Question 1

Why do scientists think the Cassini spacecraft did not observe "spokes" on the rings duringthe first year of its visit with Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A) The "spokes" observed before were a phenomenon of the Voyager 2 camera. 
B) The "spokes" are not a regular phenomenon of Saturn's rings. They occur only in certainseasons. 
C) The "spokes" are related to Saturn's magnetic field and the Cassini spacecraft was locatedinside Saturn's magnetic field, while Voyager 2 was not. 
D) The Cassini spacecraft was not looking in the right part of Saturn's ring system to see the"spokes." 
E) To see the "spokes," a particular alignment of the rings with the Sun is necessary and it tookone year for that alignment to reoccur. 
A) The "spokes" observed before were a phenomenon of the Voyager 2 camera. 
B) The "spokes" are not a regular phenomenon of Saturn's rings. They occur only in certainseasons. 
C) The "spokes" are related to Saturn's magnetic field and the Cassini spacecraft was locatedinside Saturn's magnetic field, while Voyager 2 was not. 
D) The Cassini spacecraft was not looking in the right part of Saturn's ring system to see the"spokes." 
E) To see the "spokes," a particular alignment of the rings with the Sun is necessary and it tookone year for that alignment to reoccur.

Question 2

Titan is an interesting moon because:

Accepted Answer

A) beneath its clouds, Titan may be Earth-like, with liquid water. 
B) the Huygens rover has sent back images of sedimentary rocks there. 
C) it has a rich atmosphere that may resemble that of the early Earth. 
D) it is known to have ice volcanism on its surface. 
E) all of the above. 
A) beneath its clouds, Titan may be Earth-like, with liquid water. 
B) the Huygens rover has sent back images of sedimentary rocks there. 
C) it has a rich atmosphere that may resemble that of the early Earth. 
D) it is known to have ice volcanism on its surface. 
E) all of the above.

Question 3

Some of Saturn's moons share orbits with other moons.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The leading hemisphere of Iapetus is much darker than the back side, which is icy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

What did the Voyager mission discover about the Cassini Division?

Accepted Answer

A) It actually contains one or more moons. 
B) It contains several ringlets. 
C) It is completely filled with a ring of very dark material. 
D) The spokes originate from it. 
E) It is actually completely empty of all ring material. 
A) It actually contains one or more moons. 
B) It contains several ringlets. 
C) It is completely filled with a ring of very dark material. 
D) The spokes originate from it. 
E) It is actually completely empty of all ring material.

Question 6

Why does the atmosphere of Saturn appear to have only half the helium content of Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A) Because Saturn is so much colder, helium does not show up as strongly in its spectrum. 
B) Saturn was formed farther from the helium rich Sun. 
C) A red dwarf, Jupiter has fused some of its hydrogen into helium, whereas Saturn, a colderplanet, has not. 
D) Much of Saturn's helium has differentiated towards its center. 
E) Much of Saturn's helium has reacted with water and formed helium oxide. 
A) Because Saturn is so much colder, helium does not show up as strongly in its spectrum. 
B) Saturn was formed farther from the helium rich Sun. 
C) A red dwarf, Jupiter has fused some of its hydrogen into helium, whereas Saturn, a colderplanet, has not. 
D) Much of Saturn's helium has differentiated towards its center. 
E) Much of Saturn's helium has reacted with water and formed helium oxide.

Question 7

Like Jupiter's moons Europa and Io, Saturn's moon Titan is believed to have a layer of________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Like Jupiter's moons Europa and Io, Saturn's...

Question 8

Titan's lakes do not change size.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Compared to Jupiter, Saturn's east-west zonal (band)flow is ________.

Accepted Answer

more stabl

Question 10

Explain how shepherd moons constrain the motions of small particles into a narrow ring abouta planet.

Accepted Answer

A moon tends to push ring part

Question 11

Scientists believe that large storms on Saturn are:

Accepted Answer

A) tied to Saturn's rings. 
B) in the high altitude ammonia clouds. 
C) only found at the equator. 
D) rooted deep in the atmosphere. 
E) in Saturn's troposphere. 
A) tied to Saturn's rings. 
B) in the high altitude ammonia clouds. 
C) only found at the equator. 
D) rooted deep in the atmosphere. 
E) in Saturn's troposphere.

Question 12

Since when we see Saturn's rings edge-on, they seem to disappear; they must be ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Since when we see Saturn's rings edge-on,...

Question 13

Which Saturnian moon has the leading hemisphere black as tar, the back side icy white?

