interpret this observation to mean that:

a) the four terrestrial planets must once have been hot enough to be molten (like a liquid)

b) the four terrestrial planets must have formed where Jupiter and Saturn now are

c) the four terrestrial planets must have collided with each other many times

d) none of these

e) the four terrestrial planets must once have been inside the Sun

a) the four terrestrial planets must once have been hot enough to be molten (like a liquid)

A planet in our solar system whose composition resembles that of our Sun is:

a) Earth

b) Pluto

c) Jupiter

d) the planets are all made of materials quite different from those in the Sun

e) Mercury

c) Jupiter

Which of the following is NOT a terrestrial planet?

a) Earth

b) Mars

c) Mercury

d) Jupiter

e) Venus

d) Jupiter

All the planets (without exception)

a) have atmospheres much thicker than Earth's

b) revolve around the Sun in the same direction

c) have satellites orbiting around them

d) rotate on their axes in the same direction that they revolve around the Sun

e) have solid surfaces

b) revolve around the Sun in the same direction

The smaller objects in the solar system made of rock and metal (most of which orbit between Jupiter and Mars) are called:

a) asteroids

b) silicates

c) satellites

d) comets

e) Titius-Bode objects

a) asteroids

Which of the following characteristics do all four terrestrial planets have in common?

a) they all rotate in 24 hours or less

b) they all have thick atmospheres

c) they all have solid surfaces with signs of geological activity on them

d) they all have one or more moons

e) they all have liquid water on their surfaces

c) they all have solid surfaces with signs of geological activity on them

In general, the further planets are from the Sun, the cooler they are. What other factor can have a significant influence on a planet's surface temperature?

a) none of these (only distance from the Sun affects a planet's temperature)

b) how fast the planet is spinning (the length of its day)

c) whether its core has a lot of iron in it

d) the number of large moons that are close to the planet

a) none of these (only distance from the Sun affects a planet's temperature)

If you were to take a large sample of the four giant planets, the most common element you would find in them is:

a) silicon

b) iron

c) hydrogen

d) oxygen

e) there are equal amount of ALL the elements in those planets

c) hydrogen

What is the most important reason that astronomers have learned more about our planetary system in the last 30-40 years than all of history before then.

a) we have been able to send spacecraft to gather information about planets and moons up close

b) astronomers today are a lot smarter than astronomers were earlier

c) the planets (moving in their slow orbits around the Sun) happen to be closer to the Earth in the last 30 years than at any previous time in human history

d) radio telescope arrays allow astronomers to make out details on the planets that they have never been able to see before

e) the Hubble Space Telescope

a) we have been able to send spacecraft to gather information about planets and moons up close

What makes astronomers think that impact rates for the Moon must have been higher earlier than 3.8 billion years ago?

a) All the large craters on the Moon come in pairs, while all recent craters are single

b) All the radioactive rocks found on the Moon so far give ages much younger than that, so the Moon must have formed less than 3.8 billion years ago

c) The ancient sea basins on the Moon, whose water has since evaporated, show a lot more cratering

d) We see many more craters on the Moon that have been eroded by wind and rain

e) There are ten times more craters on the older highlands than the younger maria

e) There are ten times more craters on the older highlands than the younger maria

Which of the following is a way that the planet Mercury is similar to the Moon?

a) It has a significant atmosphere

b) The time they take to spin once on their axis is the same

c) Its surface is heavily cratered

d) The highest temperature on the two worlds is the same

e) You can't fool me, Mercury is not similar to the Moon in any way

c) Its surface is heavily cratered

What is one important way in which both the Moon and Mercury are different from Earth?

a) They are both much further from the Sun's heat than Earth is

b) They are made mostly of frozen gases, not rock

c) They are both significantly larger than the Earth

d) They both turn on their axes much faster than the Earth

e) They do not have an atmosphere

e) They do not have an atmosphere

In its overall composition, the Moon roughly resembles:

a) Comets

b) No other body in the solar system

c) The Earth's core

d) Jupiter and Saturn

e) The Earth's crust and mantle

e) The Earth's crust and mantle

The average temperature on planet Earth is higher than you would expect just from the heating of sunlight alone. What is the explanation for this?

a) The rubbing of the continental plates warms up the Earth's surface

b) The heat given off by living things makes our planet warmer

c) Solid material hitting the Earth from space heats it up

d) We have no explanation for this higher temperature and that has scientists worried

e) Carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect

e) Carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect

Scientists now understand that the Earth consists of layers, with the densest materials in the core. What allowed the differentiation of the Earth's layers to happen?

