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WorksheetsOrbital Motion Review
Total questions: 56
Worksheet time: 40mins
aphelion
perihelion
If it takes the object the same amount of time to move between each dot/letter, what is true about the area between points A, B and the Sun, and the area between points H, I and the Sun?
It takes an object 5 months to move from point A to point B. How long will it take the object to move from point G to point J if each purple/white "triangle" have the same areal?
18 months
6 months
2 months
6 years
What does heliocentric mean?
Which term describes the apparent shift in the position of an object when a person views it from different locations?
ellipses
parallax
axis of rotation
parallax problem
Retrograde motion occurs because
planets move on epicycles.
planets orbit the Sun in the same direction.
Inner planets move faster in their orbit than outer planets
Outer planets rotate quickly on their axes.
How are planets different than stars in the sky?
Planets’ move compared to other objects in the sky; stars don’t
Planets twinkle; stars don’t
Planets are on the ecliptic; stars aren’t
Planets move westward in the sky at night; stars move eastward
What causes retrograde motion?
Inner planets passing outer planets.
The planet is orbiting Earth
Earth rotates counterclockwise
Planets orbit in little circles along a larger orbit
A planet at position 2 is __.
Superior Configuration
Inferior Configuration
Opposition
Greatest Elongation
Quadrature
When Mars is biggest, brightest and easiest to see at night, it is in position (a) .
In which position would a planet rise before dawn, peak at late morning and set in the afternoon.
(a)
A planet at position 8 has an elongation of (a) degrees.
A planet at positions 1, 2, or 5 has an elongation of (a) degrees.
In which position would Saturn be seen high in the sky at sunset?
(a)
A planet at positions 6 or 7 has an elongation of (a) degrees.
A planet at position 8 is __.
Superior Configuration
Inferior Configuration
Opposition
Greatest Elongation
Quadrature
What is it called when a planet is in position 4?
Superior Configuration
Inferior Configuration
Opposition
Greatest Elongation
Quadrature
What time of day would Mercury transit at position 5?
Noon
Midnight
Sunset
Sunrise
Quadrature
A planet at position 1 is __.
Conjunction
Something else
Opposition
Greatest Elongation
Quadrature
What time of day is a planet at position 6 in transit?
sunrise
sunset
noon
midnight
3 pm
What time of day is a planet at position 6 in transit?
sunrise
sunset
noon
midnight
3 pm
A planet at position 1 TRANSITS and will appear ____.
at night...bigger
at noon ...smaller
at sunset... bigger
in the afternoon ...smaller
before dawn
The daily rising and setting of planets is caused by ___.
Earth's rotation counterclockwise
Earth passing the planet in its orbit
The planet orbiting Earth
Planets moving on the inner portion of their epicycle
When a planet is "in retrograde", it ...
causes unusual behavior in people who have specific zodiac signs
it is farther from the Earth than any other time in its orbit
It appears to move in the opposite direction compared to the stars (compared to the Sun and its normal direction)
it rises in the west and sets in the east
Which of the following supports heliocentricity?
There are 3.
Venus has phases as seen from Earth
Jupiter has moons that orbit it and not Earth
Planets and stars seem to move around Earth because the rise on one side and set on the other side
Planets' retrograde motion
Historical perspectives on Earth's position in cosmology
Mercury appears biggest at ____ and smallest at ____
inferior conjunction; superior conjunction
conjunction; opposition
greatest elongation; smallest elongation
superior conjunction; opposition
Venus appears brightest and most visible during the nighttime when it is at ____.
opposition
superior conjuntion
inferior conjunction
greatest elongation
retrograde motion
According to Copernicus, Saturn could be seen in the middle of the night and during the day time, so Saturn must be ___.
outside of Earth's orbit
inside of Earth's orbit.
between Earth and the Sun
bigger than Earth
How did Copernicus explain the apparent daily motion of the Sun and Moon (and the retrograde motion of the planets.)
He said it was due to Earth's motion.
He said it was because they were orbiting Earth.
He said it was because Earth was the center of their gravity.
He said ti was because they are closer to Earth than stars.
If an object has an eccentricity of 1, then it's orbit is ___.
outside of Earth's orbit
nearly circular
very elongated
very slow
The eccentricity of planet A is 0.26. The eccentricity of planet B is 0.08. What do we know about planet A.
Planet A is bigger than B.
Planet A is farther from its star than B
Planet A's orbit is more elongated.
Planet A is moving slower than panet B
If an asteroid has a semi-major axis of 5 AU, then it will always be 5AU from the Sun
true
false
Compared to closer planets, planets that are farther from the Sun will ___
have longer periods.
have more eccentric orbits.
move faster
be smaller
Jupiter is much larger than its moon, Europa. The center of gravity between Jupiter and Europa is
much closer to Jupiter (within Jupiter)
much closer to Europa
at Jupiter's core/center
half way between to two.
Which letter represents the position where the planet will move the slowest?
(a)
The major axis is the distance from
the Sun to b
b to c
a to c
e around to e again
half of the distance from a to C
Which letter represents the position of perigee (perihelion)?
(a)
Kepler's law about "equal areas in equal time" tells us that orbiting objects
move faster when they are closer
have shorter periods when they have shorter average distance
orbit in an ellipse
have greater gravity when they are closer
Which will have a bigger force of gravity on the Earth
Jupiter because its big
Saturn because it is far
the Moon because its closest
The Mercury because it is moving the fastest
Planets move fastest at perihelion because
the mass of the Sun and the planet are spread out over the smallest distance.
The force of gravity is greater (causing accelleration)
It has more acceleration because it is farther from the Sun
the planet has inertia
the planet has less friction at perihelion
If an asteroid has a semi-major axis of 5 AU and its foci are 1 AU apart, then its eccentricity is
5 AU
10 AU
0.2
5
If an asteroid has a semi-major axis of 5 AU and its foci are 1 AU apart, then its major axis is
5 AU
10 AU
0.1 AU
0.5 AU
If an asteroid has a semi-major axis of 5 AU and its foci are 2 AU apart, then it's perihelion distance is
not able to be determined with this information
4 AU
8 AU
10 AU
2 AU
If an asteroid has a semi-major axis of 8 AU, then it's period is (a) years.
Round your answer to the tenths position
What is the force of gravity between two asteroids if one is 4 x 1010 kg and the other is 6 x 1015 kg and the distance between them is 80,000,000 m? (G=6.67 x 10-11) Give your answer in Newtons.
Write your answer as a.b x 10^cc
(a)
