Larkspur Unit 3 Astronomy Review

The universe is believed to be approximately 14 billion years old. As a result of gravitational attraction, which most likely developed first after the Big Bang?

• a planet

• a moon

• a comet

• a star

The microwaves were uniform and coming from all directions in the sky. The phenomenon known as Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) provided evidence that the universe was once very hot and dense.

How did CMB contribute to the big bang theory?

• CMB confirmed how matter expanded during the big bang.

• CMB was the magnetic field that was created during the big bang.

• CMB was a reflection of the thermal energy generated during the big bang

• CMB represented energy trails from moving matter that began with the big bang.

According to the Big Bang Theory, which element most likely formed first?

• hydrogen

• oxygen

• carbon dioxide

• nitrogen

Scientists measured the patterns of spectral lines given off by distant galaxies and concluded that almost all of these galaxies are moving away from Earth. What did the scientists observe directly?

• the absence of wavelengths in the visible light range

• a shift toward shorter wavelengths of light

• a shift toward longer wavelengths of light

• the compression of wavelengths in the visible light range

Most of the water that forms the oceans of Earth arrived by way of impacts with Kuiper Belt comets

• True

• False

The frost line of the solar system divides the terrestrial planets from the gas-giant planets. What elements make up most of the mass of the planets orbiting outside of the frost line?

• iron and nickel

• nitrogen and sulfur

• carbon and oxygen

• hydrogen and helium

Earth’s rotation spins Earth’s liquid metal outer core around its solid metal inner core. How does this phenomenon make life on Earth possible?

• It creates the magnetosphere, which diverts high-energy particles from space away from Earth’s surface

• It generates electrical currents in the atmosphere, which causes lightning to fix atoms of nitrogen into compounds that living things can use.

• It generates enough thermal energy to keep water on Earth liquid, but not so much that the water boils away

• It attracts photons and other solar emissions that warm Earth and provide energy for ecosystems

Over the past few centuries, comets have occasionally been observed in the sky. What is one difference between comets and the Moon?

• The Moon has a core of ice, while comet cores are solid rock

• Comets have large orbits around the Sun, while the Moon orbits Earth.

• The Moon reflects light from the Sun, while comets generate their own light.

• Comets collect debris as they travel in space, while the Moon gives off meteoroids.

The atmosphere of Mars is almost entirely composed of a greenhouse gas. Compared with Earth, which factor accounts for the low, nighttime surface temperatures on Mars?

• Mars is much farther from the Sun than Earth

• The atmosphere on Mars has an extremely low density

• The atmosphere on Mars lacks global circulation

• Mars has more glacial activity than Earth

How does this orbit affect the motion of Jupiter compared to Earth?

• Jupiter rotates more slowly on its axis

• The plane of the orbit of Jupiter varies more over time

• Jupiter revolves more slowly in its orbit

• The tilt of the axis of Jupiter is more perpendicular to the plane of orbit