the planet with the greatest mean density is
A Earth
B Neptune
C Jupiter
D Mercury
which of the following is not a characteristic of the Jovian planets?
A low average density
B orbits outside the asteroids
C hydrogen-poor composition
D large diameters
all inner planets probably have interiors that are
A differentiated, with a dense core, less dense mantle, and a crust fracture into "plates"
B differentiated, with a dense core, less dense mantle, and a thin crust
C homogeneous, with all their materials mixed evenly throughout
D none of the above; the inner planets are quite different from each other
which of the following characteristics is not typical of our planetary system?
A most of the planets have about the same physical size
B most planets orbit the sun in about the same plane
C most of the planets have their spin axes aligned to within 30to the perpendicular to the orbital plane
D the orbits of most of the planets are almost circular
most of a terrestrial planet's atmosphere comes from
A residual gas surrounding the planet at the time of its formation
B gas released from the interior of the planet
C gas captured as the planet passes through a gas cloud
D collisions with comets early in the planet's history
Jovian planets are _____ than terrestrial planets
A less dense
B less massive
C smaller
D closer to the sun
the sun
A accounts for about 1/3 the mass of the solar system
B accounts for about 2/3 of the mass of the original solar nebula
C accounts for approximately 97% of the mass of the solar system
D accounts for about 1/3 of the mass of the milky way
strong evidence for the existence of planetary systems in the process of formation around other stars comes from
A photographs and infra-red observations of disks of dust
B direct photography of actual planets near to other stars
C detection of very regular pulses of radio energy from some stars
D spectroscopic evidence of large quantities of molecules such as ammonia an methane,
which can only exist in planetary atmospheres
the overall shape of the orbits of most of the planets in the solar system is
A elliptical, very elongated
B parabolic
C slightly elongated, or elliptical, but nearly circular
D perfectly circular
Kepler's third law points out that, among the planets in the solar system, the farther a planet is from the sun, then the
A more eccentric is its orbit.
B slower its orbital speed.
C faster its orbital speed.
D more inclined is its orbit.
the apparent path of the sun across our sky, day by day throughout the yea is known as
A the celestial equator
B the celestial meridian
C the tropic of cancer
D the ecliptic
the vernal equinox is that time of the year when
A the sun crosses the ecliptic plane
B the sun crosses the equatorial plane, or celestial equator, moving north
C the Earth is at its closest point to the sun
D the sun crosses the equatorial plane, or celestial equator, moving south
the process by which heavier materials sank into the centers of terrestrial planets while lighter material rose to the surface early in the history o these planets is known as
A chemical differentiation
B sea-floor spreading
C plate tectonics
D subduction
whether a planet or moon has an atmosphere depends upon its
A orbital speed.
B temperature.
C escape velocity.
D both (a) and (c) above.
E both (b) and (c) above.
which event will occur next in our calendar, starting today?
A equator
B equinox
C ecliptic
D solstice
compared to the Jovian planets, on the average, terrestrial planets are
A more dense and more massive.
B less dense and more massive.
C more dens and less massive.
the low average densities of the Jovian planets, which have high masses an hence high gravitational fields, is an indication of what fact about their interiors?
A their interiors are composed of h2o, ch4 (methane) and nh3 (ammonia)
B they are composed mainly of very light elements, such as h and he
C their interiors have not been condensed to liquid or solid form
D they have hot, gaseous interiors, similar to cool stars
Mercury and Venus are always seen
A near the moon
B near each other
C near the sun
D none of the above
which of the following are physical characteristics of the solar system?
A all of the planets have atmospheres similar to that of Earth.
B in all cases planetary surface temperatures decrease as planet-to-sun distance increases.
C chemical compositions of the planets vary with distance from the sun.
D all planets have solid rocky surfaces similar to Earth.
the "angular momentum problem" for nebular models of the solar system's origin essentially means that
A the sun should be spinning faster than it does.
B the planets should have faster orbital speeds.
C the Jovian planets have too much mass.
D the Jovian planets rotate too fast.
the autumnal equinox is that time of the year when
A the sun crosses the equatorial plane, moving south
B the sun crosses the galactic equator
C the Earth is at its closest point to the sun
D the sun crosses the ecliptic plane
the largest of the terrestrial planets is
A Venus
B Earth
C Mars
D Jupiter
which of the following statements is true of all of the planets?
A they rotate on their axes and revolve around the sun.
B they rotate in the same direction.
C they have at least one moon.
D their axes point toward Polaris.
E more than one of the above are true of all the planets.
vernal equinox is one time of the year when the sun
A crosses the moon's orbital path in the sky
B is at its lowest point in the sky at midday
C crosses the ecliptic plane
D crosses the celestial equator
planet x has its rotation axis perpendicular to its orbital plane. its seasons would be
A shorter than those on Earth
B longer than those on Earth
C the same as those on Earth
D constant
a planet's albedo is the
A fraction of sunlight it reflects
B relative amount of oxygen in its atmosphere
C ratio of its mass to the mass of the Earth
D Doppler shift caused by its motion around the sun
in our solar system, which of the following planets is not a member of the Jovian group?
A Jupiter
B Saturn
C Mars
D Neptune
what is the most common configuration and motion for moons of planets?
A synchronous rotation, with one face always pointed towards the sun
B synchronous rotation, with one face always pointed towards the planet
C non-synchronous rotation, with independent periods of rotation and revolution, and spin axes perpendicular to orbit
D non-synchronous rotation, with axis of rotation in any direction with resp to their orbital
plane
which planet in our solar system has the lowest average density?
A Earth
B Uranus
C Jupiter
D Saturn
in our solar system, which of the following planets is not a member of the terrestrial group?
