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Physical Science 113 - Astronomy
Exam III
For the following questions deal with the Jovian planets, choose the correct answer from the list below
A) Jupiter B) Saturn C) Uranus D) Neptune
1.
This planet has a hurricane-like storm which has lasted for more than 300 years.
2.
This planet which has a distinctive set of rings, visible in a small telescope from the Earth.
3.
This is the largest planet in the solar system.
4.
The planet is believed to have the highest winds.
5.
This planet is tipped on its side so that the rotation axis is almost in the plane of the ecliptic.
6.
This planet is farthest from the sun, and should have the coldest temperatures.
7.
This planet has the largest moon in the solar system.
8.
This planet has the only moon in the solar system with an appreciable, permanent atmosphere.
______________________________________________________________________
9.
Pluto, now considered to be a dwarf planet, has 4 moons.
a) True b) False
10.
The name given to the asteroids which oribit the Sun in Jupiter's orbit
a) Trojan b) Apollo c) Ceres d) Pallus e) Terrestrial
11.
The Galilean moons of Jupiter, arranged in order from the planet outward are
a) Io, Calisto, Europa, Ganymede
b) Io, Calisto, Ganymede, Europa
c) Io, Europa, Ganymede, Calisto
d) Calisto, Europa, Ganymede, Io
12.
The magnetic fields of what two planets appears to be off-center and strangely tilted relative to the
rotational axis of these planets.
a) Mercury and Uranus b) Saturn and Jupiter c) Uranus and Neptune
d) Saturn and Uranus e) Earth and Venus
13.
Auroras are caused by
a) charged particles impacting on a planet's atmosphere.
b) sunlight being reflected by upper layers of the atmosphere.
c) sunlight being refracted by upper layers of the atmosphere.
d) moonlight being refracted and reflected by upper layers of the atmosphere.
e) gravitational attraction of light toward the planet.
14.
The diameter of the Sun is about _____ times the diameter of the Earth.
a) 0.5 b) 5 c) 10 d) 100 e) 1000
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15.
The diameter of Jupiter is about _____ times the diameter of the Earth.
a) 0.5 b) 5 c) 10 d) 100 e) 1000
16.
Which planets revolve around the Sun in the same direction that Earth does?
a) Mercury and Venus only b) Mercury, Venus, and Mars only
c) Venus, Mars, and Jupiter only d) All of the planets
17.
Which of the following planets has a rotational direction opposite from Earth's?
a) Mercury b) Venus c) Mars d) Jupiter e) Saturn
18.
Which of the terms below is the correct one to use to describe an object which was seen streaking
through the earth's atmosphere, but which has subsequently landed on the surface.
a) meteor b) meteorite c) meteroid
___________________________________________
For the following questions use the key below:
a) Jovian b) Terrestrial c) No general statement can be made
19.
In general, these planets rotate faster.
20.
In general, these planets are larger.
21.
In general, these planets have rings.
22.
In general, these planets are mostly gaseous.
23.
In general, these planets have a thinner atmosphere.
24. In general, these planets have the greater number of moons.
___________________________________
25.
There are two types of meteorites found on the surface of the Earth. The most common type are the
_________ meteorites.
a) iron b) stoney
26.
The primary component of the Earth's atmosphere is ___________, while the principle component of
the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn is ____________.
a) oxygen, hydrogen
b) nitrogen, hydrogen
c) carbon dioxide, hydrogen
d) nitrogen, carbon dioxide
e) oxygen, carbon dioxide
27.
The cloud patterns on Jupiter consist of dark and light cloud patterns. The dark regions are known a
_______ and are regions where ______ gases are falling toward the interior.
a) belts, cool b) belts, warm c) zones, cool d) zones, warm
28.
The albedo of a planet tells us
a) how large a planet is
b) how "out of round" a planet is
c) the composition of the surface of a planet
d) the percentage of light that is reflected from a planet
e) how much the greenhouse effect changes the temperature of a planet
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29.
Which of the following planets would not be expected to have a significant magnetic field because its
rotation period of so long?
a) Mercury b) Mars c) Jupiter d) Uranus
30.
The magnetic field of the Earth is extremely beneficial to life, because it is this magnetic field that
allows the Sun's radiant energy to penetrate the Earth's atmosphere.
a) True b) False
31.
The length of a solar day on Jupiter is almost
a) 10 hours b) 24.7 hours c) nearly twice the length of a day on Earth
32.
The primary chemical constituent of the atmospheres of the Jovian planets is
a) oxygen b) nitrogen c) helium d) hydrogen e) carbon dioxide
33.
Uranus is unusual in that
a) its equatorial plane is tilted about 90 degrees with its plane of revolution.
b) all of its moons orbit in a retrograde direction.
c) its atmosphere is far different in composition from the other Jovian planets.
d) it is alone among the Jovian planets in not having a ring system.
e) it has only two moons, far fewer than the other Jovian planets.
