Question 1

What measurement tells us that the interiors of Uranus and Neptune are made of mostly water?

Accepted Answer

A)  their mass 
B)  their distance from the sun 
C)  their average densities 
D)  their temperatures 
E)  their colors 
A)  their mass 
B)  their distance from the sun 
C)  their average densities 
D)  their temperatures 
E)  their colors

Question 2

If you were to fly to Jupiter from Earth, which of these parts of Jupiter would you come into contact with first?

Accepted Answer

A)  magnetosphere 
B)  metallic hydrogen 
C)  molecular hydrogen 
D)  rocky materials 
E)  stratosphere 
A)  magnetosphere 
B)  metallic hydrogen 
C)  molecular hydrogen 
D)  rocky materials 
E)  stratosphere

Question 3

The figure below shows a cutaway drawing of some of the layers inside the atmosphere of Jupiter.The rocky core is located at the center.Which of these is a possible list of what the layers contain, starting with layer 1 and moving to layer 3?

Accepted Answer

A)  gas, solid, liquid 
B)  gas, smooth transition from gas to solid, solid 
C)  gas, distinct line between gas and solid, solid 
D)  gas, smooth transition from gas to liquid, solid 
E)  gas, distinct line between gas and liquid, liquid 
A)  gas, solid, liquid 
B)  gas, smooth transition from gas to solid, solid 
C)  gas, distinct line between gas and solid, solid 
D)  gas, smooth transition from gas to liquid, solid 
E)  gas, distinct line between gas and liquid, liquid

Question 4

Which of the giant planets was predicted to exist mathematically before it was ever seen through a telescope?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

The Great Red Spot, Jupiter's most prominent storm system, has a diameter that is approximately ________ times Earth's diameter.

Accepted Answer

A)  2 
B)  5 
C)  10 
D)  50 
E)  100 
A)  2 
B)  5 
C)  10 
D)  50 
E)  100

Question 6

The giant planets are made primarily of

Accepted Answer

A)  water and carbon dioxide. 
B)  oxygen and nitrogen. 
C)  methane. 
D)  molecular hydrogen and helium. 
E)  ammonia. 
A)  water and carbon dioxide. 
B)  oxygen and nitrogen. 
C)  methane. 
D)  molecular hydrogen and helium. 
E)  ammonia.

Question 7

What causes the horizontal bands on Jupiter and Saturn to have different colors? How can they be used to probe different altitudes in their atmospheres?

Accepted Answer

The different bands in Jupiter's and Sat

Question 8

The atmosphere of Earth has only one main volatile component, water.The atmospheres of the giant planets, however, have a number of additional volatiles, such as methane and ammonia.What is the most conspicuous consequence of this difference?

Accepted Answer

Each species of volatile exists as a gas

Question 9

Which planet receives the least amount of energy from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

The colors of the cloud bands on Jupiter and Saturn are due primarily to differences in their

Accepted Answer

A)  wind speeds. 
B)  chemical compositions. 
C)  altitudes. 
D)  temperatures. 
E)  densities. 
A)  wind speeds. 
B)  chemical compositions. 
C)  altitudes. 
D)  temperatures. 
E)  densities.

Question 11

Which of the following methods provides the most accurate measurement of a distant planet's radius?

Accepted Answer

A)  the radial velocity method 
B)  Earth-based radar measurements 
C)  timing stellar occultations 
D)  visible angular size measured by telescope 
E)  timing wind patterns 
A)  the radial velocity method 
B)  Earth-based radar measurements 
C)  timing stellar occultations 
D)  visible angular size measured by telescope 
E)  timing wind patterns

Question 12

The Kepler-20 system, illustrated in the figure below, has an order of planets that does not match what we expect from current planetary system formation theories.How do we explain this order, and that of other systems with large planets close to their star?

Accepted Answer

The order is product of planet

Question 13

Impurities in the ice crystals in Jupiter's atmosphere cause

Accepted Answer

A)  clouds to have different colors. 
B)  molecular gases to be well mixed at all altitudes. 
C)  cloud layers to have different temperatures. 
D)  cloud layers to have different speeds. 
E)  massive lightning storms. 
A)  clouds to have different colors. 
B)  molecular gases to be well mixed at all altitudes. 
C)  cloud layers to have different temperatures. 
D)  cloud layers to have different speeds. 
E)  massive lightning storms.

