Investigating Astronomy 2nd Edition Slater

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1. Jovian planets have volcanic features on their surfaces.

A) True
B) False

2. Terrestrial planets have rocky cores and few moons, if any.

A) True
B) False

3. Several large satellites of the Jovian planets are almost as big as the inner, terrestrial
planets.
A) True
B) False

4. The chemical composition of the planets is determined by the measure of their radial
velocity through the Doppler effect.
A) True
B) False

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 5. The outer planets have thick, gaseous atmospheres rich in hydrogen, helium, and
methane.
A) True
B) False

6. Asteroids were likely never part of a planet-sized body.

A) True
B) False

7. The largest of the trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) are called dwarf planets.
A) True
B) False

8. In increasing distance from the Sun, the correct listing of collections of objects is the
asteroid belt, the Oort cloud, and then the Kuiper belt.
A) True
B) False

9. The Oort cloud is comprised of a swarm of potential comets.

A) True
B) False

10. The conservation of angular momentum predicts that, when an object collapses, it spins
slower.
A) True
B) False

11. Planets form from the material in a protoplanetary disk.

A) True
B) False

12. It is likely to find frozen methane on the terrestrial planets.

A) True
B) False

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13. Chemical differentiation is when heavy materials sink to the core of a planet and the
lighter materials rise to the surface.
A) True
B) False

14. A T Tauri wind only occurs in very old and stable stars.
A) True
B) False

15. Exosolar planets are thought to be planets that are orbiting our Sun that have not yet
been discovered.
A) True
B) False

16. In differentiation, iron-rich materials float to the surface of a planet and the silicon-rich
materials sink to the center.
A) True
B) False

17. The Sun and planets formed from a rotating solar nebula.
A) True
B) False

18. Very few extrasolar planets have been discovered.

A) True
B) False

19. Planets are formed first as planetesimals and then as protoplanets.

A) True
B) False

20. Extrasolar planets have not yet been imaged directly.

A) True
B) False

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21. The main characteristics of our solar system are
A) two large planets close to the Sun, two small planets next out, and four large
planets farthest from the Sun.
B) two small planets close to the Sun, five larger planets much farther from the Sun,
and one small planet very far from the Sun.
C) four small planets close to the Sun and four large planets far from the Sun.
D) three small planets close to the Sun and five large planets far from the Sun.

22. The correct sequence of planets in our solar system from the Sun outward is
A) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune.
B) Mercury, Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
C) Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
D) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

23. In our solar system, which of the following planets is NOT a member of the terrestrial
group?
A) Mercury
B) Jupiter
C) Venus
D) Mars

24. Suppose that in 2008, observers using the Hubble Space Telescope discover a series of
planets with the following characteristics moving around a star resembling our Sun:
spherical; solid surfaces; mean densities about 4 times that of H2O; radii about 4000 km;
and low-density atmospheres. How would these planets be classified in terms of our
solar system?
A) Jovian planets
B) Cometary nuclei
C) Asteroids
D) Terrestrial planets

25. Suppose that observers using the Hubble Space Telescope detect, around several solar-
type stars, the presence of planets with the following characteristics: low density; large
size; polar diameters shorter than equatorial diameters; fluid surfaces; and rapid rotation.
How would these planets be classified in terms of our solar system?
A) Asteroids
B) Terrestrial planets
C) Comet nuclei
D) Jovian planets

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26. The overall shape of the orbits of most of the planets in the solar system is
A) slightly elliptical but nearly circular.
B) parabolic.
C) perfectly circular.
D) elliptical, very elongated.

27. Orbital eccentricity is a number that describes the

A) rate of rotation of the semimajor axis of the orbit because of precession.
B) orbital tilt with respect to the plane of Earth's orbit, in degrees.
C) mean diameter of the orbit.
D) shape of the orbital ellipse.

28. The planet whose orbit has the greatest eccentricity is

A) Mars.
B) Earth.
C) Mercury.
D) Uranus.

29. The mass of a planet is determined primarily by what method?

A) Measurement of its orbital eccentricity
B) Measurement of its diameter by photography
C) Observation of its gravitational influence on an orbiting moon
D) Measurement of its average temperature by remote sensing

30. The mean density of a planet is

A) another way of describing its total mass.
B) the amount of mass in one cubic meter of material at the planet's surface.
C) the amount of mass in one cubic meter of material in the planet's core.
D) its total mass divided by its volume.

31. The average density of the massive Jovian planets is

A) much lower than the density of water because of the amount of hydrogen they
contain.
B) much higher than the density of Earth rocks due to the great gravitational
compression of their interiors.
C) close to the density of basaltic rocks on Earth.
D) close to the density of water.

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32. A curious fact about the structure of the planet Jupiter, compared with that of Earth, is
that it has
A) much greater mass but much lower average density.
B) about the same mass but much greater density.
C) much greater mass and greater average density.
D) much greater mass but about the same density.

33. The planet whose average density is less than that of water is
A) Jupiter.
B) Neptune.
C) Saturn.
D) Earth.

34. Earth has an average density of 5500 kg/m3, whereas the density of rock on its surface is
about 3000 kg/m3. What conclusion can be reached about Earth's core from this
observation?
A) The core is composed of material with density about twice that of the surface
material.
B) The core consists of lower density material than surface rock.
C) The core is very hot.
D) The core is made of material far denser than surface rock.

35. Which of the following general statements about all of the planets in the planetary
system is true?
A) They have hard, rocky surfaces, which can be seen and photographed.
B) They orbit the Sun in the same direction.
C) They have satellites or moons.
D) They have very dense atmospheres.

36. Which is the largest planet in our solar system?

A) Saturn
B) Earth
C) Uranus
D) Jupiter

37. The smallest of the planets is

A) Neptune.
B) Mars.
C) Mercury.
D) Venus.

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38. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A) Jupiter has the highest average density among the planets.
B) The average mass of terrestrial planets is close to the average mass of the Jovian
planets.
C) Earth is the most massive of terrestrial planets.
D) Earth is the biggest planet.

39. Which planets do NOT have natural satellites (moons)?

A) Jupiter and Uranus
B) Uranus and Mars
C) Mars and Venus
D) Venus and Mercury

40. The average number of natural satellites (moons) per planet for the terrestrial planets is
A) less than one.
B) exactly one.
C) at least eight.
D) just over two.

41. The seven largest satellites in the solar system, in their size and physical characteristics,
most resemble
A) the terrestrial planets.
B) the Jovian planets.
C) Mercury.
D) the asteroids.

42. Determination of the chemical composition of the atmospheres of the planets is carried
out most effectively by what type of study?
A) Photometry—the measurement of the fading of light from their moons as they pass
behind the planet's atmosphere
B) Measurement of their relative mean densities
C) Measurement of their atmospheric temperature
D) Spectroscopy—the measurement of absorption features in their spectra

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43. A ground-based telescope is pointed at the atmosphere of Titan and a spectrum is made.
The spectral lines observed in this spectrum
A) can only be features of Titan.
B) can be characteristic of Earth's atmosphere as well as Titan's atmosphere.
C) can be characteristic of the cooler, outer layers of the Sun's atmosphere as well as
of Titan's atmosphere.
D) can be characteristic of the atmospheres of Titan and Earth and also of the cooler,
outer layers of the Sun's atmosphere.

44. An asteroid is
A) another name for the nucleus of a comet, a volatile object that moves around the
Sun in a long, elliptical orbit.
B) an object smaller than a planet, moving around the Sun in an orbit close to the
plane of the ecliptic.
C) a meteorite before it enters the atmosphere and plunges to Earth.
D) a small, easily recognizable group of stars within a constellation.

45. The largest known asteroid in our solar system is

A) Gaspra.
B) Titan.
C) Pallas.
D) Ceres.

46. The asteroid belt exists between the orbits of which planets?
A) Mars and Jupiter
B) Earth and Mars
C) Jupiter and Saturn
D) Venus and Earth

47. The asteroid belt is believed by most astronomers to be composed of

A) icy fragments similar to the nuclei of comets.
B) genuine leather.
C) rocky debris left over from the formation of the solar system.
D) the remnants of a gaseous planet disrupted by an impact.

48. The trans-Neptunian objects (such as Pluto, Sedna, Quaoar, etc.) are
A) asteroids in the outer part of the asteroid belt.
B) small planets that circle the Sun between the orbits of Neptune and Uranus.
C) small worlds of rock and ice, most of which orbit within the Kuiper belt.
D) asteroids captured as moons by the Jovian planets.

