ASTRONOMY 101

Mesa College

Spring 2003

Second Examination

NAME______________________________(Print) Lec. hr.______ days class meets______

NAME______________________________(Signature)

select the best answer

1 Igneous rocks are

a. made up of fragments of igneous or living organisms, deposited by wind or water and cemented together without melting.

b. rocks formed from cooled molten volcanic material.

c. formed by high temperature and pressure from other types of rocks.

2 The Van Allen radiation belt consists of

a. trapped photons

b. charged particles trapped in the earth's magnetic field

c. the Aurora

d. micrometeorites trapped in the earth's magnetic field

3 The layer of atmosphere which contacts the earth's surface is the

a. ionosphere d. troposphere

b. stratosphere e. eosphere

c. mesosphere

4 What is the assumed cause of Continental Drift?

a. revolution of the earth

b. convection currents in the mantle

c. the moon's gravitational pull on the earth

d. the sun's gravitational pull on the earth

5 The earth's magnetic field is believed to be due to

a. sunspots

b. motions of a metallic, iron, fluid core

c. the Van Allen belts

d. large deposits of liquid magnetic material near the earth's poles

e. radioactive elements in the earth's interior

6 The earth's atmosphere contains approximately

a. 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen

b. 78% oxygen and 21% nitrogen

c. 30% oxygen and 69% carbon dioxide

d. 70% nitrogen and 29% oxygen

e. 40% oxygen, 40% nitrogen, and 20% carbon dioxide

7 The inner core of the earth is thought to be mainly made up of

a. iron and nickel b. silicates c. solid hydrogen

8 The outer core of the earth is thought to be

a. solid b. liquid

9 Lunokhod(Russian spacecraft) selected as landing sites the large, smooth, roundish areas which look relatively dark called

a. rays b. mountains c. rills d. craters e. maria

10 What is an important way in which the Moon & Mercury are both different from Earth?

a. they are made mostly of frozen gases, not rock

b. they are both much further from the Sun's heat than Earth is

c. they do not have an atmosphere

d. they are both significantly larger than the Earth

e. they both turn on their axes much faster than the Earth

11 In what ways is the Moon similar to the Earth?

a. roughly the same size

b. similar atmosphere

c. same gravity on the surface

d. take the same time to rotate on its axis

e. none of the above

12 Even before the Apollo landings the lunar maria were seen to be younger than the highlands because

a. they were darker

b. they have fewer craters

c. they used to contain water

d. they are lighter

e. their formation had been observed by Galileo

13 Analysis of lunar soil samples shows

a. the maria, or at least the Sea of Tranquility and the Ocean of Storms, were once great seas

b. lunar craters are all remnants of extinct lunar volcanos

c. the lunar atmosphere is composed primarily of oxygen

d. there is no evidence of indigenous water ever having been present on the moon

e. rills are old river beds on the moon

14 The vast majority of lunar craters are believed to have been formed by meteoric bombardment. The earth's surface is not similarly pockmarked because

a. all terrestrial craters are in the three-fourths of the earth's surface covered by water

b. all meteors burn up in the earth's atmosphere so that none strike its surface

c. the earth has weather which erodes them away rapidly

d. meteor craters are all around; people have become so used to them that the craters go unnoticed

e. land developers have filled them all in

15 The core of the moon is thought to be

a. made up of material similar to the earth's crust

b. iron enriched

c. it has no core

d. a liquid iron core, like the earth's

16 Compared to the Earth, the mean density of the moon

a. greater b. less c. the same

17 Of the planets listed, which has the longest period of rotation?

a. Mars b. Earth c. Mercury d. Venus e. Pluto

18 Which of the listed planets has the least dense atmosphere?

a. Mars b. Venus

19 The surface of Mercury is most like the surface of

a. Earth b. Venus c. the Moon d. Jupiter

20 Of the planets listed, which has the shortest period of revolution about the Sun?

a. Earth b. Mars c. Mercury d. Jupiter

21 It is believed that Mercury has an unusually large percentage of its mass in the form of an iron core.

a. true b. false

22 The same gas makes up most of the atmosphere of Mars and Venus. This gas is:

a. water vapor d. nitrogen

b. ozone e. carbon dioxide

c. ammonia gas

23 About 75% of the surface of Venus consists of

a. high volcanic plateaus, many of which are currently erupting lava

b. lowland lava plains

c. wall-to-wall impact craters

d. vast criss-crossing channels carrying liquid lava

e. lush jungles growing very large because it is so warm and humid there

24 Differentiation of the terrestrial planets means that

a. they all are different from each other

b. they differ from the outer planets

c. heavier elements have concentrated in their cores

d. lighter gases are missing from their atmospheres

e. they are built up from smaller bodies

25 The largest known volcano in the solar system is located on

a. Venus b. Jupiter c. Mercury d. Mars

26 The giant planets are made up of mostly

a. Iron & Oxygen c. Nitrogen & Oxygen

b. Lead d. Hydrogen & Helium

27 Four planets are grouped together as having similar properties, and are

referred to as the Terrestrial Planets. Which four are they?

a. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn.

b. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

c. Venus, Earth, Mars, Neptune.

d. Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury.

e. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Ceres.

