Question 1

The most active volcanic object in the solar system is:

Accepted Answer

A) Earth, with many continuously active volcanoes and numerous earthquakes. 
B) Io, the inner Galilean satellite of Jupiter. 
C) Venus, its high surface temperature indicating molten lava while its cloud cover is made up of volcanic gases. 
D) the Moon, where volcanism is causing many new craters per year. 
A) Earth, with many continuously active volcanoes and numerous earthquakes. 
B) Io, the inner Galilean satellite of Jupiter. 
C) Venus, its high surface temperature indicating molten lava while its cloud cover is made up of volcanic gases. 
D) the Moon, where volcanism is causing many new craters per year.

Question 2

Our solar system might have become a double star system if Jupiter had been formed with enough mass to undergo nuclear fusion. Approximately what percent of the Sun's mass would Jupiter have needed for this to happen? (The mass of the Sun is 2.0 × 1030 kg.)

Accepted Answer

A) 0.08% 
B) 0.8% 
C) 8% 
D) 80% 
A) 0.08% 
B) 0.8% 
C) 8% 
D) 80%

Question 3

The lava flows from the volcanoes of Io produce lava, which is hotter than typical lava from terrestrial volcanoes. The lava on Io is believed to be:

Accepted Answer

A) superheated water. 
B) liquid sulfur. 
C) lava enriched with magnesium and iron. 
D) pure molten iron. 
A) superheated water. 
B) liquid sulfur. 
C) lava enriched with magnesium and iron. 
D) pure molten iron.

Question 4

Which of the satellites of the giant planets is known to have a significant atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) Titan, a satellite of Saturn 
B) Callisto, a satellite of Jupiter 
C) Triton, a moon of Neptune 
D) Europa, a satellite of Jupiter 
A) Titan, a satellite of Saturn 
B) Callisto, a satellite of Jupiter 
C) Triton, a moon of Neptune 
D) Europa, a satellite of Jupiter

Question 5

It is rare to see Jupiter's Galilean satellites occult one another. Why is such an event seen only rarely?

Accepted Answer

A) The satellites are very small and move very rapidly, so the occultation happens very quickly and it is easy to miss. 
B) The orbits of these satellites are in different planes, so the satellites themselves are rarely along our line of sight at the same time. 
C) The orbits of these satellites all lie very nearly in the same plane, but Earth only occasionally crosses this plane. 
D) The occultations occur most often when the satellites are on the far side of Jupiter, not visible from Earth. 
A) The satellites are very small and move very rapidly, so the occultation happens very quickly and it is easy to miss. 
B) The orbits of these satellites are in different planes, so the satellites themselves are rarely along our line of sight at the same time. 
C) The orbits of these satellites all lie very nearly in the same plane, but Earth only occasionally crosses this plane. 
D) The occultations occur most often when the satellites are on the far side of Jupiter, not visible from Earth.

Question 6

Based on its average density of 3020 kg per cubic meter and its smooth surface, what is thought to be the internal structure of Jupiter's satellite Europa?

Accepted Answer

A) metallic core, rocky mantle, and a 100- to 200-km-thick ocean of ice and water 
B) almost entirely ice, with only a small, rocky core 
C) entirely rock except for a metallic core about 300 km in diameter 
D) half rock and half ice, with the rock forming the core and the ice forming the mantle 
A) metallic core, rocky mantle, and a 100- to 200-km-thick ocean of ice and water 
B) almost entirely ice, with only a small, rocky core 
C) entirely rock except for a metallic core about 300 km in diameter 
D) half rock and half ice, with the rock forming the core and the ice forming the mantle

Question 7

In composition and density:

Accepted Answer

A) Io and Europa are more like Mars, whereas Ganymede and Callisto are more like Jupiter. 
B) Io and Europa are more like Jupiter, whereas Ganymede and Callisto are more like Mars. 
C) Io and Callisto are more like Mars, whereas Europa and Ganymede are more like Jupiter. 
D) Io and Callisto are more like Jupiter, whereas Europa and Ganymede are more like Mars. 
A) Io and Europa are more like Mars, whereas Ganymede and Callisto are more like Jupiter. 
B) Io and Europa are more like Jupiter, whereas Ganymede and Callisto are more like Mars. 
C) Io and Callisto are more like Mars, whereas Europa and Ganymede are more like Jupiter. 
D) Io and Callisto are more like Jupiter, whereas Europa and Ganymede are more like Mars.

