Question 1

The fact that Jupiter's radius is contracting at a rate of 1 mm/year results in:

Accepted Answer

A) differential convection that powers Jupiter's Great Red Spot 
B) Jupiter's rotation rate slowing down with time 
C) Jupiter's shape being less oblate 
D) Jupiter radiating more heat than it receives from the Sun 
E) Jupiter's orbit around the Sun getting smaller 
A) differential convection that powers Jupiter's Great Red Spot 
B) Jupiter's rotation rate slowing down with time 
C) Jupiter's shape being less oblate 
D) Jupiter radiating more heat than it receives from the Sun 
E) Jupiter's orbit around the Sun getting smaller D

Question 2

The giant planets are made primarily of water and carbon dioxide.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

If we measure the spectrum of radiation coming from different clouds in Jupiter's atmosphere,and we find that a cloud that appears white in visible light emits the largest number of photons at a wavelength of 3 × 10−5 m,while a cloud that appears brown in visible light emits the largest number of photons at a wavelength of 1.9 × 10−5 m,how do the temperatures of the clouds compare?

Accepted Answer

A) The white cloud is 1.6 times hotter than the brown cloud. 
B) The brown cloud is 1.6 times hotter than the white cloud. 
C) The brown cloud is 3 times hotter than the white cloud. 
D) The white cloud is 3 times hotter than the brown cloud. 
E) Both clouds are the same temperature. 
A) The white cloud is 1.6 times hotter than the brown cloud. 
B) The brown cloud is 1.6 times hotter than the white cloud. 
C) The brown cloud is 3 times hotter than the white cloud. 
D) The white cloud is 3 times hotter than the brown cloud. 
E) Both clouds are the same temperature. B

Question 4

Jupiter emits a large amount of radio emission because:

Accepted Answer

A) charged particles blasted off of Io's surface move through Jupiter's magnetic field 
B) violent storms in its atmosphere produce a lot of lightening 
C) Jupiter is so cold that its blackbody radiation peaks at radio wavelengths 
D) Jupiter's thick inner shell of metallic hydrogen is electrically conductive 
E) Jupiter's core has a very high temperature and pressure 
A) charged particles blasted off of Io's surface move through Jupiter's magnetic field 
B) violent storms in its atmosphere produce a lot of lightening 
C) Jupiter is so cold that its blackbody radiation peaks at radio wavelengths 
D) Jupiter's thick inner shell of metallic hydrogen is electrically conductive 
E) Jupiter's core has a very high temperature and pressure

Question 5

What would you observe in order to accurately measure the rotational period of a giant planet?

Accepted Answer

A) clouds in the atmosphere 
B) bands of storms on the equator 
C) stellar occultations 
D) synchrotron emission 
E) the orbit of its moons 
A) clouds in the atmosphere 
B) bands of storms on the equator 
C) stellar occultations 
D) synchrotron emission 
E) the orbit of its moons

Question 6

All the giant planets,not just Jupiter,have atmospheric bands and storms.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Compare the flux of sunlight at the Earth's orbit to that at Saturn's orbit.Note that Saturn's average distance from the Sun is 9.5 AU.

Accepted Answer

The flux of sunlight is proportional to

Question 8

_________ has the most extreme seasons of any planet in the Solar System.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

What is the angular diameter of Neptune if its diameter is 50,000 km and its distance is 30 AU?

Accepted Answer

A) 45 arcseconds 
B) 30 arcseconds 
C) 20 arcseconds 
D) 10 arcseconds 
E) 2 arcseconds 
A) 45 arcseconds 
B) 30 arcseconds 
C) 20 arcseconds 
D) 10 arcseconds 
E) 2 arcseconds

Question 10

Why were Adams and Le Verrier acknowledged as the discoverers of the planet Neptune?

Accepted Answer

A) They were the first to see it through a telescope. 
B) They took time-lapsed photos to show its motion across the sky. 
C) They predicted its position based on the observed discrepancies in the orbit of Uranus. 
D) They were the directors of the observatory at which it was discovered. 
E) They paid for the observations that discovered it. 
A) They were the first to see it through a telescope. 
B) They took time-lapsed photos to show its motion across the sky. 
C) They predicted its position based on the observed discrepancies in the orbit of Uranus. 
D) They were the directors of the observatory at which it was discovered. 
E) They paid for the observations that discovered it.

Question 11

Explain why the densest materials in Jupiter are found in the core of the planet.How does this differ from the formation of the Earth's dense core?

Accepted Answer

The core of Jupiter formed first,and the

Question 12

Jupiter radiates more energy than it receives from the Sun,mostly because it is still contracting under its own gravity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The Great Red Spot,Jupiter's most prominent storm system,has a diameter that is _________ times the Earth's diameter.

Accepted Answer

A) two 
B) five 
C) 10 
D) 50 
E) 100 
A) two 
B) five 
C) 10 
D) 50 
E) 100

Question 14

Which planet receives the least amount of energy from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

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

Question 16

Despite the high temperatures deep in the interior of giant planets,their cores remain liquid because:

Accepted Answer

A) they are under very high pressures 
B) gravitational potential energy is being converted into thermal energy in the cores 
C) they are composed of heavy materials like rock and water 
D) their rotations are rapid compared to those of the terrestrial planets 
E) the giant planets have strong magnetic fields 
A) they are under very high pressures 
B) gravitational potential energy is being converted into thermal energy in the cores 
C) they are composed of heavy materials like rock and water 
D) their rotations are rapid compared to those of the terrestrial planets 
E) the giant planets have strong magnetic fields

Question 17

What could have caused the planets to migrate through the Solar System?

Accepted Answer

A) gravitational pull from the Sun 
B) interaction with the solar wind 
C) accreting gas from the solar nebula 
D) gravitational pull from other planets 
E) differentiation of their interiors 
A) gravitational pull from the Sun 
B) interaction with the solar wind 
C) accreting gas from the solar nebula 
D) gravitational pull from other planets 
E) differentiation of their interiors

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

Uranus and Neptune have very deep,salty

Question 19

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

Question 20

Which giant planet has the most prominent band structures?

Accepted Answer

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

Exam 10: Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

The fact that Jupiter's radius is contracting at a rate of 1 mm/year results in:

The giant planets are made primarily of water and carbon dioxide.

Jupiter emits a large amount of radio emission because:

What would you observe in order to accurately measure the rotational period of a giant planet?

All the giant planets,not just Jupiter,have atmospheric bands and storms.

Compare the flux of sunlight at the Earth's orbit to that at Saturn's orbit.Note that Saturn's average distance from the Sun is 9.5 AU.

_________ has the most extreme seasons of any planet in the Solar System.

What is the angular diameter of Neptune if its diameter is 50,000 km and its distance is 30 AU?

Why were Adams and Le Verrier acknowledged as the discoverers of the planet Neptune?

Explain why the densest materials in Jupiter are found in the core of the planet.How does this differ from the formation of the Earth's dense core?

Jupiter radiates more energy than it receives from the Sun,mostly because it is still contracting under its own gravity.

The Great Red Spot,Jupiter's most prominent storm system,has a diameter that is _________ times the Earth's diameter.

Which planet receives the least amount of energy from the Sun?

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

Despite the high temperatures deep in the interior of giant planets,their cores remain liquid because:

What could have caused the planets to migrate through the Solar System?

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

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

Which giant planet has the most prominent band structures?

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Planetary Adornments Moons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

The Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters