Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Exploring the Cosmos 1X > Dec 2009 > Flashcards

Dec 2009 Flashcards

1
Q

In the hypothetical process of terraforming, a particular gas is released into a planet’s atmosphere to increase its surface temperature. Which gas is it?

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

A

C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

The Drake equation estimates the number of technologically advanced civilisations in the galaxy at any one time. It is dependent on a number of factors. Which of the following is NOT one of those factors?

A. The number of habitable planets detected from the Earth. B. The fraction of planets on which life develops to a level of technological sophistication. C. The number of stars in the galaxy. D. The fraction of planets in the habitable zone of their parent star

A

A

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Which of Saturn’s moons could potentially see the development of life?

A. Titan B. Mimas C. Rhea D. Phoebe

A

A

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Roughly how many extra-solar planets have currently been detected?

A. Tens B. Hundreds C. Thousands D. Millions

A

B

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Which missions were the first to land on the surface of Mars?

A. Mariner 6 and 7 B. Climate Orbiter and Polar Lander C. Viking 1 and 2 D. Voyager 1 and 2

A

C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Which of the following is not a stage in planetary formation?

A. Condensation B. Accretion C. Coalescence D. Precession

A

D

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

During which era is there the first clear evidence of life beginning to develop on Earth?

A. Hadean B. Archean C. Proterozoic D. Silurian

A

B

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Roughly how long ago did the Cambrian explosion occur?

A. 4.5 billion years B. 540 million years C. 250 million years D. 64 million years

A

B

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Statistically, how often is a global catastrophe from a meteorite collision likely to occur?

A. Once every century. B. Once every thousand years. C. Once every million years. D. Once every billion years

A

C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the approximate periodicity of mass extinction events?

A. 26 years B. 26 000 years C. 26 000 000 years D. 26 000 000 000 years

A

C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is the shortest distance between two points over the Earth’s surface?

A. An ellipse. B. A great circle. C. A small circle . D. A straight line

A

B

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

A point of light is observed to streak across the sky, lasting only a few seconds. It is best identified as

A. an artificial satellite. B. a comet. C. a meteor. D. a UFO.

A

C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Which of the following constellations has the greatest average right ascension?

A. Aquarius B. Cancer C. Libra
D. Taurus

A

A

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

One star is seven magnitudes brighter than another. What is their approximate brightness ratio?

A. 6 B. 60 C. 600 D. 6000

A

C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Which of these constellations is a sign of the zodiac?

A. Auriga B. Canis major C. Orion D. Pisces

A

D

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

The precessional period of the Earth is approximately

A. 14 days. B. 173 days. C. 18.6 years. D. 26 000 years

A

D

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

The number of leap years in the current millennium (correctly defined as 2001-3000) will, so long as the Gregorian Calendar remains in use, be

A. 240. B. 242. C. 246. D. 250.

A

B

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

The period of 18 years 11 days over which similar eclipses occur is called the
A. eclipse cycle. B. Saros cycle. C. sidereal cycle. D. synodic cycle

A

B

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

The discoverer of the planet Uranus was

A. Galileo. B. Halley. C. Herschel. D. Newton.

A

C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

According to Kepler’s third law the square of a planet’s period is proportional to which power of its semimajor axis?

A. First B. Second C. Third
D. Fourth

A

C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

The terrestrial planets

A. orbit beyond the asteroid belt. B. are large and gaseous. C. are small and rocky. D. have highly elliptical orbits

A

C

22
Q

Close to perihelion planets

A. travel faster. B. travel slower. C. remain at a constant speed. D. travel in a retrograde motion

A

A

23
Q

Debris left over from the formation of the solar system was cleared by

A. evaporation. B. the galactic rotation. C. a passing star. D. the solar wind

A

D

24
Q

S waves in the Earth

A. travel through the liquid core. B. do not travel through the liquid core. C. are not observed on Earth. D. travel faster than P waves

A

B

25
Q

The major constituent of the Earth’s atmosphere is

A. Oxygen. B. Nitrogen. C. Water. D. Argon.

A

B

26
Q

The surface gravity of the moon is approximately

A. 1/2 x Earth gravity. B. 1/6 x Earth gravity. C. 6 x Earth gravity. D. there is no gravity on the moon

A

B

27
Q

The strength of Mercury’s magnetic field is

A. 0.05 % of the Earth’s field. B. 50 % of the Earth’s field. C. 5 % of the Earth’s field. D. 0.5 % of the Earth’s field

A

D

28
Q

The clouds in Venus’s atmosphere are thought to be formed of

A. sulphuric acid. B. water. C. nitrogen. D. oxygen

A

A

29
Q

Spirit and Opportunity are

A. moons of Mars. B. craters on the surface of Mercury. C. robotic explorers. D. basins on the surface of Venus

A

C

30
Q

200 million years ago South America was bordered by

A. Africa. B. Antarctica. C. the Arctic. D. Europe.

A

A

31
Q

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the Jovian planets?