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49. The mean density of the trans-Neptunian object Pluto is most similar to the densities of
the
A) terrestrial planets.
B) Jovian planets.
C) large moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
D) asteroids.

50. Pluto is now categorized as a(n)

A) dwarf planet.
B) comet.
C) planet.
D) asteroid.

51. The Kuiper belt is

A) a band of asteroids between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.
B) a group of icy objects that falls between Neptune and Uranus but orbits in the
opposite direction.
C) a band of trans-Neptunian objects that lies within 30–50 AU from the Sun and is
centered on the ecliptic.
D) the largest cloud band in Jupiter's atmosphere.

52. The two largest trans-Neptunian objects are

A) Neptune and Uranus.
B) Pluto and Eris.
C) Sedna and Quaoar.
D) Ceres and Pallas.

53. Most comet nuclei are believed to be

A) chunks of rock or iron chipped from asteroids by impacts.
B) large carbon chondrite meteoroids that have been set on fire by the Sun and are
trailing long smoke trails.
C) chunks of water and methane ice ejected from the surface of the icy satellites of the
outer planets by asteroid impacts.
D) chunks of dirty ice left over from the formation of the solar system.

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54. Which one of the following bodies has the most elliptical orbit?
A) Earth
B) Mars
C) Mercury
D) Pluto

55. The Oort cloud is

A) a band of dust in the plane of the ecliptic, extending from the orbit of Mars beyond
the orbit of Pluto.
B) an approximate spherical distribution of comets centered on the Sun, extending out
to about 50,000 AU.
C) another name for the early solar nebula.
D) a relatively flat distribution of comets in the plane of the ecliptic, extending from
around the orbit of Pluto out to about 500 AU from the Sun.

56. The most likely origin of the “dirty snowballs” that become long-period comets when
deflected into orbits bringing them closer to the Sun is the
A) Oort cloud surrounding the solar system.
B) surfaces of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
C) gas clouds in the Milky Way.
D) asteroid belt.

57. Most of the elements beyond H and He in the periodic table in our Sun and solar system
probably originated
A) in the original Big Bang.
B) from the center of our own Sun, through fusion and later ejection as solar wind.
C) from chemical reactions in planetary atmospheres.
D) from fusion reactions in the centers of earlier stars.

58. The most abundant elements in the universe are

A) hydrogen and helium.
B) oxygen and nitrogen.
C) iron and gold.
D) silicon and lithium.

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59. The idea that the Sun and planets formed from a large cloud of gas and dust was first
proposed by
A) Edwin Hubble.
B) Aristotle.
C) Sir William Herschel.
D) Kant and Laplace.

60. The birthplace of the Sun and planets (and of other stars and maybe their planets) is
thought to have been
A) in cool gas and dust clouds.
B) at the centers of supernova explosions.
C) in the centers of galaxies.
D) in black holes dotted about the universe.

61. What was the form of the material from which the solar system formed?
A) A nebula made mostly of hydrogen and helium gas, but enriched in heavier
elements from supernova explosions
B) A nebula made mostly of heavy elements, but enriched in hydrogen and helium
from the supernova explosions
C) A nebula made entirely of hydrogen and helium gas
D) Debris from the explosion of a massive star

62. The temperature began to rise at the center of the solar nebula because
A) the nebula was contracting and that fast-moving material collided and increased the
thermal energy.
B) supernova explosions were stirring up the material there and causing turbulence.
C) fusion reactions were beginning in the core, releasing tremendous amounts of heat.
D) massive stars nearby were heating the nebula with their ultraviolet radiation.

63. What name is given to the concentration of mass that formed at the center of the solar
nebula, eventually becoming the Sun?
A) Antisun
B) Protosun
C) Nebular core
D) Pseudosun

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64. The most probable theory for the solar system's formation is
A) a capture theory in which the Sun captured objects moving through space, which
then became the planets.
B) an encounter in which a passing star ripped off material from the Sun to form the
planets.
C) gas and dust clouds condensed to form the Sun, whereas planets formed later
within a nebular disk.
D) condensation of a slowly contracting nebula of hot gas, first into planets in the
outer region, then into the Sun at the center.

65. The material from which our solar system formed is believed to be
A) the hot, dense gases at the center of a globular star cluster.
B) a vast cloud of pure hydrogen.
C) the convergence of the solar winds of several nearby stars.
D) a cold, dark cloud of gas and dust.

