Question 1

Band systems on Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune are most prominent when viewed in which wavelength regime?

Accepted Answer

A)  Visible 
B)  Infrared 
C)  Ultraviolet 
D)  X-ray 
A)  Visible 
B)  Infrared 
C)  Ultraviolet 
D)  X-ray B

Question 2

Of the giant planets,only Saturn and Jupiter have ring systems.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

Which of the giant planets was predicted to exist mathematically before it was ever seen through a telescope?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

Two years after first being observed,astronomers reported that Saturn's rings vanished.What happened to them?

Accepted Answer

A)  The old ring system dissipated,and since then a new one has formed. 
B)  The rings lined up with Earth,and they were too thin to be observed. 
C)  Most telescopes used hundreds of years ago couldn't adequately resolve the ring system. 
D)  Astronomers were looking at the wrong planet,leading to the chance discovery of Uranus. 
A)  The old ring system dissipated,and since then a new one has formed. 
B)  The rings lined up with Earth,and they were too thin to be observed. 
C)  Most telescopes used hundreds of years ago couldn't adequately resolve the ring system. 
D)  Astronomers were looking at the wrong planet,leading to the chance discovery of Uranus.

Question 5

Which of the giant planets does NOT have rings?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  All of the giant planets have rings. 
A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  All of the giant planets have rings.

Question 6

Why do astronomers believe that Saturn has such prominent rings,and does the observed total mass in the ring system support this theory?

Accepted Answer

In the past,a moon must have passed with

Question 7

Examine the figure below.Why are winds on the giant planets far faster than those on Earth?

Accepted Answer

Their surfaces are r

Question 8

Suppose Neptune moves with an average orbital speed of 3.5 km/s.If it takes Neptune 4 hours to pass directly in front of a star,what is Neptune's diameter? Give Neptune's radius in units of Earth diameters,where the diameter of Earth is 12,800 km.

Accepted Answer

The diameter of Neptune is equal to its

Question 9

If you could find a large enough ocean,which one of these planets would float in it?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

The fastest zonal winds are found on:

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

You could fit roughly __________ Jupiters across the diameter of the Sun and roughly __________ Earths across Jupiter's diameter.

Accepted Answer

A)  10; 100 
B)  100; 10 
C)  10; 10 
D)  100; 100 
A)  10; 100 
B)  100; 10 
C)  10; 10 
D)  100; 100

Question 12

Why are Jupiter and Saturn not perfectly spherical?

Accepted Answer

A)  They formed from the collision of two large planetesimals. 
B)  They rotate rapidly. 
C)  They have storms that develop preferentially along their equators. 
D)  They have very active aurorae that heat the atmospheres along the poles. 
A)  They formed from the collision of two large planetesimals. 
B)  They rotate rapidly. 
C)  They have storms that develop preferentially along their equators. 
D)  They have very active aurorae that heat the atmospheres along the poles.

Question 13

The strong magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune arise from magnetic dynamos in their liquid rocky cores.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

What gives rise to the large magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune? How does this source help explain why the axes of their magnetic fields are misaligned and significantly offset from their rotational axes?

Accepted Answer

Uranus and Neptune have very deep,salty

Question 15

As a group,the giant planets all rotate __________ terrestrial planets.

Accepted Answer

A)  faster than 
B)  slower than 
C)  the same as 
D)  retrograde compared to 
A)  faster than 
B)  slower than 
C)  the same as 
D)  retrograde compared to

Question 16

On which of the giant planets do we think we can find deep oceans of water? Why do we think this?

Accepted Answer

Uranus and Neptune-because they are of h

Question 17

Why are all clouds on Jupiter not white,as on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are made of methane. 
B)  They are made of carbon dioxide. 
C)  There are impurities in their ice crystals. 
D)  For the same reason that we see colors in rainbows on Earth. 
A)  They are made of methane. 
B)  They are made of carbon dioxide. 
C)  There are impurities in their ice crystals. 
D)  For the same reason that we see colors in rainbows on Earth.

Question 18

Define cloud cannibalism.Where is it observed in the Solar System?

Accepted Answer

Cloud cannibalism occurs when

Question 19

As seen from the outer giant planets,the Sun would appear as simply a very bright star in a sea of fainter stars.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Why do we suspect that the inner planets do not have rings?