a) This is one of the things that happened in the last few thousand years because of global warming

b) This is an unsolved problem; scientists have no good ideas about this at all

c) Continental drift and plate tectonics made this happen

d) A giant rock from space hit the Earth and made a huge hole almost to the center

e) The early Earth must have been so hot it was like a liquid and denser things sank to the middle

e) The early Earth must have been so hot it was like a liquid and denser things sank to the middle

Which of the eight planets has a smaller mass than Mercury?

a) Neptune

b) Jupiter

c) Venus

d) Earth

e) You can't fool me, Mercury has the smallest mass of the eight planets

e) You can't fool me, Mercury has the smallest mass of the eight planets

Earthquake-producing faults are much more likely to be found:

a) Where the Earth's magnetic field touches the planet's surface

b) Such faults are equally likely anywhere on the Earth's crust

c) In smooth continental desert areas

d) In the southern hemisphere of the Earth, where there is more water

e) On the boundaries of continental plates, where they meet other plates

e) On the boundaries of continental plates, where they meet other plates

According to the theory of plate tectonics:

a) The liquid metal inside the Earth is developing plates of solid metallic material

b) The continents are moving but the ocean floor is not

c) The rubbing of the waters of the Earth across its crust is speeding up its rotation

d) Earthquakes are caused by huge waves that come up from inside the molten core

e) Slow motions within the mantle of the Earth move large sections of the crust around

e) Slow motions within the mantle of the Earth move large sections of the crust around

If no one has ever visited the core of the Earth, how do we know that it is made of metals?

a) Spectroscopy allows us to tell what the core is made of by analyzing the light we receive

b) Core material seeps up through volcanoes in the crust

c) There is NO evidence that the Earth's core has metals

d) The amount of radioactivity shows metals must be present; only metals are radioactive

e) Circulating liquid metals in the core set up a large (measurable) magnetic field

e) Circulating liquid metals in the core set up a large (measurable) magnetic field

The canals that late 19th and early 20th observers thought they saw on Mars turned out to be:

a) built by the same race of ancient martian engineers who constructed the "face on Mars"

b) enormous cracks caused by extensive plate tectonics on Mars

c) very narrow oceans of water

d) huge chains of thousands of large volcanoes

e) optical illusions

e) optical illusions

The observation that began the 19th and early 20th century fascination with Mars as a place for life was:

a) Percival Lowell's discovery of an entire network of artificial canals built by martians

b) the discovery of the Martian moons

c) the landing of Martian spacecraft in New Jersey in 1938

d) the images sent back by the Viking spacecraft mission

e) Schiaparelli's seeing what seemed to him to be long straight features on the red planet

e) Schiaparelli's seeing what seemed to him to be long straight features on the red planet

The process by which Venus became so much hotter than the Earth is called:

a) tectonic displacement

b) the twisted sister effect

c) ozone depletion

d) the runaway greenhouse effect

e) radioactivity

d) the runaway greenhouse effect

The largest volcano on Mars is called:

a) Mariner Valley

b) Mount Maxwell

c) the Red Spot

d) Olympus Mons (Mt. Olympus)

e) Hellas

d) Olympus Mons (Mt. Olympus)

Astronomers believe that Mars formed with a much thicker atmosphere than it has today. Where did this atmosphere go?

a) no one has any good theories about this; it is an unsolved mystery

b) it is trapped in bubbles inside the rocks on the martian surface

c) it was absorbed by the rocks on Mars, which are much more absorbent than on Earth

d) it escaped into space (and some later froze out as Mars got cold)

e) it was drawn into the crust and mantle of Mars through the enormous cracks of the Mariner Valley canyon system

d) it escaped into space (and some later froze out as Mars got cold)

Which of the following is NOT one of the key reasons that so many spacecraft from Earth have visited Venus and Mars?

a) they each have a solid surface on which we can trace their geological history

b) they are the two planets closest to the Earth

c) both have tantalized us when seen through a telescope -- one because it is perpetually covered by clouds, the other because it shows seasonal changes

d) they resemble the Earth in a number of significant ways

e) their atmospheres are very similar to the Earth in terms of their chemical make-up

e) their atmospheres are very similar to the Earth in terms of their chemical make-up

Mars appears to have long branching channels that have the appearance of being formed by a flowing liquid. So how can we explain the channels?

a) they were made by wind-blown dust during the great Martian dust storms

b) they are made by plate tectonics; by plates in the crust separating

c) they were formed by volcanic lava from Olympus Mons

d) the channels are artificial, made by a race of Martians that died out

e) Mars had a thicker atmosphere long ago when the channels formed

e) Mars had a thicker atmosphere long ago when the channels formed

Which of the following is evidence for volcanic activity on Venus?