66. If a large cloud of gas and dust is initially rotating, and it begins to contract without
losing any mass, it will rotate
A) faster.
B) more slowly.
C) at a constant rate.
D) at a rate that initially decreases and then increases as the disk shape is achieved.

67. A proplyd is
A) a primitive organism thought to exist on Jupiter's moon, Europa.
B) a protoplanetary disk, such as is observed around some stars in the Orion nebula,
for example.
C) any planet of greater mass than Jupiter.
D) a planet orbiting a star beyond the Sun.

68. Which one of the following is NOT an example of the conservation of angular
momentum?
A) A figure skater spins faster as she brings her arms in close to her body.
B) Earth moves faster in its orbit at those times of the year when it is closer to the Sun
(Kepler's second law).
C) The particles in the nebula around a protostar move faster in their orbits as the
nebula collapses inward.
D) The Moon always keeps one face pointed toward Earth.

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69. The most probable process for the formation or acquisition of the Sun's planets is
A) the breakup of one single large companion body to the Sun, by tidal distortion.
B) the freezing of immense gas clouds by the cold temperature of space.
C) capture of planets from outer space by gravity.
D) relatively slow growth of smaller objects by collisions and mutual gravitational
attraction.

70. The most probable time sequence for the solar system's formation was that the
A) Sun formed initially, and the planets and major moons were captured much later as
they drifted by the Sun.
B) planets formed first out of the cold gas and dust nebula, followed by the Sun,
which formed when the gas had become much hotter.
C) Sun formed first, the planets were spun off from the Sun, and the moons in turn
were spun off from the planets.
D) Sun contracted first as a ball of gas, and the planets and moons formed shortly
afterward by accretion and condensation.

71. The three common substances believed to have been important in planet formation are
A) water, carbon dioxide ice (dry ice), and iron.
B) solid, liquid, and gaseous hydrogen.
C) hydrogen, helium, and neon gases.
D) rocks, ices, and gas.

72. In describing the early solar system, we discuss solids and vapors but no liquids. Why
do we believe liquids were absent?
A) The solar system was too cold to permit liquids to exist.
B) The solar system was too warm to permit liquids to exist.
C) The pressure in the solar nebula was too low to permit liquids to exist.
D) The pressure in the solar nebula was too high to permit liquids to exist.

73. More than any other, which physical parameter probably controlled the early evolution
of the planetary system and dictated the characteristics of the planets that eventually
formed?
A) Overall rotation of the nebula
B) Density of hydrogen gas in the nebula
C) Mix of chemical constituents
D) Temperature distribution within the nebula

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74. Suppose you were to go back in time and explore the early solar nebula (during the
formation of the solar system). If you were to travel outward from the protosun, the first
solid material you would encounter would be
A) dust-sized grains of iron and rocky material.
B) dust-sized grains of frozen hydrogen, water, ice, and rocky minerals.
C) snowflakes made of frozen water, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.
D) snowflakes of frozen hydrogen and helium.

75. The early phases of planetary formation into protoplanets were characterized by
A) slow accretion of small particles by gravitational attraction and collision.
B) condensation of hot gas clouds.
C) the shattering collision of very large objects into planet-sized fragments.
D) violent collapse and heating of gas and dust grains by gravity.

76. The process of accretion in planetary formation is the

A) slow accumulation of solid particles by gravity and collision into larger, solid
objects.
B) slow acquisition from deep space by the giant planets of their complement of
moons, by gravitational capture.
C) slow condensation by gravity of gas atoms into large dense gas clouds, which
become the planets.
D) relatively rapid gravitational collapse (in less than 106 years) of gas clouds to form
planets.

77. The manner in which the terrestrial planets formed was

A) accretion of planetesimals to form a core, followed by gravitational capture of gas
from the solar nebula.
B) gravitational condensation of hydrogen, helium, and dust in eddies or vortices in
the solar nebula.
C) gravitational condensation of gas followed by capture of solid planetesimals.
D) accretion of solid planetesimals containing mostly rocky material.

