Astro

1.

1 point

Earth and Venus are often called sister planets; in which ways are they most alike?

atmospheric composition and density

surface temperature and pressure

size, density, and acceleration due to gravity on their surfaces

cloud composition and meteorology

2.

1 point

BONUS - The study of the universe is called

Cosmology

Astrology

Astronomy

Cosmetology

3.

1 point

What causes a meteor shower?

Earth encounters the asteroid belt.

Earth crosses the orbit of a comet, and this orbit is littered with debris.

A small constellation of dying stars disintegrates.

Earth intercepts a stray swarm of asteroids.

4.

1 point

“nano” means:

×10^6

×10^9

×10^-9

×10^-3

5.

1 point

Which of the solar system planets has the largest volcano?

Mercury

Earth

Mars

Venus

6.

1 point

When was the first confirmed exoplanet discovered?

near the end of the 20th century

shortly after the invention of the telescope, in the early 1600s

in prehistoric times

around 350 BC, by the Ancient Greeks

7.

1 point

According to the Solar Nebula theory, planets:

should be a common result of star formation.

should be extremely rare.

should be randomly oriented to their starʹs equator.

will revolve opposite the starʹs rotation.

8.

1 point

Why is Mars red?

Sulphuric acid rain etched a reddish color into surface rocks.

The planet's surface undergoes a process by which rust forms.

Dust storms on the planet have blasted the planet so fiercely that the rocks have reddened.

The ancient volcanoes poured out vast plains of molten red lava which has now solidified.

9.

1 point

Which planet shows us the widest range of surface temperatures, from day to night?

Earth

Mercury

Venus

Mars

10.

1 point

What is the largest moon in our Solar System?

Europa

Ganymede

Titan

Callisto

11.

1 point

The principal greenhouse gases in our present atmosphere are:

carbon dioxide and water vapour

methane and ammonia

hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide

carbon monoxide and water vapour

12.

1 point

Uranus has a surface temperature of 58 K. At what wavelength does Uranus’s thermal emission peak?

5 mm

0.005 mm

50,000 nm

500 nm

13.

1 point

What is the best current estimate for the age of the solar system?

4.5 million years

12 billion years

100 × 10^6 years

4.5 × 10^9 years

14.

1 point

Suppose you can move at 20% of the speed of light. How long will it take you to reach a planet 10 ly from Earth?

50 years

65.2 years

2 years

3 months

15.

1 point

If your astrological sign is Aries, the Sun should be in the constellation Aries on your birthday. The dates, according to astrological tradition, during which the Sun is in the constellation Aries are March 21 to April 20th. In which constellation is the Sun actually in, during this time period?

Aquarius

Aries

Pisces

Taurus

16.

1 point

The region around Earth where the magnetic field traps charged particles is called

Van Allen Radiation Belts

troposphere

aurora Borealis and Australis

ozone layer

17.

1 point

How long does a radar signal take to travel from Earth to Mercury and back when Mercury is at its closest point to Earth?

about 5 minutes

more than 1.5 hours

radar signal cannot travel in vacuum

slightly less than 10 minutes

18.

1 point

Which of these is constant for all types of electromagnetic radiation in space?

frequency

speed

none of the above

energy

19.

1 point

What is the wavelength of a 100-MHz ("FM 100") radio signal, in m?

1480

4.0 × 10^-2

1224

3.0

20.

1 point

Titan is an interesting moon because:

Beneath its clouds, Titan may be Earth-like

It has a rich atmosphere that may resemble that of the early Earth.

It is known to have ice volcanism on its surface.

All of the above.

21.

1 point

What would Jupiter have needed to have become a star?

more moons

more mass

a slower rotation, like the Sun

a different chemical composition

22.

1 point

What is, approximately, the mean density of Jupiter, given that its radius is about 11.2 larger that the radius of Earth and its mass is 318 Earth masses?

1300kg/m3

5500 kg/m3

1000kg/m3

660 kg/m3

23.

1 point

What is, approximately, the mean orbital speed of Earth, in km/s?

30

48

35

29

24.

1 point

What is the orbital period of a comet with a perihelion distance of 0.5 AU and aphelion in the Oort cloud, at a distance of 5·104 AU from the Sun?

4 x 10^6 years

120 years

855 years

11 x 10^6 years

25.

1 point

From the Sun outwards, we have:

asteroid belt, terrestrial planets, jovian planets, Oort cloud, Kuiper belt

terrestrial planets, asteroid belt, jovian planets, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud

terrestrial planets, jovian planets, asteroid belt, Oort cloud, Kuiper belt

terrestrial planets, jovian planets, asteroid belt, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud

26.

1 point

What celestial line is created by the Earth's revolution around the Sun?

equinox

equator

meridian

ecliptic

27.

1 point

Which concept was NOT a part of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion?