Question 14

You observe a gas giant planet that is much warmer that its expected equilibrium temperature.This is evidence that the gas giant is

Accepted Answer

A)  generating more heat than it receives. 
B)  rotating rapidly. 
C)  rotating on an axis that is highly tilted. 
D)  experiencing extreme turbulence in its middle layers. 
E)  fusing hydrogen into helium in its core. 
A)  generating more heat than it receives. 
B)  rotating rapidly. 
C)  rotating on an axis that is highly tilted. 
D)  experiencing extreme turbulence in its middle layers. 
E)  fusing hydrogen into helium in its core.

Question 15

Suppose Neptune moves with an average orbital speed of 3.5 km/s.If it takes Neptune four hours to pass directly in front of a star, what is Neptune's diameter? Give Neptune's radius in units of Earth diameters, where the diameter of Earth is 12,800 km.

Accepted Answer

The diameter of Neptune is equal to its

Question 16

Where are atmospheric vortices usually found on the giant planets?

Accepted Answer

A)  deep within the atmosphere, out of view from us on Earth 
B)  between oppositely directed zonal winds 
C)  only on the equator, where wind velocities are highest 
D)  only at the poles, where wind velocities are smallest 
E)  only at mid-latitudes 
A)  deep within the atmosphere, out of view from us on Earth 
B)  between oppositely directed zonal winds 
C)  only on the equator, where wind velocities are highest 
D)  only at the poles, where wind velocities are smallest 
E)  only at mid-latitudes

Question 17

Which of the following giant planets radiates more energy into space than it receives from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Neptune 
D)  all three of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune 
E)  none of these 
A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Neptune 
D)  all three of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune 
E)  none of these

Question 18

Which of these planets has a composition that is most like the Sun?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

Explain why methane never freezes in the upper atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, and how this leads to the different appearance of Jupiter and Saturn compared to Uranus and Neptune.

Accepted Answer

Jupiter and Saturn are closer to the Sun

Question 20

What produces Jupiter's strong auroras?

Accepted Answer

A)  charged particles from the Sun 
B)  charged particles emitted near the equator of Jupiter 
C)  charged particles that have separated from Jupiter's rings 
D)  charged particles expelled by volcanoes on Io 
E)  charged particles from deep space (cosmic rays) 
A)  charged particles from the Sun 
B)  charged particles emitted near the equator of Jupiter 
C)  charged particles that have separated from Jupiter's rings 
D)  charged particles expelled by volcanoes on Io 
E)  charged particles from deep space (cosmic rays)

Exam 10: Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

What measurement tells us that the interiors of Uranus and Neptune are made of mostly water?

If you were to fly to Jupiter from Earth, which of these parts of Jupiter would you come into contact with first?

The figure below shows a cutaway drawing of some of the layers inside the atmosphere of Jupiter.The rocky core is located at the center.Which of these is a possible list of what the layers contain, starting with layer 1 and moving to layer 3?

Which of the giant planets was predicted to exist mathematically before it was ever seen through a telescope?

The Great Red Spot, Jupiter's most prominent storm system, has a diameter that is approximately ________ times Earth's diameter.

The giant planets are made primarily of

What causes the horizontal bands on Jupiter and Saturn to have different colors? How can they be used to probe different altitudes in their atmospheres?

The atmosphere of Earth has only one main volatile component, water.The atmospheres of the giant planets, however, have a number of additional volatiles, such as methane and ammonia.What is the most conspicuous consequence of this difference?

Which planet receives the least amount of energy from the Sun?

The colors of the cloud bands on Jupiter and Saturn are due primarily to differences in their

Which of the following methods provides the most accurate measurement of a distant planet's radius?

The Kepler-20 system, illustrated in the figure below, has an order of planets that does not match what we expect from current planetary system formation theories.How do we explain this order, and that of other systems with large planets close to their star?

Impurities in the ice crystals in Jupiter's atmosphere cause

You observe a gas giant planet that is much warmer that its expected equilibrium temperature.This is evidence that the gas giant is

Suppose Neptune moves with an average orbital speed of 3.5 km/s.If it takes Neptune four hours to pass directly in front of a star, what is Neptune's diameter? Give Neptune's radius in units of Earth diameters, where the diameter of Earth is 12,800 km.

Where are atmospheric vortices usually found on the giant planets?

Which of the following giant planets radiates more energy into space than it receives from the Sun?

Which of these planets has a composition that is most like the Sun?

Explain why methane never freezes in the upper atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, and how this leads to the different appearance of Jupiter and Saturn compared to Uranus and Neptune.

What produces Jupiter's strong auroras?

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Formation of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Planetary Moons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

The Interstellar Medium and Star Formation

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

The Expanding Universe

Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

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