Question 1

How many more times is the atmospheric pressure in Jupiter's core greater than the atmospheric pressure at Earth's surface?

Accepted Answer

A) 1 million 
B) 10 million 
C) 100 million 
D) 10 thousand 
E) 100 thousand 
A) 1 million 
B) 10 million 
C) 100 million 
D) 10 thousand 
E) 100 thousand

Question 2

What is the Cassini division of Saturn's rings?

Accepted Answer

A) the most opaque ring of Saturn, made of highly reflective ice particles 
B) the imaginary circle marking the halfway point of Saturn's rings 
C) a dark ring, visible from Earth, composed of dark, dusty particles 
D) the widest ring of Saturn, located between two large ring gaps 
E) a large gap, visible from Earth, produced by an orbital resonance with the moon Mimas 
A) the most opaque ring of Saturn, made of highly reflective ice particles 
B) the imaginary circle marking the halfway point of Saturn's rings 
C) a dark ring, visible from Earth, composed of dark, dusty particles 
D) the widest ring of Saturn, located between two large ring gaps 
E) a large gap, visible from Earth, produced by an orbital resonance with the moon Mimas

Question 3

Uranus and Neptune have methane clouds but Jupiter and Saturn do not. Which factor explains why?

Accepted Answer

A) Temperatures on Jupiter and Saturn are too high for methane to condense. 
B) The stronger gravity on Jupiter and Saturn pulls methane downward so that it can't form clouds. 
C) The rapid rotation of Jupiter and Saturn prevents methane clouds from forming. 
D) Jupiter and Saturn do not contain any methane gas. 
A) Temperatures on Jupiter and Saturn are too high for methane to condense. 
B) The stronger gravity on Jupiter and Saturn pulls methane downward so that it can't form clouds. 
C) The rapid rotation of Jupiter and Saturn prevents methane clouds from forming. 
D) Jupiter and Saturn do not contain any methane gas.

Question 4

What would be the approximate radius of a hydrogen/helium planet with a mass one- tenth that of Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A) about 1 time the radius of Jupiter 
B) about 0.7 times the radius of Jupiter 
C) about 0.9 times the radius of Jupiter 
D) about 0.5 times the radius of Jupiter 
A) about 1 time the radius of Jupiter 
B) about 0.7 times the radius of Jupiter 
C) about 0.9 times the radius of Jupiter 
D) about 0.5 times the radius of Jupiter

Question 5

Use these choices for the following questions.
-Which of the above applies to Triton?

Accepted Answer

A) the most volcanically active body in the solar system 
B) thought to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water 
C) probably a captured Kuiper Belt object 
D) the target of the Huygens probe, which landed on its surface. 
E) the largest moon in the solar system 
A) the most volcanically active body in the solar system 
B) thought to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water 
C) probably a captured Kuiper Belt object 
D) the target of the Huygens probe, which landed on its surface. 
E) the largest moon in the solar system

Question 6

The satellite Amalthea orbits Jupiter at just about the same distance in kilometers at which Mimas orbits Saturn. Yet Mimas takes almost twice as long to orbit. What can you deduce from this difference qualitatively? Since Jupiter and Saturn are not very different in radius, what else can you conclude?

Accepted Answer

The gravitational attraction of Saturn o

Question 7

Which jovian planet should have the most extreme seasonal changes?

Accepted Answer

A) Neptune 
B) Uranus 
C) Jupiter 
D) Saturn 
A) Neptune 
B) Uranus 
C) Jupiter 
D) Saturn

Question 8

Which moon did the Huygens spacecraft land on?

Accepted Answer

A) Triton 
B) Ganymede 
C) Europa 
D) Titan 
E) Callisto 
A) Triton 
B) Ganymede 
C) Europa 
D) Titan 
E) Callisto

Question 9

Which of the following statements comparing the jovian interiors is not thought to be true?

Accepted Answer

A) They all have cores that contain at least some rock and metal. 
B) They all have the same exact set of internal layers, though these layers differ in size. 
C) They all have cores of roughly the same mass. 
D) Deep inside them, they all have pressures far higher than that found on the bottom of the ocean on Earth. 
A) They all have cores that contain at least some rock and metal. 
B) They all have the same exact set of internal layers, though these layers differ in size. 
C) They all have cores of roughly the same mass. 
D) Deep inside them, they all have pressures far higher than that found on the bottom of the ocean on Earth.

Question 10

Suppose the jovian planet atmospheres were composed 100 percent of hydrogen and helium rather than 98 percent of hydrogen and helium. How would the atmospheres be different in terms of color and weather?

Accepted Answer

Without ingredients besides hy

Question 11

What is "ice geology"? Give an example illustrating why it is important in the outer solar system.

Accepted Answer

Ice geology is the formation of surface

Question 12

How do astronomers think Jupiter generates its internal heat?

Accepted Answer

A) internal friction due to its high rotation rate 
B) nuclear fusion in the core 
C) chemical processes 
D) by contracting, changing gravitational potential energy into thermal energy 
E) radioactive decay 
A) internal friction due to its high rotation rate 
B) nuclear fusion in the core 
C) chemical processes 
D) by contracting, changing gravitational potential energy into thermal energy 
E) radioactive decay

Question 13

If Jupiter were 10 times more massive, it would generate nuclear fusion in its core and be a star instead of a planet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Where is Jupiter's strong magnetic field generated?

