question

The largest planets also have the largest densities

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False

question

The total mass of all the planets is much less than the mass of the Sun.

answer

True

question

Asteroids, meteoroids, and comets are remnants of the early solar system

answer

True

question

If we were to construct an accurate scale model of the solar system on a football field with the Sun at one end and Neptune at the other, the planet closest to the center of the field would be

answer

Uranus

question

In the leading theory of solar system formation, the planets

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formed from the same flattened, swirling gas cloud that formed the Sun.

question

The solar system is differentiated because

answer

only rocky and metallic particles could form close to the Sun

question

According to the chart in Discovery 4-1 in the textbook, an impact resulting in global catastrophe is expected to occur roughly once per

answer

million years

question

Which of the following are the Jovian planets?

answer

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune only

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Which planet by itself contains the majority of mass of all the planets?

answer

Jupiter

question

Planetary orbits

answer

are almost circular, with low eccentricities

question

Which of the following is not icy in composition?

answer

asteroids

question

In terms of ________, all the terrestrials are greater than any of the jovians

answer

denisty

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The jovian planets

answer

all have rings around their equators.

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All the planets orbit the Sun in the ________ plane

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ecliptic

question

The Kuiper Belt is found where in the solar system?

answer

beyond the orbit of Neptune

question

The tail of a comet always points

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away from the Sun and becomes longest and brightest at perihelion

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The Oort Cloud is believed to be

answer

a spherical cloud of cometary nuclei far beyond the Kuiper Belt

question

Which of the following have an icy composition?

answer

comets

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The most distant objects in our solar system are

answer

in the Oort Cloud.

question

The most detailed look we've had of an asteroid comes from

answer

spacecraft sent to an asteroid

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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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The orbits of most comets

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lie almost entirely beyond the orbit of Neptune.

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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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In terms of composition

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the jovian planets are more like the Sun than are the terrestrials

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As the solar nebula contracts it

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spins faster due to conservation of angular momentum

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According to the Solar Nebula theory, planets

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should be a common result of star formation

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As a rotating gas cloud contracts, it spins

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faster due to conservation of angular momentum

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So far, beyond the solar system the extrasolar planets found have been mostly

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large jovians with terrestrial-type orbits.

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Most of the extrasolar planets found so far were detected by

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noting the Doppler shifts of the star as the planet orbits it from side to side

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Which statement about extrasolar planets found to date is true?

answer

Some are so close to their stars that their periods are just a few days

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All the terrestrial planets lie inside the asteroid belt.

answer

True

question

One characteristic of the Terrestrial planets is their extensive moon systems

answer

False

question

Earth is nearly twice as large as Venus

answer

False

question

All Jovian planets have rings around their equators and at least eight moons

answer

True

question

Due to their great masses, all four Jovian worlds are much denser than the earth.

answer

False

question

Comets are not actually members of the solar system, but captured by the Sun

answer

False

question

In addition to revolving around the Sun counter clockwise, most planets also rotate on their axis counter clockwise

answer

True

question

Astronomers have not yet been able to detect planets outside our solar system

answer

False

question

Relative to the comet, the direction of the ion tail tells us

answer

the direction of the Sun

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Meteor showers are

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caused by the Earth passing near the orbit of an old short-period comet and usually annual events, as the orbits again intersect

question

A meteor is

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a streak of light in the atmosphere.

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Long-period comets are believed to originally come from

answer

the Oort cloud.

question

All the planets revolve around the Sun counter clockwise, except for Venus and Uranus.

answer

False

question

All the planets' orbits are even spaced.

answer

False

question

Pluto is more similar to the jovian planet's icy moons than to any of the other planets

answer

True

question

A Kuiper Belt object was recently discovered that may be larger than Pluto

answer

True

question

Barringer Crater in Arizona is an example of a meteorite impact

answer

True

question

The Oort Cloud lies closer to the Sun than the Kuiper Belt

answer

False

question

Some meteorites are believed to have come from Mars and the Moon.

answer

True

question

As a rotating gas cloud contracts, it spins faster

answer

True

question

We would expect other planets beyond our own solar system to orbit the equators of their home stars, as our own planets orbit the Sun.

answer

True

question

The nucleus of a comet is typically

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a few kilometers in size, and very low in density

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The Manicouagan reservoir near Quebec is an example of

answer

a large meteorite impact.

question

Characteristics of terresterial planets

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small size, solid rocky surface, located within the inner solar system

question

Characteristics of jovian planets

answer

low average density, extensive ring system, numerous orbiting moons, primarily composed of hydrogen, helium, and hydrogen compounds

question

The length of the tail of a comet depends primarily on

answer

the distance of the comet from the Sun

question

Comet tails are _________when the comet is closer to the Sun

answer

longer

question

Comet tails are ______________ when farther from the sun

answer

shorter (or nonexistent)

question

About a trillion comets are thought to be located far, far beyond Pluto in the______

answer

Oort Cloud

question

The bright spherical part of a comet observed when it is close to the sun is

answer

coma

question

A comets ________stretches directly away from the sun

answer

Plasma tail

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A comet's ______if the frozen part of the comet.

answer

nucleus

question

Particles ejected from a comet can cause a ___________on Earth

answer

Meteror shower

question

________extends from about beyond the orbit of Neptune to about twice the distance of Neptune from the sun.

answer

The Kuiper Belt

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