Question 1

Describe the possible origins of Jupiter's vibrant colors.Contrast these with the origins of the colors of the other jovian planets.

Accepted Answer

The white zones of Jupiter's atmosphere are white because of ammonia clouds.The red and brown colors of the belts must be produced by ingredients such as sulfur compounds or phosphorus compounds that "pollute" the ammonium-hydrosulfide crystals.Saturn's reds and tans probably come from the same compounds that produce these colors on Jupiter.However,they are more muted because these cloud layers lie deeper within Saturn's atmosphere,under a thicker layer of tan "smog." The blue colors of Uranus and Neptune are produced by methane gas,which absorbs red light and transmits blue.

Question 2

Which large jovian moon is thought to have been captured into its present orbit?

Accepted Answer

A) Callisto 
B) Titan 
C) Triton 
D) Io 
A) Callisto 
B) Titan 
C) Triton 
D) Io C

Question 3

Jupiter does not have seasons because it has no appreciable axis tilt.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

How does the strength of Jupiter's magnetic field compare to that of Earth's magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

A) Jupiter's magnetic field strength is about the same as Earth's. 
B) Jupiter's magnetic field is about twice as strong as Earth's. 
C) Jupiter's magnetic field is about 20,000 times as strong as Earth's. 
D) Jupiter's magnetic field is much weaker than Earth's. 
A) Jupiter's magnetic field strength is about the same as Earth's. 
B) Jupiter's magnetic field is about twice as strong as Earth's. 
C) Jupiter's magnetic field is about 20,000 times as strong as Earth's. 
D) Jupiter's magnetic field is much weaker than Earth's.

Question 5

Contrast Jupiter's magnetosphere with that of Earth and of the other jovian planets.

Accepted Answer

Jupiter has the strongest magnetic field

Question 6

Pluto exerts a noticeable gravitational influence on Uranus.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Which moon has the most substantial atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) Titan 
B) Ganymede 
C) Io 
D) Europa 
E) Mimas 
A) Titan 
B) Ganymede 
C) Io 
D) Europa 
E) Mimas

Question 8

If Jupiter were 10 times more massive,it would actually have a smaller radius.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Following a series of experiments in which you are flung against walls to test the resiliency of the human body,you are ejected from the ship and find yourself in a maelstrom.Whipped by winds gusting at 10,000 km/hr,rising and falling in convective currents,you are not having a good time.On the rare occasions when you can assess your surroundings,you notice a horizon that seems to go on "forever" (or,at least,much farther than the horizon on Earth),and no solid surface anywhere.You get a glimpse of several large moons.The Sun races through your sky,requiring only about 5 hours to rise nearly due east,cross the meridian at an altitude of about 55° in the north,and then set due west.

Accepted Answer

You are in the Great Red Spot on Jupiter

Question 10

What mechanism is most responsible for generating the internal heat of Io that drives the volcanic activity?

Accepted Answer

A) accretion 
B) radioactive decay 
C) differentiation 
D) tidal heating 
E) bombardment 
A) accretion 
B) radioactive decay 
C) differentiation 
D) tidal heating 
E) bombardment

Question 11

Which of the following statements about the moons of the jovian planets is not true?

Accepted Answer

A) Some of the moons are big enough that we'd call them planets (or dwarf planets)if they orbited the Sun. 
B) One of the moons has a thick atmosphere. 
C) Many of the moons are made largely of ices. 
D) Most of the moons are large enough to be spherical in shape,but a few have the more potato-like shapes of asteroids. 
A) Some of the moons are big enough that we'd call them planets (or dwarf planets)if they orbited the Sun. 
B) One of the moons has a thick atmosphere. 
C) Many of the moons are made largely of ices. 
D) Most of the moons are large enough to be spherical in shape,but a few have the more potato-like shapes of asteroids.

Question 12

How thick are Saturn's rings from top to bottom?

Accepted Answer

A) a few million kilometers 
B) a few tens of thousands of kilometers 
C) a few hundred kilometers 
D) a few kilometers 
E) a few tens of meters 
A) a few million kilometers 
B) a few tens of thousands of kilometers 
C) a few hundred kilometers 
D) a few kilometers 
E) a few tens of meters

Question 13

Synchronous rotation is when a moon's rotation period and orbital period are the same.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Why does Jupiter have several distinct cloud layers?

