Question 1

One light-year is the:

Accepted Answer

A)   distance that light travels in one year.
B)   time taken for Earth to orbit the Sun once.
C)   distance between Earth and the Sun.
D)   time taken for light to travel from the Sun to Earth.

Question 2

What did Galileo see when he observed Jupiter through his telescope?

Accepted Answer

A)   nothing interesting because Jupiter is perpetually cloud-covered
B)   a set of rings
C)   four satellites (moons)  orbiting Jupiter
D)   phases like the Moon's

Question 3

Which of the following sentences CORRECTLY states the significance of Galileo's observation that Jupiter has satellites (moons) ?

Accepted Answer

A)   The observation showed that Jupiter must be four times the size of Earth (because Jupiter has four moons and Earth has one) .
B)   The observation showed that bodies can orbit an object other than Earth.
C)   The observation was interesting but had no other particular significance.
D)   The observation showed that Jupiter must orbit the Sun, not Earth.

Question 4

The time taken for light to travel from a galaxy that is 10 Mpc away is:

Accepted Answer

A)   3.07 × 10⁶ years.
B)   32.6 years.
C)   10⁷ years.
D)   3.26 × 10⁷ years.

Question 5

What did Galileo NOT observe with his new telescope?

Accepted Answer

A)   the phases of Venus
B)   the large moons of Jupiter
C)   Neptune
D)   sunspots

Question 6

The term retrograde motion for a planet refers to the:

Accepted Answer

A)   temporary reversal of the planet's normal east-to-west motion past the background stars as seen from Earth.
B)   apparent motion of a planet's moon in the direction opposite the motion of the planet itself during half of each orbit of the moon around the planet.
C)   temporary reversal of a planet's direction of spin about its axis of rotation.
D)   temporary reversal of the planet's normal west-to-east motion past the background stars as seen from Earth.

Question 7

If a tenth planet (tentatively predicted to exist on the basis of perturbations in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune) were to be discovered with a sidereal period of 200 years,what would be the radius of its orbit (assumed to be circular) ?

Accepted Answer

A)   2828 AU
B)   34.2 AU
C)   342 AU
D)   200 AU

Question 8

An astronomical unit (AU) is a unit of:

Accepted Answer

A)   time equal to the time taken for light to travel from the Sun to Earth.
B)   length, defined as the wavelength of light from krypton gas.
C)   length, the average distance between the Sun and Earth.
D)   mass equal to one solar mass.

Question 9

Which objects are often found to follow parabolic orbits?

Accepted Answer

A)   small satellites of the outer planets
B)   asteroids
C)   None-all orbits have to be ellipses.
D)   comets

Question 10

Retrograde motion of a planet against the background stars is always:

Accepted Answer

A)   apparent motion of the planet away from Earth.
B)   movement northward, away from the ecliptic plane.
C)   movement from west to east.
D)   movement from east to west.

Question 11

A planet's sidereal year is different from its synodic year because the:

Accepted Answer

A)   Earth moves.
B)   planet's speed changes along its elliptical orbit.
C)   planet rotates about its own axis in addition to its orbital motion.
D)   the planet moves.

Question 12

How did Copernicus know Mercury was closer to the Sun than Earth is?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mercury can always be seen relatively close to the Sun.
B)   He measured Mercury's orbital period and used Kepler's third law.
C)   Mercury was sometimes seen to pass behind the Sun.
D)   Mercury can be high in the sky at midnight.

Question 13

1 AU,or 1 astronomical unit,is defined as the:

Accepted Answer

A)   distance at which the Earth-Sun distance will subtend an angle of 1 arc second.
B)   mean distance between the Sun and Earth.
C)   radius of the Sun.
D)   distance traveled by light in one year.

Question 14

Jupiter will be at which configuration when it is at the middle of its retrograde motion?

Accepted Answer

A)   maximum eastern elongation
B)   conjunction
C)   Jupiter never undergoes retrograde motion because it is a superior planet.
D)   opposition

Question 15

According to the Ptolemaic model of the solar system,during retrograde motion a planet would be:

Accepted Answer

A)   at varying distances from Earth, sometimes closer and sometimes farther away than the average distance.
B)   farther away from Earth than average.
C)   closer to Earth than average.
D)   always at the same distance from Earth because the planet orbits Earth in a circle in this model.

Question 16

According to Galileo's observations of Venus,when Venus is at full phase,its angular size:

Accepted Answer

A)   and its angular distance from the Sun are both maximum.
B)   and its angular distance from the Sun are both minimum.
C)   is maximum but its angular distance from the Sun is minimum.
D)   is minimum but its angular distance from the Sun is maximum.

Question 17

Which point in a comet's orbit is closest to the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)   perihelion
B)   inferior conjunction
C)   greatest elongation
D)   aphelion

Question 18

Why did Galileo's observations of moons orbiting Jupiter disagree with the theory of the universe accepted up to that time in history?

Accepted Answer

A)   The moons moved in noncircular orbits around Jupiter.
B)   The moons did not appear to orbit the Sun.
C)   The moons appeared to be too small to be considered part of the solar system described by the theory.
D)   The moons did not orbit Earth.

Question 19

Retrograde motion of a planet when viewed from Earth is caused by the fact that:

Accepted Answer

A)   the planet's orbit is inclined at an angle to Earth's orbit.
B)   the planet's orbit is elliptical.
C)   the Sun is moving.
D)   the Earth is moving.

Question 20

Suppose that an object is discovered moving around the Sun once every 120 years.Which of the following paths is a possible orbit for this object?

Accepted Answer

A)   a straight line
B)   a parabola
C)   an ellipse
D)   a hyperbola

Exam 2: Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

An astronomical unit (AU) is a unit of:

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One light-year is the:

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If a tenth planet (tentatively predicted to exist on the basis of perturbations in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune) were to be discovered with a sidereal period of 200 years,what would be the radius of its orbit (assumed to be circular) ?

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According to the Ptolemaic model of the solar system,during retrograde motion a planet would be:

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How did Copernicus know Mercury was closer to the Sun than Earth is?

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Which objects are often found to follow parabolic orbits?

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Suppose that an object is discovered moving around the Sun once every 120 years.Which of the following paths is a possible orbit for this object?

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Retrograde motion of a planet against the background stars is always:

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1 AU,or 1 astronomical unit,is defined as the:

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Which point in a comet's orbit is closest to the Sun?

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According to Galileo's observations of Venus,when Venus is at full phase,its angular size:

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The time taken for light to travel from a galaxy that is 10 Mpc away is:

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Jupiter will be at which configuration when it is at the middle of its retrograde motion?

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Which of the following sentences CORRECTLY states the significance of Galileo's observation that Jupiter has satellites (moons) ?

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What did Galileo NOT observe with his new telescope?

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The term retrograde motion for a planet refers to the:

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Retrograde motion of a planet when viewed from Earth is caused by the fact that:

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Why did Galileo's observations of moons orbiting Jupiter disagree with the theory of the universe accepted up to that time in history?

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A planet's sidereal year is different from its synodic year because the:

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What did Galileo see when he observed Jupiter through his telescope?

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