Accepted Answer

They lack small moons to act a

Band systems on Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune are most prominent when viewed in which wavelength regime?

Of the giant planets,only Saturn and Jupiter have ring systems.

Which of the giant planets was predicted to exist mathematically before it was ever seen through a telescope?

Two years after first being observed,astronomers reported that Saturn's rings vanished.What happened to them?

Which of the giant planets does NOT have rings?

Why do astronomers believe that Saturn has such prominent rings,and does the observed total mass in the ring system support this theory?

Examine the figure below.Why are winds on the giant planets far faster than those on Earth?

Suppose Neptune moves with an average orbital speed of 3.5 km/s.If it takes Neptune 4 hours to pass directly in front of a star,what is Neptune's diameter? Give Neptune's radius in units of Earth diameters,where the diameter of Earth is 12,800 km.

If you could find a large enough ocean,which one of these planets would float in it?

The fastest zonal winds are found on:

You could fit roughly Jupiters across the diameter of the Sun and roughly Earths across Jupiter's diameter.

Why are Jupiter and Saturn not perfectly spherical?

The strong magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune arise from magnetic dynamos in their liquid rocky cores.

What gives rise to the large magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune? How does this source help explain why the axes of their magnetic fields are misaligned and significantly offset from their rotational axes?

As a group,the giant planets all rotate __________ terrestrial planets.

On which of the giant planets do we think we can find deep oceans of water? Why do we think this?

Why are all clouds on Jupiter not white,as on Earth?

Define cloud cannibalism.Where is it observed in the Solar System?

As seen from the outer giant planets,the Sun would appear as simply a very bright star in a sea of fainter stars.

Why do we suspect that the inner planets do not have rings?

Our Place in the Universe

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Laws of Motion

Light and Telescopes

The Formation of Stars and Planets

Terrestrial Worlds in the Inner Solar System

Atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars

Small Bodies of the Solar System

Measuring the Stars

Our Star: The Sun

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

The Expansion of Space

The Realm of the Galaxies

Our Galaxy: The Milky Way

Modern Cosmology and the Origin of Structure

Life in the Universe

Filters

Exam 8: The Giant Planets

Band systems on Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune are most prominent when viewed in which wavelength regime?

Of the giant planets,only Saturn and Jupiter have ring systems.

Which of the giant planets was predicted to exist mathematically before it was ever seen through a telescope?

Two years after first being observed,astronomers reported that Saturn's rings vanished.What happened to them?

Which of the giant planets does NOT have rings?

Why do astronomers believe that Saturn has such prominent rings,and does the observed total mass in the ring system support this theory?

Examine the figure below.Why are winds on the giant planets far faster than those on Earth?

Suppose Neptune moves with an average orbital speed of 3.5 km/s.If it takes Neptune 4 hours to pass directly in front of a star,what is Neptune's diameter? Give Neptune's radius in units of Earth diameters,where the diameter of Earth is 12,800 km.

If you could find a large enough ocean,which one of these planets would float in it?

The fastest zonal winds are found on:

You could fit roughly __________ Jupiters across the diameter of the Sun and roughly __________ Earths across Jupiter's diameter.

Why are Jupiter and Saturn not perfectly spherical?

The strong magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune arise from magnetic dynamos in their liquid rocky cores.

What gives rise to the large magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune? How does this source help explain why the axes of their magnetic fields are misaligned and significantly offset from their rotational axes?

As a group,the giant planets all rotate __________ terrestrial planets.

On which of the giant planets do we think we can find deep oceans of water? Why do we think this?

Why are all clouds on Jupiter not white,as on Earth?

Define cloud cannibalism.Where is it observed in the Solar System?

As seen from the outer giant planets,the Sun would appear as simply a very bright star in a sea of fainter stars.

Why do we suspect that the inner planets do not have rings?

Our Place in the Universe

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Laws of Motion

Light and Telescopes

The Formation of Stars and Planets

Terrestrial Worlds in the Inner Solar System

Atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars

Small Bodies of the Solar System

Measuring the Stars

Our Star: The Sun

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

The Expansion of Space

The Realm of the Galaxies

Our Galaxy: The Milky Way

Modern Cosmology and the Origin of Structure

Life in the Universe

Filters

You could fit roughly Jupiters across the diameter of the Sun and roughly Earths across Jupiter's diameter.