Question 1

How do particles from the moon Enceladus wind up in Saturn's E ring?

Accepted Answer

A) Volcanoes erupt and expel silicates into space. 
B) Water geysers erupt from the surface and expel them into space. 
C) Cosmic rays bombard the surface rock on Enceladus and expel them into space. 
D) A collision with a co-orbiting moon knocked rocky debris into orbit around Saturn. 
E) Strong winds from Saturn blow material off of Enceladus's surface. 
A) Volcanoes erupt and expel silicates into space. 
B) Water geysers erupt from the surface and expel them into space. 
C) Cosmic rays bombard the surface rock on Enceladus and expel them into space. 
D) A collision with a co-orbiting moon knocked rocky debris into orbit around Saturn. 
E) Strong winds from Saturn blow material off of Enceladus's surface.

Question 2

The presence of shepherd moons keeps the giant planets' ring systems completely stable and the rings will last forever.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

What is the escape velocity from Europa,whose radius is 1,600 km and mass is 5 × 1022 kg?

Accepted Answer

A) 27 km/s 
B) 7.0 km/s 
C) 2.0 km/s 
D) 0.5 km/s 
E) 15 km/s 
A) 27 km/s 
B) 7.0 km/s 
C) 2.0 km/s 
D) 0.5 km/s 
E) 15 km/s

Question 4

Cryovolcanism occurs when:

Accepted Answer

A) molten lava freezes when it reaches the surface because of extremely low temperatures 
B) volcanoes erupt underwater 
C) an icy moon has volcanoes emitting molten lava from deep underground 
D) low-temperature liquids explode through the surface because of increasing pressure underground 
E) a comet hits an object and causes volcanic eruptions 
A) molten lava freezes when it reaches the surface because of extremely low temperatures 
B) volcanoes erupt underwater 
C) an icy moon has volcanoes emitting molten lava from deep underground 
D) low-temperature liquids explode through the surface because of increasing pressure underground 
E) a comet hits an object and causes volcanic eruptions

Question 5

Who first discovered moons around a planet in our Solar System other than the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Newton 
B) Kepler 
C) Galileo 
D) Huygens 
E) Einstein 
A) Newton 
B) Kepler 
C) Galileo 
D) Huygens 
E) Einstein

Question 6

Which of the following moons is NOT geologically active?

Accepted Answer

A) Callisto 
B) Triton 
C) Europa 
D) Enceladus 
E) Io 
A) Callisto 
B) Triton 
C) Europa 
D) Enceladus 
E) Io

Question 7

Extremophiles exist on Earth in both extremely cold and hot environments,but only in places where sunlight allows photosynthesis to occur.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

What is the most likely reason that a planet's rings would reflect more than 50 percent of the sunlight they receive?

Accepted Answer

A) They are made of ice. 
B) They are made of silicate rock. 
C) They are made of liquid. 
D) They are made of iron. 
E) They are very old. 
A) They are made of ice. 
B) They are made of silicate rock. 
C) They are made of liquid. 
D) They are made of iron. 
E) They are very old.

Question 9

The oceans under Europa's icy crust could be very deep and could contain more water than all the oceans on the Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Rank the four giant planets' ring systems from brightest to darkest.

Accepted Answer

Saturn's rings are the brighte

Question 11

Based on the photo shown below,this moon:

Accepted Answer

A) is geologically active 
B) is possibly geologically active 
C) was geologically active in the past,but is no longer active 
D) is geologically dead 
E) More information is needed before any conclusion can be made. 
A) is geologically active 
B) is possibly geologically active 
C) was geologically active in the past,but is no longer active 
D) is geologically dead 
E) More information is needed before any conclusion can be made.

Question 12

Titan's thick atmosphere is believed to have been created when ultraviolet photons broke apart methane molecules,ultimately creating the observed smog-like conditions.This process,though,would likely remove all of the atmospheric methane in roughly 10 million years,yet we still see its presence today.What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A) Cometary impacts periodically bring new methane to Titan. 
B) Ethane rains down out of the atmosphere,combines with surface rocks,and creates new methane. 
C) Infrared photons give atmospheric molecules enough energy to recombine into methane. 
D) Volcanoes on Titan periodically release new methane into the atmosphere. 
E) Bacteria on Titan constantly replenish the methane in the atmosphere. 
A) Cometary impacts periodically bring new methane to Titan. 
B) Ethane rains down out of the atmosphere,combines with surface rocks,and creates new methane. 
C) Infrared photons give atmospheric molecules enough energy to recombine into methane. 
D) Volcanoes on Titan periodically release new methane into the atmosphere. 
E) Bacteria on Titan constantly replenish the methane in the atmosphere.

