Nautical Sciences, Unit Four, Chapter Four: The Planets
This is an Closed Book, Multiple-choice exercise.
Use your mouse to click the box next to the most correct answer. If you fail to select the correct answer you must try again until you select the correct answer.
Which of the following planets is closer to the Sun than is the Earth?
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Neptune
What is the other name for a almanac, or star chart?
An ephemeris
An ecliptic
A perturbation
An ellipse
A Magellan
The Earth's orbit around the Sun is known as the "plane of the _________."
Ecliptic
Ephemeris
Ellipse
Orbital period
Solar year
Which of the following planets cannot be seen without a telescope?
Neptune
Uranus
Saturn
Venus
Mercury
The fact that some planets, as seen from Earth, appear to go backward in their orbits is known as ____________ motion.
Retrograde
Longitudinal
Rearward
Orbital
Counter
Which of the planets listed below does not have a satellite moon?
Venus
Pluto
Mars
Neptune
Jupiter
Which of the planets has a temperature of +800 degrees on the lighted side and -300 degrees on the dark side?
Mercury
Earth
Venus
Mars
Pluto
Which other planet is closest to the Earth in terms of size, mass and density?
Venus
Mars
Mercury
Jupiter
Saturn
Which planet below is the only one which spins clockwise?
Venus
Earth
Mars
Saturn
Jupiter
What spacecraft provided a detailed radar survey of Venus in 1991?
Magellan
Mariner 10
Explorer 1
Pioneer 12
Galileo
What months of the year is Mars the nearest to the Earth?
August and September
January and February
September and October
June and July
July and August
What is the name of the Martian volcano with the largest crater width?
South Spot
Nix Olympica
Tycho
Copernicus
Tyrrhena Patera
Which of the planets is able to easily retain all kinds of gases in its atmosphere?
Jupiter
Earth
Mercury
Mars
Venus
Which of the following was not a discovery about Jupiter made by the Galileo spacecraft?
The discovery of liquid water on the surface of the planet.
That Jovian winds speeds can be in excess of 400 mph.
That helium in Jupiter is very nearly the same as in the Sun.
Evidence of volcanic activity on the surface of Jupiter's moon Io.
Evidence of liquid water beneath the moon Europa's surface.
What planet was named for the Roman god of time?
Saturn
Jupiter
Mercury
Neptune
Venus
Which of the planets has been called a "solar system in miniature."
Saturn
Neptune
Pluto
Mercury.
Venus
The Huygens probe will be released by the __________ spacecraft to study Saturn's moon _________.
Cassini, Titan
Cassini, Rhea
Cassini, Mimas
Galileo, Titan
Galileo, Rhea
What planet was discovered by Sir William Herchel in 1781?
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Jupiter
Saturn
What planet is often called the "twin" of Uranus?
Neptune
Venus
Earth
Saturn
Jupiter
Which of the following facts about the moon Triton are true?
It is the coldest body ever measured in our solar system.
It is the largest moon of Saturn.
Large-scale sulphur volcanism has been noted on its surface.
Most of what we know about this planet was provided by the Pioneer 12 spacecraft.
It wasn't discovered until the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by in 1989.
Which of the following facts about Pluto is False?
It was discovered by Voyager 2 in 1989.
For 20 years in its 248-year orbit of the Sun, it is inside the orbit of Neptune.
Mass and density calculations indicate it is composed of rock and methane ice.