Question 1

Each giant planet has a core made of _________ that is five to 10 times the mass of the Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) hydrogen 
B) rocky material 
C) water 
D) hydrocarbons 
E) methane 
A) hydrogen 
B) rocky material 
C) water 
D) hydrocarbons 
E) methane

Question 2

How is the atmosphere of Saturn similar to the atmosphere of Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) They are both made of mostly hydrogen and helium. 
B) They both create magnetic fields. 
C) They both have jet streams and periods of stormy and calm weather. 
D) They both rotate in less than 11 hours. 
E) They both have a seamless transition between gas and liquid. 
A) They are both made of mostly hydrogen and helium. 
B) They both create magnetic fields. 
C) They both have jet streams and periods of stormy and calm weather. 
D) They both rotate in less than 11 hours. 
E) They both have a seamless transition between gas and liquid.

Question 3

Uranus and Neptune are bluish green in color because they contain large amounts of:

Accepted Answer

A) ammonia 
B) methane 
C) water vapor 
D) hydrocarbons 
E) oxygen 
A) ammonia 
B) methane 
C) water vapor 
D) hydrocarbons 
E) oxygen

Question 4

The strongest magnetic fields in the Solar System are found on which planet?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

Why would a satellite orbiting close to Jupiter have a very hard time detecting solar wind particles?

Accepted Answer

A) Jupiter's strong gravity pulls them into the planet. 
B) Jupiter is too far away from the Sun to get any solar wind. 
C) The satellite would be moving too fast in its orbit to catch any of them. 
D) The Great Red Spot pushes them away from Jupiter. 
E) Jupiter's magnetosphere deflects them. 
A) Jupiter's strong gravity pulls them into the planet. 
B) Jupiter is too far away from the Sun to get any solar wind. 
C) The satellite would be moving too fast in its orbit to catch any of them. 
D) The Great Red Spot pushes them away from Jupiter. 
E) Jupiter's magnetosphere deflects them.

Question 6

Of the giant planets,only Jupiter and Saturn have thick inner layers of:

Accepted Answer

A) liquid rock 
B) solid rock 
C) metallic hydrogen 
D) liquid methane 
E) water 
A) liquid rock 
B) solid rock 
C) metallic hydrogen 
D) liquid methane 
E) water

Question 7

As you move from the top atmospheric layer toward the center of a gas planet,the temperature _________ and the pressure _________.

Accepted Answer

A) increases;decreases 
B) increases;increases 
C) decreases;decreases 
D) decreases;increases 
E) increases;stays the same 
A) increases;decreases 
B) increases;increases 
C) decreases;decreases 
D) decreases;increases 
E) increases;stays the same

Question 8

Calculate Jupiter's mass (in Earth masses)based on its gravitational pull on its moon,Io,using Newton's version of Kepler's third law: P2 = A3/MJ.In order to do so,you will need the following information: Io's period = 1.769 days;Io's semimajor axis = 422,000 km;the mass of the Sun = 2 × 1030 kg;the mass of Earth = 6 × 1024 kg (also,1 AU = 1.5 × 108 km).

Accepted Answer

First convert Io's period and semimajor

Question 9

Why are winds on the giant planets far faster than those on Earth?

Accepted Answer

Their surfaces are r

Question 10

Uranus and Neptune contain smaller percentages of hydrogen and helium than Jupiter and Saturn probably because Uranus and Neptune _________ than Jupiter and Saturn.

Accepted Answer

A) are much smaller in radius 
B) are much warmer 
C) are much colder 
D) formed later 
E) formed earlier 
A) are much smaller in radius 
B) are much warmer 
C) are much colder 
D) formed later 
E) formed earlier

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 
E) 1,000;1,000 
A) 10;100 
B) 100;10 
C) 10;10 
D) 100;100 
E) 1,000;1,000

Question 12

A diagram of the interior of Jupiter is shown below,with layers labeled A-D.
Describe what each of the four labeled layers is made of.

