Exam 6: Small Bodies in the Solar System

Nearly every aspect of astronomy is related in some way to the existence of gravity and to the motions which are responsible for a balance against gravity. How does this balance play a role for the miscellaneous objects of the solar system (i.e., the asteroids and comets)? How can some aspect of this be used as a tool to determine masses in the solar system?

In addition to Saturn's Titan, which other moon has a nitrogen atmosphere?

What did the Voyager mission discover about the main rings of Saturn?

Long period comets are thought to reside mainly in the

The atmosphere of Titan is composed mostly of

What did the Huygens and Cassini probes find on the surface of Titan?

How were the rings of Uranus discovered? How have they since been imaged from Earth better?

Except for Io, the other three Galilean satellites have periods of rotation and revolution that are ________.

Io's volcanoes contribute material to a ________ around the planet Jupiter's equator.

Pluto's density is most similar to

Which of the Galilean Moons may have a subsurface layer of liquid water?

The particles making up the ring of Jupiter are composed of bright, reflective ice.

How is Mimas responsible for the Cassini Division?

What is the major component of Io's volcanic flows?

The nucleus, or main solid body, of a comet has a typical size of

Triton shows similar cratering to the Lunar highlands, which suggests that it too is an old surface.

The Galileo spacecraft showed that volcanic features on Io could change in ________.

Neptune's large moon ________ is the only large satellite known in a retrograde orbit.

What is thought to be the cause of Io's volcanoes?

In size, from largest to smallest, the correct order for the Galilean moons is