exam 4 Flashcards
CHAPTER 14 Review & Discussion 1)
What are the Trojan, Apollo, and Amor asteroids?
a) Asteroids that originate from the asteroid belt; cross into Jupiter’s orbit; approach Mars’s orbit
b) Asteroids that orbit near Jupiter’s Lagrange points; cross Earth’s orbit; approach Earth’s orbit without crossing it
c) Asteroids that orbit near Saturn; cross Venus’s orbit; approach Mercury’s orbit
d) Asteroids that orbit entirely within the asteroid belt; cross Neptune’s orbit; approach Uranus’s orbit
b) Asteroids that orbit near Jupiter’s Lagrange points; cross Earth’s orbit; approach Earth’s orbit without crossing it
CHAPTER 14 Review & Discussion 3)
How do the compositions of comets provide clues to the formation of the solar system?
a) Comets contain only ice, which suggests that water was the first material to form in the solar system.
b) The dust and gas in comets are similar to the chemical composition of the Sun, providing evidence of the Sun’s origin.
c) Comets contain a mixture of ice, dust, and organic molecules, offering insight into the early solar system’s conditions and the building blocks of planets and life.
d) Comets are made of metals and gases, indicating that the inner planets formed first and the outer planets followed.
c) Comets contain a mixture of ice, dust, and organic molecules, offering insight into the early solar system’s conditions and the building blocks of planets and life.
CHAPTER 14 Review & Discussion 7)
Where in the solar system do most comets reside?
A) The asteroid belt
B) The Kuiper Belt
C) The Oort Cloud
D) The inner solar system
C) The Oort Cloud
CHAPTER 14 Review & Discussion 8)
Describe the various parts of a comet while it is near the Sun. What are the typical ingredients of a comet nucleus?
a) The coma, tail, and nucleus; Ice, dust, and organic compounds.
b) The corona, photosphere, and nucleus; Gas, dust, and metals.
c) The core, mantle, and atmosphere; Hydrogen, helium, and silicates.
d) The core, tail, and corona; Water, methane, and carbon dioxide.
a) The coma, tail, and nucleus; Ice, dust, and organic compounds.
CHAPTER 14 Review & Discussion 10)
Why can comets approach the Sun from any direction, but asteroids generally orbit close to the plane of the ecliptic?
a) Comets are primarily found in the Kuiper Belt, while asteroids are located in the Oort Cloud, which lies in the ecliptic plane.
b) Comets originate from the spherical Oort Cloud, while asteroids primarily orbit within the flat plane of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
c) Comets are formed from interstellar material and move randomly through the solar system, while asteroids are bound by Jupiter’s gravity to the ecliptic plane.
d) Comets are pushed into random directions by solar wind, while asteroids are confined to the ecliptic plane by magnetic forces from the Sun.
b) Comets originate from the spherical Oort Cloud, while asteroids primarily orbit within the flat plane of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
CHAPTER 14 Review & Discussion 12)
Why has the number of planets in the solar system recently decreased?
In 2006 the IAU decided that the icy dwarf planets beyond Neptune would henceforth be known as plutoids.
Comets may ram into the Sun or a planet, or they may gradually lose all of their ice via sublimation, leaving rocky debris that may enter the Earth’s atmosphere to be observed as a meteor shower
CHAPTER 14 Review & Discussion 15)
What do meteorites reveal about the age and formation of the solar system?
Radioactive dating of meteorites reveals that the age of the solar system is about 4.4 - 4.6 billion years
CHAPTER 15 Review & Discussion 1)
Which of the following are examples of present-day properties that our solar system model does not have to explain, and why is no explanation necessary?
a) The existence of the asteroid belt; It is a stable region between Mars and Jupiter
b) The presence of Saturn’s rings; They are transient and expected to change over time
c) The retrograde motion of Venus; It is explained by the planet’s unique rotation
d) The inclination of Pluto’s orbit; It is an irregular orbit due to past gravitational interactions
a) The existence of the asteroid belt; It is a stable region between Mars and Jupiter
CHAPTER 15 Review & Discussion 2)
Describe some ways in which random processes played a role in the determination of planetary properties
In the evolutionary theories, changes occur gradually. In the catastrophic theories, changes occur suddenly as the result of one-time events such as violent collisions
CHAPTER 15 Review & Discussion 3)
Describe three methods astronomers use to search for extrasolar planets
- Transit Method: excels in detecting small planets but requires edge-on orbits.
- Radial Velocity Method is effective for detecting massive planets in a range of orbits but struggles with small planets.
- Direct Imaging provides the most detailed information but is technically demanding and suited for specific types of planets.
CHAPTER 15 Review & Discussion 6)
What properties of exoplanets can be inferred from planetary transit measurements? What properties can be inferred from radial velocity measurements?
a) Transit measurements provide information about the planet’s size and orbit, while radial velocity measurements reveal its mass and orbital velocity.
b) Transit measurements provide data on the planet’s surface temperature, while radial velocity measurements reveal its atmosphere composition.
c) Transit measurements show the planet’s age and distance from its star, while radial velocity measurements reveal its composition and surface features.
d) Transit measurements provide information about the planet’s magnetic field, while radial velocity measurements reveal its atmospheric pressure.
a) Transit measurements provide information about the planet’s size and orbit, while radial velocity measurements reveal its mass and orbital velocity.
