Question 1

Which moon has a thick atmosphere made mostly of nitrogen?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the internal layering of Jupiter, from the center outward?

Accepted Answer

A)  Core of rock, metal, and hydrogen compounds; thick layer of metallic hydrogen; layer of liquid hydrogen; layer of gaseous hydrogen; cloud layer 
B)  Core of rock and metal; mantle of lower density rock; upper layer of gaseous hydrogen; cloud layer 
C)  Solid rock core; layer of solid metallic hydrogen; layer of pure liquid hydrogen; cloud layer 
D)  Liquid core of hydrogen compounds; liquid hydrogen layer; metallic hydrogen layer; gaseous hydrogen layer; cloud layer 
A)  Core of rock, metal, and hydrogen compounds; thick layer of metallic hydrogen; layer of liquid hydrogen; layer of gaseous hydrogen; cloud layer 
B)  Core of rock and metal; mantle of lower density rock; upper layer of gaseous hydrogen; cloud layer 
C)  Solid rock core; layer of solid metallic hydrogen; layer of pure liquid hydrogen; cloud layer 
D)  Liquid core of hydrogen compounds; liquid hydrogen layer; metallic hydrogen layer; gaseous hydrogen layer; cloud layer

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

Which of the jovian planets have rings?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  all of the above 
A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  all of the above

Question 6

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

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 7

Which statement about Saturn's rings is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The rings must look much the same today as they did shortly after Saturn formed. 
B)  The large gap known as the Cassini Division is shaped by an orbital resonance with the moon Mimas, which orbits well outside the rings. 
C)  Some features of the rings are shaped by small moons that actually orbit within the ring system. 
D)  The rings are so thin that they essentially disappear from view when seen edge-on. 
A)  The rings must look much the same today as they did shortly after Saturn formed. 
B)  The large gap known as the Cassini Division is shaped by an orbital resonance with the moon Mimas, which orbits well outside the rings. 
C)  Some features of the rings are shaped by small moons that actually orbit within the ring system. 
D)  The rings are so thin that they essentially disappear from view when seen edge-on.

Question 8

Planetary rings are

Accepted Answer

A)  nearer to their planet than any of the planet's large moons. 
B)  orbiting in the equatorial plane of their planet. 
C)  composed of a large number of individual particles that orbit their planet in accord with Kepler's third law. 
D)  known to exist for all of the jovian planets. 
E)  all of the above 
A)  nearer to their planet than any of the planet's large moons. 
B)  orbiting in the equatorial plane of their planet. 
C)  composed of a large number of individual particles that orbit their planet in accord with Kepler's third law. 
D)  known to exist for all of the jovian planets. 
E)  all of the above

Question 9

The mass of Saturn can be determined by applying Kepler's 3ʳᵈ Law to the motion of a single ice particle in its rings.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which statement about Io is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is the most volcanically active body in our solar system. 
B)  It is thought to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water. 
C)  It is the largest moon in the solar system. 
D)  It is the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere. 
A)  It is the most volcanically active body in our solar system. 
B)  It is thought to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water. 
C)  It is the largest moon in the solar system. 
D)  It is the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere.

Question 11

Which jovian planet should have the most extreme seasonal changes?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

Which statement about planetary rings is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Saturn's rings formed along with its moons 4.6 billion years ago. 
B)  All four jovian planets have rings. 
C)  Individual ring particles orbit their planet in accord with Kepler's laws, so that particles closer in orbit faster than particles farther out. 
D)  Rings are always located closer to a planet's surface than any large moons. 
A)  Saturn's rings formed along with its moons 4.6 billion years ago. 
B)  All four jovian planets have rings. 
C)  Individual ring particles orbit their planet in accord with Kepler's laws, so that particles closer in orbit faster than particles farther out. 
D)  Rings are always located closer to a planet's surface than any large moons.

Question 13

Some of the moons of the jovian planets have significant atmospheres.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Suppose you could float in space just a few meters above Saturn's rings. What would you see as you looked down on the rings?

Accepted Answer

A)  countless icy particles, ranging in size from dust grains to large boulders 
B)  a solid, shiny surface, looking much like a piece of a DVD but a lot bigger 
C)  dozens of large "moonlets" made of metal and rock, each a few kilometers across 
D)  Nothing-up close, the rings would be so completely invisible that you'd have no way to know they are there. They can be seen only from a distance. 
A)  countless icy particles, ranging in size from dust grains to large boulders 
B)  a solid, shiny surface, looking much like a piece of a DVD but a lot bigger 
C)  dozens of large "moonlets" made of metal and rock, each a few kilometers across 
D)  Nothing-up close, the rings would be so completely invisible that you'd have no way to know they are there. They can be seen only from a distance.

Question 15

Io's Volcanoes Predicted? The intense volcanic activity on Io came as somewhat of a surprise to many when it was discovered by the Voyager mission in 1979. Nevertheless, argue that all of the elements where in place to make a prediction of intense volcanic activity on Io before the Voyager mission. Search on the web for the history of Io's volcanism to see if such a prediction was actually made.

Accepted Answer

The intense volcanic activity on Io did

Question 16

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 17

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 18

Describe two leading scenarios for the origin of the planetary rings. What makes us think that ring systems must be continually replenished?

Accepted Answer

One scenario is that the material near t

Question 19

Hydrogen exists as a gas, liquid, and solid within Jupiter.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

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

Which moon has a thick atmosphere made mostly of nitrogen?

Which of the following best describes the internal layering of Jupiter, from the center outward?

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

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

Which of the jovian planets have rings?

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

Which statement about Saturn's rings is not true?

Planetary rings are

The mass of Saturn can be determined by applying Kepler's 3ʳᵈ Law to the motion of a single ice particle in its rings.

Which statement about Io is true?

Which jovian planet should have the most extreme seasonal changes?

Which statement about planetary rings is not true?

Some of the moons of the jovian planets have significant atmospheres.

Suppose you could float in space just a few meters above Saturn's rings. What would you see as you looked down on the rings?

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

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

Describe two leading scenarios for the origin of the planetary rings. What makes us think that ring systems must be continually replenished?

Hydrogen exists as a gas, liquid, and solid within Jupiter.

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

Our Place in 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 Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

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

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

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

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

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Exam 8: Jovian Planet Systems

Which moon has a thick atmosphere made mostly of nitrogen?

Which of the following best describes the internal layering of Jupiter, from the center outward?

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

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

Which of the jovian planets have rings?

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

Which statement about Saturn's rings is not true?

Planetary rings are

The mass of Saturn can be determined by applying Kepler's 3ʳᵈ Law to the motion of a single ice particle in its rings.

Which statement about Io is true?

Which jovian planet should have the most extreme seasonal changes?

Which statement about planetary rings is not true?

Some of the moons of the jovian planets have significant atmospheres.

Suppose you could float in space just a few meters above Saturn's rings. What would you see as you looked down on the rings?

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

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

Describe two leading scenarios for the origin of the planetary rings. What makes us think that ring systems must be continually replenished?

Hydrogen exists as a gas, liquid, and solid within Jupiter.

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

Our Place in 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 Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

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

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

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

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

Filters