Accepted Answer

A) gaseous hydrogen layer 
B) metallic hydrogen layer 
C) liquid hydrogen layer 
D) rocky core 
E) cloud tops 
A) gaseous hydrogen layer 
B) metallic hydrogen layer 
C) liquid hydrogen layer 
D) rocky core 
E) cloud tops

Question 15

If Jupiter were scaled to the size of a basketball, Earth would be the closest to the size of

Accepted Answer

A) a marble. 
B) a baseball. 
C) a basketball. 
D) a pinhead. 
E) a grapefruit. 
A) a marble. 
B) a baseball. 
C) a basketball. 
D) a pinhead. 
E) a grapefruit.

Question 16

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a low- pressure storm, like a hurricane on Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Explain why Titan is of great interest to astronomers.

Accepted Answer

It's thick atmosphere provides another t

Question 18

What is the most abundant gas in Titan's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) argon 
B) nitrogen 
C) hydrogen compounds 
D) oxygen 
E) methane 
A) argon 
B) nitrogen 
C) hydrogen compounds 
D) oxygen 
E) methane

Question 19

Use these choices for the following questions.
-Which of the above applies to Ganymede?

Accepted Answer

A) the most volcanically active body in the solar system 
B) thought to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water 
C) probably a captured Kuiper Belt object 
D) the target of the Huygens probe, which landed on its surface. 
E) the largest moon in the solar system 
A) the most volcanically active body in the solar system 
B) thought to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water 
C) probably a captured Kuiper Belt object 
D) the target of the Huygens probe, which landed on its surface. 
E) the largest moon in the solar system

Question 20

Why do astronomers believe that Triton is a captured moon?

Accepted Answer

A) Triton is very small and potato- shaped, which is common of captured moons. 
B) Triton is too large to have been formed in the "miniature solar nebula" thought to have surrounded Neptune in its very early history. 
C) Triton appears to be made mostly of ice. 
D) Triton orbits Neptune in a direction opposite that of Neptune's rotation. 
A) Triton is very small and potato- shaped, which is common of captured moons. 
B) Triton is too large to have been formed in the "miniature solar nebula" thought to have surrounded Neptune in its very early history. 
C) Triton appears to be made mostly of ice. 
D) Triton orbits Neptune in a direction opposite that of Neptune's rotation.

How many more times is the atmospheric pressure in Jupiter's core greater than the atmospheric pressure at Earth's surface?

What is the Cassini division of Saturn's rings?

Uranus and Neptune have methane clouds but Jupiter and Saturn do not. Which factor explains why?

What would be the approximate radius of a hydrogen/helium planet with a mass one- tenth that of Jupiter?

Use these choices for the following questions. -Which of the above applies to Triton?

Which jovian planet should have the most extreme seasonal changes?

Which moon did the Huygens spacecraft land on?

Which of the following statements comparing the jovian interiors is not thought to be true?

Suppose the jovian planet atmospheres were composed 100 percent of hydrogen and helium rather than 98 percent of hydrogen and helium. How would the atmospheres be different in terms of color and weather?

What is "ice geology"? Give an example illustrating why it is important in the outer solar system.

How do astronomers think Jupiter generates its internal heat?

If Jupiter were 10 times more massive, it would generate nuclear fusion in its core and be a star instead of a planet.

Where is Jupiter's strong magnetic field generated?

If Jupiter were scaled to the size of a basketball, Earth would be the closest to the size of

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a low- pressure storm, like a hurricane on Earth.

Explain why Titan is of great interest to astronomers.

What is the most abundant gas in Titan's atmosphere?

Use these choices for the following questions. -Which of the above applies to Ganymede?

Why do astronomers believe that Triton is a captured moon?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

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Exam 8: Jovian Planet System

How many more times is the atmospheric pressure in Jupiter's core greater than the atmospheric pressure at Earth's surface?

What is the Cassini division of Saturn's rings?

Uranus and Neptune have methane clouds but Jupiter and Saturn do not. Which factor explains why?

What would be the approximate radius of a hydrogen/helium planet with a mass one- tenth that of Jupiter?

Use these choices for the following questions. -Which of the above applies to Triton?

Which jovian planet should have the most extreme seasonal changes?

Which moon did the Huygens spacecraft land on?

Which of the following statements comparing the jovian interiors is not thought to be true?

Suppose the jovian planet atmospheres were composed 100 percent of hydrogen and helium rather than 98 percent of hydrogen and helium. How would the atmospheres be different in terms of color and weather?

What is "ice geology"? Give an example illustrating why it is important in the outer solar system.

How do astronomers think Jupiter generates its internal heat?

If Jupiter were 10 times more massive, it would generate nuclear fusion in its core and be a star instead of a planet.

Where is Jupiter's strong magnetic field generated?

If Jupiter were scaled to the size of a basketball, Earth would be the closest to the size of

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a low- pressure storm, like a hurricane on Earth.

Explain why Titan is of great interest to astronomers.

What is the most abundant gas in Titan's atmosphere?

Use these choices for the following questions. -Which of the above applies to Ganymede?

Why do astronomers believe that Triton is a captured moon?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Filters