78. The reason for the vast amount of hydrogen in the interior of Jupiter is probably that
A) Jupiter formed from mutual gravitational contraction of the primordial hydrogen
gas.
B) the mass of the initial condensation of rocks at Jupiter's orbit was sufficient to
attract vast amounts of gas to it.
C) nuclear fission of atoms in Jupiter's interior split all nuclei down to hydrogen nuclei
early in its history.
D) Jupiter became so hot in its interior that all kinds of atoms and molecules were
melted down and dissociated into the fundamental atom—hydrogen.

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79. A T Tauri wind is
A) the rapid condensation of gas onto a Jovian-type protoplanet.
B) a slow expulsion of the outer layers of a solar-type star, extending over a large part
of its life.
C) a wind created by the orbital motion of protoplanets through a young solar-type
nebula.
D) a rapid expulsion of the tenuous outer layers of a young star.

80. In order for the disk instability model to be able to account for the formation of the
Jovian planets,
A) the rocky material would have to be confined completely to the inner part of the
solar system.
B) the gas in the nebular disk would have to be at a very high temperature.
C) the gas in the nebular disk would have to be clumpy rather than smooth.
D) the gas in the nebular disk would have to be mostly methane and ammonia rather
than hydrogen and helium.

81. What type of search technique has discovered the largest number of planets around the
stars other than the Sun?
A) Looking for tiny variations in the star's position in the sky, caused by the
gravitational pull of one or more planets orbiting the star.
B) Looking for tiny variations in the star's radial velocity, caused by the gravitational
pull of one or more planets orbiting the star.
C) Looking for excess infrared radiation from the star, caused by the presence of
planets that are cool and thus emit primarily in the infrared.
D) Using space-based telescopes to search for tiny pinpoints of light that follow
circular or elliptical paths around the star.

82. So far, what is the typical mass of the majority of extrasolar planets discovered?
A) Between the mass of Saturn and a few times the mass of Jupiter
B) About the mass of Earth
C) Large, between 10 and 100 times Jupiter's mass
D) Small, between a tenth and a few tenths of the mass of Earth

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83. In general, what are the characteristics of the planets that have been found so far around
other stars?
A) They are the mass of Saturn or larger and are therefore Jovian-type planets.
B) They are larger than the mass of Jupiter and are probably a new type of planetary
object.
C) They are between the mass of Mercury and Earth and are therefore terrestrial-type
planets.
D) They have masses between the mass of Earth and about 3 times the mass of Jupiter.

84. Where are Pluto and Eris found?

A) In the asteroid belt
B) In the Kuiper belt
C) In the Oort cloud
D) In the Cassini division

85. Density is
A) mass divided by weight.
B) volume divided by diameter.
C) mass divided by volume.
D) force divided by area.

86. Which planet or planetary group occupies the next orbital position beyond Saturn?
A) The asteroid belt
B) Jupiter
C) Neptune
D) Uranus

87. Most of the planets orbit the Sun on or close to the

A) plane containing both north and south celestial poles and the zenith at Greenwich,
England.
B) plane of the Milky Way Galaxy.
C) equatorial plane.
D) ecliptic plane.

88. The planet with the highest mean density is

A) Earth.
B) Mercury.
C) Jupiter.
D) Neptune.

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89. The most geologically active object in the solar system is
A) Callisto.
B) Titan.
C) Io.
D) Europa.

90. The fractured surface of which moon suggests a worldwide ocean of liquid water
beneath its icy surface?
A) Callisto
B) Titan
C) Io
D) Europa

91. Which satellite has a hazy atmosphere nearly twice as dense as Earth?
A) Callisto
B) Titan
C) Io
D) Europa

92. Spectroscopy can provide information about

A) only atmospheres of planets.
B) only surfaces of planets.
C) atmospheres and surfaces of planets.
D) neither atmospheres nor surfaces of planets.

93. The carbon in your body, the oxygen that you breathe, and all of the iron and silicon in
the soil beneath your feet
A) is “recycled” material that was formed in the interior of stars.
B) is made of original elements created in the Big Bang.
C) is made of material that was formed in cold gas clouds.
D) was formed when the solar system coalesced.

94. The most abundant substances in the solar nebula are

A) methane and ammonia.
B) water and carbon dioxide.
C) hydrogen and helium.
D) dust grains made of silicon and oxygen.

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 95. The present-day Sun loses mass from its outer layers in the form of high-speed electrons
and protons known as
A) the plasma field.
B) the solar wind.
C) accretion disk.
D) T Tauri wind.