Accepted Answer

A: molecular hydrogen and heli

Question 13

Why do we find methane clouds above water clouds in the atmosphere of Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A) Methane clouds are less dense than water clouds. 
B) Methane is far more plentiful than water on Saturn. 
C) Methane is in a liquid/gas state at lower temperatures than water. 
D) We can't observe the methane clouds that are deeper in the atmosphere. 
E) All of the above are good reasons. 
A) Methane clouds are less dense than water clouds. 
B) Methane is far more plentiful than water on Saturn. 
C) Methane is in a liquid/gas state at lower temperatures than water. 
D) We can't observe the methane clouds that are deeper in the atmosphere. 
E) All of the above are good reasons.

Question 14

You observe Neptune as it occults a background star when the relative velocity between Neptune and the Earth is 30 km/s,and the star crosses through the middle of the planet and disappears for 27.6 minutes.What is Neptune's diameter?

Accepted Answer

A) 5 × 104 km 
B) 800 km 
C) 4,000 km 
D) 9 × 103 km 
E) 3 × 106 km 
A) 5 × 104 km 
B) 800 km 
C) 4,000 km 
D) 9 × 103 km 
E) 3 × 106 km

Question 15

If you could watch Saturn form starting from the beginning of the Solar System,which of these features of Saturn would come together first?

Accepted Answer

A) magnetosphere 
B) metallic hydrogen 
C) molecular hydrogen 
D) rocky core 
E) ammonia ice 
A) magnetosphere 
B) metallic hydrogen 
C) molecular hydrogen 
D) rocky core 
E) ammonia ice

Question 16

If convection on Jupiter got weaker,what would happen to the storms in the upper atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) They would get stronger. 
B) They would get weaker. 
C) They would stay the same strength but become larger. 
D) They would begin to rotate the opposite direction. 
E) They would move deeper into the planet. 
A) They would get stronger. 
B) They would get weaker. 
C) They would stay the same strength but become larger. 
D) They would begin to rotate the opposite direction. 
E) They would move deeper into the planet.

Question 17

Which of the giant planets was discovered by accident by William Herschel?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

Jupiter's strong aurorae result from particles ejected by Io's volcanoes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

All the giant planets except _________ experience seasons.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

Neptune and Uranus probably took longer to form than Jupiter and Saturn,because the solar nebula was _________ at the radius of Neptune and Uranus.

Accepted Answer

A) rotating faster 
B) composed of rockier planetesimals 
C) not as dense 
D) hotter 
E) colder 
A) rotating faster 
B) composed of rockier planetesimals 
C) not as dense 
D) hotter 
E) colder

Exam 10: Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

Each giant planet has a core made of _________ that is five to 10 times the mass of the Earth.

How is the atmosphere of Saturn similar to the atmosphere of Earth?

Uranus and Neptune are bluish green in color because they contain large amounts of:

The strongest magnetic fields in the Solar System are found on which planet?

Why would a satellite orbiting close to Jupiter have a very hard time detecting solar wind particles?

Of the giant planets,only Jupiter and Saturn have thick inner layers of:

As you move from the top atmospheric layer toward the center of a gas planet,the temperature _________ and the pressure _________.

Why are winds on the giant planets far faster than those on Earth?

Uranus and Neptune contain smaller percentages of hydrogen and helium than Jupiter and Saturn probably because Uranus and Neptune _________ than Jupiter and Saturn.

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

A diagram of the interior of Jupiter is shown below,with layers labeled A-D. Describe what each of the four labeled layers is made of.

Why do we find methane clouds above water clouds in the atmosphere of Saturn?

You observe Neptune as it occults a background star when the relative velocity between Neptune and the Earth is 30 km/s,and the star crosses through the middle of the planet and disappears for 27.6 minutes.What is Neptune's diameter?

If you could watch Saturn form starting from the beginning of the Solar System,which of these features of Saturn would come together first?

If convection on Jupiter got weaker,what would happen to the storms in the upper atmosphere?

Which of the giant planets was discovered by accident by William Herschel?

Jupiter's strong aurorae result from particles ejected by Io's volcanoes.

All the giant planets except _________ experience seasons.

Neptune and Uranus probably took longer to form than Jupiter and Saturn,because the solar nebula was _________ at the radius of Neptune and Uranus.

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

As you move from the top atmospheric layer toward the center of a gas planet,the temperature _ and the pressure _.

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