Science

Q: Exoplanets known as super-Earths A) have masses comparable to that of Jupiter. B) have masses comparable to that of Neptune. C) have masses 2-10 times that of Earth. D) orbit extremely massive stars. E) have yet to be observed.

Q: Planetary transits of exoplanets are rare because A) most exoplanets are smaller than Pluto. B) most extrasolar systems are not seen edge-on. C) our telescopes are not powerful enough to detect them. D) most stars are too bright for us to detect a planetary transit. E) the Earth's atmosphere interferes with our observations of transits.

Q: The number of confirmed extrasolar planets A) is about 600, and is not expected to rise very much. B) has been decreasing as some observations thought to be planets have been disproven. C) is about 800, and is rising slowly, as observations are quite difficult. D) was about 800 at the time of publication but is rising rapidly due to new observations by the Kepler spacecraft. E) is zero; there are observations thought to be of extrasolar planets but none has yet been confirmed.

Q: Which statement about extrasolar planets found to date is true? A) All are terrestrials, comparable in size to Earth. B) Few are found by Doppler shifts of their stars, due to their gravity. C) All lie more than 2 AU from their star. D) Most have orbital periods of more than a year. E) Some are so close to their stars that their periods are just a few days.

Q: Most of the extrasolar planets found so far were detected by A) noting the drop in the star's light as the planet transits its disk. B) imaging them with the HST in the infrared, where they are easier to stop. C) noting the Doppler shifts of the star as the planet orbits it from side to side. D) receiving radio transmissions from them, much like Jupiter emits. E) detecting the oxygen in their atmospheres spectroscopically.

Q: So far, beyond the solar system the extrasolar planets found have been mostly A) large jovians orbiting solar-type stars about where our jovians are found. B) large jovians very close to their star. C) terrestrials very close to their star, and transiting its disk. D) terrestrials with very elongated, distant orbits like comets. E) brown dwarfs much more massive than Jupiter.

Q: The larger terrestrial planets have surface features that tend to be A) older. B) younger. C) more cratered. D) more icy. E) more rocky.

Q: As a rotating gas cloud contracts, it spins A) faster due to an increase in angular momentum. B) slower due to a decrease in angular momentum. C) at a constant rate. D) faster due to conservation of angular momentum. E) slower due to conservation of angular momentum.

Q: According to the Solar Nebula theory, planets A) should be randomly oriented to their star's equator. B) will revolve opposite the star's rotation. C) should be a common result of star formation. D) should be extremely rare. E) should orbit perpendicular to their star's equator.

Q: In terms of composition A) all planets condensed from the same nebula, and have similar compositions. B) the jovian planets are more like the Sun than are the terrestrials. C) the terrestrials are more like the Sun, since they formed close to it. D) the Sun is unique, made of nothing but hydrogen and helium. E) the jovian planets are made only of ice, and the terrestrials only of rock.

Q: As the solar nebula contracts, it A) flattens out into the ecliptic plane around the Sun's poles. B) spins faster due to conservation of angular momentum. C) cools due to condensation. D) loses angular momentum. E) reverses its direction of rotation.

Q: If a comet's ion tail is pointing perpendicular to its direction of travel, the comet is A) close to or at perihelion. B) close to or at aphelion. C) moving closer to the Sun. D) moving away from the Sun. E) A comet's tail never points perpendicular to its motion.

Q: Before it arrived in orbit about Jupiter, the Galileo spacecraft flew past A) Comet Halley. B) Mars. C) Saturn. D) the asteroid Gaspra. E) the asteroid Ceres.

Q: The nucleus of a comet is typically A) a few meters in diameter. B) very durable, made of iron. C) a few kilometers in size, and very low in density. D) a few hundred kilometers across, and bright, shiny white from its ices. E) located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Q: The Manicouagan reservoir near Quebec is an example of A) a volcanic event. B) cometary debris. C) Earth's interaction with a comet's dust tail. D) a large meteorite impact. E) a micrometeorite impact.

Q: Which of these bodies are most likely to break up over time? A) asteroids in the main belt B) jovian satellites C) comet nuclei D) Kuiper Belt bodies E) Trojan asteroids

Q: Objects in the Kuiper belt A) are in random orbits at all inclinations to the ecliptic. B) lie beyond the orbit of Neptune, and close to the ecliptic. C) are the sources of long-period comets. D) are dense, like the iron meteorites. E) lie beyond the orbit of Neptune and perpendicular to the ecliptic.

Q: The orbits of most comets A) are like the planets, fairly circular and in the ecliptic plane. B) lie almost entirely beyond the orbit of Neptune. C) have perihelions within the orbits of Mercury. D) go no farther out than Pluto, then return to the sun again. E) are shorter than the 76-year period for Comet Halley.

Q: Long-period comets are believed to originally come from A) the asteroid belt. B) the Kuiper belt. C) the Oort cloud. D) the satellite system of Jupiter. E) the interstellar medium.

Q: A meteorite is A) a chunk of space debris that has struck the ground. B) a streak of light in the atmosphere. C) an icy body with a long tail extending from it. D) a chunk of space debris orbiting the Earth. E) an irregularly shaped body, mostly found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.

Q: A meteor is A) a chunk of space debris that has struck the ground. B) a streak of light in the atmosphere. C) an icy body with a long tail extending from it. D) a chunk of space debris orbiting the Earth. E) an irregularly shaped body, mostly found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.

