Solar Systems Unit 4 Quizzes

Front 1

For moons formed beyond the "snow"-line with densities less than 3 g/cc, the density of the moon can tell us ________ .

Back 1

the ratio of ices and rock within the material of the moon

Front 2

What is the best evidence that Neptune's moon, Triton, is a captured planetary embryo?

Back 2

Triton's orbit is a retrograde orbit.

Front 3

The largest moons have planet or dwarf planet characteristics, while the small moons have ________ characteristics.

Back 3

planetissimal

Front 4

The correct orbit-size sequence for the Galilean Moons of Jupiter, from smallest to largest is ________ .

Back 4

Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto

Front 5

Earth's moon is the ________ largest moon in the Solar System.

Back 5

fifth

Front 6

Why are there gaps in Saturn's rings?

Back 6

Ring material orbit period resonances with some of Saturn's moons.

Front 7

On the arrangement of moons and rings, ________ .

Back 7

small moons can intermingle with rings and actually increase the stability of rings

Front 8

The rings of Saturn are, on average, about __________ kilometer(s) thick.

Back 8

0.01

Front 9

What is the approximate value of the classical Roche Limit?

Back 9

2.44 planet radii from the center of the planet.

Front 10

With a few exceptions, all of the rings in the ring systems of the Jovian planets reside ________ .

Back 10

inside of the Roche limit

Front 11

The coma of a comet is created through the process of ________ .

Back 11

sublimation

Front 12

The Solar Wind ________ .

Back 12

is made of small particles.

Front 13

Since comets lose mass with each apparition, ________ .

Back 13

comets live for finite time periods

Front 14

Although this parameter's value varies from one comet apparition to the next, comets all have large ________ .

Back 14

eccentricities

Front 15

After passing through perihelion, a comet's tail will ________ .

Back 15

move ahead of the nucleus and coma and precede the comet as it leaves the inner Solar System

Front 16

Meteors are ________ .

Back 16

glowing columns of gas in the atmosphere.

Front 17

Meteors can be seen because of the process of ________ .

Back 17

recombination

Front 18

Meteor showers are associated with ________ .

Back 18

Comets

Front 19

Large numbers of meteors seen at the same time each year are called ________ .

Back 19

meteor showers.

Front 20

In general, the Radiant of a Meteor Shower will rise ________ .

Back 20

around midnight

Front 21

A meteorite is a meteoroid that has ________ .

Back 21

survived a trip through the Earth's atmosphere.

Front 22

Stony meteorites are classified based on the presence, size, and chemical composition of small mineral grains called ________ .

Back 22

chondrules

Front 23

Most meteorites originate from ________ .

Back 23

the Asteroid belts

Front 24

The chemical makeup of a meteorite is determined by ________ .

Back 24

the location of its formation in the proto-stellar accretion disk

Front 25

Widmanstatten patterns are ________ .

Back 25

metallic crystals that have cooled slowly

Front 26

The first (besides Pluto) TNO to be discovered was 1992QB1 discovered in ________ .

Back 26

1992

Front 27

Who first proposed the existence of proto-planetary material beyond the orbit of Neptune?

Back 27

Kenneth Edgeworth

Front 28

The primary differentiator between Oort comets and Kuiper comets is ________ .

Back 28

the orbital characteristics

Front 29

Jan van Oort studied comets characterized by ________ .

Back 29

orbit periods greater than several hundred years

Front 30

The Kuiper Belt is the presumed source for ________ .

Back 30

Short-period Comets

Front 31

Interstellar magnetic field influence can be measured ________ .

Back 31

beyond the Heliopause

Front 32

Scattered Disk Object (SDOs) actually formed ________ .

Back 32

as part of the Centaurs and their orbits "pumped up" to their current locations

Front 33

As of August, 2012, ________ is calculated to have "left" the Solar System and is now in interstellar space.

Back 33

Voyager 1

Front 34

Both Voyager 1 & 2 have solar orbit shapes that are ________ .

Back 34

hyperbolic

Front 35

The Pluto dwarf planet system has ________ .

Back 35

5 moons

Front 36

The Drake Equation predicts ________ .

Back 36

the number of intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way

Front 37

The Drake Equation must produce a result of ________ .

Back 37

at least one

Front 38

There are different ways to write the Drake Equation, but in its simplest form it has ________ parameters.

Back 38

two

Front 39

The most influential parameter in the Drake Equation is ________ .

Back 39

the amount of time an Intelligent Civilization will exist

Front 40

In addition to stating the Drake Equation, Frank Drake is also famous for ________ .

Back 40

founding SETI with Carl Sagan