Assignment 5 Test Questions – Flashcards
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Which planet by itself contains the majority of mass of all the planets?
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Jupiter
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What is the goal of comparative planetology?
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to determine the origin and evolution of the solar system
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What is true about solar system densities?
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The denser planets lie closer to the sun
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Formation of the solar system ranked from the first to the last stage
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first stage - large cloud of gas and dust - contraction of solar nebula - condensation of solid particles - accretion of planetesimals - clearing the solar nebula last stage
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The average density of each planet in the solar system is determined by taking its mass and dividing that by its
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volume
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The rotation periods of Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are difficult to determine because
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their surface features are obscured by their atmospheres
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Order of the solar system
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Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
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The plane in which almost all planets orbit the sun is called the:
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ecliptic
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Which statement about the motion of the planets is incorrect?
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most planets move in the earth's equatorial plane
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Mercury's most unusual orbital feature, as compared to the other planets, is
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the shape of its orbit
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What aspects of the planets orbits are nearly the same for most planets?
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shape and tilt from the ecliptic
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Planetary orbits
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are almost circular, with low eccentricities
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__________ is about 30 times as far from the sun as our own planet
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Neptune
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_________ is the planet with the highest average surface temperature
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Venus
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The planet with the lowest average density is _______
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Saturn
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The planet that orbits closest to the sun is ___________
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Mercury
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The only rocky planet to have more than one moon is ________
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Mars
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____________ is the jovian planet that orbits closest to the sun
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Jupiter
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__________ has a rotational axis that is tilted so much it lies nearly in the plane of its orbit
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Uranus
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Most of the surface of _______ is covered with liquid water
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Earth
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How do the densities of the jovian and terrestrial planets compare?
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All terrestrial are more dense than any of the jovian
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Which of the following are the Jovian planets?
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Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune only
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In composition and mass and density, Jupiter is most like:
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the sun
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Which characteristic listed below describes the jovian planets?
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low density
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Which of the characteristics below describes the terrestrial planets?
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possessing weak magnetic fields
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The jovian planets
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all have rings around their equators
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Terrestrial planets vs. Jovian planets
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Terrestrial planets - small size - located within the inner solar system - solid, rocky surfaceJovian planets - numerous orbiting moons - extensive ring systems - primarily composed of hydrogen, helium, and hydrogen compounds - low average density
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Assuming that other planetary systems form in the same way as our solar system formed, where would you expect to find terrestrial planets?
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Terrestrial planets will likely be located nearer the planetary system's star than any jovian planets
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Compared to terrestrial planets, jovian planets are __________.
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more massive and lower in average density
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Which planet is approximately halfway between Pluto's orbit and the Sun?
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Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun
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The dwarf planet Eris was discovered in 2005, orbiting the Sun at an average distance about twice that of Pluto. In which of the following ways do Pluto and Eris differ from the terrestrial and jovian planets in our solar system?
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- Both Pluto and eris are smaller than any of the terrestrial planets - both Pluto and eris travel in more elliptical orbits than any of the terrestrial or jovian planets - both Pluto and eris are less massive than any of the terrestrial or jovian planets
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Most asteroids are found:
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Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
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The Kuiper Belt is found where in the solar system?
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beyond the orbit of Neptune
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In composition and density, the asteroids most resemble:
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pieces of terrestrial planets
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The difference between a meteoroid and an asteroid is the object's
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size
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The Kuiper Belt is an "outer asteroid belt" consisting of what types of solar system bodies?
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icy cometlike bodies
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Which of the following have an icy composition?
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comets
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A meteorite is
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a chunk of space debris that has struck the ground.
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Objects in the Kuiper belt
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lie beyond the orbit of Neptune, and close to the ecliptic.
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Which of the following is considered "interplanetary matter"?
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Comet Hale-Bopp
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What substances were found within the inner 0.3 AU of the solar system before planets began to form?
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rocks, metals, hydrogen compounds, hydrogen, and helium, all in gaseous form
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What substances existed as solid flakes within the inner 0.3 AU of the solar system before planets began to form?
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None
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Where would you expect terrestrial planets to form in the solar nebula?
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anywhere between 0.3 AU and the frost line
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The jovian planets are thought to have formed as gravity drew hydrogen and helium gas around planetesimals made of __________.
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rocks, metals and ices
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As the solar nebula contracts due to gravitation, the cloud
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spins faster
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What is the role of irregularities in the solar system in terms of theories of its origin?
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they introduce a need for flexibility in theories of the solar systems origin
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What might have made the original solar nebula begin to contract?
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the shock wave from a nearby exploding star
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A successful theory of the formation of the solar system must explain
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all observed properties of the solar system
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Planetary orbits
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are almost circular, with low eccentricities.
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What is true about solar system densities?
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The sender planets lie closer to the sun
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What happens when a solar nebula contracts?
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All the above - it heats up - it flattens out - it spins faster
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In light of modern solar system theory, why do the orbits of the planets all lie in the same plane?
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The early solar nebula flattened into a disk
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What is the process of accretion?
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growth of an object by the accumulation of matter
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Conservation of angular momentum means that a spinning body tends to
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keep spinning