Accepted Answer

A) Rhea 
B) Titan 
C) Enceladus 
D) Iapetus 
E) Mimas 
A) Rhea 
B) Titan 
C) Enceladus 
D) Iapetus 
E) Mimas

Question 14

How many medium-sized moons does Saturn have?

Accepted Answer

A) too many to count 
B) 18 
C) 9 
D) 6 
E) 1 
A) too many to count 
B) 18 
C) 9 
D) 6 
E) 1

Question 15

When Voyager 2 was routed to fly by Saturn, it was originally the plan to have the satellitefly through the Cassini gap. Why would this have been a bad idea?

Accepted Answer

A) That route would have taken Voyager 2 within the Roche Limit and the satellite would havebeen torn to pieces. 
B) That route would have taken Voyager 2 inside Saturn's magnetic field causing the electronicson board to be destroyed. 
C) The Cassini gap actually contains a large moon that orbits Saturn with a very high speed andVoyager 2 would have collided with that moon. 
D) The gaps in Saturn's ring system (including the Cassini gap)are not actually empty space,rather they are an area of low density in the rings. 
E) Voyager 2 would have encountered density waves which would have crushed the satellite. 
A) That route would have taken Voyager 2 within the Roche Limit and the satellite would havebeen torn to pieces. 
B) That route would have taken Voyager 2 inside Saturn's magnetic field causing the electronicson board to be destroyed. 
C) The Cassini gap actually contains a large moon that orbits Saturn with a very high speed andVoyager 2 would have collided with that moon. 
D) The gaps in Saturn's ring system (including the Cassini gap)are not actually empty space,rather they are an area of low density in the rings. 
E) Voyager 2 would have encountered density waves which would have crushed the satellite.

Question 16

How is Mimas responsible for the Cassini Division?

Accepted Answer

Mimas has an orbital period precisely tw

Question 17

Computer models of Saturn's moon Enceladus indicate that it has an interior layer of liquidwater.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Saturn's 1990 white spot had some similarities to Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Discuss some ofthe similarities and differences. Speculate as to what might cause these.

Accepted Answer

Both storms show turbulent, oval flow pa

Question 19

The cratered surfaces of Saturn's moons may look like our Moon, but in reality they aremade chiefly of ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The cratered surfaces of Saturn's moons may...

Question 20

The Roche limit is the point at which:

Accepted Answer

A) the mass of an object classifies it as a moon. 
B) a moon orbiting a planet experiences synchronous rotation. 
C) the external tidal forces on an object are strong enough to be felt by the object. 
D) the external tidal forces on an object become greater than the internal forces that hold ittogether. 
E) the internal forces that hold an object together weaken so that the object falls apart. 
A) the mass of an object classifies it as a moon. 
B) a moon orbiting a planet experiences synchronous rotation. 
C) the external tidal forces on an object are strong enough to be felt by the object. 
D) the external tidal forces on an object become greater than the internal forces that hold ittogether. 
E) the internal forces that hold an object together weaken so that the object falls apart.

Exam 12: Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Why do scientists think the Cassini spacecraft did not observe "spokes" on the rings duringthe first year of its visit with Saturn?

Titan is an interesting moon because:

Some of Saturn's moons share orbits with other moons.

The leading hemisphere of Iapetus is much darker than the back side, which is icy.

What did the Voyager mission discover about the Cassini Division?

Why does the atmosphere of Saturn appear to have only half the helium content of Jupiter?

Like Jupiter's moons Europa and Io, Saturn's moon Titan is believed to have a layer of________.

Titan's lakes do not change size.

Compared to Jupiter, Saturn's east-west zonal (band)flow is ________.

Explain how shepherd moons constrain the motions of small particles into a narrow ring abouta planet.

Scientists believe that large storms on Saturn are:

Since when we see Saturn's rings edge-on, they seem to disappear; they must be ________.

Which Saturnian moon has the leading hemisphere black as tar, the back side icy white?

How many medium-sized moons does Saturn have?

When Voyager 2 was routed to fly by Saturn, it was originally the plan to have the satellitefly through the Cassini gap. Why would this have been a bad idea?

How is Mimas responsible for the Cassini Division?

Computer models of Saturn's moon Enceladus indicate that it has an interior layer of liquidwater.

Saturn's 1990 white spot had some similarities to Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Discuss some ofthe similarities and differences. Speculate as to what might cause these.

The cratered surfaces of Saturn's moons may look like our Moon, but in reality they aremade chiefly of ________.

The Roche limit is the point at which:

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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