Question 1

The bluish color that makes the atmosphere of Neptune so beautiful to the human eye is caused by the interaction of sunlight with what gas?

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon dioxide 
B)  oxygen 
C)  argon 
D)  methane 
E)  helium 
A)  carbon dioxide 
B)  oxygen 
C)  argon 
D)  methane 
E)  helium

Question 2

The first spacecraft to explore the environment of the planet Jupiter was called

Accepted Answer

A)  Viking 
B)  Mariner 
C)  Apollo 
D)  Voyager 
E)  Pioneer 
A)  Viking 
B)  Mariner 
C)  Apollo 
D)  Voyager 
E)  Pioneer

Question 3

Which of the following spacecraft is NOT leaving the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)  Pioneer 10 
B)  Pioneer 11 
C)  Galileo 
D)  Voyager 1 
E)  Voyager 2 
A)  Pioneer 10 
B)  Pioneer 11 
C)  Galileo 
D)  Voyager 1 
E)  Voyager 2

Question 4

The first spacecraft which did not merely fly by a jovian (or giant) planet, but actually went into orbit around it for an extended period of time was

Accepted Answer

A)  Galileo 
B)  Einstein 
C)  Voyager 
D)  the Hubble Space Telescope 
E)  Cassini 
A)  Galileo 
B)  Einstein 
C)  Voyager 
D)  the Hubble Space Telescope 
E)  Cassini

Question 5

What was a surprise to astronomers when they carefully examined Neptune with the Hubble Space Telescope in 1994?

Accepted Answer

A)  the magnetic field of the planet had reversed (north was now south) 
B)  new elements and compounds were found in the upper atmosphere that had not been there before 
C)  the Great Dark Spot had disappeared 
D)  the wind speeds had slowed considerably 
E)  a large smiley-face had been constructed using dark clouds 
A)  the magnetic field of the planet had reversed (north was now south) 
B)  new elements and compounds were found in the upper atmosphere that had not been there before 
C)  the Great Dark Spot had disappeared 
D)  the wind speeds had slowed considerably 
E)  a large smiley-face had been constructed using dark clouds

Question 6

The jovian planet that has the longest year (period of revolution) is:

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  you can't fool me, they all have roughly the same year 
A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  you can't fool me, they all have roughly the same year

Question 7

The big problem with the Galileo spacecraft is that

Accepted Answer

A)  its rockets misfired, putting the orbiter section into the wrong orbit 
B)  its camera has an arm that will not move, preventing us from pointing it correctly 
C)  its main antenna is stuck in the closed position 
D)  its computer has stopped working 
E)  it was manufactured in Bayonne, New Jersey, and didn't work
Section 11.2: The Giant Planets 
A)  its rockets misfired, putting the orbiter section into the wrong orbit 
B)  its camera has an arm that will not move, preventing us from pointing it correctly 
C)  its main antenna is stuck in the closed position 
D)  its computer has stopped working 
E)  it was manufactured in Bayonne, New Jersey, and didn't work
Section 11.2: The Giant Planets

Question 8

One way to measure how long Jupiter takes to rotate is to watch the giant storms in its atmosphere go around. A more fundamental way to measure the rotation is to:

Accepted Answer

A)  send a spacecraft like the Galileo probe into the top cloud layer 
B)  determine how long the innermost moons take to orbit Jupiter 
C)  measure the changes in the planet's radio waves, which are controlled by its magnetic field 
D)  determine the amount of methane in the planet's atmosphere 
E)  you can't fool me, astronomers don't have any reliable way of knowing how long Jupiter takes the spin 
A)  send a spacecraft like the Galileo probe into the top cloud layer 
B)  determine how long the innermost moons take to orbit Jupiter 
C)  measure the changes in the planet's radio waves, which are controlled by its magnetic field 
D)  determine the amount of methane in the planet's atmosphere 
E)  you can't fool me, astronomers don't have any reliable way of knowing how long Jupiter takes the spin

Question 9

One reason that we have such a complex system of belts/zones/storms in Jupiter's atmosphere is that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the moon Io stirs up the atmosphere 
B)  the planet rotates very rapidly 
C)  the magnetic field is not centered inside 
D)  ring particles "rain down" regularly 
E)  the closeness of the asteroid belt means the planet feels a lot of gravitational tugs from nearby asteroids 
A)  the moon Io stirs up the atmosphere 
B)  the planet rotates very rapidly 
C)  the magnetic field is not centered inside 
D)  ring particles "rain down" regularly 
E)  the closeness of the asteroid belt means the planet feels a lot of gravitational tugs from nearby asteroids

Question 10

The upper clouds in the atmosphere of Neptune are composed of:

Accepted Answer

A)  frozen water crystals 
B)  liquid hydrogen 
C)  iron crystals caught in the magnetic field lines 
D)  carbon dioxide 
E)  methane 
A)  frozen water crystals 
B)  liquid hydrogen 
C)  iron crystals caught in the magnetic field lines 
D)  carbon dioxide 
E)  methane

Question 11

Which of the following statements about the Galileo probe that dropped into Jupiter is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  it was the first spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of a jovian planet 
B)  it sent back information for a little less than an hour 
C)  it was slowed by atmospheric friction and a parachute 
D)  it detected a lot of water and water vapor clouds on its way down 
E)  it found that the temperature and pressure increased as it got further down 
A)  it was the first spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of a jovian planet 
B)  it sent back information for a little less than an hour 
C)  it was slowed by atmospheric friction and a parachute 
D)  it detected a lot of water and water vapor clouds on its way down 
E)  it found that the temperature and pressure increased as it got further down

