In Quest of the Universe, 5e: Explorations

Title Text: In Quest of the Universe, Fourth Edition

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Please read each question and select your answer from the choices provided. You must complete all of the questions in order to view your results. At the end of each exam, you have the option to e-mail your results to your instructor.

1: Pluto's atmosphere
	A: is composed of nitrogen with traces of methane and carbon monoxide.
	B: is a temporary phenomenon.
	C: is at maximum when Pluto is closest to the Sun.
	D: (All of the above.)
	E: (Both A and B, but not C.)

2: Charon
	A: rotates synchronously with its orbital motion around Pluto.
	B: is never seen to rise or set for an observer on Pluto.
	C: has a rotational period equal to its orbital period around Pluto.
	D: has an orbital period around Pluto equal to Pluto's rotational period.
	E: (All of the above.)

3: The meteor shower seen in mid-November is called the Leonids. That is because
	A: the radiant of the shower is located in the constellation Leo.
	B: the meteors are the remains of an object from a star in the constellation Leo.
	C: when the shower occurs the Sun's position in the sky is in the constellation Leo.
	D: (Both B and C.)
	E: (All of the above.)

4: The main reason we do not believe that Pluto is an escaped moon of Neptune is that
	A: Pluto's mass is too small.
	B: Pluto has satellites.
	C: Pluto's orbit is inclined to the ecliptic.
	D: Pluto's orbit is eccentric.
	E: (The statement is misleading. Pluto was likely one of Neptune's satellites.)

5: Observations of a comet last seen orbiting the Sun in 2003 suggest that its highly elliptical orbit extends to about 30 AU. We will be able to see the comet again in
	A: 2033.
	B: 2045.
	C: 2061.
	D: 2082.
	E: 2063.

6: We believe that all long-period comets have a spherical distribution in space because
	A: they originate in the Kuiper belt.
	B: they have highly elliptical orbits.
	C: they come from no preferential direction in the sky.
	D: their orbital motions around the Sun are as often clockwise as they are counterclockwise.
	E: they originate in a space within 500 AU from the Sun.

7: As a comet approaches the Sun from far away, which of the following sequences is correct as to how a comet is seen in the sky?
	A: tail(s), nucleus plus tail(s), nucleus and coma
	B: nucleus, nucleus plus coma and tails
	C: tail(s) and coma, nucleus
	D: coma, nucleus, tail(s)
	E: nucleus, tail(s), coma

8: A number of rocky/icy objects have been discovered the last few years just beyond the orbit of Pluto. These objects belong to
	A: the Oort cloud.
	B: the ring around Neptune.
	C: the asteroid belt.
	D: the Kuiper belt.
	E: the ring around Pluto.

9: Astronomers estimate that there are hundreds of thousand of asteroids in the asteroid belt. How do spacecraft survive their trip through the belt?
	A: We do not send them through the belt.
	B: Some spacecraft have been lost due to collisions with asteroids.
	C: The collisions between asteroids and spacecraft are not significant since the sizes of the asteroids are quite small.
	D: Asteroids are spaced far apart from each other, at least a million miles apart.
	E: The spacecraft can maneuver between the asteroids.

10: Most of the known asteroids
	A: are the remnants of a Jupiter-size planet.
	B: can be found between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars.
	C: are composed of ices.
	D: have orbits that cross Earth's orbit around the Sun.
	E: are in the Kuiper belt.

11: Eris
	A: is a Kuiper-belt object.
	B: is named after the Greek goddess of discord and strife.
	C: is larger than Pluto.
	D: is a dwarf planet.
	E: (All of the above.)

12: Which of the following choices is not correct?
	A: There is a number of possible connections between meteoritic material and life in our solar system.
	B: Asteroids contain primitive organic matter similar to that in comets.
	C: The presence of short-lived radioactive isotopes suggests that the Sun formed in an isolated environment.
	D: Solar debris will most likely play an important role in any future exploration of the solar system.
	E: (The statement is misleading. All choices are correct.)

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