Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

A)  liquid rock 
B)  solid rock 
C)  molecular and metallic hydrogen 
D)  liquid methane

Question 2

What clues do the differences in the masses of the giant planets give about conditions in the early Solar System?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What clues do the differences in the...

Question 3

Uranus and Neptune are called ice giants because they have deep salty oceans that give rise to their strong magnetic fields.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

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

Question 5

The different cloud layers seen in Jupiter's bands represent clouds at different altitudes in Jupiter's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

On the giant planets,the atmospheric vortices that occur almost always lie between oppositely directed zonal winds.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

When charged particles oscillate around magnetic field lines of a planet they emit radiation in the microwave region of the spectrum.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

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 ten times slower

Question 10

Explain why it was difficult for the Voyager space probe to detect Jupiter's ring system as it was approaching the planet,but easy to detect the rings once it passed behind Jupiter.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why it was difficult for the...

Question 11

Particles that make up the rings of Uranus and Neptune are composed of:

Accepted Answer

A)  rocky material from tidally disrupted moons 
B)  organic material that has darkened due to bombardment by cosmic rays 
C)  icy material from tidally disrupted comets 
D)  all of the above

Question 12

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 13

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Methane clouds are lighter 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)  All of the above are good reasons.

Question 14

If Saturn's rotational period is 11 hours and its radius is 6 × 10⁷ m,what is the average speed of a cloud in its atmosphere that is rotating with Saturn? (Neglect differential speeds due to winds.)

Accepted Answer

The answer of If Saturn's rotational period is 11 hours...

Question 15

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

Question 16

If you monitor Saturn's atmosphere and you see a storm at a longitude of 0° west on one day and at a longitude of 90° west 3 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.(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

Question 17

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

Question 18

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 noticeably oblate 
D)  Jupiter radiating more heat than it receives from the Sun

Question 19

Jupiter is approximately 30 times more massive than the Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

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

Exam 8: The Giant Planets

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

What clues do the differences in the masses of the giant planets give about conditions in the early Solar System?

Uranus and Neptune are called ice giants because they have deep salty oceans that give rise to their strong magnetic fields.

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

The different cloud layers seen in Jupiter's bands represent clouds at different altitudes in Jupiter's atmosphere.

On the giant planets,the atmospheric vortices that occur almost always lie between oppositely directed zonal winds.

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

When charged particles oscillate around magnetic field lines of a planet they emit radiation in the microwave region of the spectrum.

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

Explain why it was difficult for the Voyager space probe to detect Jupiter's ring system as it was approaching the planet,but easy to detect the rings once it passed behind Jupiter.

Particles that make up the rings of Uranus and Neptune are composed of:

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

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

If Saturn's rotational period is 11 hours and its radius is 6 × 107 m,what is the average speed of a cloud in its atmosphere that is rotating with Saturn? (Neglect differential speeds due to winds.)

Jupiter emits a large amount of radio emission because:

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?

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

Jupiter is approximately 30 times more massive than the Earth.

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

If Saturn's rotational period is 11 hours and its radius is 6 × 10⁷ m,what is the average speed of a cloud in its atmosphere that is rotating with Saturn? (Neglect differential speeds due to winds.)