Question 12

Jupiter has enough mass to make 318 Earths. In contrast, Uranus and Neptune have only enough mass to make

Accepted Answer

A)  100 Earths 
B)  70 Earths 
C)  15 Earths 
D)  2 Earths 
E)  you can't fool me, Uranus and Neptune have a lot of ice, and so have much more mass than Jupiter 
A)  100 Earths 
B)  70 Earths 
C)  15 Earths 
D)  2 Earths 
E)  you can't fool me, Uranus and Neptune have a lot of ice, and so have much more mass than Jupiter

Question 13

The Red Spot of Jupiter is:

Accepted Answer

A)  variable in size 
B)  a high pressure storm system in the atmosphere 
C)  made of a reddish colored material (but we don't know what gives it the reddish color) 
D)  long-lived (observed since the 1600's) 
E)  all of the above 
A)  variable in size 
B)  a high pressure storm system in the atmosphere 
C)  made of a reddish colored material (but we don't know what gives it the reddish color) 
D)  long-lived (observed since the 1600's) 
E)  all of the above

Question 14

The planet that has an axis that points roughly straight up, and thus has no seasons to speak of, is:

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  you can't fool me, all the giant planets have dramatically different seasons 
A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  you can't fool me, all the giant planets have dramatically different seasons

Question 15

The dwarf planet Pluto was discovered in 1930. Since that time, which jovian planet has completed a full revolution around the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  more than one of the above 
A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  more than one of the above

Question 16

The primary clouds in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn are composed of:

Accepted Answer

A)  water vapor 
B)  iron and nickel 
C)  frozen ammonia crystals 
D)  metallic hydrogen 
E)  frozen alcohol (ready to make cocktails) 
A)  water vapor 
B)  iron and nickel 
C)  frozen ammonia crystals 
D)  metallic hydrogen 
E)  frozen alcohol (ready to make cocktails)

Question 17

To obtain the wonderful images of the jovian planets in our textbook (out where the sunlight is a lot fainter) what did the Voyager spacecraft cameras have to do as they flew by each world?

Accepted Answer

A)  use faster (more light sensitive) film 
B)  slow down the spacecraft using retro-rockets to get long exposures 
C)  swivel the cameras backwards to keep pointing in the same direction as the craft flew by 
D)  use more than one camera and combine the light that fell into each one 
E)  simply make do with pictures that got worse and worse as we went outward from the Sun; by the time we got to Neptune, the images were quite blurry 
A)  use faster (more light sensitive) film 
B)  slow down the spacecraft using retro-rockets to get long exposures 
C)  swivel the cameras backwards to keep pointing in the same direction as the craft flew by 
D)  use more than one camera and combine the light that fell into each one 
E)  simply make do with pictures that got worse and worse as we went outward from the Sun; by the time we got to Neptune, the images were quite blurry

Exam 11: The Giant Planets

The bluish color that makes the atmosphere of Neptune so beautiful to the human eye is caused by the interaction of sunlight with what gas?

The first spacecraft to explore the environment of the planet Jupiter was called

Which of the following spacecraft is NOT leaving the solar system?

The first spacecraft which did not merely fly by a jovian (or giant) planet, but actually went into orbit around it for an extended period of time was

What was a surprise to astronomers when they carefully examined Neptune with the Hubble Space Telescope in 1994?

The jovian planet that has the longest year (period of revolution) is:

The big problem with the Galileo spacecraft is that

One way to measure how long Jupiter takes to rotate is to watch the giant storms in its atmosphere go around. A more fundamental way to measure the rotation is to:

One reason that we have such a complex system of belts/zones/storms in Jupiter's atmosphere is that:

The upper clouds in the atmosphere of Neptune are composed of:

Which of the following statements about the Galileo probe that dropped into Jupiter is FALSE?

Jupiter has enough mass to make 318 Earths. In contrast, Uranus and Neptune have only enough mass to make

The Red Spot of Jupiter is:

The planet that has an axis that points roughly straight up, and thus has no seasons to speak of, is:

The dwarf planet Pluto was discovered in 1930. Since that time, which jovian planet has completed a full revolution around the Sun?

The primary clouds in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn are composed of:

To obtain the wonderful images of the jovian planets in our textbook (out where the sunlight is a lot fainter) what did the Voyager spacecraft cameras have to do as they flew by each world?

Science and the Universe: a Brief Tour

Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

Orbits and Gravity

Earth, Moon, and Sky

Radiation and Spectra

Astronomical Instruments

Other Worlds: an Introduction to the Solar System

Earth As a Planet

Cratered Worlds: the Moon and Mercury

Earthlike Planets: Venus and Mars

Rings, Moons, and Pluto

Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System

Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System

The Sun: a Garden-Variety Star

The Sun: a Nuclear Powerhouse

Analyzing Starlight

The Stars: a Celestial Census

Celestial Distances

Between the Stars

The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets Outside the Solar System

Stars From Adolescence to Old Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes and Curved Space-Time

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes

The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies

The Big Bang

Life in the Universe

Filters