Skip to ContentGo to accessibility pageKeyboard shortcuts menu
OpenStax Logo
Astronomy 2e

Review Questions

Astronomy 2eReview Questions

Review Questions

1.

A friend of yours who has not taken astronomy sees a meteor shower (she calls it a bunch of shooting stars). The next day she confides in you that she was concerned that the stars in the Big Dipper (her favorite star pattern) might be the next ones to go. How would you put her mind at ease?

2.

In what ways are meteorites different from meteors? What is the probable origin of each?

3.

How are comets related to meteor showers?

4.

What do we mean by primitive material? How can we tell if a meteorite is primitive?

5.

Describe the solar nebula, and outline the sequence of events within the nebula that gave rise to the planetesimals.

6.

Why do the giant planets and their moons have compositions different from those of the terrestrial planets?

7.

How do the planets discovered so far around other stars differ from those in our own solar system? List at least two ways.

8.

Explain the role of impacts in planetary evolution, including both giant impacts and more modest ones.

9.

Why are some planets and moons more geologically active than others?

10.

Summarize the origin and evolution of the atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars.

11.

Why do meteors in a meteor shower appear to come from just one point in the sky?

PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/astronomy-2e/pages/1-introduction
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/astronomy-2e/pages/1-introduction
Citation information

© Jul 8, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.