Version A

Write your name at the top of this quiz as well as on your answer sheet. WRITE YOUR VERSION ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET. Feel free to write or draw on the quiz.

THERE IS ONLY ONE CORRECT ANSWER PER PROBLEM.

1. Comets:
a) Mostly orbit the Sun out of the plane of the ecliptic.
b) Are likely pieces of planets that broke apart during collision with other planets.
c) Are rocky objects.
d) Mostly orbit the Sun between the orbits of Earth and Mars.
e) Are extremely young objects, compared to the age of the rocks on the surface of the Earth.

a) Mostly orbit the Sun out of the plane of the ecliptic.

2. What type of light travels easily through our atmosphere, so ground-based astronomy is possible at these wavelengths?
a) Only visible.
b) Visible, UV, and X-rays.
c) Visible and radio.
d) Gamma rays, X-rays, and visible.
e) All types.

c) Visible and radio.

3. According to the recent IAU definition, which of the following is a dwarf planet?
a) Titan.
b) Mercury.
c) the asteroids.
d) Eris.
e) Europa.

d) Eris.

4. Which planet has the longest sidereal day?
a) Mars.
b) Venus.
c) Saturn.
d) Jupiter.
e) Earth.

b) Venus.

5. Which of the following objects has the smallest diameter?
a) Ganymede
b) The Moon
c) Europa
d) Pluto
e) Triton

d) Pluto

6. The density of rock is about 2-3 g/cm³, while the density of water is about 1 g/cm³. What is the density of the terrestrial planets? a) 0.1 - 0.2 g/cm³
b) 0.7 - 1 g/cm³.
c) 1 - 1.2 g/cm³.
d) 2 - 3 g/cm³.
e) 4 - 5.5 g/cm³.

e) 4 - 5.5 g/cm³.

7. Which spacecraft has visited Neptune?
a) Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2.
b) 23 spacecraft, about half from the U.S., half from the Soviet Union, and one from the European space agency.
c) Just Mariner 10.
d) Just Voyager 2.
e) None.

d) Just Voyager 2.

8. Which spacecraft is on its way to Mercury now?
a) Viking.
b) Messenger.
c) Cassini.
d) New Horizon
e) None.

b) Messenger.

9. The atmosphere of Venus is mostly:
a) CO₂ and N₂.
b) Hydrogen and helium.
c) N₂ and O₂.
d) CH₄ and N₂.
e) Potassium and sodium.

a) CO₂ and N₂.

10. Which of the following objects has the largest atmospheric pressure on its surface?
a) Mars.
b) Triton.
c) Earth.
d) Titan.
e) Europa.

d) Titan.

11. H₂ is the most common molecule in the atmosphere of:
a) Venus.
b) Earth.
c) The Jovian planets.
d) Mars.
e) Titan.

c) The Jovian planets.

12. How much bigger is the light gathering power of the 5 meter Palomar telescope, compared to a 1 meter telescope?
a) five times larger.
b) twenty-five times larger.
c) 1/5 as large.
d) 1/25th as large.
e) the same.

b) twenty-five times larger.

13. Triton:
a) Is the largest moon in the solar system.
b) Has the thickest atmosphere of any moon in the solar system.
c) Is considered a dwarf planet, according to the new IAU definition.
d) Orbits its planet in an opposite direction compared to the other moons in the solar system.
e) All of the above.

d) Orbits its planet in an opposite direction compared to the other moons in the solar system.

14. Which of the following is not a Galilean Moon?
a) Callisto.
b) Europa.
c) Io.
d) Ganymede.
e) Titan.

e) Titan.

15. The angular momentum of a spinning object with mass M, velocity V, and radius R is proportional to:
a) MV/R.
b) MV²/R.
c) M/(VR).
d) M²V³R⁴.
e) MVR.

e) MVR.

16. Most of the extrasolar planets discovered to date were found by:
a) imaging of the planet by the Voyager or Pioneer spacecraft.
b) imaging of the planet with the Hubble Telescope.
c) Doppler shift measurements of their star.
d) amateur astronomers noticing new bright objects in the sky.
e) none have been found so far.

c) Dopper shift measurements of their star.

17. Which planet is tipped over on its side, relative to the spin axes of the other planets?
a) Mercury.
b) Saturn.
c) Mars.
d) Jupiter.
e) Uranus.

e) Uranus.

18. The Very Large Array is a group of 25-meter radio telescopes spread over an area with a diameter of 22 miles in New Mexico that all work together. Together, they have:
a) The resolution of a single 22 mile telescope.
b) The light gathering power of a single 22 mile telescope.
c) Both the resolution and the light gathering power of a single 22 mile telescope.
d) Both the resolution and the light gathering power of a single 25-meter telescope.
e) The resolution of a single 25 X 22 = 550 mile telescope.

a) The resolution of a single 22 mile telescope.

19. Which of the Galilean Moons has an atmosphere that is rich in SO₂, due to the volcanic activity on the surface?
a) Callisto.
b) Europa.
c) Io.
d) Ganymede.
e) Titan.

c) Io.

20. The Kuiper Belt is:
a) the group of asteroids orbiting the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
b) the many small moons that orbit Jupiter.
c) a collection of icy/rocky objects orbiting the Sun out beyond the orbit of Neptune.
d) the rings of Saturn.
e) a group of small asteroids that orbit Mars.

c) a collection of icy/rocky objects orbiting the Sun out beyond the orbit of Neptune.