Chapter 7 - Quiz 7

The following statements are all true. Which one counts as an "exception to the rule" in being unusual for our solar system? Venus does not have a moon. Jupiter has a very small axis tilt. The diameter of Earth's Moon is about 1/4 that of Earth. Saturn has no solid surface.

Consider the following statement: "Rocky asteroids are found primarily in the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt while icy comets are found primarily in the Oort cloud." What's wrong with this statement? Comets are not really icy. The statement is accurate as written. The Kuiper belt contains icy comets, not rocky asteroids. Asteroids are not really made of rock. The Oort cloud has nothing to do with comets.

Imagine that an alien spaceship crashed onto Earth. Which statement would most likely be true? The crash would create a noticeable crater. The aliens' home world is another planet in our own solar system. All the evidence of the crash would be quickly whisked off by the U.S. military to Area 51 in Nevada. It would crash in the ocean.

In what way is Venus most similar to Earth? Both planets have very similar atmospheres. Both planets are nearly the same size. Both planets have warm days and cool nights. Both planets have similar surface geology.

Which of the following is not a real difference between asteroids and comets? Most asteroids are located much nearer to the Sun than most comets. It is thought that comets are far more numerous than asteroids. Asteroids orbit the Sun while comets just float randomly around in the Oort cloud. Asteroids are made mostly of rock and comets are made mostly of ice.

Which planet listed below has the most extreme seasons? Mars Uranus Earth Jupiter

Why was it advantageous for the Voyager mission to consist of flybys rather than orbiters? It was easier for data to be radioed back to Earth with flybys than orbiters. Each individual spacecraft was able to visit more than one planet. Spacecraft making flybys can return to Earth more quickly than orbiters. Flyby spacecraft can get closer to a planet than an orbiting spacecraft.

Mars has two moons that are most similar in character to: small asteroids comets. Earth's Moon particles in the rings of Saturn

Why has NASA sent recent orbiters to Mars (such as Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) on trajectories that required them to skim through Mars's atmosphere before settling into their final orbits? It saves money because the spacecraft uses atmospheric drag to slow down rather than needing to carry enough fuel to slow by firing rocket engines. Each spacecraft also carried a lander, and the lander could only be dropped to the Martian surface when the spacecraft passed through the atmosphere. It allowed the spacecraft to collect samples of the atmospheric gas for return to Earth. It allowed the orbiters to get higher resolution pictures of the surface as it came close when skimming through the atmosphere.

In what way is Pluto more like a comet than a planet? It has a long tail. It is made mostly of rock and ice. It has a moon. It sometimes enters the inner solar system.

Compared to the distance between Earth and Mars, the distance between Jupiter and Saturn is ______. just slightly less much larger much smaller about the same

Venus has a higher average surface temperature than Mercury. Why? Because it is closer to the Sun. Because its surface is heated by an extreme greenhouse effect. Because its surface is covered with hot lava from numerous active volcanoes. Because its slow rotation gives it more time to heat up in sunlight.

Einstein's famous equation, E=mc 2, explains the fact that __________. the Sun is extremely massive the Sun generates energy to shine by losing some 4 million tons of mass each second the Sun's surface temperature is about 6,000 C the Sun has a magnetic field strong enough influence the atmospheres of the planets

Which of the following statements about the recently-discovered object Eris is not true? It is slightly larger than Pluto. It orbits the Sun in the same direction as the other planets. It lies well beyond Pluto and Neptune. It is thought to be the first example of a new class of object