Question 8

What is the relationship between the orbital periods of the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A) 1:2:4:8-Europa takes twice as long to orbit Jupiter as Io, Ganymede takes twice as long as Europa, and Callisto takes twice as long as Ganymede. 
B) 1:2-Europa takes twice as long to orbit Jupiter as Io, but there is no simple integer relationship between Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa. 
C) The periods appear to be random, with no simple relationship between them. 
D) 1:2:4-Europa takes twice as long to orbit Jupiter as Io, and Ganymede takes twice as long as Europa, but there is no simple integer relationship between Callisto and Ganymede. 
A) 1:2:4:8-Europa takes twice as long to orbit Jupiter as Io, Ganymede takes twice as long as Europa, and Callisto takes twice as long as Ganymede. 
B) 1:2-Europa takes twice as long to orbit Jupiter as Io, but there is no simple integer relationship between Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa. 
C) The periods appear to be random, with no simple relationship between them. 
D) 1:2:4-Europa takes twice as long to orbit Jupiter as Io, and Ganymede takes twice as long as Europa, but there is no simple integer relationship between Callisto and Ganymede.

Question 9

What is thought to exist in both gas and liquid states in Titan's atmosphere, where small variations in temperature and pressure contribute to weather processes similar to the hydrological cycle on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) water vapor (H2O) 
B) carbon dioxide (CO2) 
C) methane (CH4) 
D) nitrogen (N2) 
A) water vapor (H2O) 
B) carbon dioxide (CO2) 
C) methane (CH4) 
D) nitrogen (N2)

Question 10

What appears to be the origin of the light, grooved terrain on the surface of Ganymede?

Accepted Answer

A) cracking of the surface due to shrinkage of the satellite as it cooled 
B) impacts by cometary debris 
C) tidal flexing by Jupiter 
D) expansion and cracking of the surface as the ice froze 
A) cracking of the surface due to shrinkage of the satellite as it cooled 
B) impacts by cometary debris 
C) tidal flexing by Jupiter 
D) expansion and cracking of the surface as the ice froze

Question 11

How many satellites of Jupiter were seen by Galileo?

Accepted Answer

A) 12 
B) None-he was unable to see them with the naked eye. 
C) 4 
D) 1 
A) 12 
B) None-he was unable to see them with the naked eye. 
C) 4 
D) 1

Question 12

The most definitive evidence for water ice on Jupiter's satellites has come from:

Accepted Answer

A) analysis of the albedos of these satellites. 
B) spectroscopic observations. 
C) photographic images of the surfaces from the Galileo flyby mission. 
D) temperature analysis of conditions on the surfaces. 
A) analysis of the albedos of these satellites. 
B) spectroscopic observations. 
C) photographic images of the surfaces from the Galileo flyby mission. 
D) temperature analysis of conditions on the surfaces.

Question 13

Why would you expect to see no craters, such as those on the Moon or Mars, on Io, the innermost Galilean satellite of Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A) The surface is always reentering the planet's interior by subduction in rapid plate tectonic motion, similar to but faster than that on Earth. 
B) Continuous rainfall quickly erodes and washes away all trace of craters. 
C) Its liquid surface cannot maintain a crater, just as Earth's oceans cannot do. 
D) Volcanoes are continuously depositing new material on the surface. 
A) The surface is always reentering the planet's interior by subduction in rapid plate tectonic motion, similar to but faster than that on Earth. 
B) Continuous rainfall quickly erodes and washes away all trace of craters. 
C) Its liquid surface cannot maintain a crater, just as Earth's oceans cannot do. 
D) Volcanoes are continuously depositing new material on the surface.

Question 14

In terms of the relationship between the periods P and semimajor axes a of their orbits around Jupiter, how do the satellites of Jupiter behave?

