Astro 7N UPDATED Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
What was Kepler's First Law? - CORRECT ANSWER - Planets revolve around the sun in
elliptical orbits with Sun at one focus of the ellipse.
What shape best describes the orbit of the Earth around the Sun? - CORRECT ANSWER -
An ellipse that is close to being a circle
What does Kepler's Law say about the speed of planets as they orbit the sun? - CORRECT
ANSWER - When a planet is close to the sun, it is going the fastest. When it is far from
the sun it goes the slowest.
What is the main idea behind Kepler's Second Law? - CORRECT ANSWER - A line
joining the sun and the planet sweeps the same area across the same time in all sections of the
planets orbit
What is Kepler's Third Law? - CORRECT ANSWER - Kepler's third law states that a
planet's orbital period, p, is related to its average (semimajor axis) orbital distance, a, according
to the mathematical relationship p^2=a^3.
How many times does earth orbit compared to saturns orbit? - CORRECT ANSWER -
About 30 earth orbits = 1 saturn orbit
What two discoveries by Galileo proved that Earth is not the center of the universe? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 1) Moons orbit Jupiter 2) Venus has phases
What does the P stand for in Kepler's Third Law (P^2 = A^3)? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Orbital Period
, Jupiter's Moons (closest to furthest) - CORRECT ANSWER - Io (active vulcanoes and
yellow), Europa (ice surface with water below), Ganymede (icy crust, largest moon in solar
system), and Callisto (heavily cratered)
Which way does the sun move when watching from Venus? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Rises in the west and sets in the east
How do the craters on Venus compare to craters elsewhere in the terrestrial region (size)? -
CORRECT ANSWER - Larger
How much of Venus' surface is composed of lava made by it's volcanoes? - CORRECT
ANSWER - About 85%
How did Earth's mountains form? - CORRECT ANSWER - Tectonic Plates
Where are aurorae likely to be seen most frequently? - CORRECT ANSWER - At the
poles
How much of Earth's atmosphere is composed of nitrogen? - CORRECT ANSWER -
About 78%
Earth's atmosphere protects us from what kind of EM radiation? - CORRECT ANSWER -
UV Radiation
What stellar object most commonly enters Earth's atmosphere? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Meteors
What compound causes the Greenhouse Effect? - CORRECT ANSWER - Carbon Dioxide
Does Earth or Venus have a larger Greenhouse Effect? - CORRECT ANSWER - Venus
CORRECT Answers
What was Kepler's First Law? - CORRECT ANSWER - Planets revolve around the sun in
elliptical orbits with Sun at one focus of the ellipse.
What shape best describes the orbit of the Earth around the Sun? - CORRECT ANSWER -
An ellipse that is close to being a circle
What does Kepler's Law say about the speed of planets as they orbit the sun? - CORRECT
ANSWER - When a planet is close to the sun, it is going the fastest. When it is far from
the sun it goes the slowest.
What is the main idea behind Kepler's Second Law? - CORRECT ANSWER - A line
joining the sun and the planet sweeps the same area across the same time in all sections of the
planets orbit
What is Kepler's Third Law? - CORRECT ANSWER - Kepler's third law states that a
planet's orbital period, p, is related to its average (semimajor axis) orbital distance, a, according
to the mathematical relationship p^2=a^3.
How many times does earth orbit compared to saturns orbit? - CORRECT ANSWER -
About 30 earth orbits = 1 saturn orbit
What two discoveries by Galileo proved that Earth is not the center of the universe? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 1) Moons orbit Jupiter 2) Venus has phases
What does the P stand for in Kepler's Third Law (P^2 = A^3)? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Orbital Period
, Jupiter's Moons (closest to furthest) - CORRECT ANSWER - Io (active vulcanoes and
yellow), Europa (ice surface with water below), Ganymede (icy crust, largest moon in solar
system), and Callisto (heavily cratered)
Which way does the sun move when watching from Venus? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Rises in the west and sets in the east
How do the craters on Venus compare to craters elsewhere in the terrestrial region (size)? -
CORRECT ANSWER - Larger
How much of Venus' surface is composed of lava made by it's volcanoes? - CORRECT
ANSWER - About 85%
How did Earth's mountains form? - CORRECT ANSWER - Tectonic Plates
Where are aurorae likely to be seen most frequently? - CORRECT ANSWER - At the
poles
How much of Earth's atmosphere is composed of nitrogen? - CORRECT ANSWER -
About 78%
Earth's atmosphere protects us from what kind of EM radiation? - CORRECT ANSWER -
UV Radiation
What stellar object most commonly enters Earth's atmosphere? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Meteors
What compound causes the Greenhouse Effect? - CORRECT ANSWER - Carbon Dioxide
Does Earth or Venus have a larger Greenhouse Effect? - CORRECT ANSWER - Venus