Accepted Answer

A) Different layers represent clouds made of gases that condense at different temperatures. 
B) Different layers represent the various regions where the temperature is cool enough for liquid water to condense. 
C) Different gases are present at different altitudes in Jupiter's atmosphere. 
D) Winds prevent clouds from forming at some altitudes,so we see clouds only at the other altitudes. 
E) Clouds form randomly,so on average there are always several layers. 
A) Different layers represent clouds made of gases that condense at different temperatures. 
B) Different layers represent the various regions where the temperature is cool enough for liquid water to condense. 
C) Different gases are present at different altitudes in Jupiter's atmosphere. 
D) Winds prevent clouds from forming at some altitudes,so we see clouds only at the other altitudes. 
E) Clouds form randomly,so on average there are always several layers.

Question 15

How do astronomers think Saturn generates its internal heat?

Accepted Answer

A) radioactive decay 
B) internal friction due to its high rotation rate 
C) chemical processes 
D) by raining dense helium droplets from higher to lower altitudes,resembling the process of differentiation 
E) nuclear fusion in the core 
A) radioactive decay 
B) internal friction due to its high rotation rate 
C) chemical processes 
D) by raining dense helium droplets from higher to lower altitudes,resembling the process of differentiation 
E) nuclear fusion in the core

Question 16

Why is Neptune denser than Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A) It has a different composition than Saturn,including a higher proportion of hydrogen compounds and rocks. 
B) It has a greater proportion of hydrogen than Saturn. 
C) The extra mass of Neptune compresses its interior to a greater extent than that of Saturn. 
D) Its hydrogen is molecular,whereas Saturn's hydrogen is atomic. 
E) It is not denser than Saturn. 
A) It has a different composition than Saturn,including a higher proportion of hydrogen compounds and rocks. 
B) It has a greater proportion of hydrogen than Saturn. 
C) The extra mass of Neptune compresses its interior to a greater extent than that of Saturn. 
D) Its hydrogen is molecular,whereas Saturn's hydrogen is atomic. 
E) It is not denser than Saturn.

Question 17

The fact that most moons always show the same face to their planet is

Accepted Answer

A) very surprising and a great mystery. 
B) a natural consequence of the fact that the entire solar nebula rotated in the same direction. 
C) explained by the law of conservation of angular momentum. 
D) a natural consequence of tidal forces acting on the moons. 
E) a result of the fact that the moons once had atmospheres. 
A) very surprising and a great mystery. 
B) a natural consequence of the fact that the entire solar nebula rotated in the same direction. 
C) explained by the law of conservation of angular momentum. 
D) a natural consequence of tidal forces acting on the moons. 
E) a result of the fact that the moons once had atmospheres.

Question 18

Why is Triton such an unusual satellite?

Accepted Answer

Triton's orbit around Neptune is retrogr

Question 19

Jupiter is slowly shrinking through gravitational contraction today.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Why do jovian planets bulge around the equator,that is,have a "squashed" appearance?

Accepted Answer

A) They are much more massive than the terrestrial planets. 
B) Their large systems of moons and rings gravitationally attract the mass around the equator more. 
C) Their rapid rotation flings the mass near the equator outward. 
D) Their internal heat sources exert a pressure against the sides of the planets. 
E) all of the above 
A) They are much more massive than the terrestrial planets. 
B) Their large systems of moons and rings gravitationally attract the mass around the equator more. 
C) Their rapid rotation flings the mass near the equator outward. 
D) Their internal heat sources exert a pressure against the sides of the planets. 
E) all of the above

Exam 11: Jovian Planet Systems

Describe the possible origins of Jupiter's vibrant colors.Contrast these with the origins of the colors of the other jovian planets.

Which large jovian moon is thought to have been captured into its present orbit?

Jupiter does not have seasons because it has no appreciable axis tilt.

How does the strength of Jupiter's magnetic field compare to that of Earth's magnetic field?

Contrast Jupiter's magnetosphere with that of Earth and of the other jovian planets.

Pluto exerts a noticeable gravitational influence on Uranus.

Which moon has the most substantial atmosphere?

If Jupiter were 10 times more massive,it would actually have a smaller radius.

What mechanism is most responsible for generating the internal heat of Io that drives the volcanic activity?

Which of the following statements about the moons of the jovian planets is not true?

How thick are Saturn's rings from top to bottom?

Synchronous rotation is when a moon's rotation period and orbital period are the same.

Why does Jupiter have several distinct cloud layers?

How do astronomers think Saturn generates its internal heat?

Why is Neptune denser than Saturn?

The fact that most moons always show the same face to their planet is

Why is Triton such an unusual satellite?

Jupiter is slowly shrinking through gravitational contraction today.

Why do jovian planets bulge around the equator,that is,have a "squashed" appearance?

A Modern View of the Universe

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Formation of the Solar System

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

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

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Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

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