Question 1

When you look at the visible surface of a gas giant planet,you are looking at that planet's _________.

Accepted Answer

A) oceans 
B) core 
C) atmosphere 
D) metallic hydrogen 
E) solid surface 
A) oceans 
B) core 
C) atmosphere 
D) metallic hydrogen 
E) solid surface

Question 2

If the flux of sunlight on a planet suggested its temperature should be 200 K,but its actual temperature was 220 K,then how much more energy does this planet emit relative to the energy it receives from its parent star?

Accepted Answer

A) 5.3 times more energy 
B) 2.1 times more energy 
C) 2.9 times more energy 
D) 1.1 times more energy 
E) 1.5 times more energy 
A) 5.3 times more energy 
B) 2.1 times more energy 
C) 2.9 times more energy 
D) 1.1 times more energy 
E) 1.5 times more energy

Question 3

A planet will have bands in its atmosphere like Jupiter and Saturn if:

Accepted Answer

A) the planet is more than 3 AU from the Sun 
B) the planet rotates slowly 
C) the wind speeds vary greatly with latitude 
D) the planet has a high temperature 
E) the planet has a large mass 
A) the planet is more than 3 AU from the Sun 
B) the planet rotates slowly 
C) the wind speeds vary greatly with latitude 
D) the planet has a high temperature 
E) the planet has a large mass

Question 4

Which of these planets has a composition that is most like the Sun?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

Uranus and Neptune are less massive than Jupiter and Saturn,probably because they formed earlier than Jupiter or Saturn.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

If you monitor Saturn's atmosphere and you see a storm near its equator at a longitude of 0° west on one day and at a longitude of 90° west three days later,what is the average wind speed on Saturn at this storm's latitude? Note that these positions are measured on a coordinate system that rotates with the planet's interior,and the radius of Saturn is 6 × 107 m.

Accepted Answer

A) 720 m/s 
B) 120 m/s 
C) 360 m/s 
D) 540 m/s 
E) 1,440 m/s 
A) 720 m/s 
B) 120 m/s 
C) 360 m/s 
D) 540 m/s 
E) 1,440 m/s

Question 7

How does the discovery of Neptune relate to the discovery of extrasolar planets?

Accepted Answer

Neptune was discovered by measuring a wo

Question 8

Suppose you attach a weight to one end of a spring and then hold the other end of the spring and spin it above your head.The faster you spin the spring,the farther away the weight will move from your hand.This example illustrates:

Accepted Answer

A) why the Great Red Spot exhibits anticyclonic motion 
B) why winds blow in an easterly direction on Neptune 
C) why the poles rotate faster than the equator on Uranus 
D) why Saturn is the most oblate of the giant planets 
E) why the giant planets are farther from the Sun than the terrestrial planets 
A) why the Great Red Spot exhibits anticyclonic motion 
B) why winds blow in an easterly direction on Neptune 
C) why the poles rotate faster than the equator on Uranus 
D) why Saturn is the most oblate of the giant planets 
E) why the giant planets are farther from the Sun than the terrestrial planets

Question 9

Uranus and Neptune do not have bands as distinct as those on Jupiter and Saturn,because Uranus and Neptune:

Accepted Answer

A) have wind speeds that vary more smoothly from the equator to the poles 
B) are composed entirely of hydrogen and helium and lack more complex molecules 
C) are much closer to the Sun and much colder 
D) rotate 10 times slower 
E) have larger masses 
A) have wind speeds that vary more smoothly from the equator to the poles 
B) are composed entirely of hydrogen and helium and lack more complex molecules 
C) are much closer to the Sun and much colder 
D) rotate 10 times slower 
E) have larger masses

Question 10

If Saturn's orbital period is 30 years and the obliquity is 26 degrees,how long is it from the first day of spring to the first day of autumn on Saturn?

Accepted Answer

The tilt of Saturn's orbital axis is sim

Question 11

Based on the flux of sunlight that it gets,Jupiter should have a temperature of 109 K.However its temperature is observed to be 124 K.How much more energy is Jupiter radiating out into space compared to what it gets from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

Stefan-Boltzmann law says that the rate

Question 12

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 
E) microwave 
A) visible 
B) infrared 
C) ultraviolet 
D) X-ray 
E) microwave

Question 13

Uranus has an orbital period of 84 Earth years,a rotation period of 17.2 hours,and an obliquity of 98°.Explain what solar days are like near the north pole of Uranus,and how long they last.