A planet must move fastest in its orbit at perihelion.

All planetary orbits are ellipses.

The square of the planet's period is equal to the cube of its average distance

Epicycles are needed to explain the varying brightnesses of the planets.

28.

1 point

What would be your weight on Mars, relative to your weight on Earth, given that Mars radius is 3390 km (53% of the radius of Earth) and its mass is 6.4×1023 kg (11% of Earth mass)?

38%

112%

92%

85%

29.

1 point

Which of the following was the first planet discovered with the aid of a telescope?

Mercury

Uranus

Saturn

Neptune

30.

1 point

What is the Titius-Bode Rule?

It explains why the outer planets move more slowly than the inner planets.

It is a description of the spacing between the planets' orbits

It notes the square of the planet's period in years = cube of distance in AU.

It explains why the planets have elliptical orbits.

31.

1 point

Which of the following solar system bodies has the lowest mean density?

Saturn

Earth

Venus

Neptune

32.

1 point

The semi-major axis of Neptune’s orbit is 30.1 AU. What is its orbital period?

12 years

30 years

164 years

84 years

33.

1 point

What is the source of Jupiterʹs excess energy?

the decay of radioactive elements in its dense core

the slow escape of gravitational energy released during the planetʹs formation

the tidal stresses of the large Galilean moons

nuclear fusion in its hot, sunlike core of hydrogen

34.

1 point

Which of the following has an icy composition?

all of the above

comets

asteroids

meteors

35.

1 point

How much more radiation (per m2) is emitted by Venus’s surface at 730K than is emitted by Earth’s surface at 300K?

5 times more

emissions are identical

35 times more

2.4 time more

36.

1 point

In order from low to high energy, which of the following lists is correct?

gamma-rays, X-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, microwave, radio

radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma-rays

radio, microwave, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, X-rays, gamma-rays

gamma-rays, X-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio, microwave

37.

1 point

Which of the following are terrestrial planets?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Pluto

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto

38.

1 point

What are Saturnʹs rings?

a solid thin disk of material encircling Saturn

large rocky boulders moving in orbit around Saturn

a great disk of liquid helium

small icy particles moving in orbit around Saturn

39.

1 point

As of November 2014, the number of confirmed exoplanets found was:

5, all around stars within 20 light years of us.

several hundreds, mainly around stars much smaller and fainter than our Sun.

42, all much bigger than Jupiter, but orbiting red dwarf stars.

our Sun is the only star with planets in our galaxy

40.

1 point

The habitable zone is the area around a star where:

planets with life have been found.

a planet could have an atmosphere.

temperatures are suitable for planets to have liquid water.

human beings could live.

41.

1 point

That Polaris will not always be the pole star is due to:

the Solar winds blowing the Earth farther away from the Sun.

precession shifting the celestial pole

the Moon following the ecliptic, instead of the equator.

the Earthʹs revolution being slightly less than exactly 365.25 days.

42.

1 point

What is the escape speed on Mars, in km/s, given that Mars radius is 3390 km (53% of the radius of Earth) and its mass is 6.4×1023 kg (11% of Earth mass)?

11.2

16.1

5.0

1.67

43.

1 point

The critical distance from a planet inside of which a moon can be tidally destroyed is called

the tidal maximum

the Titius-Bode radius

the resonance limit

the Roche limit

44.

1 point

What is the brightest star in Lyra?

Polaris

Betelgeuse

Deneb

Vega

45.

1 point

The current (as of August 2006) definition of a planet says that a planet should:

Orbit around its sun, be more or less spherical, and have material cleared out of the way in its orbital vicinity

Orbit around its sun, be at least 4000 km in diameter, and have material cleared out of the way in its orbital vicinity

Have an atmosphere, orbit around its sun, and be at least 4000 km in diameter

Orbit around a much larger body, have an atmosphere, and be more or less spherical

46.

1 point

Compared to orbital velocity, escape velocity is about:

the same.

40% more.

70% less.

twice as large.

47.

1 point

Which statement is FALSE?

Some outer moons of Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune orbit clockwise, opposite of the inner moons.

All the planets orbit the sun in about the same plane.

The terrestrial planets orbit in the same direction around the sun, but in the opposite direction from the jovian planets.

The rotational spins of most planets are in the same direction

48.

1 point

What class of objects is the greatest long-term threat to planet Earth?

Apollo asteroids

Trojan asteroids

objects in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter

comets

49.

1 point

Which of the following is NOT a Zodiac constellation?

Scorpio

Tauris

Aquarius

Orion

50.

1 point

A distant star is approaching Earth with a radial velocity of 2400 km/s. At what frequency would its 500 nm line be received by a detector on Earth?

6.05 × 10^14 Hz

6.25 × 10^14 Hz

5.04 × 10^14 Hz

6.39 × 10^14 Hz