CHAPTER 15 Review & Discussion 7)
What measurements are required to estimate the bulk density of an exoplanet?
A) The exoplanet’s temperature and distance from its star
B) The exoplanet’s radius and mass
C) The exoplanet’s orbital speed and inclination
D) The exoplanet’s composition and atmosphere
B) The exoplanet’s radius and mass
CHAPTER 15 Review & Discussion 11)
Which of the following exoplanet properties challenged existing theories of planetary formation based on the solar system, and how were these challenges resolved?
a) Hot Jupiters; The discovery of planet migration, where gas giants could move inward after formation
b) Exoplanets with very eccentric orbits; The realization that gravitational interactions with other planets can cause orbit circularization
c) Super-Earths; The theory that larger planets form in a wider range of environments, including beyond the frost line
d) Ice giants in close orbits; The discovery that these planets could form far from their host star and migrate inward
a) Hot Jupiters; The discovery of planet migration, where gas giants could move inward after formation
CHAPTER 15 Review & Discussion 12)
Is our solar system unusual among planetary systems?
A) Yes, it has gas giants located far from the star and terrestrial planets close to the star.
B) No, it is similar to most planetary systems observed.
C) Yes, its nearly circular planetary orbits and large, distant gas giants are uncommon.
D) No, it has more planets than most other systems.
e) A and C
e) A and C
CHAPTER 15 Review & Discussion 14)
What is the habitable zone of a star?
The goldilocks zone
CHAPTER 15 Review & Discussion 15)
What evidence is required to find habitable Earth-like planets orbiting other stars?
A) The planet’s mass, size, and distance from its star
B) The planet’s surface temperature and atmospheric composition
C) The star’s brightness and distance from Earth
D) The planet’s orbit and the number of moons it has
A) The planet’s mass, size, and distance from its star
CHAPTER 16 Review & Discussion 1)
Which of the following correctly names and describes the main regions of the Sun and gives the approximate temperatures of the solar surface and core?
a) Core, radiative zone, convective zone, photosphere, chromosphere, corona; surface temperature ~5,500 K, core temperature ~15 million K
b) Photosphere, mantle, outer core, corona, heliosphere; surface temperature ~2,000 K, core temperature ~10 million K
c) Core, photosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere, corona; surface temperature ~8,000 K, core temperature ~12 million K
d) Radiative zone, convective zone, stratosphere, chromosphere, corona; surface temperature ~6,000 K, core temperature ~20 million K
a) Core, radiative zone, convective zone, photosphere, chromosphere, corona; surface temperature ~5,500 K, core temperature ~15 million K
CHAPTER 16 Review & Discussion 2)
What is luminosity, and how is it measured in the case of the Sun?
A) Luminosity is the brightness of a star as seen from Earth, measured in apparent magnitudes.
B) Luminosity is the total energy emitted by a star per second, measured by combining the star’s temperature and radius.
C) Luminosity is the distance of a star from Earth, measured using parallax techniques.
D) Luminosity is the heat output of a star, measured using its surface temperature alone.
B) Luminosity is the total energy emitted by a star per second, measured by combining the star’s temperature and radius.
CHAPTER 16 Review & Discussion 3)
what are the temperatures of the sun’s core and surface respectively?
The solar core has a temperature of about 15 million K. The solar surface (the photosphere) has a temperature of about 6,000K
CHAPTER 16 Review & Discussion 5)
How do observations of the Sun’s surface tell us about conditions in the solar interior?
a) By studying helioseismology, which analyzes oscillations on the Sun’s surface to infer its internal structure
b) By observing the Sun’s magnetic field, which directly originates from the core
c) By detecting gamma rays emitted from the core through the Sun’s surface
d) By measuring the composition of solar wind particles, which represent the Sun’s interior material
a) By studying helioseismology, which analyzes oscillations on the Sun’s surface to infer its internal structure
CHAPTER 16 Review & Discussion 8)
What is the solar wind?
a) A stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun, including electrons and protons
b) A flow of gases from the Sun’s surface that causes solar flares
c) A type of radiation emitted by the Sun’s core
d) The interaction between the Sun’s magnetic field and Earth’s atmosphere
a) A stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun, including electrons and protons
CHAPTER 16 Review & Discussion 15)
What would we observe on Earth if the Sun’s internal energy source suddenly shut off? How long do you think it might take—minutes, days, years, or millions of years—for the Sun’s light to begin to fade? Repeat the question for solar neutrinos
a) The Sun’s light would begin to fade in minutes; Solar neutrinos would stop arriving almost immediately.
b) The Sun’s light would begin to fade in days; Solar neutrinos would stop arriving in days.
c) The Sun’s light would begin to fade in years; Solar neutrinos would stop arriving in years.
d) The Sun’s light would begin to fade in millions of years; Solar neutrinos would stop arriving in minutes.
a) The Sun’s light would begin to fade in minutes; Solar neutrinos would stop arriving almost immediately.
chapter 14 multiple choice: 2)
Most main-belt asteroids are about the size of
(a) the Moon;
(b) North America;
(c) a U.S. state;
(d) a small U.S. city
(d) a small U.S. city.
chapter 14 multiple choice: 3)
Spectroscopic studies indicate that the majority of
asteroids contain large fractions of
(a) carbon;
(b) silicate rocks;
(c) iron and nickel;
(d) ice
(a) carbon;