Accepted Answer

Each solar day will last 84 Earth years

Question 14

Which of these things happens because of rain droplets falling through the atmosphere of gas giant planets?

Accepted Answer

A) banding 
B) aurora 
C) magnetic fields 
D) cyclonic motion 
E) lightning 
A) banding 
B) aurora 
C) magnetic fields 
D) cyclonic motion 
E) lightning

Question 15

Explain why the ice giants likely formed at a different time than the gas giant planets,and describe how this led to their different compositions.

Accepted Answer

The cores of Uranus and Neptune likely f

Question 16

What is the ratio of Jupiter's volume to that of Earth's if both planets can be modeled as spheres and Jupiter's radius is 11 times that of the Earth's?

Accepted Answer

The volume of a sphere is 4/3π

Question 17

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. 
E) They have so much more gravity that the poles get pulled harder than the equators. 
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. 
E) They have so much more gravity that the poles get pulled harder than the equators.

Question 18

Why aren't all clouds on Jupiter white,like on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Jupiter's clouds are made of methane. 
B) Jupiter's clouds are made of carbon dioxide. 
C) There are chemical impurities in the ice crystals in Jupiter's clouds. 
D) The Sun is not as bright when viewed from Jupiter compared to what it looks like from Earth. 
E) For the same reason that we see colors in rainbows on Earth. 
A) Jupiter's clouds are made of methane. 
B) Jupiter's clouds are made of carbon dioxide. 
C) There are chemical impurities in the ice crystals in Jupiter's clouds. 
D) The Sun is not as bright when viewed from Jupiter compared to what it looks like from Earth. 
E) For the same reason that we see colors in rainbows on Earth.

Question 19

The colors of the cloud bands on Jupiter and Saturn are due primarily to differences in their:

Accepted Answer

A) wind speeds 
B) chemical compositions 
C) altitudes 
D) temperatures 
E) densities 
A) wind speeds 
B) chemical compositions 
C) altitudes 
D) temperatures 
E) densities

Question 20

Jupiter and Saturn are composed primarily of:

Accepted Answer

A) hydrogen 
B) helium 
C) water 
D) ammonia 
E) carbon 
A) hydrogen 
B) helium 
C) water 
D) ammonia 
E) carbon

Exam 10: Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

When you look at the visible surface of a gas giant planet,you are looking at that planet's _________.

If the flux of sunlight on a planet suggested its temperature should be 200 K,but its actual temperature was 220 K,then how much more energy does this planet emit relative to the energy it receives from its parent star?

A planet will have bands in its atmosphere like Jupiter and Saturn if:

Which of these planets has a composition that is most like the Sun?

Uranus and Neptune are less massive than Jupiter and Saturn,probably because they formed earlier than Jupiter or Saturn.

How does the discovery of Neptune relate to the discovery of extrasolar planets?

Suppose you attach a weight to one end of a spring and then hold the other end of the spring and spin it above your head.The faster you spin the spring,the farther away the weight will move from your hand.This example illustrates:

Uranus and Neptune do not have bands as distinct as those on Jupiter and Saturn,because Uranus and Neptune:

If Saturn's orbital period is 30 years and the obliquity is 26 degrees,how long is it from the first day of spring to the first day of autumn on Saturn?

Based on the flux of sunlight that it gets,Jupiter should have a temperature of 109 K.However its temperature is observed to be 124 K.How much more energy is Jupiter radiating out into space compared to what it gets from the Sun?

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

Uranus has an orbital period of 84 Earth years,a rotation period of 17.2 hours,and an obliquity of 98°.Explain what solar days are like near the north pole of Uranus,and how long they last.

Which of these things happens because of rain droplets falling through the atmosphere of gas giant planets?

Explain why the ice giants likely formed at a different time than the gas giant planets,and describe how this led to their different compositions.

What is the ratio of Jupiter's volume to that of Earth's if both planets can be modeled as spheres and Jupiter's radius is 11 times that of the Earth's?

Why are Jupiter and Saturn not perfectly spherical?

Why aren't all clouds on Jupiter white,like on Earth?

The colors of the cloud bands on Jupiter and Saturn are due primarily to differences in their:

Jupiter and Saturn are composed primarily of:

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

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