Solar System Birth

What triggered the gravitational collapse of the molecular cloud that led to the formation of the solar system?

• The pull of a nearby galaxy

• A black hole passing by

• A nearby supernova

• A collision with another cloud

What are the four inner planets of the solar system primarily made of?

• Dark matter

• Gas and ice

• Rock and metal

• Liquid water

What is the temperature range at the snow line in the early solar system?

• As much as 375 degrees below zero

• 0 to 100 degrees

• 100 to 200 degrees

• Above 2000 degrees

What did the early Jupiter consist of before it became a gas giant?

• Pure hydrogen

• Rock and ice

• Liquid water

• Helium gas

How did the asteroid belt form?

• From a destroyed planet

• A supernova explosion

• Jupiter's gravity prevented planet formation

• Collisions between two giant planets

What is the oldest known material in the solar system found on Earth?

• Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions

• Diamonds

• Fossilized bacteria

• Gold

What effect did the Jupiter-Saturn resonance have on the solar system?

• It formed the Kuiper belt

• It turned Jupiter into a star

• It caused Uranus and Neptune to switch places

• It created the asteroid belt

What is the main reason for studying other solar systems?

• To find resources like metals and water

• To search for alien life

• To understand if our solar system is unique

• To find new planets to colonize

What did the late heavy bombardment potentially bring to Earth?

• Dinosaurs

• Water

• Sunlight

• Trees

What happens when a planet ejects a planetesimal?

• It moves closer to the sun

• It turns into a comet

• It moves farther from the sun

• It becomes a black hole