a) the pancake domes of Venus

b) the fact that the lava plains are only 500 million or so years old

c) the discovery of thousands of small volcanic cones of the surface of Venus

d) the existence of large volcanic mountains such as Sif Mons

e) all of these

e) all of these

Why does Mars have an overall reddish color when we see its surface from afar?

a) This is an optical illusion caused by the Earth's atmosphere scattering the colors of light differently

b) the giant volcanoes on Mars are constantly spewing out reddish lava

c) The martians are constantly at war, and spilling a lot of red blood

d) Mars is completely cloudy, and its clouds are made of red materials

e) The material of Mars' surface contains a lot of iron oxide, the same chemistry that makes rusting metals look reddish

e) The material of Mars' surface contains a lot of iron oxide, the same chemistry that makes rusting metals look reddish

Astronomers estimate that the plains of Venus are only about 500 to 600 million years old. How do they estimate dates like this?

a) by looking for little brass plates that give the founding date and the name of the governor at the time

b) by seeing how much the continental plates on which the Venus plains are floating have spread apart

c) by counting the craters visible on the surface and comparing crater counts to other worlds

d) by looking at the radioactive rock samples that have been returned to Earth from Venus

e) by noting that all the plains on all the terrestrial planets have the same age

c) by counting the craters visible on the surface and comparing crater counts to other worlds

Our modern understanding of Pluto is that it is a member of

a) the asteroid belt

b) the terrestrial planets

c) the Kuiper Belt (of trans-Neptunian objects)

d) no grouping within our solar system; it is completely one-of-a-kind

e) the giant planets

c) the Kuiper Belt (of trans-Neptunian objects)

Which of the following is NOT a correct statement about the ways the jovian planets differ from the terrestrial planets?

a) all the jovians have satellites around them and none of the terrestrials do

b) the jovians are made mostly of liquid and gas

c) the jovians are larger

d) the jovians have rings while the terrestrials do not

e) the jovians are typically colder and further from the Sun

a) all the jovians have satellites around them and none of the terrestrials do

The world in the solar system that is most active volcanically is:

a) Io

b) Neptune

c) Earth

d) Mars

e) Ganymede

a) Io

The element that can act like a metal when it is under tremendous pressure and is probably responsible for Jupiter and Saturn's magnetism is:

a) helium

b) water

c) hydrogen

d) gold

e) unobtanium

c) hydrogen

Which of the following does the composition of a planet like Jupiter resemble:

a) the Sun

b) the Earth

c) the asteroids

d) Mars

e) the Moon

a) the Sun

At their centers, all the jovian planets have cores made of:

a) new elements produced by the high pressure; elements which we do not have on Earth

b) hydrogen and helium in the form of liquids

c) hydrogen and helium in the form of gas

d) methane, ammonia, and sulfur compounds

e) a solid mixture of rocky and icy materials under great pressure

e) a solid mixture of rocky and icy materials under great pressure

What evidence can you give that shows the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa must be relatively young?

a) radioactive rocks from Europa that have been brought back to Earth by our probes show that Europa is a young moon

b) Europa was not orbiting Jupiter when Galileo observed its moons, but now it is

c) there are thousands of active volcanoes on Europa's surface

d) we see very few craters compared to the surfaces of Callisto and Ganymede

e) the interior of Europa is made of metals like iron and nickel

d) we see very few craters compared to the surfaces of Callisto and Ganymede

Callisto, the fourth moon of Jupiter's, takes 17 days to orbit Jupiter. If I stand on the surface of Callisto and see Jupiter high in the sky over my head, and then wait 8.5 Earth days in the same spot, where will I see Jupiter?

a) we need more information to say where Jupiter will be

b) you won't see it; it will only be visible from the other side of Callisto

c) rising in the east

d) overhead, where it was before

e) setting in the west

d) overhead, where it was before

The Red Spot of Jupiter is:

a) long-lived (observed since the 1600's)

b) a high pressure storm system in the atmosphere

c) all of these

d) variable in size

e) made of a reddish colored material

c) all of these

Which of the jovian planets does NOT have any satellites?

a) Neptune

b) you can't fool me, all the jovian planets are accompanied by satellites

c) Saturn

d) Uranus

e) Jupiter

b) you can't fool me, all the jovian planets are accompanied by satellites

One of the most perplexing issues raised by the discovery of thousands of exoplanets is the existence of "hot Jupiters" - planets with the masses and compositions of Jupiter, but orbiting closer to their stars than Mercury does in our solar system. What is our best idea currently about how such "hot Jupiters" came to be?