Accepted Answer

A) The satellites do not obey the Keplerian relation P2 = ka3, where k is the same constant for each satellite, because they orbit Jupiter and not the Sun. 
B) The satellites do obey the Keplerian relation P2 = ka3, in which k is the same for planetary motion around the Sun, because it is a universal constant. 
C) The satellites do follow the Keplerian relationship P2 = ka3, where k is a constant (the same for each satellite) that is different from the constant governing planetary motion around the Sun. 
D) The satellites do not obey the Keplerian relation P2 = ka3, because their motion about Jupiter is affected by Jupiter's motion about the Sun. 
A) The satellites do not obey the Keplerian relation P2 = ka3, where k is the same constant for each satellite, because they orbit Jupiter and not the Sun. 
B) The satellites do obey the Keplerian relation P2 = ka3, in which k is the same for planetary motion around the Sun, because it is a universal constant. 
C) The satellites do follow the Keplerian relationship P2 = ka3, where k is a constant (the same for each satellite) that is different from the constant governing planetary motion around the Sun. 
D) The satellites do not obey the Keplerian relation P2 = ka3, because their motion about Jupiter is affected by Jupiter's motion about the Sun.

Question 15

Looking at the geologies of the four large Galilean satellites of Jupiter, we find:

Accepted Answer

A) remarkable uniformity. 
B) totally random characteristics, suggesting that these three satellites were formed at various locations far distant from Jupiter and later captured by Jupiter's gravity. 
C) characteristics that change in an orderly fashion with the satellites's distances from Jupiter. 
D) two unique sets of characteristics: Io and Callisto being very similar to each other and Europa and Ganymede being similar to each other, but different from Io and Callisto. 
A) remarkable uniformity. 
B) totally random characteristics, suggesting that these three satellites were formed at various locations far distant from Jupiter and later captured by Jupiter's gravity. 
C) characteristics that change in an orderly fashion with the satellites's distances from Jupiter. 
D) two unique sets of characteristics: Io and Callisto being very similar to each other and Europa and Ganymede being similar to each other, but different from Io and Callisto.

Question 16

What is the relationship between Io and the aurorae in Jupiter's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) Io blocks the motion of charged particles in Jupiter's magnetosphere, creating a shadow, or dark spot, in Jupiter's aurorae. 
B) Io's gravitational pull raises tides in Jupiter's atmosphere, and the atmosphere emits light (aurorae) as it rises and falls through Jupiter's strong magnetic field. 
C) The motion of Jupiter's magnetic field past Io generates electric currents between Io and Jupiter, which create aurorae at specific locations near Jupiter's magnetic poles. 
D) Sulfurous solid particles ejected from Io's volcanoes fall into Jupiter's atmosphere, where they are ionized and emit light. 
A) Io blocks the motion of charged particles in Jupiter's magnetosphere, creating a shadow, or dark spot, in Jupiter's aurorae. 
B) Io's gravitational pull raises tides in Jupiter's atmosphere, and the atmosphere emits light (aurorae) as it rises and falls through Jupiter's strong magnetic field. 
C) The motion of Jupiter's magnetic field past Io generates electric currents between Io and Jupiter, which create aurorae at specific locations near Jupiter's magnetic poles. 
D) Sulfurous solid particles ejected from Io's volcanoes fall into Jupiter's atmosphere, where they are ionized and emit light.

Question 17

Ganymede, one of the large Galilean satellites of Jupiter, is very different from Earth, but in which one of the following ways does Ganymede resemble Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Like Earth, but unlike all other satellites in the solar system, Ganymede has a dense atmosphere. 
B) Based on its density, Ganymede appears to have a large iron core surrounded by a thick rocky mantle directly beneath its icy crust. 
C) Ganymede has active volcanoes. 
D) Ganymede appears to have had tectonic activity at some time in its past. 
A) Like Earth, but unlike all other satellites in the solar system, Ganymede has a dense atmosphere. 
B) Based on its density, Ganymede appears to have a large iron core surrounded by a thick rocky mantle directly beneath its icy crust. 
C) Ganymede has active volcanoes. 
D) Ganymede appears to have had tectonic activity at some time in its past.

Question 18

What characteristics do Dione and Rhea, two of Saturn's satellites, share?