A. Low average density. B. Solid rocky surface. C. Numerous orbiting moons D. Primarily composed of hydrogen, helium and hydrogen compounds

A

B

32
Q
  1. Which of the following correctly ranks the mass of the Jovian planets in ascending order?

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

A

C

33
Q

Which of these Jovian planets is furthest from the Sun?

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

A

A

34
Q

The rings of Saturn are composed of

A. gas and dust from the early solar system. B. parts of Saturn’s atmosphere which escape into space. C. hydrogen gas which is only visible in the infrared. D. individual particles of ice and rock

A

D

35
Q

A Meteor shower is likely to be observed on Earth

A. after a period of increased Solar activities. B. when the Earth intersects the orbit of a comet. C. if the tail of a comet is pointing directly at the Earth. D. during New Moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction.

A

B

36
Q

In the dynamo theory, which of the following is NOT a necessary condition?

A. Moderately rapid rotation. B. Hard outer crust. C. Fluid, electrically conducting interior. D. Convection in the interior

A

B

37
Q

Which of the following statements about the tails of comets is FALSE?

A. The tails of comets always points away from the sun. B. The tails of comets are affected by radiation pressure from the sun. C. Comets have more than one tail that point at different directions. D. Comets speed up as they approach the sun reducing the size of the tails.

A

D

38
Q

Which of the following statements explains the composition of comets?

A. They are so cold that hydrogen and helium froze to form ice. B. Only rocky metallic material existed where they were formed. C. They are formed beyond the frost line but did not have enough mass to capture gases. D. They are fragments of terrestrial planets that have been flung out to the outer solar system

A

C

39
Q

Which of the following objects is furthest away from the Sun?

A. A Trojan asteroid. B. A typical Oort cloud object. C. A typical Kuiper belt object. D. A typical asteroid in the asteroid belt

A

B

40
Q

The rings of Saturn have gaps within them. This is due to

A. orbital resonance only. B. gravitational influences of nearby moons only. C. both A & B. D. neither A nor B.

A

C

41
Q

The diameter of the Sun is

A. 28 times the diameter of Earth. B. 0.255 times the diameter of Earth. C. 332 000 times the diameter of Earth. D. 109 times the diameter of Earth

A

D

42
Q

The distance of the Sun from Earth is

A. 1 Astronomical Unit. B. around 100 times the radius of the Earth. C. 1 parsec. D. approximately 8 light years.

A

A

43
Q

Analysing neutrinos from the Sun

A. we probe details of the Solar surface. B. obtain unique information from the solar interior. C. we measure details of the photosphere. D. we are able to observe flares.

A

B

44
Q

The coolest region of the Sun is found in the

A. inner core. B. photosphere. C. chromosphere. D. corona.

A

C

45
Q

Which of the following relations is not needed to describe a stable star?

A. Hydrostatic equilibrium B. Conservation of mass C. Conservation of energy D. Wien’s law

A

D

46
Q

After the star exhausts its usable supply of hydrogen in the core, it starts to burn

A. Helium. B. Lithium. C. Boron. D. Carbon

A

A

47
Q

If a body is heated up, the light it emits

A. moves to longer wavelength. B. produces only the visible spectrum. C. changes towards shorter wavelength. D. remains constant

A

C

48
Q

The Sun gets its energy from

A. chemical reactions. B. gravitation. C. nuclear fission. D. nuclear fusion

A

D

49
Q

According to Wien’s displacement law, the peak emission wavelength of the Sun (corresponding to a surface temperature of T=5 780 K) is

A. 1004 nm. B. 502 nm. C. 251 nm. D. 29 mm.

A

B

50
Q

The density of the Sun is approximately

A. four times the density of Earth. B. two times the density of Earth. C. half the density of Earth. D. a quarter of the density of Earth

A

D

Exploring the Cosmos 1X (9 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions