1.How do supernovas influence the formation of new solar systems?

ANS: They provide the material and energy required to form a new Sun, and all the planets, as well as comets, asteroids, and meteors

2.The theory that states our solar system formed from a great cloud of gases, energy and dust is known as…

ANS: The nebular theory

3. Why did the solar system form the way it did, with the terrestrial planets near the Sun, and the Jovian planets, beyond that?

ANS: Because the frozen gases that make up the Jovian planets would vaporize in any closer to the sun, and only the dense, rocky planets can exist that close.

4. By what process do the dense rocky planets form?

ANS: Accretion

5. What space objects are found between Mars and Jupiter, and can be deflected out of that orbit through collision, sending them off to impact planets?

ANS: Asteroids

6.These frozen objects carry small pieces of rocky material, and when their orbit takes them close to the sun, these objects sublimate and form tails.

ANS: Comets

7.Long period comets come from what region in space?

ANS: Oort Cloud

8. When does a meteor become a meteorite? (meteoroid)?

ANS: As soon as it enters Earth’s atmosphere and burns up.

9. Give one piece of strong evidence that Earth’s moon was likely the result of a Mars-sized collision.

ANS: Similar materials; density similar to Earth’s mantle

10. In what direction do ALL planets revolve around the Sun?

ANS: Counterclockwise

11. Which planets are able to have surface features, such as valleys and mountains?

ANS: The terrestrial planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars

12. Which type of planet, by nature, has the smallest diameter?

ANS: Terrestrial planets

13.What is a “hot” Jupiter?

ANS: An extrasolar planet that is a gas giant which orbits very close to its Sun.

13. Which types of planets have atmospheres made mostly of gases, like hydrogen, helium, and CO2?

ANS: Jovian

14. Is Doppler Spectroscopy/Radial Velocity Method a direct or indirect method of detecting extrasolar planets? Why?

ANS: Indirect, because it detects slight “wiggles” in the regular orbits of stars that have planets moving around them. (due to planet’s gravitational influence)

15. How does the Photometric method of extrasolar planet detection work?

ANS: When a planet crosses in front of a star, it causes a slight “dimming” in the amount of light produced by the star. This dimming can be quantified and attributed to the transit of the planet.

16.Planets in our solar system are formed of layers of material. Name one way that planets in our solar system have differentiated.

ANS: mass/density; temperature

17.Explain briefly the Protoplanet Hypothesis, and how it differs from Nebular Hypothesis.

ANS: Protoplanet hypothesis attempts to explain solar system differentiation in that planets formed simultaneously with the Sun, accreting in a flattened disc over millions of years. The heavy, dense planets formed closer to the Sun, while the gas giants formed out beyond the orbit of Mars in an area called the frost line. The difference between it, and nebular theory is that the Sun forms first in nebular hypothesis, followed by the planets.

18. Explain how fusion energy in stars gets started.

ANS: Once a star begins forming, the heavier denser particles sink towards the center. As the star grows in mass and density, the center begins to heat up, until finally it is hot enough to sustain itself through fusion of hydrogen.

19. Discuss the current theory regarding the formation of the Earth’s moon.

ANS: Fission/daughter theory states that a Mars-sized object impacted the Earth with a glancing blow, knocking off a part of the early planet’s differentiated mantle (which is less dense). This material became our moon.

20. In what region within our solar system do short period comets come from?

ANS: Kuiper Belt

21. Why is Pulsar Timing unproductive when it comes to extrasolar planet detection?

ANS: Because they are rare in our galaxy, and even if they were common, there would be

little chance for life on a planet orbiting a pulsar.

22. What element would you largely find at Earth’s core, and why?

ANS: Iron…because it is a very dense and common element

Use the following to answer the next few questions:

silicates mantle sisteratmosphere hydrosphere fission

23. Theory whereby Earth’s moon formed simultaneously with Earth.

24. Formed on Earth’s surface due to density and temperature differentiation.

25. Make up crust and mantle, and are considerably less dense that the core materials.

26. Modification of this theory of moon formation is accepted.