34.
Which of the following planets were not originally observed by ancient astronomers as planets.
a) Mercury b) Venus c) Mars d) Jupiter e) Uranus
35.
On which of Jupiter's moons have we observed active volcanoes.
a) Io b) Europa c) Ganymede d) Calisto
36.
Which of the Galilean moons is NOT covered with ice?
a) Io b) Europa c) Ganymede d) Calisto
37.
The rings of all the Jovian planets are found near to the planet, while moons are found farther out.
This is because
a)
moons which are too near the planet will be torn apart by differential gravity forces
b)
moons too close to the planet will colide with one another and break each other apart
c)
moons too close to the planet will become extremely volcanic and explode
d)
moons too close to the planet would cause the planet to change its orbit
38.
Which of the Galilean moons of Jupiter has the most surface impact craters?
a) Io b) Europa c) Ganymede d) Calisto
39.
The rings of the Jovian planets are found within a certain distance of these planets. This distance is
known as the ___________ .
a) outer limit
b) gravitational boundary
c) Roche limit
d) Steinhart transition
e) Hubble distance
40.
Jupiter's magnetic field is nearly __________ times larger than the Earth's, and is the largest in the
solar system (apart from the Sun).
a) 10
b) 100
c) 1000
d) 20,000
e) 1,000,000
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41. The surfaces of Europa, Ganymede and Calisto all appear to be made up primarily of ice. Many
scientists believe that this ice may be similar to the polar ice caps on Earth, covering large oceans
below the surface of the ice. The moon which is believed to have the largest liquid ocean covered by
the thinnest ice cap is the moon _________.
a) Europa b) Ganymede c) Calisto
42.
Winds speeds on which Jovian planet appear to be the fastest in the Solar system?
a) Jupiter b) Saturn c) Uranus d) Neptune
43.
Triton is a moon of the planet ____________.
a) Jupiter b) Saturn c) Uranus
44.
The visible surface of the Sun is called the
a) photosphere b) chromosphere c) corona
d) limb
d) Neptune
e) heliosurf.
45.
Some of the outer moons of Jupiter are revolving around the planet in a direction opposite the other
moons. These moons are believed to be captured asteroids.
a) True b) False
46.
Pluto's largest moon is called
a) Tritan b) Titan c) Charon
d) Umbrial
e) Mina
47.
Since Pluto's discovery, we have observed other objects orbiting the Sun near Pluto. These objects
(including Pluto) are believed to form a belt of objects known as the __________ belt.
a) Ort b) Kissinger c) Kuiper d) Bradley e) Halley
48.
All of the larger moons in the solar system are spherical in shape.
a) True b) False
49.
Sunspots are
a) cooler and brighter than surrounding regions
b) cooler and darker than surrounding regions
c) hotter and darker than surrounding regions
d) hotter and brighter than surrounding regions
e) two of the above, depending upon the type sunspot
50.
Sunspots
a) migrate from high latitudes toward the equator during a solar cycle.
b) rotate around the Sun with a given period, no matter where they are located.
c) stay at the same location, not rotating with the Sun.
51.
The visible surface of the Sun is called the
a) photosphere b) chromosphere c) corona
d) limb
e) heliosurf.
52.
Once classified as the largest asteroid, __________ is now also classified as a dwarf planet because it
is large enough to be spherical in shape.
a) Apollo, b) Ceres, c)Gaspra d) Vesta e) Pallas
53.
The Trojan asteroids are asteroids that
a) orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter
b) orbit the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune
c) orbit the Sun at the same distance from the Sun as Jupiter but somwhat ahead and behind Jupiter
d) have been captured by Jupiter's gravitational pull and now orbit the planet in retrograde orbital
motion.
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54.
Which of the following lists the layers of the Sun's atmosphere correctly from inner to outer?
a) corona, photosphere, chromosphere b) corona, chromosphere, photosphere
c) chromosphere, corona, photosphere d) photosphere, chromosphere, corona
e) photosphere, corona, chromosphere
55.
The solar wind is
a) gas flowing across the surface of the Sun.
b) material flowing from the Sun out into space.
c) the motion of granules across the Sun's surface.
d) the motion of sunspots across the Sun's surface.
e) Both c) and d) above
56.
The number of sunspots
a) has been decreasing since they were first recorded by Galileo.
b) has been increasing since they were first recorded.
c) change with a cycle of about eleven years.
d) change with a cycle of about 104 years.
57.
Who was the first astronomer to observe sunspots?
a) Copernicus b) Tycho Brahe c) Galileo d) Casinni
e) Hubble
58.
The temperature on the Sun's surface is about _____ Kelvin.
a) 600 b) 1000 c) 6000
d) The answer is unknown since there is presently no way to measure it.
59.
