PSU ASTRO 7N UPDATED FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Which statement about the rotation of the Inner planets is true? - ✔✔Venus rotates
in the opposite direction from the three other inner planets
✔✔Which of the following is TRUE? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔The early
solar nebula flattened into a disk.
✔✔Of these choices, which planet has the most moons? - ✔✔Saturn has more than
Earth, Mercury, Mars, and Venus
✔✔Venus is visible to us ... - ✔✔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. - ✔✔11.2 years
✔✔In the above diagram, how should the parameters of the white curve be changed in
order that it matches the observed distance versus time graph of Callisto? - ✔✔increase
P and shift the curve
✔✔How do most craters on moons form? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔Mercury
✔✔How many Earth years does it take Uranus to orbit the Sun? - ✔✔84
✔✔Meteors are ... - ✔✔asteroids or comet debris that passes into Earth's atmosphere
and burns up
✔✔Which feature of Neptune is most responsible for its blue color? - ✔✔methane in its
atmosphere
✔✔Which of the following statements is TRUE? - ✔✔The planet Saturn has more than
30 moons.
✔✔The surface of Venus is hotter than the surface of Mercury because ... - ✔✔Venus is
more massive and is able to retain a thick atmosphere.
, ✔✔Which of the following is moving fastest in the orbit? - ✔✔Venus at its perihelion
(closest point to Sun)
✔✔Which of the following is FALSE? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔both
the Moon and Mercury
✔✔Which of the following is the largest distance? - ✔✔the distance from Jupiter to
Saturn
✔✔Where on the Venn diagram, above, does the clue "Tail always points away from the
Sun" belong? - ✔✔C (See practice questions)
✔✔Which of the following is NOT required in order to classify a Solar System object as
a planet (instead of a dwarf planet)? - ✔✔It must be larger than all of the moons in the
Solar System
✔✔Which of the following planets looks the most like the Earth's Moon? - ✔✔Mercury
✔✔Which is NOT a characteristic of a comet? - ✔✔most orbit the Sun in between the
orbits of Mars and Jupiter
✔✔Which of the following is the cause of an aurora? - ✔✔Solar wind particles that hit
the atmosphere of a planet
✔✔In the diagram above, which planets have temperatures lower than -200 degrees
Fahrenheit? - ✔✔all the Jovian planets (See practice questions)
✔✔Which planet is this in the picture? (to the right) - ✔✔Venus (See practice questions)
✔✔The moon has about 1/100th the mass of Earth and 1/4 the radius. What is the
surface gravity of the Moon compared to the Earth? - ✔✔16/100
✔✔What did Newtons law of Universal Gravitation tell us about how gravity works? -
✔✔The force of gravity from the Sun will be stronger on a larger mass object
✔✔According to Newton's second law of motion, if the net force acting on the object
increases while the mass of the object remains constant, what happens to the
acceleration? - ✔✔acceleration increases
✔✔Longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - ✔✔June 21
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Which statement about the rotation of the Inner planets is true? - ✔✔Venus rotates
in the opposite direction from the three other inner planets
✔✔Which of the following is TRUE? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔The early
solar nebula flattened into a disk.
✔✔Of these choices, which planet has the most moons? - ✔✔Saturn has more than
Earth, Mercury, Mars, and Venus
✔✔Venus is visible to us ... - ✔✔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. - ✔✔11.2 years
✔✔In the above diagram, how should the parameters of the white curve be changed in
order that it matches the observed distance versus time graph of Callisto? - ✔✔increase
P and shift the curve
✔✔How do most craters on moons form? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔Mercury
✔✔How many Earth years does it take Uranus to orbit the Sun? - ✔✔84
✔✔Meteors are ... - ✔✔asteroids or comet debris that passes into Earth's atmosphere
and burns up
✔✔Which feature of Neptune is most responsible for its blue color? - ✔✔methane in its
atmosphere
✔✔Which of the following statements is TRUE? - ✔✔The planet Saturn has more than
30 moons.
✔✔The surface of Venus is hotter than the surface of Mercury because ... - ✔✔Venus is
more massive and is able to retain a thick atmosphere.
, ✔✔Which of the following is moving fastest in the orbit? - ✔✔Venus at its perihelion
(closest point to Sun)
✔✔Which of the following is FALSE? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔both
the Moon and Mercury
✔✔Which of the following is the largest distance? - ✔✔the distance from Jupiter to
Saturn
✔✔Where on the Venn diagram, above, does the clue "Tail always points away from the
Sun" belong? - ✔✔C (See practice questions)
✔✔Which of the following is NOT required in order to classify a Solar System object as
a planet (instead of a dwarf planet)? - ✔✔It must be larger than all of the moons in the
Solar System
✔✔Which of the following planets looks the most like the Earth's Moon? - ✔✔Mercury
✔✔Which is NOT a characteristic of a comet? - ✔✔most orbit the Sun in between the
orbits of Mars and Jupiter
✔✔Which of the following is the cause of an aurora? - ✔✔Solar wind particles that hit
the atmosphere of a planet
✔✔In the diagram above, which planets have temperatures lower than -200 degrees
Fahrenheit? - ✔✔all the Jovian planets (See practice questions)
✔✔Which planet is this in the picture? (to the right) - ✔✔Venus (See practice questions)
✔✔The moon has about 1/100th the mass of Earth and 1/4 the radius. What is the
surface gravity of the Moon compared to the Earth? - ✔✔16/100
✔✔What did Newtons law of Universal Gravitation tell us about how gravity works? -
✔✔The force of gravity from the Sun will be stronger on a larger mass object
✔✔According to Newton's second law of motion, if the net force acting on the object
increases while the mass of the object remains constant, what happens to the
acceleration? - ✔✔acceleration increases
✔✔Longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - ✔✔June 21
