Honors Astronomy Solar System Unit Test

The smaller objects in the solar system made of rock and metal (most of which orbit between Jupiter and Mars) are called:

•  comets

• satellites

• Titius-Bode objects

• asteroids

A comet forms a meteor shower when

• A comet forms a meteor shower when it collides with a planet
• A comet forms a meteor shower when it enters the Earth's atmosphere
• A comet forms a meteor shower when it changes its orbit
• Earth passes through the debris left behind by a comet

Rank the planets from smallest to largest in diameter

• Venus<Earth

• Neptune<Uranus

• Mars

• Mercury

• Saturn<Jupiter

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

The gas giants in our solar system are:

• Mercury and Venus

• Jupiter and Saturn

• Earth and Mars

• Uranus and Neptune

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

The only planet in our solar system known to support life is:

• Mars

• Venus

• Earth

• Jupiter

Astronomers believe that Jupiter’s strong magnetic field is caused by

• a core of molten iron and nickel     

• electric charges from the moon Io

• a huge layer of metallic hydrogen inside Jupiter    

• the circulation of large reddish storms containing magnetic ammonia crystals

The large reservoir of comet nuclei far beyond Pluto, from which we believe new long-period comets come into the inner solar system, is called:

• the Lowell reservoir     

• the Oort Cloud        

• the Kohoutek Cloud   

• the Alvarez belt      

A key difference between the protoplanets that formed in the outer solar system and those that formed in the inner solar system was that

• those in the inner solar system were much larger than those in the outer solar system

• those in the outer solar system included far more metal and rock, and thus the outer planets could be denser

• those in the outer solar system were in a place where ice, not just rock, condensed and thus could grow larger

• those in the outer solar system did not have enough planetesimals nearby

Of the following planets which has NO satellites (moons)?

• Earth    

• Venus

• Jupiter     

• Neptune

Which planet in the solar system rotates the most slowly (has the longest "day")?

• Venus    

• Uranus     

• Earth     

• Jupiter