The two most abundant elements in the Sun, with the most abundant listed first, are
a) helium, hydrogen b) hydrogen, helium c) carbon, hydrogen
d) hydrogen, carbon e) The answer is not known
60.
Most asteroids are found in a belt between the planets
a) Jupiter and Saturn
b) Mars and Jupiter
c) Earth and Mars
d) Saturn and Uranus
61.
The group of asteroids larger than about 1 km that cross the Earth's orbit are called
a) Kirkwood asteroids
b) Trojan asteroids
c) Apollo asteroids
d) Venutian asteroids
e) This question is erroneous - there are no asteroids that cross the orbit of the Earth.
62.
Long period comets are associate with _________, while short period comets are associated with
__________ .
a) the Oort cloud, the Kuiper belt
b) the Kuiper belt, the Oort cloud
c) meteor showers, no particular event
d) comet sightings every few years, comet sightings every few days.
e) Seyfert galaxies, radio galaxies
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63.
The Maunder minimum is
a) a dip in the intensity of light from a variable star.
b) a unusually long period when there was little sunspot activity.
c) the smallest mass of interplanetary gas which can contract to form a star.
d) the smallest measurable parallax for proper motion.
e) the smallest number of stars that can be classified as a stellar cluster.
64.
A comet has two tails. The _______ tail is always directed away from the Sun, while the _______
tail is slightly curved and trailing the motion of the comet.
a) dust, ion
b) hydrogen, electron
c) ion, dust
d) oxygen, carbon e) hydrogen, nitrogen
65.
When the path of the Earth's orbit crosses the orbital path of a comet,
a) the comet is deflected into the Sun
b) we see a large number of meteors streak through the sky
c) we have a eclipse of the Sun
d) a large number of plants and animals die
e) This question is erroneous - no comets cross the orbit of the Earth.
66.
The tail of a comet can be as long as 1 AU.
a) True b) False
67.
When an object from outer space plunges into our atmosphere it become extremely hot and creates a
bright streak of light across the night sky. This object is called a _________ while it streaks through
the night, but is called a ________ once it hits the ground.
a)
meteorite, meteor
b)
meteor, meteorite
c)
meteor, meteoroid
d)
meteoroid, meteorite
68.
The grass-like structures associated with the chromosphere of the sun are called
a) plages b) filaments c) prominences d) spicules e) granules
69.
Scientist believe that the solar system formed as a large gas cloud “collapsed” due to its own gravity
and heated up. At the center of this collapsing cloud, the gas heated up to a very large temperature
until nuclear ______________ occured, and our Sun was born.
a) fission
b) fusion c) proliferation d) equilibrium
70. Which terrestrial planet is expected to have an albedo similar to the Jovian planets?
a) Mercury b) Venus c) Earth d) Mars
71.
The giant red spot on Jupiter is believed to be
a)
a hurricane-like storm that has periodically appeared and disappeared over the past 300 years.
b)
a hurricane-like storm that has been continuously visible on the surface for over 300 years.
c)
a hurricane-like storm that was first seen after Jupiter was hit by a series of comet fragments.
d)
a large mountain-like structure sticking up through the clouds of Jupiter.
72. The ring around Jupiter was first observed with ground-based telescopes when occultation studies of
the planet were conducted to study the atmosphere of Jupiter.
a) True b) False
73.
Through a telescope on the Earth, one can see the rings of Saturn. Visible also is a gap in the ring
system. This gap is known as the ______________ .
a) Enke division b) Kirkwood gap c) Casinnin division d) F-ring
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74
Large spherical moons cannot exist inside of a distance that is roughly 2.4 planet radii because of the
large differential gravitational forces that are exerted on such an object. This radius is known as the
_____________.
a) Kirkwood gap b) Kirkwood limit c) Roche lilmit d) Maunder minimum
75.
Because Saturn rotates at about the same rate as Jupiter, the magnetic field of Saturn is about the
same size as that of Jupiter.
a) True b) False
76.
The second largest moon in the solar system if the Saturnian moon ____________.
a) Triton b) Titan c) Mimias d) Oberon e) Umbrial
77.
This largest moon of Saturn has an appreciable atmosphere that is very thick, composed mostly of
a) nitrogen b) oxygen c) carbon dioxide d) methane e) ammonia
78.
Which of these are also known as "dirty snowballs?"
a) meteoroids b) comets c) common asteroids
d) Trojan asteroids
79.
The part of the Sun that is reddish in color when seen during a total Solar eclipse.
a) photosphere b) chromosphere c) corona d) thermonuclear core
80.
A butterfly plot is
a) a plot of the average number of sunspots per month plotted over a long time period
b) a plot of the average number of sunspots and the relative position of these sunspots on the surface
of the Sun.
c) a plot of the average number of butterflys each year, which was once believer to be related to the
Solar activity
d) a plot of the different colors of sunspots and their relative location on the surface of the Sun.