A Mars
B Venus
C Mercury
D Jupiter
which is the largest planet in our solar system?
A Uranus
B Earth
C Saturn
D Jupiter
what was the most abundant gas present in the original planetary atmosphere
A methane
B hydrogen
C water vapor
D carbon dioxide
the Jovian planets are composed of
A essentially solar composition
B c, n, and o
C nh3 and ch4
D co2 and h2o
which of the following is not a general dynamic property of the solar system that a model of origin must explain?
A the planets' orbits lie pretty much in the same plane.
B the planets revolve around the sun in the same direction.
C all the planets and the sun revolve around the galaxy.
D the planets' orbits are pretty much circular.
the ecliptic plane can be defined as
A the path traced by the sun in our sky over 1 year against the background stars
B the path traced by the moon in our sky in 1 month against the background stars
C the plane which is perpendicular to the Earth's spin axis
D the extension of the Earth's equator on to the sky
in which object or group of objects in the planetary system is the rotation rate of the individuals around their own axes highest?
A the Earth's moon
B terrestrial planets
C the sun
D Jovian planets
an astronomical unit (A.U.) is
A the unit coined by bode to explain his law
B the average distance from the Earth to the sun
C the average distance of any given planet to the sun
D equal to 2.25 light years
relative to the giant planets, the inner planets have larger
A diameters
B masses
C densities
D none of the above
the primary chemical constituent of the Jovian planets is:
A iron.
B oxygen.
C hydrogen.
D methane.
on the day of the vernal equinox, (approximately march 21st each year), which of the following conditions holds?
A day and night are each almost exactly 12 hours long at all locations on the Earth
B the length of daylight is longest on this day
C the sun rises at its most northerly point on the horizon on this day
D the sun follows the celestial meridian across the sky
which of the following are key dynamical features of the solar system that any model of its origin must explain?
A the planets lie in the same plane.
B the planets revolve in the same direction.
C the sun contains most of the solar system's mass.
D the planets contain most of the angular momentum.
E all of the above.
which of the following has the greatest average density?
A the water in the pacific ocean
B the planet Jupiter
C the planet Earth
D the planet Saturn
compared to jovian planets, terrestrial planets have a
A more rocky composition.
B a lower density.
C a more rapid rotation.
D a larger size.
E more than one of the above.
the mass of a planet is determined primarily by what method?
A a measurement of its diameter by photograph
B measurement of its orbital eccentricity
C a measurement of its average temperature by remote sensing
D observation of its gravitational influence on an orbiting moon
most of the planets orbit the sun on or close to
A the equatorial plane
B the galactic plane
C the ecliptic plane
D the meridian plane at greenwich, England.
the space telescope, in 1995, discovers a series of planets with the following characteristics moving around a star which resembles our sun;-- spherical, solid surfaces, mean densities about 4 times that of h20, radii about 4000 km, low density atmospheres. what would these planets be classified as, in comparison to our solar system?
A asteroids
B jovian planets
C cometary nuclei
D terrestrial planets
which of the following characterizes jovian planets?
A small size
B high density
C primarily hydrogen and helium
D slow rotation
which of the following is not a characteristic of the terrestrial planets?
A low average density
B orbits inside the asteroids
C craters in old surfaces
D small diameters
in nebular models, the "angular momentum problem" can be solved by transferring angular momentum
A from the planets to the sun.
B from the sun to the planets.
C from the sun to a very strong solar wind.
D from the sun to the comets in the oort cloud.
E from the planets to their natural moons.
according to kepler's second law, when a planet moves closer to the sun in its orbit, it
A speeds up.
B slows down.
C undergoes retrograde motion.
which of the following are considered orbital-rotational characteristics of the solar system?
A planetary orbital motions are in the same direction.
B planetary orbits are nearly coplanar and lie near the sun's equatorial plane.
C planetary orbits are nearly circular.
D a, b, and c are true.
which of the following characterizes terrestrial planets?
A rocky composition
B low density
C rapid rotation
D large size
the inner planets and the giant planets have similar
A densities
B chemical compositions
C masses
D none of the above
what is the name usually given to the "family" consisting of the sun and the planets, minor planets, comets, etc. that orbit it?
A the solar system.
B the universe.
C the planetarium.
D the milky way.
the process in which heavy elements sink to the center of a molten planet is called
A separation
B reduction
C differentiation
D oxidation
the gas giant planets all have atmospheres composed primarily of
A carbon-dioxide
B nitrogen
C oxygen
D hydrogen
which of the following is true of giant planets?
A they have low average densities compared to terrestrial planets.
B their orbits are closer to the sun than the asteroids' orbits.
C they have craters in old surfaces.
D they have small diameters compared to terrestrial planets.
E they have fewer satellites than do terrestrial planets.
all nine major planets orbit the sun
A in the same direction
B in about the same plane
C in orbits which are nearly circular (all with orbital eccentricities less than 0.3)
D all of the above
the difference between the inner and outer planets is due to
A the amount of rotation in the system
B the size of the sun
C the composition of the star which collided with the sun
D the gradient of temperatures in the solar cloud
the density of an object is defined as
A its thickness.
B how much solid material the object contains.
C its mass.
D its volume.
E the ratio of its mass to its volume.
most of the mass of the solar system is in the
A inner planets
B giant planets
C sun
D comets
the average density of which of the following planetary groups is close to that of water (1 gm per c.c.)?
A Mercury and Venus, because they are close to the sun
B the jovian planets, because of their composition
C the terrestrial planets, because they are of relatively low mass, and have been condensed relatively little by gravitational forces
D the asteroids because they are very small objects
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