Download Astrophysics Exam 1: Gravity, Planets, Stars, and Moons and more Exams Physics in PDF only on Docsity! PSU Astro 7N Exam 1 With 100% Correct Answers 2024 What two properties of a planet affect the gravity we feel on its surface? - Correct Answer-mass and radius Two planets have the same radius. If Planet A is 5 times more massive than Planet B, how does gravity differ on the surfaces of the two planets? - Correct Answer-Gravity is 5 times stronger on Planet A. Say that there were a planet X in our Solar System with a mass 1/4 the mass of Earth and a radius 1/2 the radius of Earth. How will the gravity on its surface compare to the surface gravity of Earth? - Correct Answer-surface gravity on planet X is the same as on Earth A planet in a nearly circular orbit with its rotation axis tilted by 5 degrees relative to its orbital plane around its star would - Correct Answer-have seasons that are not very different from each other as compared to Earth's. The rotation axis of the Earth is - Correct Answer-tilted at about 23 degrees relative to the axis of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. When is the waning gibbous moon highest in the sky? - Correct Answer-about 3:00am At what time will the Moon set on the day of a Solar eclipse? - Correct Answer-Sunset Stars that are in the same constellation - Correct Answer-are likely to be at very different distances from us. The "North Star" is a star in the constellation of Ursa Minor, which lies just above the North pole of Earth. Which of the following is true? - Correct Answer-Ursa Minor is not a Zodiac constellation. A particular Zodiac constellation is high in the sky at midnight in April. Where will it be in October? - Correct Answer-near the Sun in the daytime sky Which statement about the rotation of the Inner planets is true? - Correct Answer-Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the three others Which of the following is TRUE? - Correct Answer-Mercury rotates exactly one and a half times for every one revolution around the Sun Why do the orbits of the planets all lie in nearly the same plane? - Correct Answer-The early solar nebula flattened into a disk. Of these choices, which planet has the most moons? - Correct Answer-Saturn Venus is visible to us - Correct Answer-only near sunrise or sunset. A planet is in orbit around the Sun. The semimajor axis of the orbit is 5 Astronomical Units (AU). Use P 2 = a 3 to calculate the period of the orbit, in years. - Correct Answer-11.2 years How do most craters on moons form? - Correct Answer- impact of asteroids Which planet has a temperature of 800 degrees Fahrenheit on the side facing the Sun and -290 degrees Fahrenheit on the side opposite the Sun? - Correct Answer-Mercury How many Earth years does it take Uranus to orbit the Sun? - Correct Answer-84 Meteors are - Correct Answer-asteroids or comet debris that pass into Earth's atmosphere and burn up Which feature of Neptune is most responsible for its blue color? - Correct Answer-methane in its atmosphere Which of the following statements is TRUE? - Correct Answer- The planet Saturn has more than 30 moons. The surface of Venus is hotter than the surface of Mercury because - Correct Answer-Venus is more massive and is able to retain a thick atmosphere Which of the following is moving fastest in the orbit? - Correct Answer-Venus at its perihelion (closest point to Sun) Which of the following is FALSE? - Correct Answer-Saturn has a density of 4.8 grams per cubic centimeter, similar to metals like aluminum and iron Which of the following objects have a dark/black sky, even in the daytime? - Correct Answer-both the Moon and Mercury Which of the following is the largest distance? - Correct Answer-the distance from Jupiter to Saturn Comets - Correct Answer-Tail always points away from the Sun Which of the following is NOT required in order to classify a Solar System object as a planet (instead of a dwarf planet)? - Correct Answer-It must be larger than all of the moons in the Solar System
