Ast 101 Mid Term 1 Exam Questions Answered Correctly Latest Update 2026

AST 101 MID TERM 1 EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026 Ecliptic plane - Answers plane in which all planets orbit the sun How do the planets orbit? - Answers - they all orbit the sun in the same direction and same plane - the further away from the sun they are, the longer it takes to make one full rotation temperature of planets - Answers Distance from the sun widely affects surface temp. - Mars: very hot as it is the closest - Pluto: very cold as it is the furthest (100x the distance from the sun as mars) The atmosphere also affects surface temp. - Without earth's atmospheric insulation (greenhouse affect) the oceans would be entirely ice - If Mars had a thicker atmosphere in the past, it would have supported a more temperate climate today. - Venus has such a thick atmosphere that it traps so much heat making its surface hotter than Mars despite its distance from the sun The Sun - Answers brighter than 80% of stars in the galexy takes up 99.8% of our solar systems mass Terrestrial Planets - Answers Small Rocky Relatively thin or no atmosphere Few moons Made from heavy elements Believed to have been so hot that they were liquid at some point Mercury - Answers No moons No atmosphere Extremely hot Rocky exterior with iron core Cratered surface Only 2 probes have ever visited Venus - Answers Around same size as earth Lots of volcanoes on surface Thick CO2 atmosphere High pressure so air feels like mud Rains acid Always 460 degrees C everywhere No moons Rotates slowly and backwards Many probes have visited Earth - Answers Lots of volcanoes Large oceans regulate carbon dioxide Surface heavily affected by life Has a large moon 23.4 degree rotational tilt Mars - Answers Many extinct volcanoes Very thin carbon dioxide atmosphere 2 small moons Polar ice caps 25.2 degree rotational tilt Anything past mars is called "the outer solar system" Jovian planets - Answers Large Gas + liquid Many moons Mostly light elements All possess rings Jupiter - Answers Largest planet in solar system Very similar chemical makeup as the sun Thick atmosphere Core is liquid hydrogen Very faint rings More than 60 moons Several probes visited Bigger than all other planets combined Saturn - Answers Second largest solar system Very similar chemical makeup as the sun Structure similar to jupiter Many rings More than 60 moons Several probes have visited Uranus - Answers Coldest planet Small rocky core Thin rings and lots of moons Orbital axis tilted 98 degrees Neptune - Answers Furthest planet from the sun Structure similar to uranus Rotation axis tilted 28 degrees More surface features than Uranus The Moon - Answers Rocky surface No atmosphere Cratered surface No geological activity (dead world) Jupiter's moons - Answers Over 60 known 4 large High ice content Largest moons are half ice half metal Io is the most geologically active in solar system Saturns moons - Answers Over 60 known 5 large High ice content Largest moon is half ice half metal Orbit in the same plane as the rings Uranus's moons - Answers 4 large High ice content Orbits in the same plane as uranus rotation (98 degree tilt) Neptune's moons - Answers 1 large moon- triton Orbit not same plane nor direction as neptune rotation Surface is made of frozen nitrogen Trans-neptunion objects - Answers any celestial bodies located further from the sun than neptune biggest of which are dwarf planets dwarf planets - Answers 9 identified Only pluto and ceres have been visited by probes