a) each hot Jupiter came directly out of the star it now orbits and must be made of the exact same material at only slightly lower temperatures

b) hot Jupiters formed in an asteroid belt and are made of countless asteroids that are hot

c) hot Jupiters formed by the collision and merger of many terrestrial planets - these collisions heated them up

d) hot Jupiters are artificial; they were made by super-advanced alien beings to make the universe more interesting

e) hot Jupiters formed further out in their star system, and then migrated inward somehow

e) hot Jupiters formed further out in their star system, and then migrated inward somehow

The atmosphere of Venus is mostly carbon dioxide, and the atmosphere of the Earth has water vapor. Why are these two gases absent in the atmosphere of the satellite around Saturn called Titan?

a) There are life-forms on the surface of Titan which absorb carbon dioxide and water vapor as part of their life processes

b) Titan is so cold that carbon dioxide and water vapor freeze out

c) There is a runaway greenhouse effect on Titan

d) The energetic particles in the magnetosphere of Saturn have collided with and knocked away all the lighter gases in the atmosphere of Titan

e) Titan's atmosphere was captured from the ring system of Saturn, and thus consists of small ice crystals

b) Titan is so cold that carbon dioxide and water vapor freeze out ✅

If there are at least a million asteroids, how did spacecraft like Galileo survive their trip through the asteroid belt?

a) the known asteroids are typically less than a centimeter across, so they do not represent a danger to spacecraft

b) although there are many asteroids, they are widely spaced (there is lots of space between them)

c) spacecraft use a magnetic repulsion tool to make sure asteroids do not come too close

d) actually NASA has lost over a dozen spacecraft to collisions with asteroids

e) NASA sends its spacecraft above and below the orbits of the asteroids in the belt to avoid collisions

b) although there are many asteroids, they are widely spaced (there is lots of space between them)

Why were asteroids not discovered until the 19th century?

a) only after Halley's work did astronomers think to look for the tails which allow us to spot an asteroid

b) asteroids are generally small compared to planets and require a good telescope and patient searching to spot them

c) although asteroids are the same size as the planets, they are completely covered with dark dusty material, which means they reflect almost no light

d) in their long looping orbits, it was not until the 19th century that an asteroid came close enough to the Earth to be detectable

e) several asteroids collided with each other in early 1801, calling them to the attention of astronomers

b) asteroids are generally small compared to planets and require a good telescope and patient searching to spot them

One of the key reasons that professional astronomers (as opposed to the public) are interested in comets is that they:

a) are pieces splintered off one of the giant planets, so they can provide us with samples of their composition

b) are all visitors from other star systems, which can tell us about what conditions are like in distant reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy

c) are icy pieces left over from the time that our solar system formed that can give us clues about that early time

d) are beautiful to look at

e) are always omens of disaster

c) are icy pieces left over from the time that our solar system formed that can give us clues about that early time

Chunks of solid material that survive passing through the Earth's atmosphere and are found on the Earth's surface are called:

a) comets

b) meteorites

c) asteroids

d) meteors

e) meteor showers

b) meteorites

The first technique that allowed astronomers to find exoplanets involved:

a) looking for the decrease of light from the star during a transit of the planet across its disk

b) sending a very small spacecraft to the exoplanet to take close-up images

c) simply taking a visible light photo of the planet around the nearest star; it wasn't that hard

d) measuring changes in the radial velocity (Doppler shift) of the star caused by the pull of orbiting planets

e) photographing the planets using infrared waves

d) measuring changes in the radial velocity (Doppler shift) of the star caused by the pull of orbiting planets

The large reservoir of comet nuclei far beyond Pluto, from which we believe new long-period comets come into the inner solar system, is called:

a) the Kohoutek Cloud

b) the Oort Cloud

c) the asteroid belt

d) the Lowell reservoir

e) the Alvarez belt

b) the Oort Cloud

Among solid worlds, which type of world is most likely to have significant geological activity?

a) those that are farthest from the Sun

b) those that are the largest (and retain heat the best)

c) those that have a moon (satellite)

d) those that are the smallest (and thus easiest to heat)

e) those that have strong magnetic fields

b) those that are the largest (and retain heat the best)

Comets change as they approach the Sun in their orbits. Which of the following statements about a comet approaching the Sun is FALSE?

a) when the ice evaporates, some dust frozen into the ice is freed up to join the comet's coma and tail

b) the solid water ice in a comet begins to evaporate just beyond the orbit of Mars

c) the gravity of the comet nucleus holds on to the evaporated material, and it all eventually freezes back into the nucleus

d) the evaporation is not always even, but can occur in spurts (where jets of material are seen moving away from the comet nucleus)

e) comets close to the Sun can evaporate enough material to become as large or larger than Jupiter

c) the gravity of the comet nucleus holds on to the evaporated material, and it all eventually freezes back into the nucleus (FALSE statement)