96. The spectrum of Europa is almost identical to that of

A) the Sun.
B) ice.
C) rock.
D) Earth's atmosphere.

97. Jupiter is composed mainly of

A) hydrogen and helium.
B) carbon dioxide.
C) nitrogen and water.
D) ammonia and methane.

98. An example of a minor planet would be

A) Titan.
B) Pluto.
C) Mercury.
D) Ceres.

99. The Kuiper belt can be found

A) inside the asteroid belt.
B) outside of the Oort cloud.
C) beyond Neptune's orbit.
D) orbiting Saturn.

100. The main difference between Titan and some of the other giant moons in the solar
system is that it
A) has a substantial atmosphere giving it a hazy, featureless appearance.
B) has a wide ocean of water under its icy surface.
C) is one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter.
D) is the most volcanically active object in the solar system.

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101. The most abundant elements in the universe out to the farthest distance attainable by the
most powerful telescopes are
A) hydrogen and helium.
B) carbon and oxygen.
C) nitrogen and oxygen.
D) iron and silicon.

102. How many stars are in our solar system?

A) Zero
B) One
C) Eight
D) Millions

103. How many planets are currently in our solar system?

A) Zero
B) One
C) Eight
D) Millions

104. The core accretion model is thought to be how

A) terrestrial planets are formed.
B) Jovian planets are formed.
C) moons are formed.
D) asteroids are formed.

105. The final stages of the formation of a solar system include

A) protoplanetary disks coalescing into planetesimals.
B) a solar nebula beginning to collapse.
C) a rotating disk with matter concentrating at the center becoming a protosun.
D) a T Tauri star with a strong solar wind.

106. By the transit process, what characteristics of nearly edge-on extrasolar planets to our
line of sight can be determined?
A) The planet's diameter
B) The planet's atmospheric composition
C) The planet's temperature
D) All of the above

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107. Microlensing to detect extrasolar planets depends on
A) the gravity of a distant star and planet causing light from a distant star to be bent
and momentarily brightened.
B) the use of very small lenses that are combined to make a large telescope.
C) the use of black holes to curve space and time to bring the image of the planets
closer to Earth.
D) All of the above

108. The greater the amount of Doppler shift of a star, the

A) faster it is moving toward and away from you.
B) hotter and colder it is getting.
C) brighter and dimmer it is getting.
D) larger and smaller it is getting.

109. Two of the largest trans-Neptunian objects are

A) Phobos and Deimos.
B) Io and Europa.
C) Pluto and Eris.
D) Ceres and Vesta.

110. Hundreds of thousands of kilometer-sized asteroids of widely differing shapes are

known, and they orbit the Sun
A) in the same direction as the planets.
B) in a direction opposite the orbit of the planets.
C) perpendicular to the orbit of the planets.
D) about half in the same direction of the planets and about half in the opposite
direction of the planets.

111. All of the elements heavier than the very lightest ones were formed by
A) magma being produced on volcanic terrestrial bodies.
B) combining lighter atoms through the core accretion model of Jovian planet
production.
C) combining lighter atoms together into heavier atoms deep in the interior of stars, or
by violent explosions at the end of the lives of massive stars.
D) All of the above

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112. Immense jets are often ejected from young stars. They are generally ejected in what
direction?
A) Parallel to the accretion disk
B) Perpendicular to the accretion disk
C) Either parallel or perpendicular to the accretion disk
D) There is no preferred direction for the jets.

113. What are characteristics of terrestrial planets?

114. What are characteristics of Jovian planets?

115. Explain how the chemical composition of a planetary atmosphere is found.

116. What is the Oort cloud, where can it be found, and what does it contain?

117. Is Pluto more like a terrestrial planet or a Jovian planet? Why?

118. What is the nebular hypothesis and what characteristics of the modern solar system does
it explain?

119. What effect did the condensation pressures of materials have on the formation of our
solar system?

120. If we cannot dig down to the center of Earth, how do we know that it is made of a dense
iron and nickel core?

121. What happens when a star goes through a T Tauri stage?

122. How are exoplanets currently being detected?

123. What evidence do objects in the Orion Nebula provide for the question of how solar
systems are formed?

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124. How does the conservation of angular momentum describe the contraction of a solar
nebula?