Q: Meteorites are important because A) they contain pristine material from the solar nebula. B) large ones may cause mass extinctions. C) some come from the Moon and Mars, as well as the asteroid belt. D) All of the above are true. E) None of the above are true.

Q: Meteor showers are A) usually annual events, as the orbits again intersect. B) caused by the Earth passing near the orbit of an Earthgrazing asteroid. C) caused by the Earth passing near the orbit of an old short-period comet. D) Both A and B are correct. E) Both A and C are correct.

Q: Iron meteorites are believed to come from A) the core of a differentiated asteroid, now broken up. B) the crust of a differentiated asteroid, now broken up. C) a broken up cometary nucleus. D) debris from the Kuiper Belt. E) interstellar space.

Q: Relative to the comet, the direction of the ion tail tells us A) where the ecliptic is. B) the direction of the Sun. C) the velocity of the comet. D) the direction the comet is traveling. E) where the comet came from.

Q: In July 2011, the Dawn probe entered orbit around A) the asteroid Ceres. B) the asteroid Vesta. C) the comet Wild. D) the asteroid Ida. E) the asteroid Gaspra.

Q: Before it arrived in orbit about Eros, the NEAR spacecraft visited A) Venus. B) the Moon. C) Mars. D) the asteroid Mathilde. E) the asteroid Gaspra.

Q: The most detailed look we've had of an asteroid comes from A) spacecraft sent to an asteroid. B) ground based optical images. C) Earth orbital X-ray images. D) ground based radar images. E) high-altitude UV spectroscopy.

Q: Which statement about asteroids is not true? A) They vary considerably in composition, reflectivity, and size. B) Most stay between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. C) Some have satellites of their own. D) Their images become blurry due to outgassing as the Sun heats them up. E) Earthgrazers can cross not only our orbit, but even those of Venus and Mercury.

Q: The first spacecraft to land on the surface of an asteroid was named A) Stardust. B) Giotto. C) Galileo. D) NEAR. E) Dawn.

Q: The most distant objects in our solar system are A) in the Kuiper Belt. B) the jovians. C) in the Oort Cloud. D) short period comets. E) the Trojan asteroids.

Q: The Trojan asteroids are found A) orbiting around the Kuiper Belt body Hector. B) with the others, between Mars and Jupiter; their red color gives them their name. C) sixty degrees ahead or behind Jupiter, sharing its orbit about the Sun. D) beyond Neptune, with orbits similar to Pluto's. E) closer on average to the Sun than is the Earth.

Q: Which of the following have an icy composition? A) most asteroids B) meteoroids C) comets D) the surface of Mars E) meteorites and most asteroids

Q: Which of the following does not fall into the category of interplanetary debris? A) comets B) meteoroids C) rings around the jovian planets. D) Trojan asteroids E) Kuiper Belt bodies

Q: The Oort Cloud is believed to be A) a flattened belt of cometary nuclei just beyond the orbit of Neptune. B) the circular disk of gas around the Sun's equator from which the planets formed. C) a grouping of asteroids and meteoroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. D) a spherical cloud of cometary nuclei far beyond the Kuiper Belt. E) the great nebula found just below the belt stars of Orion.

Q: The tail of a comet always points A) toward the Sun and disappears at perihelion. B) toward Earth and never varies. C) away from the Sun and disappears at perihelion. D) away from the Sun and becomes longest and brightest at perihelion. E) in the direction of the comet's motion.

Q: The Kuiper Belt is found where in the solar system? A) beyond the orbit of Neptune B) among the orbits of the terrestrial planets C) between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter D) between the orbits of Jupiter and Uranus E) sixty degrees ahead or behind Jupiter

Q: The largest asteroid, and probably the only one to be a spherical "world" is A) Eros. B) Ida. C) Vesta. D) Ceres. E) Gaspra.

Q: The jovian planets A) all lie less than 5 AU from the Sun. B) all have rings around their equators. C) all spin slower than the Earth. D) have satellite systems with less than 4 moons. E) are all much more dense than any of the terrestrial planets.

Q: What is true about solar system densities? A) The denser planets lie closer to the Sun. B) In differentiated bodies, the denser materials lie near their surfaces. C) The asteroids all have about the same density. D) Saturn has the same density as water. E) Planetary density increases with increasing distance from the Sun.

Q: Which of the following is not icy in composition? A) comet nuclei B) Kuiper Belt Objects C) the polar cap of Mars D) asteroids E) most jovian satellites

Q: Planetary orbits A) are evenly spaced throughout the solar system. B) are highly inclined to the ecliptic. C) are almost circular, with low eccentricities. D) have the Sun at their exact center. E) are spaced more closely together as they get further from the Sun.

Q: Which planet by itself contains the majority of mass of all the planets? A) Jupiter B) Saturn C) the Earth D) Venus E) Uranus

Q: Which of the following are the jovian planets? A) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto B) only Jupiter C) only Jupiter and Saturn D) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune only E) everything past Mars and the asteroid belt

Q: Density is defined as A) mass per unit volume. B) weight per square inch. C) size divided by weight. D) mass times weight. E) weight divided by the planet's radius.

Q: The fact that we don't see very many Earthlike planets in orbit around other stars is an indication that Earthlike planets are rare.

Q: The Kepler spacecraft has already identified thousands of exoplanet candidates.

Q: No stars have yet been observed that have more than one exoplanet.

Q: In some cases, we have seen extrasolar planets pass in front of their stars.

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