AST Exam #3

Which of the following planets has the least substantial atmosphere?

Why do jovian planets bulge around the equator, that is, have a "squashed" appearance?

Where did comets that are now in the Kuiper belt originally form?

A rocky leftover planetesimal orbiting the Sun is ...

The size and shape of a planet's orbit can be determined by…

The first planets around other Sun-like stars were discovered …

Both existence and location of Neptune were predicted mathematically before planet actually was detected by telescope.

What are greenhouse gases?

 A planet's age can be determined by observing it transit a star

The sky is blue because …

Astronomers have discovered more planets around other stars than in our Solar System.

No spacecraft has ever visited an asteroid or comet.

Jupiter is slowly shrinking through gravitational contraction today.

The combined mass of all the asteroids in the asteroid belt is …

Falling stars and shooting stars are simply other names for meteors

A spacecraft traveling through the asteroid belt has a high risk of being destroyed through a collision

Which of the following does NOT yield information on jovian planet interiors?

A planet's mass can be determined by observing it transit a star.

What is most important reason why icy moon is more likely to be geologically active than rocky moon of the same size?

When did oxygen begin to accumulate in the atmosphere?

Which of the following factors could explain a gradual warming trend in a planet's climate?

The habitable zone around a star refers to the places where living organisms are found.

Without greenhouse gases, Earth's surface would be frozen over.

Why does the burning of fossil fuels increase the greenhouse effect on Earth?

What part of a comet points most directly away from the Sun?

Whichoffollowing is mostimportant for maintaininga stable climate onEarth overtime it took for large organism to evolve?

Why is Saturn almost as big as Jupiter, despite its smaller mass?

Why aren't small asteroids spherical in shape?

What is absolutely necessary for living organisms to survive?

Genetic studies indicate that every living organism on Earth today shares a common ancestor.

Which of the following is a consequence of discovery of hot Jupiters for the nebular theory of solar system formation?

The belts and zones of Jupiter are …

The transit method of planet detection works best for…

If Jupiter were 10 times more massive, it would actually have a smaller radius.

The depth of the dip in a star's brightness due to the transit of a planet depends most directly on…

Oort-cloud comets are so far from the Sun that the gravity of neighboring stars can alter their orbits

Once a planet forms in a disk-like nebula around a star, its orbit is fixed and will never change.

Why do some scientists think that Jupiter's existence may have been critical for life to evolve on Earth?

Earth outgassed as much carbon dioxide as Venus, but it is locked up in the oceans and rocks.

The atmosphere on Mercury is due to …

Why are there no impact craters on the surface of Io?

Which moon has the most substantial atmosphere?

One idea for interstellar spacecraft involves harnessing energy from nuclear bombs detonated in space.

Why do asteroids and comets differ in composition?

Spacecraft visit asteroid or comets, about twice a year

Falling rocks are simply other names for asteroids

The earliest evidence for life on Earth dates to …

Oort-cloud comets are so close to the sun that we sometimes called them “hot jupiter”

What is astrometry

Which of the following gases absorbs ultraviolet light best?

Clouds, snow, and ice have higher albedos than rocks.

Which of the following causes mutations in living organisms?

Current techniques can measure stellar motion to less than…

The abundance of oxygen and ozone in Earth's atmosphere can be explained only through biology