Question 1

The reason the rings of Saturn exist is because:

Accepted Answer

A)  the ring material lies within the Roche limit of Saturn. 
B)  the gravitational influence of Titan confines them to those orbits. 
C)  the eruptions of Mimas' volcanoes are keeping them supplied with ice. 
D)  there has not been sufficient time for the ring particles to form a moon. 
E)  Saturn's rapid rotation is spinning material away from its equator, out into space. 
A)  the ring material lies within the Roche limit of Saturn. 
B)  the gravitational influence of Titan confines them to those orbits. 
C)  the eruptions of Mimas' volcanoes are keeping them supplied with ice. 
D)  there has not been sufficient time for the ring particles to form a moon. 
E)  Saturn's rapid rotation is spinning material away from its equator, out into space.

Question 2

Contrast the size,mass,and density of Jupiter and Saturn.

Accepted Answer

Saturn is almost as big as Jup

Question 3

In what two ways is Titan's atmosphere like our own? Now name two differences.

Accepted Answer

Like the Earth's,Titan's atmosphere is m

Question 4

Compared to Jupiter,the motions observed in Saturn's atmosphere are:

Accepted Answer

A)  faster with fewer zone-belt alternations. 
B)  slower with fewer zone-belt alternations. 
C)  faster with more zone-belt alternations. 
D)  slower with more zone-belt alterations. 
E)  nearly identical. 
A)  faster with fewer zone-belt alternations. 
B)  slower with fewer zone-belt alternations. 
C)  faster with more zone-belt alternations. 
D)  slower with more zone-belt alterations. 
E)  nearly identical.

Question 5

Saturn is noticeably oblate because:

Accepted Answer

A)  it has strong magnetic fields that deform its shape. 
B)  its powerful gravity acts stronger on the closer poles than the distant equator. 
C)  it is a fluid body that is spinning rapidly. 
D)  it is tidally distorted by the pulls for its satellite system. 
E)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  it has strong magnetic fields that deform its shape. 
B)  its powerful gravity acts stronger on the closer poles than the distant equator. 
C)  it is a fluid body that is spinning rapidly. 
D)  it is tidally distorted by the pulls for its satellite system. 
E)  All of the above are correct.

Question 6

What makes Mimas a distinct moon?

Accepted Answer

A)  It suffered a huge meteorite impact that must have nearly shattered it. 
B)  It helps maintain a wide apparent gap in Saturn's rings, known as Encke's Division. 
C)  It has a rich atmosphere that may resemble that of the early Earth. 
D)  It is the largest of Saturn's moons. 
E)  The leading hemisphere is very dark, while the back side is bright ice. 
A)  It suffered a huge meteorite impact that must have nearly shattered it. 
B)  It helps maintain a wide apparent gap in Saturn's rings, known as Encke's Division. 
C)  It has a rich atmosphere that may resemble that of the early Earth. 
D)  It is the largest of Saturn's moons. 
E)  The leading hemisphere is very dark, while the back side is bright ice.

Question 7

Saturn's upper atmosphere has an apparent helium surplus.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

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 9

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

Accepted Answer

A moon tends to push ring part

Question 10

What mission landed on Titan in early 2005?

Accepted Answer

A)  Galileo's probe 
B)  Huygens 
C)  New Horizons 
D)  Rover Spirit 
E)  Cassini orbiter 
A)  Galileo's probe 
B)  Huygens 
C)  New Horizons 
D)  Rover Spirit 
E)  Cassini orbiter

Question 11

A moon that goes inside the Roche Limit will:

Accepted Answer

A)  get heated by the strong magnetic fields. 
B)  collide with a major satellite. 
C)  escape its planet's gravity. 
D)  be torn apart by the planet's tidal forces. 
E)  become a planet. 
A)  get heated by the strong magnetic fields. 
B)  collide with a major satellite. 
C)  escape its planet's gravity. 
D)  be torn apart by the planet's tidal forces. 
E)  become a planet.

Question 12

The rings of Saturn occupy the region inside Saturn's Roche limit.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Saturn's cloud surface appears more uniform than Jupiter's because:

Accepted Answer

A)  there is a thick outer cloud covering of water ice overlying the colorful ices. 
B)  due to Saturn's lower gravity, the colorful cloud layers escaped. 
C)  it is composed of completely different gases than Jupiter's. 
D)  the cloud layers are thicker, allowing fewer holes to see the colorful layers. 
E)  due to Saturn's greater distance from the Sun, the colorful cloud layers are just not visible. 
A)  there is a thick outer cloud covering of water ice overlying the colorful ices. 
B)  due to Saturn's lower gravity, the colorful cloud layers escaped. 
C)  it is composed of completely different gases than Jupiter's. 
D)  the cloud layers are thicker, allowing fewer holes to see the colorful layers. 
E)  due to Saturn's greater distance from the Sun, the colorful cloud layers are just not visible.

Question 14

Cassini is the name of:

Accepted Answer

A)  the French astronomer who first discovered a gap in Saturn's rings. 
B)  a gap in the rings created by a resonance with Mimas. 
C)  NASA's orbiter now taking photos of Saturn. 
D)  All of the above. 
E)  None of the above. 
A)  the French astronomer who first discovered a gap in Saturn's rings. 
B)  a gap in the rings created by a resonance with Mimas. 
C)  NASA's orbiter now taking photos of Saturn. 
D)  All of the above. 
E)  None of the above.

Question 15

Helium is more abundant at Saturn than at Jupiter.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Why does Saturn radiate even more excess energy than Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A)  Saturn is still radiating heat left over from its formation. 
B)  Saturn's thick cloud layer contributes to a larger Greenhouse Effect. 
C)  Helium rain gives off heat as it differentiates toward Saturn's center. 
D)  Saturn's atmosphere contains much methane, creating a large Greenhouse Effect. 
E)  Saturn can fuse hydrogen into helium in its core, like the Sun. 
A)  Saturn is still radiating heat left over from its formation. 
B)  Saturn's thick cloud layer contributes to a larger Greenhouse Effect. 
C)  Helium rain gives off heat as it differentiates toward Saturn's center. 
D)  Saturn's atmosphere contains much methane, creating a large Greenhouse Effect. 
E)  Saturn can fuse hydrogen into helium in its core, like the Sun.

Question 17

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 colder planet, 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 colder planet, 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 18

How did scientists use Titan to guide Cassini on a tour of Saturn's moon system?

Accepted Answer

Titan was used to give gravitational ass

Question 19

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 it together. 
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 it together. 
E)  the internal forces that hold an object together weaken so that the object falls apart.

Question 20

Lightning in storms on Saturn produces bursts of radio waves.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 12: Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

The reason the rings of Saturn exist is because:

Contrast the size,mass,and density of Jupiter and Saturn.

In what two ways is Titan's atmosphere like our own? Now name two differences.

Compared to Jupiter,the motions observed in Saturn's atmosphere are:

Saturn is noticeably oblate because:

What makes Mimas a distinct moon?

Saturn's upper atmosphere has an apparent helium surplus.

How many medium-sized moons does Saturn have?

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

What mission landed on Titan in early 2005?

A moon that goes inside the Roche Limit will:

The rings of Saturn occupy the region inside Saturn's Roche limit.

Saturn's cloud surface appears more uniform than Jupiter's because:

Cassini is the name of:

Helium is more abundant at Saturn than at Jupiter.

Why does Saturn radiate even more excess energy than Jupiter?

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

How did scientists use Titan to guide Cassini on a tour of Saturn's moon system?

The Roche limit is the point at which:

Lightning in storms on Saturn produces bursts of radio waves.

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: Earth's 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?

Filters