81.
Regions of Sunspot activity on the Sun' surface appear to be regions where the magnetic field on the
surface is much larger than the average magnetic field of the Sun.
a) True
b) False
82.
The rings of Saturn appear very different from the rings associated with the other Jovian moons.
This is because
a)
the rings of Saturn are composed of different types of material
b)
the size of the particles that make up the Saturnian rings are larger than those that make up the
rings of the other Jovian planets
c)
the rings of Saturn have shepherd moons.
d)
the rings of Saturn are actually caused by a completely different effect that what caused the
rings of the other Jovian planets
e)
none of the above
83.
The moon of what Jovian planet has cliffs that are as high as 12 miles?
a) Jupiter b) Saturn c) Uranus d) Neptune
84.
The name of the moon mentioned in the last question is
a) Titan b) Triton c) Enceladus d) Miranda
85.
e) Dione
Photographs taken of the Jovian planet _____________ during the Voyager mission which first
allowed us to examine the Jovian planets and their moons showed a large dark spot on the side of this
planet which looked very similar to the red spot on Jupiter. According to recent photographs taken
the the Hubble telescope, this large dark spot has now disappeared.
a) Jupiter b) Saturn c) Uranus d) Neptune
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86.
As the Sun "burns" its fuel to produce heat, light and other energetic particles, the fuel that is
"burned" is the gas ___________, while the left-over ash of this burning process is the gas
______________.
a) oxygen, water vapor
b) hydrogen, nitrogen
c) hydrogen, helium
d) carbon, iron
e) oxygen, carbon dioxide
87.
The Sun is believed to be approximately _______________ years old?
a) 1 billion b) 1 million c) 5 million d) 5 billion
e) 15 million
88.
The size of the Sun, or of any stars, is determined by the equilibrium between two different forces.
The force of gravity which would tend to make the Sun shrink, and the radiation pressure from the
radiant energy being produced in the core of the Sun which is pushing outward on the the outer solar
atmophere.
a) True b) False
89.
The interior of the Sun is composed of three distinct regions. These regions are, named from the
innermost region to the outermost region
a) the radiation zone, the convection zone, the nuclear fusion zone
b) the nuclear fusion zone, the radiation zone, the convection zone
c) the nuclear fusion zone, the convection zone, the radiation zone
d) the convection zone, the radiation zone, the nuclear fusion zone
e) the convection zone, the nuclear fusion zone, the radiation zone
90.
Which of the following planets do not have rings?
a) Mars, b) Jupiter, c) Saturn, d) Uranus, e) Neptune
91.
Which is the smallest planet?
a) Mercury, b) Mars, c) Jupiter,
d) Earth
e) Saturn
92.
What is the energy source that "powers" Io's volcanic activity?
a) nuclear fusion occuring near the core
b) differential graviational forces acting on Io as it orbits near Jupiter
c) the natural heat that is left over from the massive collision of Io with Jupiter
d) the constant bombarding of the surface of Io by the particle in Jupiter's rings
93.
If a large moon like Triton were to spiral in toward its parent planet, that moon would eventually
break apart into smaller pieces forming a ring around the planet.
a) True b) False
94.
Which part of a comet is solid?
a) nucleus, b) halo, c) gas tail, d) dust tail, e) coma
95.
The asteroids within the asteroid belt are constantly bumping into each other, forming meteors,
because the orbit so close to each other.
a) True b) False
96.
There are regions in the asteroid belt where the number of asteroids are far fewer, on average, than
occur at other orbital radii. These regions where there are fewer asteroids are known as
a) Kirkwood gaps, b) Roche gaps, c) Roche radii, d) Apollo gaps, e) Trojan gaps
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97.
The regions on the Sun's surface which appear darker (sunspots) seem to be associated with large
magnetic fields. This was first discovered when scientists noticed the Zeeman splitting of spectral
lines in the absorption spectrum of the Sun.
a) True b) False
98.
The surface of the Sun that is visible to the eye looks as if small regions (the size of Texas) are rising
and falling due to convection of heat below the surface. These regions that are rising and falling are
called
a) spicules b) granules c) spiroels d) sunspots e) aeoreals
99.
Only about 100 comets have orbital periods of less than about 200 years. Perhaps the most famous
short-period comet has an orbital period of approximately 76 years. It was discovered when an
astronomer began to compute orbits for all the comets that had been observed, applying Newton's
gravitational laws, and he discovered that the same comets had actually been observed several times about every 76 years. This comet was then named after him. The comet is called comet
___________.
a) Hale-Bopp
b) Halley
c) West d) Temple
e) Kohoutek
100. The outer moons of Jupiter are believe to be captured asteroids, since many of these are small and
orbit the planet in odd, highly eliptical, retrograde orbits.
a) True b) False
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