28 Mars' polar caps are thought to be made up of:

a. only water ice

b. only CO₂ ice

c. a mixture of water and CO₂ ices

29 Mars has a rotation period that

a. makes it the most rapidly spinning planet in the solar system.

b. makes it the slowest spinning planet in the solar system.

c. is very similar to the Earth's.

30 Mars has a distinct red color due to the presence of

a. iron sulfide b. silicate minerals c. iron oxide (rust)

31 Which is true about Saturn?

a. It is the most massive planet in the Solar System

b. It has the lowest density of the planets in the Solar System

c. The "great red spot" is located on this planet's surface

d. Is has the largest known volcano on its surface

32 The ring of Jupiter was first observed by

a. Earth-based telescopes

b. the Voyager spacecraft

c. Earth-based radio telescopes

d. it does not have a ring system

33 The structure of Jupiter, from the outside in, consists of

a. rocky surface, liquid hydrogen, gaseous hydrogen and helium

b. liquid hydrogen, rocky core, metallic hydrogen inner core

c. gaseous hydrogen and helium, liquid hydrogen, metallic

hydrogen, rocky core

34 As a result of the Pioneers 10 and 11 and Voyagers I and II spacecraft observations, there is no doubt now that the Great Red Spot of Jupiter is

a. an optical illusion

b. a continent

c. debris stirred into the Jovian atmosphere by a colliding comet

d. a hole in the cloud canopy of Jupiter

e. a large cyclonic storm(swirling mass of clouds)

35 Martian volcanoes

a. are still erupting constantly

b. volcanoes do not exist on this planet

c. can be larger(higher altitude) than those on earth

36 The result of the experiment to determine if life is present on the surface of Mars (Viking Mission) is

a. no life exists b. life exists c. question is still not answered

37 The planet with the most prominent greenhouse effect is

a. Mercury d. Jupiter

b. Venus e. Uranus

c. Mars

38 Even though Neptune is of one of the most distant planets, it is thought to be made up mostly of iron.

a. true b. false

39 Uranus

a. is the second farthest planet from the sun

b. rotates about an axis lying nearly in its orbital plane(on its side)

c. cannot be seen by the naked eye under any circumstances

d. has no known satellite

40 The rings of Uranus are too dim to be directly observed here on Earth (with the exception of using the Space Telescope). Yet astronomers knew the rings were there 9 years before Voyager visited the planet in 1986. How did they know?

a. By watching the brightnesses of stars as they passed behind Uranus. The stars dimmed several times before Uranus passed in front of the star.

b. By then it was known that Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune all had rings. Therefore Uranus must also have rings.

c. They were able to detect the presence of the rings by watching for perturbations in the orbit of Uranus' largest moons Titania and Oberon.

d. Uranus was observed to have two moons which looked much like the shepherd moons of Saturn. The orbits of the moons traced out the locations of the rings.

41 The rings around Saturn are

a. believed to be the remains of an escaped moon of Jupiter

b. likely to dissipate within the next century

c. about 1 A.U. thick and nearly 100 A.U. across

d. likely myriads of solid particles each orbiting the planet

e. no doubt a solid ice formation, rotating about the planet like a wheel

42 Pluto was discovered in

a. ancient times b. the 16th century c. the 20th century

43 The fact that Pluto has been found to possess a moon means that

a. it is now closer to the Sun than Neptune

b. the mass of the system (Pluto and its moon) can accurately be

determined

c. the hypothesis that Pluto is an escaped satellite of Neptune

is true

44 Triton, the satellite of Neptune

a. has a surface that appears very similar to that of our Moon

b. has a mass that is almost equal to that of Saturn

c. has an Earth-like atmosphere

d. has a very unusual surface the includes ice "volcanoes" and revolves about Neptune in a clockwise fashion.

45 Saturn's satellite, Titan, is known to have a rather dense atmosphere.

a. true b. false

46 The magnetic field of Jupiter is

a. much less than the Earth's

b. about the same as the Earth's

c. much more than the Earth's

47 The moon of Jupiter that has active volcanos is

a. Europa d. Io

b. Amalthea e. Callisto

c. Ganymede

48 Jupiter is known to radiate back into space about twice as much energy as it receives from the sun. This means

a. Saturn (and Jupiter) violate the law of conservation of energy

b. it probably comes from friction in its ring

c. the planet is expanding

d. there is an internal store of energy

49 The white bands of clouds that can be seen in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, even with a small telescope, are made up of:

a. methane b. hydrogen c. helium d. ammonia

50 The planet with the longest orbital period around the Sun is

a. Mercury b. Jupiter c. Pluto d. Venus

How does nature produces sedimentary rocks. 2 points

Describe the giant impact theory for the formation of the moon. 2 points

Describe at appearance of Callisto(satellite of Jupiter), as seen by a satellite located near this moon. 2 points

Describe the phenomena known as the "Greenhouse Effect". 2 points

Is your name on the scantron and examination? _______(yes or no) 1 point