Question 13

Of what are Saturn's brightest rings primarily made?

Accepted Answer

A) a thin,solid surface of rock and ice 
B) an orbiting cloud of high-density gas 
C) hundreds to thousands of smaller ringlets 
D) a very diffuse collection of dust 
E) house-sized rocks 
A) a thin,solid surface of rock and ice 
B) an orbiting cloud of high-density gas 
C) hundreds to thousands of smaller ringlets 
D) a very diffuse collection of dust 
E) house-sized rocks

Question 14

Extremophiles on Earth have been found:

Accepted Answer

A) in the scalding waters of Yellowstone's hot springs 
B) in the bone-dry oxidizing environment of Chile's Atacama Desert 
C) in the Dead Sea 
D) in the deep subsurface ice of the Antarctic ice sheet 
E) all of the above 
A) in the scalding waters of Yellowstone's hot springs 
B) in the bone-dry oxidizing environment of Chile's Atacama Desert 
C) in the Dead Sea 
D) in the deep subsurface ice of the Antarctic ice sheet 
E) all of the above

Question 15

Why is Io,a moon that is smaller and farther from the Sun than our own Moon,still geologically active?

Accepted Answer

Tidal stresses from Jupiter co

Question 16

Explain how Uranus's rings were first discovered.

Accepted Answer

Uranus's rings were first disc

Question 17

What material has been seen erupting from the surface of the icy moon Enceladus,and why?

Accepted Answer

Geysers of water erupt from th

Question 18

What are the orbital characteristics of a regular moon?

Accepted Answer

Regular moons orbit in the same directio

Question 19

If a moon has a retrograde orbit then it:

Accepted Answer

A) orbits in the opposite direction than its planet rotates 
B) orbits in the opposite direction than its planet revolves around the Sun 
C) orbits in a clockwise direction as viewed from the planet's north pole 
D) A and C 
E) all of the above 
A) orbits in the opposite direction than its planet rotates 
B) orbits in the opposite direction than its planet revolves around the Sun 
C) orbits in a clockwise direction as viewed from the planet's north pole 
D) A and C 
E) all of the above

Question 20

Based on the photo shown below,this moon:

Accepted Answer

A) is geologically active 
B) is possibly geologically active 
C) was geologically active in the past but is no longer active 
D) is geologically dead 
E) More information is needed before any conclusion can be made. 
A) is geologically active 
B) is possibly geologically active 
C) was geologically active in the past but is no longer active 
D) is geologically dead 
E) More information is needed before any conclusion can be made.

Exam 11: Planetary Adornments Moons and Rings

How do particles from the moon Enceladus wind up in Saturn's E ring?

The presence of shepherd moons keeps the giant planets' ring systems completely stable and the rings will last forever.

What is the escape velocity from Europa,whose radius is 1,600 km and mass is 5 × 1022 kg?

Cryovolcanism occurs when:

Who first discovered moons around a planet in our Solar System other than the Earth?

Which of the following moons is NOT geologically active?

Extremophiles exist on Earth in both extremely cold and hot environments,but only in places where sunlight allows photosynthesis to occur.

What is the most likely reason that a planet's rings would reflect more than 50 percent of the sunlight they receive?

The oceans under Europa's icy crust could be very deep and could contain more water than all the oceans on the Earth.

Rank the four giant planets' ring systems from brightest to darkest.

Based on the photo shown below,this moon:

Of what are Saturn's brightest rings primarily made?

Extremophiles on Earth have been found:

Why is Io,a moon that is smaller and farther from the Sun than our own Moon,still geologically active?

Explain how Uranus's rings were first discovered.

What material has been seen erupting from the surface of the icy moon Enceladus,and why?

What are the orbital characteristics of a regular moon?

If a moon has a retrograde orbit then it:

Based on the photo shown below,this moon:

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

Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

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

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What is the escape velocity from Europa,whose radius is 1,600 km and mass is 5 × 10²² kg?