125. What is the difference between minor planets, trans-Neptunian objects, and dwarf
planets?

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Answer Key
1. B
2. A
3. A
4. B
5. A
6. A
7. A
8. B
9. A
10. B
11. A
12. B
13. A
14. B
15. B
16. B
17. A
18. B
19. A
20. B
21. C
22. D
23. B
24. D
25. D
26. A
27. D
28. C
29. C
30. D
31. D
32. A
33. C
34. D
35. B
36. D
37. C
38. C
39. D
40. A
41. C
42. D
43. D
44. B

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45. D
46. A
47. C
48. C
49. C
50. A
51. C
52. B
53. D
54. D
55. B
56. A
57. D
58. A
59. D
60. A
61. A
62. A
63. B
64. C
65. D
66. A
67. B
68. D
69. D
70. D
71. D
72. C
73. D
74. A
75. A
76. A
77. D
78. B
79. D
80. C
81. B
82. A
83. A
84. B
85. C
86. D
87. D
88. A
89. C
90. D

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 91. B
92. C
93. A
94. C
95. B
96. B
97. A
98. D
99. C
100. A
101. A
102. B
103. C
104. B
105. D
106. D
107. A
108. A
109. C
110. A
111. C
112. B
113. All four inner, terrestrial planets have dense iron cores and hard rocky surfaces with
mountains, craters, valleys, and volcanoes. They are fairly close to the Sun, are warmer,
have surfaces high in silicates, and few, if any, moons.
114. All four outer, Jovian planets are relatively large with low densities and are Jupiter-like,
having thick atmospheres. They are fairly far from the Sun and have gaseous surfaces
and atmospheres that are higher in methane, hydrogen, and helium, and have many
moons.
115. If a planet has an atmosphere, then sunlight reflected from that planet must have passed
through parts of the atmosphere. During this passage, some of the wavelengths of
sunlight will have been absorbed. Hence, the spectrum of this reflected sunlight will
have dark absorption lines and the chemicals present can be determined.
116. The Oort cloud is a hypothesized “halo” around the solar system that extends to 50,000
AU from the Sun (or 1/5 the distance to the next nearest star). This is thought to be the
origin of most comets.
117. Pluto has a hard rocky and icy surface, and it is much smaller than the Jovian planets.
Even though it is farther away from the Sun than the Jovian planets, its features and
characteristics are more like those of the terrestrial planets.
118. This is the hypothesis independently proposed by Kant and Laplace that states that the
Sun and all of its planets and satellites were formed in a vast, rotating cloud of gas and
dust called the solar nebula. This would explain why all of the planets and moons orbit
the Sun in the same direction and nearly in the same plane.

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119. Water, methane, and ammonia were vaporized by the high temperatures early in the
formation of the solar system. Only materials with high condensation temperatures
could have remained solid. Of these materials, iron, silicon, magnesium, and sulfur were
abundant. In contrast, ice particles and ice-coated dust grains were able to survive in the
cooler, outer portions of the solar nebula.
120. The overall density, or mass divided by velocity, of Earth is greater than the density of
most of the rocks found in the crust. This suggests that the core of Earth is much more
dense. This is supported by the relatively strong magnetic field of Earth, which is caused
by moving metals such as an iron and nickel core.
121. Relatively unstable young stars eject their thin outermost layers into space. This brief
but intense burst of mass loss is called a T Tauri wind.
122. The astrometric method looks at the visible “wobble” of a star moving around the center
of mass of the system. The radial velocity method uses the Doppler effect causing
absorption lines to shift back and forth from redshift to blueshift. The radial velocity
speeds and the period of oscillation can yield information about the unseen companion.
The transit method looks at the brightness of stars and looks for a dip in the total
brightness caused by the occultation of the planet crossing in front of the star.
123. The Orion Nebula is a large cloud of glowing gas, and it is a stellar nursery.
Protoplanetary disks can be seen in this region of active star formation. These disks are
thought to be the precursor to systems of planets.
124. Angular momentum must be conserved, so as the nebula collapses, the rotational speed
increases, just like an ice skater who spins faster when she pulls her arms in.
125. Minor planets are also called asteroids, and most of them orbit the Sun between Mars
and Jupiter. While asteroids are the most important bodies in the inner solar system, the
outer solar system is the realm of the trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). The largest of
these bodies outside Neptune's orbit are called dwarf planets, the most well-known of
which is Pluto.

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