Accepted Answer

A) two distinctly different hemispheres, one heavily cratered and the other having a network of wispy markings 
B) sparse crater over all regions photographed by Voyager 2, indicating relatively young surfaces 
C) long, steep-sided troughs indicating expansion of the surface due to freezing of the satellites 
D) two distinctly different hemispheres, one almost black and the other white like ice 
A) two distinctly different hemispheres, one heavily cratered and the other having a network of wispy markings 
B) sparse crater over all regions photographed by Voyager 2, indicating relatively young surfaces 
C) long, steep-sided troughs indicating expansion of the surface due to freezing of the satellites 
D) two distinctly different hemispheres, one almost black and the other white like ice

Question 19

Which of the large satellites of the jovian planets appears to have a significant and permanent magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

Based on their average densities, the six moderate-sized satellites of Saturn are believed to be composed:

Accepted Answer

A) mostly of ice, with perhaps a small, rocky core. 
B) of about half rock and half ice. 
C) mostly of rock, with only a thin mantle of ice. 
D) mostly of liquid hydrogen. 
A) mostly of ice, with perhaps a small, rocky core. 
B) of about half rock and half ice. 
C) mostly of rock, with only a thin mantle of ice. 
D) mostly of liquid hydrogen.

Exam 13: Jupiter and Saturns Satellites of Fire and Ice

The most active volcanic object in the solar system is:

Our solar system might have become a double star system if Jupiter had been formed with enough mass to undergo nuclear fusion. Approximately what percent of the Sun's mass would Jupiter have needed for this to happen? (The mass of the Sun is 2.0 × 1030 kg.)

The lava flows from the volcanoes of Io produce lava, which is hotter than typical lava from terrestrial volcanoes. The lava on Io is believed to be:

Which of the satellites of the giant planets is known to have a significant atmosphere?

It is rare to see Jupiter's Galilean satellites occult one another. Why is such an event seen only rarely?

Based on its average density of 3020 kg per cubic meter and its smooth surface, what is thought to be the internal structure of Jupiter's satellite Europa?

In composition and density:

What is the relationship between the orbital periods of the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter?

What is thought to exist in both gas and liquid states in Titan's atmosphere, where small variations in temperature and pressure contribute to weather processes similar to the hydrological cycle on Earth?

What appears to be the origin of the light, grooved terrain on the surface of Ganymede?

How many satellites of Jupiter were seen by Galileo?

The most definitive evidence for water ice on Jupiter's satellites has come from:

Why would you expect to see no craters, such as those on the Moon or Mars, on Io, the innermost Galilean satellite of Jupiter?

In terms of the relationship between the periods P and semimajor axes a of their orbits around Jupiter, how do the satellites of Jupiter behave?

Looking at the geologies of the four large Galilean satellites of Jupiter, we find:

What is the relationship between Io and the aurorae in Jupiter's atmosphere?

Ganymede, one of the large Galilean satellites of Jupiter, is very different from Earth, but in which one of the following ways does Ganymede resemble Earth?

What characteristics do Dione and Rhea, two of Saturn's satellites, share?

Which of the large satellites of the jovian planets appears to have a significant and permanent magnetic field?

Based on their average densities, the six moderate-sized satellites of Saturn are believed to be composed:

Astronomy and the Universe

Knowing the Heavens

Eclipses and the Motion of the Moon

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

The Nature of Light

Optics and Telescopes

Comparative Planetology I: Our Solar System

Comparative Planetology II: the Origin of Our Solar System

The Living Earth

Our Barren Moon

Mercury, Venus, and Mars: Terrestrial, yet Unique

Jupiter and Saturn: Lords of the Planets

Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and the Kuiper Belt: Remote Worlds

Asteroids, Comets, and Impacts

Our Star, the Sun

The Nature of the Stars

The Birth of Stars

Stellar Evolution: on and After the Main Sequence

Stellar Evolution: The Death of Stars

Stellar Remnants: Neutron Stars and Black Holes

Our Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Active Galaxies

Cosmology: The Origin and Evolution of the Universe

Exploring the Early Universe

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life

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Our solar system might have become a double star system if Jupiter had been formed with enough mass to undergo nuclear fusion. Approximately what percent of the Sun's mass would Jupiter have needed for this to happen? (The mass of the Sun is 2.0 × 10³⁰ kg.)